America is relatively young compared to the rest of the world, yet its diverse cultural background and historical events have it fraught with paranormal influence in all corners of the nation. We’ve scoured the nation for the most haunted places in America. Our collection will grow, but we will only feature the top haunts with the best stories. There are tons of great haunts throughout the nation, but only so many can be featured as The Most Haunted Places in America.
The Haunted Magnolia Hotel, Bed and Breakfast, & Ghost Tour in Sequin, Texas
Want to explore one of the most historic haunted hotels in Texas? Go on a chilling tour of the place? Or, if you’re really bold, you can stay the night. You just might encounter something beyond this world…
The Story of the Haunted Magnolia Hotel
What once began as a small, two-bedroom log cabin is now one of the most famous haunted hotels in all of Texas. The hotel was built in 1840 by James Campbell, who was an original Texas Ranger and co-founder of Seguin, Texas. Underneath the cabin, the large basement was used as a Native American jail cell, and is known as one of the worst jails in all of Texas’ history. Unfortunately, later Campbell was murdered by Comanche Natives, and the cabin was sold to Joseph F. Johnson, who expanded the hotel and added a stagecoach station.
For years, the hotel remained abandoned. It wasn’t until the new owners, Jim and Erin Ghedi, saw the Magnolia’s potential and restored it to its current state. Now, you can visit the hotel at any time and take a ghost tour, or stay the night.
The Haunted Magnolia Hotel Murders
This hotel has quite the history. In 1874, an unsuccessful bank robber committed what is known as the most horrific murders in the New Braunfels area. The man attempted to rob a local pharmacy but didn’t find any valuables. He then proceeded to the back of the building, where the pharmacist and his family lived. The robber came across some gold jewelry and then continued to poke around the place. A family friend named Helene was woken by the noise and went out to investigate, where she was met by the robber with a hatchet in hand. He slashed both of her eyes so she couldn’t identify him, and he proceeded to strike a 12-year-old girl in the head, killing her. After his crimes, the man returned to the hotel and was never convicted of any wrongdoing.
It wasn’t until years later that the man confessed on his deathbed to his crimes, but by then it was too late. Now, it’s rumored that the murderer still makes his presence known at the hotel. Reports say his room becomes unbearably hot and uncomfortable, and that he does not like to be antagonized.
Ghost Tours of the Magnolia Hotel
Want to go on a thrilling adventure? At the Magnolia, you have two options for ghost tours:
VIP Night Ghost Tour: This spooky two-hour tour is led by the hotel owners, Erin and Jim Ghedi. They will take you to every room throughout the hotel, where you will encounter spirits and learn about the history of this famous hotel. It is noted that this tour takes place at night and is not for the faint of heart.
History and Mystery Day Tours: This tour is a little less daunting. You must arrive at 1:00 pm sharp on your tour date, and the guide, Shauna, will take you throughout the premises. You will see the entire building, and may run into some ghosts. There is also a gift shop after the tour.
The choice is yours. Which tour do you dare to take?
Ghosts of the Magnolia Hotel
It’s been reported that 13 ghosts have been identified at the Magnolia. These spirits are deemed mostly pleasant, which may be disappointing to some thrill seekers. To name a few of these ghosts, there are:
A Squatter – during the period that the hotel remained vacant, a squatter passed away, allegedly from suffocation.
Itsy – a young girl who sadly passed from yellow fever.
James Campbell – the founder of the hotel.
Sara – a lady who died of a broken heart after her lover did not return.
Where is the Haunted Magnolia Hotel
If you’re in Texas, you’re in luck. The Haunted Magnolia Hotel is located in the historical city of Seguin. We suggest that you check this place out, especially if you’re in the area.
Hollywood is passionate about turning real-life haunted houses into films. Although some haunted houses have received a lot of backlash because families are trying to gain fame from them, there are plenty of haunted houses with very creepy stories.
Here are eight real-life haunted houses that were turned into movies in Hollywood. You may have seen them, or you may want to watch these movies for the first time. Check out this list.
In 1974, the Entity House, also known as the Doris Bither case, took place in Culver City, California. Doris Bither experienced some terrifying paranormal activity in her home, which was documented, turned into a book, and then made into a Hollywood film.
Doris contacted Barry Taff, a parapsychologist, in 1974 when she began to experience horrible events in her home. Taff did various paranormal experiments in the home and interviewed Doris. There was a lot of doubt when it came to her stories because she had a history of drug and alcohol abuse and had a very traumatic childhood.
