Halloween is right around the corner. In celebration, here is our collection of 6 great American haunted places.
These haunted locations are found on the East Coast and across the country to the Far West. This collection will add to any scary delight. And, if you can’t make it to one of these 6 great American haunted places, make plans to visit later or next Halloween.
If your thoughts run to murder most foul, you can tour the Lizzie Borden house (Fall River, Mass.) where the infamous killings took place. Actually, you can stay there, too — it’s now a bed and breakfast. Allegedly Lizzie Borden hacked her father and stepmother to death but was acquitted of the crime and possibly took the truth to the grave with her. Guests tell of hearing footsteps and furniture being moved on the (uninhabited) floors above them, a woman weeping, and some have reported being tucked in by a woman in a turn-of-the-century dress. If you make it to breakfast, you’ll be served the same morning meal that the unfortunate Bordens ate the morning of their death. You can stay in Lizzie’s own room, or one of the rooms where her parents’ bodies were found. Sweet dreams!
Salem, Massachusetts – Almost too obvious, this town is famous for its witchiness. Home to the notorious 1692 Salem witch trials, the area brims with sorcery like a witch’s kettle, although despite popular legend, those convicted of witchcraft were hung, not burned at the stake. None were immune from the paranoia, as even children were accused. Nineteen were executed, several died in prison. In the fields and meadows that once hid the accused and their betrayers, you can attend what is billed as one of the nation’s largest outdoor Halloween parties, featuring haunted houses, psychic fairs, children’s events and other nocturnal novelties. Home as well to the “House of the Seven Gables.” And, if you’ve seen all the black hats you can manage, the town, a historic seaport, features one of the most impressive collections of marine art in the States at the revered Peabody Essex Museum (I’ve personally been and can attest).
New Orleans, Louisiana – Maybe a little scarier since Katrina, the area has always delighted scare-mongers with tales of voodoo and acres of lavish graveyards. Often called America’s Most Haunted City, it suffers from ‘an embarrassment of riches’ in the paranormal department. At Lalaurie Mansion, brutal slave owners supposedly practiced Megele-like experiments on slaves and today screams and cries are still heard (a private home, so look, but don’t try to enter). Over at the “Sultan’s Palace,” the Turkish tenant and would-be emir and members of his household were brutally massacred – today passersby report hearing strange music and screams, smelling phantom incense and seeing ghostly images. Any of the ‘Cities of the Dead’ provide ample opportunity to commune with the dearly but only nearly departed, but St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, the eternal home of Queen of Voodoo Marie Laveau, is said to be one of the better places to check out, er, see. Even more modern tragedies have added to the spiritual tally – some now report sightings of Katrina victims’ ghosts.
Bell Witch Cave (Adams, TN) – The inspiration for two films and several books, this haunting story begins in 1817 when John Bell shoots a strange rabbit-headed dog-like animal, which is later thought to be a spirit manifestation, and strange noises bedevil their home. Strange things keep happening, as invisible forces are claimed to inhabit the Bell farm home and their daughter Betsy is supposedly assaulted by a poltergeist. John and Betsy seem to be especially singled out for torment. Several theories are offered for why the Bell family is subject to such menacing by the presence which became known as “Bell’s Witch” or “Kate,” including that John cheated the foresaid Kate, a neighbor, out of some property and she was getting him back by trying to scare him to death. According to some reports, “Kate was a very accommodating sprit and would perform for crowds. The Cave, also reputedly an Indian gravesite, is thought to be the place where the witch retired after John Bell died and her mission supposedly accomplished. Tours (fee-charged) are offered, with special events for Octoberfest and Halloween. (Closed for the season after Halloween). According to online reviews, some find the cave creepy, others, not so much. (Nearest lodging appears to be in Clarksville, Tenn. – Adams is a very small town).
Alcatraz, Calif. – A virtual film noir of notorious gangsters, it’s a personal favorite because it also covers all the tourism bases. Besides the obvious prison and its infamous inmates, the island has become a wildlife refuge (Alcatraz means ‘pelican’ in Spanish) and the site of a glorious garden, originally started by residents of the original Army post, now restored by the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy. (During efforts to clean up the long-abandoned gardens, workers found heirloom plants and even varieties thought to be extinct, with some specimens now over 100 years old.)
“The Rock,” as it is called, also hosts a lighthouse (oldest operating on the west coast) and, at times, Indian sunrise ceremonies. Throughout its history the site has been an Army outpost during the Mexican-American War; a Civil War garrison, arsenal, and prison; and a civilian prison through several eras serving as a local penitentiary, an Indian detention center, a place to house conscientious objectors during World War I, and finally, a federal prison. In 1969, American Indians occupied Alcatraz (1969-1972) in a protest aimed at gaining reparations for Native property seized by the government over the years. The siege lasted 19 months and resulted in a new policy which gave Indians the right of self-determination. Today, the occupation of Alcatraz is recognized as the event that touched off the Indian Rights Movement (the U.S. subsequently returned many Indian lands). Now a historical landmark, it’s served by several ferries contracted for by the National Park Service. Nearby San Francisco has plenty of lodging to choose from and some of its own scary sites. (NPS)
Hotel del Coronado, Coronado, Calif. — Have a little gilt with your ghost. The four-star hotel known affectionately as “The Del” is legendary for more than just its top-notch service and splendid location; it was also the site of a classic ‘whodunit.’ Mysterious guest Kate Morgan was found dead at the back of the hotel and no one knows why. Although officially her death was ruled a suicide, doubts persist 118 years later. Check into room 3502 and ask her. Be careful, though; hotel staff over the years have reported experiencing “odd noises, spirited breezes, strange faces and the ghostly figure of a young lady wearing a black lace dress.” If Ms. Morgan slips by you unnoticed, you can always hop over to nearby San Diego, where the “Gaslight District” pops with enough eerie atmosphere for a pantheon of ghosts. A number of historical buildings in the area host haunted happenings. You can also celebrate southwest-style, with a number of Dia de los Muertos celebrations.
We hope you have a ghoulish time at these 6 great American haunted places.
