List of reportedly haunted locations

Haunted locations are places that are allegedly inhabited by ghosts. The reports of these hauntings are often referred to as ghostlore. Ghostlore is fueled by historical facts, stories, and legends. Although relayed through reliable sources, these tales can often be subjective in nature and there is no commonly accepted objective evidence that ghosts or similar phenomena exist.

Australia

The window in Fremantle Prison; is this the ghostly face of a murderer or just rippled glass?

• The Alkimos: a shipwreck of a former U.S. Navy ship from World War II that occurred off the coast of Western Australia in 1964.

• Coach & Horses Inn in Clarkefield, Victoria, Australia - This 1857 hotel is the site of many reports of ghosts, especially during the 1970-80's. The site was once referred to as Australia's most haunted hotel. One owner reported being pushed down the stairs by an unseen force and badly fracturing his ankle.

• At Fremantle Prison in Western Australia the face of Martha Rendell, the only woman to be hanged at Fremantle, appears in the window of the church regularly. The face seems to be caused by ripples in the glass that reflect light in an unusual way, but the resemblance is uncanny.

• J Ward - Old Ararat Gaol in Ararat, Victoria, Australia - The site served as a gaol from 1859 and in 1887 became J Ward of the larger Aradale Mental Hospital and used to house the criminally insane. Various stories tell of ghostly occurrences. The site is now a museum running regular tours.

• Monte Cristo homestead in Junee, New South Wales. Various ghost groups have reported sightings due to the death of seven people in the 1800s.

• The Old Geelong Gaol (HM Prison Geelong) in Geelong, Victoria, Australia - This 1853 gaol is thought to be haunted and various paranormal research groups have visited the site.

• Port Arthur, Tasmania: The Prison settlement has had several reported sightings of ghosts: The Rev George Eastman, The Lady In Blue and the ghost of Charles O'Hara Booth, an early commandant of the prison.

Canada

• The Ceperley House, Burnaby, British Columbia - Near Deer Lake and the Burnaby Heritage Village, this house, now an art gallery, is said to be haunted by its former mistress Mrs. Ceperley.

• Forbidden Plateau, near Courtenay-Comox-Cumberland in Strathcona Provincial Park. A Comox legend says this plateau swallowed all the women, children and elders of the Comox people without a trace, and it has been taboo forever after.

• Gibraltar Point Lighthouse - The ghost of a murdered lighthouse keeper is reported to haunt this abandoned building.

• The Hycroft Mansion, Vancouver, British Columbia. The ghosts of General A.D. McRae, his daughter Lucille, and murdered nursemaid Janet Smith are said to haunt the mansion.

• Nicholas Street Gaol, Ottawa, Ontario - Said to be haunted by the ghost of a man wrongly accused of murder and executed. The building is now a youth hostel, but the top floor is as it was one hundred years ago.

• Quesnel and District Museum and Archives, Quesnel, British Columbia - This museum is home to a doll named Mandy who is reported to be or have been possessed. It is unknown who or what possesses Mandy; or if it still possesses her. The doll however, remains a huge tourist attraction for the museum.

• The Screaming Tunnel, Niagara Falls - It is said that if one stands in a tunnel in one of the woods and lights a wooden match in the middle of the tunnel (at midnight), they will hear a scream when it blows out. The scream is said to be of a little girl who was burned alive by her deranged father, who lost a legal battle over the girl. Also, some have reported seeing the ghost of the father, sometimes carrying a lantern. There is a rumor stating that the ghost will stalk people, and that whoever gets caught by it will die suddenly.

China

• Tuen Mun Road, Hong Kong - Over the years, hundreds of people have claimed that this highway is haunted. Since 1978, many lives have been lost due to car accidents on that expressway. The high death toll is blamed on ghosts because they supposedly pop up in the middle of the road when people are driving, thus causing them to make extremely sharp turns to avoid them and then end up crashing. The ghosts of past victims are said to be seen there at night and some drivers have even claimed that they lost complete control of their vehicle several times.

Denmark

• Dragsholm Castle is said to be haunted by The Ghost of Earl of Bothwell, James Hepburn, who was imprisoned there for about five years until his death in 1578.

England

• Airfields around the country are said to have paranormal activity arising from the spirits of airmen who died in World War II.

• Bochym Manor is resident to two ghosts, the short pink lady, and an unnamed ghost who stands at one of the bedroom windows.

• Belgrave Hall in Leicester, attracted attention in 1999 when a white figure was captured on CCTV. One theory is it is the daughter of a former owner.

Borley Rectory in 1892

• Borley Rectory in the village of Borley, Essex, England. Many sightings have been reported since 1885. The house burnt down in 1939, and remains a huge source of controversy.