One of the stories that Doris shared was about one night when she was trying to relax and unwind in her home. Her kids had gone to sleep, and she was in her bedroom. She witnessed three different entities in the room. She said that two of them grabbed her arms and held her down on her bed. She said that the other one, who was much larger, was the one who sexually assaulted her. Doris claimed that she was paralyzed with fear and couldn’t scream or move. She said that this occurred over the next several days as well.
Not only was she sexually assaulted by these entities, but she said that they would drag her around the house, and even her oldest son said that he saw it happening. The other children had gotten scratched, slapped, and bitten by these entities and a fourth one. There was nothing that Doris felt she could do to get rid of the entities in their home.
Bither and her children were living in the house together, and she claimed that she was raped and attacked by one of the entities living in this house. She also claimed to see human shapes and poltergeist events in the home.
Taff and his team were in Bither’s home for ten weeks, and they witnessed objects falling from shelves, bad odors, strange lights, and various cold zones in the home. The investigators saw orbs, strange lights, and shadow figures when they took photos. Taff felt that after all of the research they conducted, this house was haunted.
The Entity Movie Trailer
The Real Entity House movie was released in 1982. It stars Barbara Hershey and Ron Silver and was called one of the scariest movies at the time. The house is still standing in Culver City, California, and other paranormal investigators have claimed that Doris faked it all for fame. However, she passed away in 1999 after claiming the spirits followed her all the way to Texas when she moved there with her children.
The Amityville Horror House has received considerable publicity since Hollywood made the first film about it in 1979. The book about the house was also released in 1977. Tragic murders occurred in this house in 1974, and those who lived there witnessed terrible paranormal events.
In 1974, Butch DeFeo was arrested for killing his entire family. He shot them all in the Amityville house. When he committed these murders, he was 23 years old, and he told the police that the mafia did all of it. However, after a lot of time with investigators, Butch told them that he had heard voices that told him to kill his entire family.
In 1976, George and Kathy Lutz moved into the Amityville house. They thought this was their dream home. After less than a month of living there, they began to encounter terrifying events. The family would get swarmed by flies, and then they would just disappear. One of the children reported that he was in his room levitating at some point. Some objects would fly across the room, and a green ooze would come out of the walls.
When the local priest came to bless the house, he heard a demonic voice tell him to leave. There have been a lot of rumors about how nothing in this house ever happened and that the Lutz family was just trying to make money off of their story. However, they moved out of the house in 1977; they claimed that the paranormal actually followed them there. They claimed that the entities from the Amityville house were attached to them. Interestingly enough, none of the other families that have lived in the house have ever claimed to witness paranormal activity.
Quite a few films and books were inspired by the events at the Amityville Horror House. The first film was released in 1979 and titled The Amityville Horror. This movie documented the Lutz family’s experiences in the home and made George out to be more into the occult and Satanism. In 2005, another Amityville film was released and it was considered a bust. In 2017, Amityville- The Awakening was released. Even though horror fans were thrilled about it, it didn’t do as well in theaters as expected.
The Amityville Horror Trailer
The Amityville Horror House was bought in 2017 for $850,000. Since its purchase, there have been no incidents of paranormal activity.
One of the most haunted houses in the United States is the Snedeker House in Southington, Connecticut. This small town was unaware of the popularity and chaos this house would bring. In 1986, the family living here reported tales of horrifying paranormal activity. After Hollywood began to hear more about this house, A Haunting in Connecticut was released.
In 1986, the Snedeker family began to report the strange events happening in the house. They were struggling as a family during this time. Allen, the father, had issues with alcoholism, and his wife, Carmen, was always between jobs. The couple had serious financial woes and found it difficult to take care of their children. Their oldest son was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and had to get cancer treatments. They had to move to Southington for these treatments, and this house seemed perfect for them.
The home used to be The Hallahan Funeral Home before the Snedekers moved in. When they moved in, they began to experience events that would shake them as a family. They found photos from when the home was a funeral home. They found a coffin, some headstones, and even bodies that were buried on the property. The family had a lot of concerns about what they should do since they really couldn’t move.
The paranormal activity began with some small bizarre sounds in the house. They would occur at night and during the day. There would be scratching on the walls, and chains would rattle in the home. The children began to see ghosts walking in the hallways, too. The kids wanted to leave, but Carmen told them they were just imagining things. Some rooms had cold spots, and eventually, these paranormal events began to get physical.
