From bone-chilling bloodstains to fear-inducing phantom sightings, these are the seven most
haunted places in the U.S.
Number 7: The Bird Cage Theatre From 1881 until 1889, the Bird Cage Theatre
was used not only as a theatre, but also as a brothel & gambling parlor in Tombstone,
Arizona.
This was a place where miners occupying the town during the late 19th century's silver
boom could gamble, buy beer & sex, & watch masquerade balls.
The place had a legendary reputation for being a rowdy spot where fights would often break
out.
Bullet holes lined the walls of the building & it's believed that at least 26 people lost
their lives here.
It's also said to be haunted.
To this day, the theatre operates as a tourist attraction, where workers & visitors alike
have reported paranormal activity.
Some claim to have seen the spirits of prostitutes & cowboys roaming the hallways while there
are also rumors that sounds of a 19th century-style saloon party can still be heard some nights.
On one occasion, a tourist found a $100 poker chip on one of the tables, something that
had never been seen before.
The manager then locked it in a safe with the plan of eventually showing it to experts.
But when he later reopened the safe, however, the chip was gone.
Another eerie instance involved Wyatt Earp, the sheriff famous for the O.K. Corral shootout.
Wyatt Earp's statue once sat in the theatre box that he preferred when the theatre was
fully operational.
But curiously, every single morning for six months, his hat would be found in the middle
of the floor.
After consulting a historian, the theatre was told that the statue was in the wrong
box.
It was mistakenly placed in the box that the Clanton family frequented; the significance
being that notorious outlaw Billy Clanton was an enemy of Earp's & was killed by the
sheriff during the infamous O.K. Corral shootout.
Clanton's ghost is said to be a visitor of the theatre & thus, was the one responsible
for moving the hat.
Number 6: The Biltmore Hotel Located in Greensboro, North Carolina, the
Biltmore Hotel was erected in 1895 for textile manufacturer, Cone Mills, but was later renovated
into a hotel.
It also served as a brothel during the mid-20th century & still operates as a hotel to this
day.
But there have been frequently-reported encounters with ghosts here.
Room 32, for example, is haunted by Philip.
Philip worked as an accountant for Cone Mills back when the building served as the company's
office.
One day, his dead body was discovered in the alleyway surrounded by glass.
People initially assumed he commit suicide.
But when investigators turned the body over, they found that his throat had been slit.
It was later uncovered that he had been embezzling money from the company & that his murder might
have been retribution.
The case was never solved, however, & his ghost is rumored to haunt room 32; the room
that used to be his office & was the room where he was thrown out of.
Patrons of the room claim to see a man standing near the window looking out.
Some female guests have claimed the ghost has even hopped into bed with them!
Room 23 is also said to be haunted.
During its time as a brothel, a prostitute named Lydia worked at the Biltmore & always
took her clients to room 23.
She died there after she was pushed down the hotel's stairs.
These days, patrons who stay in room 23 claim to see a red-headed woman in the room.
She's also been known to take a disliking towards drunks.
Hotel guests who've had too much to drink claim to have a tough time walking up the
stairs, almost as if someone was pushing them down the very same stairs on which Lydia was
murdered.
Number 5: The Old Idaho State Penitentiary The Old Idaho State Penitentiary opened in
1872 & housed some of the worst criminals in the region for just over a century.
By the 1930s, the prison garnered a reputation for being extremely violent.
Famous criminals such as Lyda Southard & Harry Orchard were imprisoned here.
Over the years, many riots erupted over the poor living conditions at the prison.
In 1973, all the prisoners were moved to a newly built prison and “The Old Pen,”
as it was known, eventually became a tourist attraction.
According to the website Roadtrippers, people who visit The Old Pen experience odd, inexplicable
phenomena.
Some visitors, for example, claim they've been touched by unseen forces.
The museum's employees say they hear wailing & screaming sounds when no one else is around;
perhaps those of the inmates' ghosts.
Number 4: The Villisca Axe Murder House June 10th, 1912: the Moore family & two friends
are found dead in their home in Villisca, Iowa.
Though the crime was never solved, it was determined they were bludgeoned to death.
The killer apparently hid in the family’s attic & waited for an opportunity to kill
them.
Josiah & Sarah Moore were hacked to death along with their four children & two of the
children’s friends.
There were many suspects to the crime, two of which were Andrew Sawyer & William Mansfield.