• Crowley Hall in the north of England, is supposedly haunted by the spirit of Dr. Bernard Leys. Leys ran the hall for a number of years before dying under mysterious circumstances in 1952. Sightings of ghosts have been reported since the 1970’s.

• In Dorset an axe wielding ghost riding a horse bareback is described by witnesses as looking like a stone age warrior.

• Hampton Court Palace — home of King Henry VIII of England, whose fifth wife, Catherine Howard, is supposed to be heard screaming in the "Haunted Gallery". In October 2003, CCTV footage allegedly showed someone in 16th century clothes and no face closing a firedoor that, though locked, was constantly being opened without anyone near it.

• Minsden Chapel in Hertfordshire is reported to be haunted by a monk climbing stairs which no longer exist.

• The Old Bailey, London's main criminal court. A figure (of unclear sex) supposedly appears in the building during important trials. These appearances have been allegedly witnessed by judges, barristers and policemen.

• The Brown Lady of Raynham Hall has been sighted quite a few times over the years. She is so called because of the brown brocade dress she is supposedly seen wearing while wandering the halls and staircase. In 1849 a Major Loftus and a friend named Hawkins claimed to see the ghost one night after retiring to bed, saying they were amazed by the old-fashioned clothing she wore. The next night Loftus claimed to see the figure once again, saying he took note of her empty eye-sockets. The incident resulted in several members of staff resigning and a full investigation of Raynham Hall involving local detectives.

• Samlesbury Hall in Preston, Lancashire, is supposedly haunted by Lady Dorothy Southworth, known as the "White Lady". Weeping is often heard, and her ghost has been seen wandering near where her lover was buried.

• Temple Newsam is reported to be the most haunted house in Yorkshire, with the most famous ghost being Mary Ingram, commonly known as "the Blue lady", who in her life became deranged after an attack by highwaymen. Ghosts linked with the more famous residents of Temple Newsam include "the White lady": this is said to be the ghost of a Lady Jane Dudley née Grey. She was executed by Mary I.

• Windsor Castle — home of English and British royalty for 1,000 years. Numerous ghosts are supposed to have been seen, including Queen Elizabeth I. Her mother, Anne Boleyn is also said to haunt Windsor castle, and supposedly runs down a corridor screaming. Among those who claimed to have seen the ghost, who sometimes is said to be carrying her head, are King George VI, William Ewart Gladstone and Andrew, Duke of York.

Finland

• Grönvik, Korsholm - The manor of Grönvik is said to be haunted, due to several reports of observations of paranormal phenomena, possibly of more than one supposed ghost.

Germany

• Babenhausen Barracks (German : Babenhausen Kaserne) - now a museum - the ghosts of German soldiers, some in World War II era uniforms, have been reported; lights are said to turn off and on by themselves, and voices are heard in the basement. Footsteps and commands are allegedly heard at night, supposedly without physical cause. Legend has it that if a soldier happens to visit the museum and pick up a telephone, a woman will at times be heard "talking backwards", unintelligible, in neither German nor English. The town was the site of a witch burned at the stake in the 19th century, and her ghost is said to have seduced, and then killed, several German soldiers since then.

• Osnabrück, Haste - die Karlsteine (the stones of Charlemagne) - In ancient times, the location which is now Osnabrück was the site of a large pagan temple and burial area. When Charlemagne mustered the strength to force the Christian faith upon the Germans in the area, his forces killed the priests and desecrated the graves; it is rumoured that he himself broke the largest altar stone to prove the supremacy of the Christian God over the pagan gods. According to stories, the magic remained infused in the site and on the winter solstice and summer equinox strange orbs of light are seen over the centuries, screams are heard, and stains appear on the stones in the apparent absence of physical cause. This has been attributed in local legend to the murders of the priests.

• Reichenstein Castle - According to local legend, Dietrich von Hohenfels and his nine sons were robber barons who used the castle as a stronghold. His sons were caught by the authorities and killed; Hohenfels was captured the next day. He asked that he be hanged and his sons' lives be spared, but upon seeing that they were already dead, his head fell from his body. All ten bodies were buried in St. Clement Chapel, in the castle, and the ghost -- headless -- is said to haunt the castle.

Himalayas

• Mount Everest - The ghost of a climber has allegedly been seen by other climbers, two of whom in 1975 claimed to have shared a snow hole with the ghost during their climb. Some who have seen him believe this is the ghost of climber Andrew Irvine, who disappeared in an attempt to summit the mountain with George Mallory in 1924.

India

• Hyderabad - Ramoji Film City - It is alleged the hotels in Ramoji film city are haunted.

• Hyderabad - Warasiguda House - It is alleged that the house in Warasiguda locality in Hyderabad is haunted. It is about one kilometer away from Secunderabad.