One day, when Carmen was showering, the shower curtain started clinging to her body, and she couldn’t get out. She said that it was choking her, and she couldn’t move. These attacks began to happen more frequently to Carmen, always when she was home alone. Her niece, Tammy, claimed that she had been attacked as well. She also mentioned seeing black shadowy figures and heard whispering when no one was around.
The Snedekers ended up calling Ed and Lorraine Warren to help them out. They tried to cleanse and bless the house, but these had no effect on the spirits in the house. The Warrens felt as if there had been Satanic activity in the house, and this was what was causing the spirits to be so active. There were so many investigators in and out of this house. One group didn’t even make it through one night before they left because they were scared.
After the Warrens performed an exorcism of the house, the media grew very interested in the Snedeker house. When they moved out, it was purchased, and the new owners wished to remain anonymous. They claimed that they never witnessed anything paranormal in the home, and they suggested that the Snedekers made it all up.
The Haunting in Connecticut Trailer
The Haunting in Connecticut was loosely based on the events in this house. After they shared their story, they pretty much disappeared. Carmen has given talks about what happened in the house, but they are few and far between these days. Ed and Lorraine Warren helped write the script of the 2009 film. This story has intrigued horror fans for years.
One of the most popular horror film franchises is The Conjuring. The Conjuring House is located in Rhode Island, and in 1971, the Perron family moved in. They had five daughters, and they felt as if they had found their dream home here. Of course, everything seemed perfect to the Perrons. This was the home that they had always wanted.
When asked about the paranormal activity in the house, Carolyn Perron said it only took about five minutes for it to get started. The paranormal events happened during the day and at night. One of the daughters, Cindy, woke up one night, and she heard voices all around her. She was so scared that she went into her sister’s room. She felt safe there, but soon they heard the voices again. This time, they told the girls that there were seven dead soldiers buried in the walls of the house.
Soon, Carolyn and her husband, Roger, began to see and feel the paranormal activity in the house. When Carolyn was cleaning, she found that some of her clean tools had been moved around the house, but in a playful manner. However, after doing more research into the house, the Perrons found out that there had not been any occult practices or deaths in the house. When the Warrens were called in, they discovered that there was a ghost named Bathsheba Sherman haunting the Perrons.
When the Perrons learned about Bathsheba, they discovered that she had a reputation for being a witch in the town. Her name kept coming up for Lorraine Warren when she would investigate the home. The Perron children also claimed to have seen her in the home. The house received a cleansing and a blessing through a seance. Carolyn was really affected by the seance, and her body was physically wounded because of it. After the seance, however, the Perrons never felt the spirits here again.
The Conjuring House stories have also received a lot of backlash. Some investigators have been there and not felt anything paranormal, although others have. The movie was based on the events that the Perrons spoke about. The house is owned by private owners, and they have mentioned that they constantly get trespassers and just want the freedom to live in their happy home.
Ed and Lorraine Warren have been part of plenty of these haunted houses, and the Real Conjuring 2 House in Enfield, England is another. In 1977, they went to help out a family in England who felt that their house was haunted. Peggy Hodgson was renting the house with her four children and she began to witness paranormal events.
The children claimed to have seen clothing moving around the house on its own and the drawers of the dresser opening and closing. They also heard noises, but they never could find the source of the sounds. The upstairs of the house seemed to be the most haunted area, so for 18 months, Peggy and the kids all slept downstairs.
Peggy did admit that her children had played with a Ouija board in the home, and she felt that this could have brought out the spirits that were haunting them. The neighbors often called the police about the loud noises in the home, but there was never any proof of the family committing crimes. When paranormal investigators got involved, the events ramped up.
Items in the home began to levitate, and there were constant loud bangs coming from the walls. The investigators confirmed that this was a poltergeist haunting. The Warrens were called in to help the family, and eventually, the home was blessed and cleansed. This was considered one of their “top three” investigations of all time.
The Conjuring 2 Trailer
The family that lived in the home was happy to move out after the cleansing. The children have all grown up, and they live very quiet and private lives. They don’t like all the publicity, and they are glad that they all made it out of that house.
The Smurl Haunting took place in West Pittston, Pennsylvania. Jack Janet Smurl bought the home in 1974. They had young daughters and wanted enough room for their growing family. There were early signs that the house was haunted and began very quickly after they moved in.
The paranormal events started with banging noises on the ceilings and walls. Some foul smells then began to occur in the house. One night, the family’s dog was picked up and violently thrown across the room, and the entire family was there to witness it. This startled the family, and they knew that they had to get help.