But no one was ever charged as Mansfield was able to produce an alibi & walk away freely
while Andy Sawyer was reported to behave strangely after the murders, but was still never convicted.
The house where the murders took place is now believed to be haunted.
A family that later occupied the house claims to have seen the shadow of an axe-wielding
man.
The same family also reported seeing blood-filled shoes that mysteriously move & often came
home to find their clothes thrown out of their drawers.
The father claimed to be sharpening a knife when suddenly, the knife seemed to take a
life of its own and stabbed him.
Their children would often wake up in the middle of the night to the sound of other
children crying.
When ghost hunters visited the house, they claimed hearing a man say “I killed six
kids,” through their EVP detector (or electronic voice phenomenon detector).
After asking who killed the kids, the same EVP replied with “Andy.”
As stated earlier, Andy Sawyer was one of the main suspects behind the murders.
Number 3: Myrtles Plantation American lawyer David Bradford was known mainly
for his part in the Whiskey Rebellion of the late 18th century.
In 1796, he built a home in Louisiana that still remains a historic landmark to this
day.
The house, which was built on Bradford’s plantation, became known as Myrtles Plantation.
The slaves who worked it were sold several times over the years as the property changed
hands.
It's reported that up to 10 murders occurred on these grounds.
Additionally, the site was built on a Tunica Indian burial ground.
Thus, the house has been declared one of America’s most haunted.
One of the 12 ghosts who supposedly haunts the grounds is William Winter, an attorney
who lived on the plantation from 1865 till 1871.
When he was attacked by a stranger for unknown reasons, he retreated inside to safety.
In an attempt to run upstairs, Winter died on the 17th step.
Visitors say they can still hear his dying footsteps.
Additionally, a man named Clark Woodruff supposedly kept a slave named Chloe.
According to legend, she poisoned Woodruff’s wife & daughters & was eventually hanged.
When someone dies, it's a custom for their mirrors to be covered.
The victims' mirrors, however, were not & some say their spirits are still trapped inside.
When Union Soldiers ransacked the house during the Civil War, three of the soldiers were
killed inside the house.
A bloodstain the size of a human body has never been able to be removed & according
to reports, cleaners have been unable to push a mop into the area to clean it.
Number 2: The Amityville Horror House The events that inspired the popular Amityville
Horror series took place at a large house on Long Island.
Ronald Defeo shot & killed six of his family members inside the house in the Amityville
suburb.
After killing his parents & four siblings, he confessed to the crimes & was sentenced
to six consecutive life sentences.
Soon after the murders, George & Kathy Lutz moved into the house with their children.
But they stayed for less than a month after claiming they were haunted by ghosts during
their stay.
Kathy claimed to levitate & said that she would see red eyes watching her.
She even had nightmares about the murders.
Strange smells, cold spots, & household objects moving on their own all suggested the family
had moved into a haunted house.
When a priest tried blessing the house, he claimed a strange voice ordered him to “get
out.”
Number 1: The Hammock House Built in 18th century Beaufort, North Carolina,
the Hammock House is a place of intrigue for many ghost hunters since it was once occupied
by Blackbeard.
Many unusual events occurred during this house's long history, which may explain the amounts
of paranormal activity it experiences.
Blackbeard once rented a room in the house while it was still an inn.
During his stay, he allegedly hung a young woman on the property for reasons that are
unclear.
Some people claim that her cries can still be heard when the moon is full.
Another such incident was the case of the unfaithful wife.
A husband once came home to find his wife in the arms of another man.
In his fit of rage, he grabbed & threw her down the stairs to her death.
Then in 1747, another man named Richard Russell returned home from a sea voyage & took one
of his slaves to the third floor to punish him.
But the slave fought back & pushed Russell down the stairs.
In similar fashion to the unfaithful wife, Russell fell to his death.
Furthermore, three Union soldiers during the Civil War took refuge at the house after the
nearby Fort Macon was seized by the Confederates.
The three men mysteriously went missing & were never seen again.
It wasn't until the house underwent renovations in 1915 that their bodies were discovered
under the porch.
They were identified thanks to their belt buckles & patches, which were still intact.
Given the long history of violence in the Hammock House, many people believe the place
to be haunted.
According to ghost-mysteries.com, the house is currently owned by the Giles Coulter family,
who claims to oftentimes hear & see strange noises, including the cries of a woman & odd
bloodstains that cannot be removed.
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