• New Delhi - Sanjay Van (near Qutab Institutional Area) - Sanjay Van is a huge forest area spread over around 10 km. There is a cremation ground also there, many people have allegedly reported having seen a lady dressed in a white saree appearing and disappearing suddenly.

• West Bengal - Kurseong - Dow-Hill - The forests are alleged to be haunted.

Indonesia

• Pelabuhan Ratu - The legend says that Nyai Loro Kidul (Nyi is a Javanese old pronunciation of Madame), daughter of King Prabu Silwangi, is the Queen of the South Sea. She is supposed to have committed suicide by jumping off the cliff and into the sea. Rumors say that if someone wears green, the Queen's favorite color, when swimming, he or she will be pulled by her ghost into the sea. Room 308 at the Samudra Beach Hotel is set aside for the Queen.

Japan

In Japan, ghosts are called Yūrei. They are very similar to Western ghosts, and are believed to haunt people and places after their death.

• Okiku's Well at Himeji Castle is often said to be haunted by the ghost of Okiku. She is supposed to rise from the well at night and count to nine before shrieking and returning to the well. Some stories, however, locate the haunted well in the Canadian embassy in Tokyo's garden.

• Aokigahara, the forest at the bottom of Mt. Fuji, is a popular location for suicide. This gives rise to a widespread belief that it is haunted.

Norway

• Porsgrunn Sykehjem is a hospital that is reportedly haunted. In 2006 when the staff refused to work at night, a priest was called to bless the hospital from the ghosts.

Scotland

• Edinburgh Castle The castle has many ghosts, including a drummer who only appears when the castle is about to be attacked and a piper who disappeared in the tunnels between the castle and the High Street .

Sweden

• Borgvattnet is a very small village in northern Sweden, but it has been made famous for its old, reputedly haunted vicarage.
• The Palace of Scheffler is the most famous "haunted house" in Stockholm and is often simply known by its nickname, The Haunted Mansion (Spökslottet).
• The Royal Palace in Stockholm is supposedly haunted by several ghosts, including the so called White Lady (vita frun) and the Grey Man (grå mannen). The White Lady is said to appear when someone in the royal family is about to die, and old King Oscar II even writes about her in his memoirs. Some believe that the Grey Man is the ghost of Birger Jarl, the founder of Stockholm.
• The Stockholm Metro is reputed to be haunted by the ghost train Silverpilen.

United States

• Alcatraz is a former maximum security prison on an island in San Francisco Bay in the United States. It is no longer used as a prison. Visitors and tour guides have made claims of hearing screams, slamming jail doors, and footsteps.

• Athens, Ohio is said to be one of the most haunted places in America, and is reputed to contain many ghosts. When drawing a line from each of the five cemeteries around Athens, it forms a pentagram with the center being Ohio University. Ohio University is also considered by some to be the most haunted campus in America, as is the former state hospital, Athens Lunatic Asylum, located right near campus.

• Belcourt Castle, a French Renaissance-style château in Newport, Rhode Island, is alleged to be the location of numerous paranormal phenomena and events, including moving chairs, moving armor, ghostly apparitions, a possessed statue and various other sightings.

• Big Bay Point Light, in Big Bay, Michigan, is reputedly haunted by the red-haired ghost of its first keeper, Will Prior.

• Bobby Mackey's Music World, a country-western nightclub in Wilder, Kentucky (in the Cincinnati, Ohio metro area) is reputed to be "a gateway to Hell."

• Boone County, Illinois has several intersecting roads south of the city of Belvidere with a reputation of being haunted, most notably Bloodspoint Road.

• The Boston Athenæum is said to be haunted by the scholarly Rev. Harris, who was seen there by Nathaniel Hawthorne.

• The Brinton Lodge in Douglassville, Pennsylvania is locally famous as a reputedly haunted house. The original structure, built in the early 1700s, was a one-room building which was operated as a tavern/roadhouse stop along the Schuylkill River Canal System. It was later expanded into a summer home, then remodeled into a gentlemen's club, and today is operated as a bar and restaurant. Legend has it that at least five spirits inhabit this property, including Caleb Brinton, "Dapper Dan," an older woman, and a "lady in white."

• The Brown Grand Theatre in Concordia, Kansas has stories of a ghost that haunts the theatre, especially during the opening season.

The Hollywood Sign, scene of reported sightings of an apparition

• Hollywood, California has many sites that are believed to be inhabited by the ghosts of dead celebrities.

• Hot Lake is a supposedly haunted hotel in eastern Oregon. The hotel is known for a fire, suicides, and hauntings from ghosts during its days as a sanitorium.

• Huntress Hall of Keene State College located in Keene, New Hampshire is supposedly haunted by its namesake, Harriet Huntress. One of the schools residence halls, students often report strange noises coming from the building's attic, where Huntress' wheelchair remains to this day.

• Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri - There are said to be sightings, sounds, and lights flickering on and off in the arena late at night from a former WWF wrestler named Owen Hart who died in 1999 by falling 78 feet (24 m) to his death from the ceiling of the arena . There are also said to be sightings of him still in his Blue Blazer suit at the top of the arena looking down with the cable hooked up to him.

• The Lemp Mansion in St. Louis, Missouri is said to be one of the most haunted buildings in the United States. Four members of the Lemp family killed themselves, three in the mansion. There are said to be apparition sightings, glasses flying off of the bar, pianos playing by themselves, etc. The mansion is now open as a restaurant and bed and breakfast.

• The Lizzie Borden House in Fall River, Massachusetts, which is now a Bed and Breakfast, is claimed to be the most haunted house in America. The site of a double murder, one of the most famous in US history, claimed sightings, noises, and the feeling of a cat walking across people have all been reported in the room where her father was killed.

• Ohioville, Pennsylvania - A mile long stretch of Kelly Road, nick-named Mystery Mile by former residents, is reported to be the site of supernatural activity. Animals along this road turned from docile to violent without explanation, often chasing after people and each other. The thick forest that the road cuts through is known for unexplained noises and white apparitions. The origin of these events is unknown, and speculation ranges from some kind of curse on the land to cult activity once tied to this region.

• The Polish Museum of America in Chicago is believed to be haunted by ghost of famous pianist Ignace Paderewski. The staff recounts a number of incidents related by a number of people, including the cleaning crew who have claimed to experience ghostly-related phenomena late at night. The Ghost Research Society was even brought in by the museum staff to investigate these claims.

• The Regent Theater in Allegan, Michigan is said to be haunted, and witnesses claim to have seen moving forms and felt physical touching.

• The Stickney House in Bull Valley, Illinois, has a unique design due to Stickney's belief in spiritualism. It is thought that he and his wife wished to communicate with their dead children. Today the house is the local police department, and it is claimed that police report strange sounds, objects moving around, lights turning off, and door knobs turning and doors opening by themselves. Other homes in the area are also rumored to be haunted. The nearby Holcombville cemetery includes tombs of the Stickney children and a person killed in the crash of American Airlines Flight 191.

• A guest room in the Story Inn in Story, Indiana is supposedly haunted by a ghost known as "the Blue Lady". Little is known of who she might be, or why she might haunt that room, but her alleged presence is mentioned in many separate guestbook entries. According to some, she seems more likely to appear if a certain table-lamp is turned on.

• In Sunnyvale, California many Toys "R" Us employees have reported seeing unusual rearranging of toys in the aisles, and reported sightings of a man in his thirties dressed in old clothing. His name is believed to be Johan, and is believed to be a farmer who used to live on the site of the Toys "R" Us and is just keeping "an eye on the old place". The store still remains open today; most customers are completely unaware of this legend.

• The Vanderlip Mansion in Palos Verdes, California, former home of Frank A. Vanderlip, the wealthiest landowner on the peninsula. Local urban legends claim that either Vanderlip's wife or daughter killed the rest of the family, including Frank's two dogs, and committed suicide at this site. At night, visions of family members are said to have been seen in the windows of the mansion while the dogs have been spotted haunting the wooded area and hillside behind the mansion. During the day, human voices can supposedly be heard in the wooded area.

• Waverly Hills Sanatorium in Louisville, Kentucky - a former tuberculosis hospital, Waverly Hills has been of strong interest with paranormal investigators, some calling it "the most haunted place on Earth". There are unconfirmed reports of more than 60,000 deaths at the site, and the property owners, workers, and investigators have claimed that at almost anytime you can see strange lights, phantasms and shadows moving around the corridors and rooms of the building.

• The Whaley House in the "Old Town" section of San Diego, California, is a reportedly haunted house. The house was one of the region's first court houses as well as hanging grounds before being converted to a residence. The Whaley House is claimed to be recognized by the federal government as being haunted.

• The White House in Washington, D.C. is riddled with stories of different hauntings.

• The Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, California, is supposedly haunted by the ghost of its eccentric builder, Sarah Winchester. Ironically, she is said to have built the rambling mansion to protect her from the spirits of all those killed with her late husband's famous line of rifles.

Books

United States

• Alan Brown. The Face in the Window and Other Alabama Ghostlore. University of Alabama Press (1997). ISBN 978-0817308131
• Joseph A. Citro. The Vermont Ghost Guide. University Press of New England (2000). ISBN 978-1584650096
• Gerald S. Hunter. More Haunted Michigan: New Encounters with Ghosts of the Great Lakes State. Lake Claremont Press (2005). ISBN 978-1933272016

See also

• Paranormal
• Poltergeist