The Smurls lived in the house for years and tried everything they could to eliminate the spirits here. Some horrible events began to happen, such as Jack being sexually assaulted by a succubus in the family’s living room. Janet also admitted to being sexually assaulted by a spirit in the home as well. They called Ed and Lorraine Warren to help them remove the spirits in the house.
The Warrens told the Smurls that at least four entities were in their home. Two of them were women, one was a teenager, and one was a man who had died in the house. There was also a very powerful demon living in the home. The Warrens called a priest to bless the house and perform an exorcism. In total, there were three exorcisms performed on the Smurl house.
The Haunted Movie Trailer
The Smurls eventually felt as if the spirits had left the home. After the movie’s release, the popularity of the house skyrocketed. The Smurl family also received a lot of media attention, and the children, who are all grown, want to live a nice, quiet life.
The Bothell Hell House is located in Bothell, Washington. In 2012, Keith Linder decided to rent a home with his girlfriend, Tina. He worked as a software engineer and was happy to live close to Seattle. This home seemed like a dream come true for the young couple, and everything seemed right on track for them. However, this all came crashing down when they began to witness paranormal events in the home.
Tina and Keith began to see things move independently or completely disappear shortly after moving in. Of course, they wrote off the items, thinking they might just have get lost in the move. One night, while they were watching television, the couple noticed a vase levitating all on its own. Then it fell to the floor and broke. The couple began to experience more intense events and found local ministers to check out their home.
Tina and Keith realized that there was something paranormal in their home and Keith contacted a woman that used to live there. She told him that she would never go back there and added, “That house is a living Hell.” Paranormal investigators were called in to help, and they realized that the house was haunted. The events in the home were too much for Keith and Tina to take, so they moved out. The new tenants claim that there is still a lot of paranormal activity taking place here.
Steven LaChance moved into the house of his dreams with his children in 2001. His wife left him and the children, and he was trying his best to deal with that. He was doing very well at his job, and that is why he moved into this home. When they moved in, Steven was outside, and a car pulled up and told him, “Hope you will get along well with them,” and they drove off very quickly. Steven wasn’t sure what they meant, but he would soon find out.
The first thing the family began to notice was the changes in the lights. They would get very bright out of nowhere, so bright that they were almost blinding. A contractor checked out the house and said that there was nothing out of the ordinary with the lights. The events began to get worse, though.
The kids were terrified to walk without their dad from one room to another. They felt something demonic in the house and one of his sons said he saw a demon-looking creature resembling a clown. The screaming began in the home and the family couldn’t take it. Steven knew that he had to get help. He contacted paranormal experts from all over the world.
The biggest event happened when the entire house began to shake violently and scream. His daughter got locked in her room and Steven tried everything to get her out. Paranormal investigators and the Catholic Church got involved with the house. The church wrote a 156-page report on how there was a demon in the home. This is the most haunting case in America and has been terrifying tenants for decades.
All of these homes have a history of being haunted. When Hollywood got ahold of their stories, they decided to make movies to scare the pants off of horror lovers. Ghost hunters from all over the world would love to explore these homes, but keep in mind that there are families that currently live in most of them.
The Bell Witch Cave in Adams, Tennessee is an infamous haunted site that has been the subject of numerous tales and legends. The legend of the Bell Witch dates back to the beginning of the 19th century and tells a tale of a supernatural being that haunted John Bell and his family. According to folklore, The Bell Witch’s spirit would speak and cast spells on the family. The Bell Witch harassed the family causing them great distress and even physical harm to John Bell’s youngest daughter, Betsy Bell.
The Bell Witch even vowed to kill John Bell in 1817. Eventually, John Bell would die on December 20th, 1820. The cause of death was actually attributed to the supernatural.
Paranormal Activity Around the Bell Witch Cave
The Bell Witch Cave is a limestone cave near where the Bell Farm once stood. Paranormal activity has been reported surrounding the cave including eerie noises, mysterious lights, and strange occurrences. The cave is located in Red River Gorge near Adams and is known for its unique geological features as well as its paranormal activity. It is a limestone formation with many winding passages that lead deep into the cave system. Many believe this was an ideal setting for paranormal activity.
The bell witch legend has grown over time with many visitors claiming to have experienced strange events while visiting the cave or nearby areas. While some skeptics reject these accounts as superstition or exaggeration, many still feel there’s some truth behind these stories. In recent years, paranormal investigators have conducted extensive research into the Bell Witch phenomenon.
Where is the Bell Witch Cave?
The Bell Witch Cave is located in Adams, Tennessee at 430 Keysburg Road, Adams, TN 37010. It’s about 40 minutes from Nashville and tours are given during the Summer.
Movies based on the Bell Witch
The Bell Witch Haunting has several movies based on the story: 2013’s Bell Witch Haunting, Bell Witch: The Movie in 2007, and An American Haunting in 2005 are each based on the story of the haunting and the cave.
Whether you believe this eerie story or not, those who come seeking answers at The Bell Witch Cave should be prepared for whatever awaits them within.
Las Vegas is a desert oasis that’s capable of quenching the most distinguishing of thirsts. The constant gleam of neon lights, ringing slot machines, and Vegas nightlife draws millions of visitors to the Silver State every year. Located less than one mile off the famed Las Vegas strip on the side street of East Charleston Boulevard is the Zak Bagans’ Haunted Museum. It caters to a different crowd, featuring artifacts and stories of paranormal history. The museum is downright frightening and wholly exciting.
The Dark History of The Bagans’ Haunted Museum
The building itself is an older mansion that was originally built in 1938 by the prominent Wengert family. It was once the largest mansion in Las Vegas which gives Bagans plenty of room to house his objects of the macabre. The house has some darkness in its history as a former owner passed away inside the home. Over the years, the property was abandoned at one point and according to Bagans, it was revealed to him that dark rituals were performed in the basement area of the now haunted museum. In fact, he feels that the building was established with haunted spirits long before he ever took ownership. During its remodeling prior to opening, Bagans had a hard time keeping some workers on the job as many would be fine one moment and then run screamingly off the property after having a paranormal encounter inside. The now eleven thousand square foot museums boasts over thirty rooms jam-packed with some of the most haunted objects from all over the world.
Experience the Paranormal
One of the principles that Bagans tries to make known to visitors is that he is not trying to actively show a ghost or call forth a spirit. Instead, he is offering a place where if possessed ghostly objects choose to interact with a visitor or group, then they will do it because they want to. Some of the haunted objects he possesses are in fact just too dangerous for visitors to be near. One of the most terrifying is the legendary Dybbuk Box. This unassuming wooden box is said to contain the spirit of a malicious entity that is capable of haunting and even possessing a human being. Bagans acquired the box and after opening it with the help of a witch, he then claimed to see apparitions and dark shadow figures. Worse yet was the powerful growling sounds that emanated around the box. Bagans ended up sealing the box closed with a powerful combination of sage and salt to keep the dreaded Dybbuk spirit locked safely away.
What Artifacts are in the Zac Bagans’ Haunted Museum?
While the Warren Occult Museum in Connecticut has the infamous Annabelle doll, the Zak Bagans’ Museum has “Peggy the Doll”. Bagans acquired the doll from a woman in England who claimed that the doll contained the spirit of a young woman who died sometime in 1946 of a chest related medical problem. Too many people close to the former owner suffered from severe chest pains or even mild heart attacks. Bagans now has Peggy the Doll in an isolated room that is not part of the standard tour. He claims that people who come in to see Peggy have suffered chest pains or heart attack related symptoms on the spot. Other times it’s given crippling headaches and even caused some people to suffer a ghastly uncontrollable fit of vomiting! Still so, Bagans does not mistreat Peggy or hide her away but further insists, “I always want to show them respect because the things they’ve caused are quite real”.
Outwardly haunted objects are not the only thing on display in the museum. One of the more innocuous items is a cauldron formerly owned by infamous serial killer Ed Gein, who later inspired the wildly successful Texas Chainsaw Massacre film series. The cauldron was used for everyday work on the Gein farm as well as later used to render dismembered human limbs down to the bone. In the museum, people have reported a sense of dizziness and unease after staring at the cauldron too long. At other times there has been mysterious interference with electronic devices when standing near the cauldron. Gein’s not the only serial killer with property there to be seen by visitors. John Wayne Gacy’s paintings that he made while on death row hang in a hallway as does a portrait of Charles Manson in which his actual cremated ashes were used to paint his portrait eyes with!
The Bagans’ Museum does have separate rooms that contain less supernatural objects such as a room filled with many spooky puppets and dolls. Another has carnivalesque fortune-telling objects, while a nearby room displays celebrity items such as Michael Jackson’s death chair and even torture writer Truman Capote’s medication bottles. Voted “Best Museum by Las Vegas Review-Journal”, tickets and tour slots fill up fast for the museum every day. Bagans is sometimes around the museum to greet fans and visitors as a pleasant surprise. However, visitors must sign a waiver in which they affirm that they are about to see the most haunted objects in the world and must do so at their own risk! That is perhaps the best gamble in all of Sin City.
The Legend of Haunted Clinton Road, America’s Most Cursed Highway
In West Milford, New Jersey, the eerie Clinton Road stretches almost 10 miles, has one of the country’s longest traffic lights, and is oozing with unusual phenomena. The road may not be much to see at first, but when you consider Clinton Road’s history, it gets a lot more interesting.
The road and forest stretching around the haunted Clinton highway are bursting with supernatural occurrences and legends, from ghost sightings and strange creatures hiding in trees, to gatherings of witches, Satanists, and the Ku Klux Klan in the dead of night. There are very few homes on the road, making anyone’s journey through it quite lonely, or as a local police chief put it, “It’s a long, desolate stretch and makes the imagination go nuts.” Whether is just people’s imaginations or not is up for debate. It’s a fact that strange things happen near the haunted Clinton Road and to many who have dared enter its woods.
It’s a long, desolate stretch and makes the imagination go nuts.
-West Milford, Police Chief
Clinton Road’s Ghost Boy Bridge
The most talked about paranormal occurrence on the long stretch of Clinton Road is said to happen at midnight when the spirit of a young boy haunts a bridge near “Dead Man’s Curve.” The story of how the ghost boy came to rest on Clinton Road differ. Some say he fell into the river and drowned when he was sitting on the edge of the bridge, others say he fell into the water to avoid getting hit by an oncoming car.
They say if you sit on the bridge you can summon the ghost boy by throwing a coin into the water below. The ghost boy is said to return at midnight and place the coin back on the bridge. Other’s claim he will either toss the coin back onto the bridge or place it back on the road the next morning. Some have reported him placing it in the middle of the road on the yellow line the next morning. Some have even claimed that the ghost boy pushed them away from the bridge when they stood too close to its edge. Others have said they have seen the face of the young boy reflected back at them in the still, coin-filled water.
They say if you sit on the bridge you can summon the ghost boy by throwing a coin into the water below. He will either toss the coin back onto the bridge or place it back on the road the next morning.
Note: There are two bridges on Clinton Road and both are somewhat near Dead Man’s Curve. You’ll see remains of coins off both bridges and the exact location is a bit of a controversy. Most people flock to the bridge closest to Dead Man’s Curve which may be the most likely place, but there is another bridge a few miles south of Dead Man’s Curve is where you’ll see a waterfall.
Haunted Cross Castle
Tucked back into the woods, not far from the road, lies the ruins of what used to be a grand three-story stone and wood structure named The Cross Castle, named after its builder, Richard Cross. Cross built the large estate for himself and his family in 1905 and lived there until his death in 1917. His family then sold the property to the City of Newark in 1919. Sometime later, a fire ripped through the abandoned settlement, leaving only the stone structure behind. In 1988, the building was demolished but not before it had become a haven for Satanist ceremonies and KKK meetings. Even in the age the castle was built, the surrounding woods were thought to be evil and full of witches and bad spirits. Very few were willing to enter the woods, and even fewer would ever step into them at night. People who have braved the woods at night have heard strange chanting and manic laughter. Some have had seizures for unexplainable reasons and found animal sacrifices littered everywhere. Some have even had the unpleasant experience of bearing witness to a KKK gathering near the ruins.
The Furnace of Clinton Road
Yet another strange Clinton Road structure nestled against the trees, slowly gathering moss and foliage, is The Furnace, an 18th-century iron smelter. It has also been nicknamed “The Druidic Temple” since legend says local Druids would practice their rituals there although it’s really known as Clinton Furnace according to the Register of Historic Places. It is said that horrible things will come to pass to intruders that enter the stone structure unannounced or at an inopportune time. The smelter is now fenced off to prevent trespassers from entering the crumbling structure and, considering the tales told about the place, it may be for the best.
The Iceman’s Dumping Ground
Not every horrifying tale about Clinton Road is supernatural. In May 1983, a cyclist noticed a large vulture picking at something in the woods close to the road. Upon further inspection, the cyclist discovered a human corpse. Following an autopsy, it was concluded that the man died due to foul play but strangely did not die as recently as his body would suggest. Due to the presence of ice crystals in the veins of the dead man, it was determined that the man had died several days before, but the killer had frozen him to make the date of death seem more recent. This method is how Richard Kuklinski, a hitman for the mob for most of his adult life, got the name, Iceman. The dead man was identified as Daniel Deppner, a business associate of Kuklinski and a known associate of the mob in nearby Rockland County, New York. A three-year investigation finally lead to the arrest of the New Jersey local, Iceman Kuklinski. He confessed to being the killer and made bold claims that he had killed hundreds of men throughout his life. The Iceman died in prison in October of 2005.
America’s Most Haunted Road?
A ghost boy, Dead Man’s Curve, the Iceman’s burial ground, a druid temple, satanic rituals, KKK rallies, animal sacrifices, and more. Is it a coincidence that so many bizarre events transpire on this road, or is there a reason so much evil is attracted to Clinton Road and its parts? The coincidences seem to have become patterns.
1 East Broughton Street, Savannah, GA, United States
7:00 pm all ages
9:00 pm Adults only
When people hear of Savannah laying claim to the expression “America’s Most Haunted City®”, it makes them ask “WTH? (What the Haunted?” Is this a wild claim…or is it true?
We can definitely tell you it is more than hype. In October 2002 we were the recipients of the America’s Most Haunted City® award on behalf of the City of Savannah, from the esteemed American Institute of Parapsychology which is the world’s most respected group of field research. Come join us on a 90 minute walk through Savannah oldest, most haunted areas of Savannah’s Historical District. From witch executions, to lost cemeteries, haunted hotels, to modern day hag attacks. We delve into Savannah’s haunted heritage and reputation by taking you to the very beginning.
This is a nightly 90 minute walk.
For more information call 912-292-0960 or visit our website, 6thSenseWorld.com
Dr. Henry Howard Holmes, born Herman Webster Mudgett, was born in 1861 in Gilmanton, New Hampshire. Mudgett was born to a wealthy family and was considered to have above-average intelligence. He assumed the alias H.H. Holmes when he started his career as a con artist, committing numerous frauds and scams before becoming known as one of America’s first and most prolific serial killers.
Making of a Serial Killer
Holmes became a surgeon upon college graduation and it is believed that throughout his university career, he made a habit of stealing corpses and collecting on fabricated life insurance policies. He had practiced surgery on animals as a child, and it is believed that he also used the stolen bodies to perform deranged experiments. Holmes told so many lies, that many of his own accounts contradict themselves making it tough to discern truth from his world of deception and murder.
H.H. Holmes Murder Castle – A Revolting Renovation
In 1886, Holmes took over a drug store and had it renovated into a block-long, three-story boarding house, which would become his own personal playground of terror. He turned the building into “an elaborate maze of death traps,” according to Biography.com. While the ground floor maintained the appearance of a drug store, the upper floors were converted into his own personal apartment, with an elaborate set of rooms designed specifically for torturing and killing. “It included stairs and hallways that led to nowhere, oddly angled hallways and rooms with no windows,” according to choosechicago.com. His disturbing dwelling included a gas chamber of sorts, used to, you guessed it, gas his victims. In the basement, an incinerator was used to dispose of the bodies, making it nearly impossible to determine just how many people he killed.
Over the years Holmes lured hundreds of unsuspecting women to his drug store with promises of love or money, then tortured and killed them. In 1893, Holmes generously invited visitors to the Chicago World’s Fair to lodge at his hotel during their stay. Unfortunately, many of those visitors never left.
H.H. Holmes Murder Castle Interior Diagram.
America’s First Serial Killer
While he was committing these atrocities, Holmes was simultaneously continuing his insurance schemes. It was one of these schemes that led to his capture and eventual execution. A former business partner, Benjamin Pitezel, whom Holmes had promised a large sum of money, but never delivered, turned him into the authorities. During his trial for the insurance fraud case, he managed to commit at least five more murders; surreptitiously killing the backstabbing business partner and three of his children.
H.H. Holmes mugshot. America’s first serial killer.
Holmes was tried for the murder of his business partner Pitezel and was easily convicted. He appealed his murder conviction, but lost the case and was hanged in Philadelphia on May 7, 1896, just shy of his 36th birthday.
Just before he was hanged, Holmes claimed: “I was born with the devil in me. I could not help the fact that I was a murderer, no more than the poet can help the inspiration to sing.”
“I was born with the devil in me. I could not help the fact that I was a murderer, no more than the poet can help the inspiration to sing.” – H.H. Holmes
Investigators were able to confirm that 9 deaths occurred in the Murder Castle. Holmes himself confessed to the murders of 27, but there is ample evidence that he killed upwards of 200 people during his reign of terror.
Where is the H.H. Holmes Murder Castle Today?
After Holmes was executed, an assumed partner and caretaker of the murder castle, Pat Quinlan took up residence in the building. It is believed that Quinlan committed suicide after being tormented by hallucinations and visions. His ominous suicide note read, “I couldn’t sleep.”
Weeks after the hanging, Holmes’ murder castle was set aflame by an arsonist. The building was nearly ruined but the first floor remained standing and was converted to a sign shop and a bookstore. It wasn’t until 1938 that the site was truly given new life; a U.S. Post Office was constructed upon the abandoned locale.
The H.H. Holmes Murder Castle was torn down in 1938.
Murder Castle’s Haunted Grounds
One postal employee shared her haunting experience; she entered a hallway while investigating a strange noise, only to find a hallway lined with folding chairs. She retreated to the lobby, and then upon returning to the hallway, found the line of chairs had mysteriously stacked itself.
There have been several reports from post office employees of seeing a ghostly figure of a woman in the building, or outside in the courtyard where the murder castle once stood. Visitors report hearing the haunting sound of a woman humming or singing in unoccupied areas of the building.
H.H. Holmes in Print and Hollywood
In 2003, the story of H.H. Holmes was written into a best-selling novel by Erik Larson titled The Devil in the White City. The story intertwines true events of the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago, the fair’s architect Daniel H. Burnham, and Dr. H. H. Holmes and his murder castle. Leonardo DiCaprio owns the book’s film rights and a big screen adaptation of The Devil in the White City is currently in the works. Leo is set to play the role of H.H. Holmes.
Evan Peters’ American Horror Story: Hotel character, James Patrick March, was also based on H.H. Holmes as was the hotel that the season was based off. AHS: Hotel had other interesting true life inspirations such as the Cecil Hotel Amanda Lam missing persons incident. It’s getting all too real.
Did Holmes Escape His Own Death?
Recent rumors have surfaced that Holmes may have escaped his execution. Locals believe that Holmes may have been able to bribe prison guards to help him escape. Holmes had requested his coffin to be encased in cement and buried 10 feet below the surface. Ironically, his reasoning was to avoid grave robbers who might use his corpse for experiments and dissection.
One theory was that Holmes escaped to South America. A report in 1898 from the Chicago Daily Inter-Ocean claimed that Holmes was able to bribe his priest, lawyer and jailors to bury another inmates’ body in Holmes coffin. The report suggests that after the hanging, the undertaker’s carriage left the prison yard with Holmes still living body and that he then escaped to San Parinarimbo, Paraguay. However, that town doesn’t truly exist on the map.
Holmes Exhumed in 2017
Did the H.H. Holmes escape his own death? We may never truly know. In 2017, Mudgett descendants petitioned to exhume the body of Holmes in an effort to identify if his body was indeed buried in his cement tomb. Anthropologists at the University of Pennsylvania are still conducting tests.
The result of the exhumation confirmed that H.H. Holmes’ body was indeed in the tomb.
Was H.H. Holmes “Jack the Ripper?”
More rumors abound that H.H. Holmes could have been “Jack the Ripper.” Jeff Mudgett, a Holmes descendant, found 2 diaries in which Holmes examines his participation in the murder of several prostitutes in London. The timing was right as Holmes may have been in London at the time and there were similarities in the brutality between “The Ripper” and Holmes murders. While the theory is interesting, the claims are loosely put together and there has yet to be any conclusive evidence and there may never be.
2476 San Diego Avenue, San Diego, CA 92110, United States
The Haunted Whaley House
Bad omens had been following the Whaley family for years. Long before the tragic deaths of Thomas Jr. and young Violet, who took her own life in the parlor of the home. It seemed a curse had fallen on the Whaley House and even after moving 500 miles away, Thomas Whaley and his family could not escape its torment.
The Haunting of Whaley House
Early days at the Whaley House
In 1857, Whaley began construction on a home in which he and his wife Anna would raise their children. Like many structures built in the 1800’s, the home became the site of several other businesses, including a granary, a courthouse, a school, a general store, as well as San Diego’s very first commercial theater. Five years before the home was built, Thomas Whaley witnessed a public execution; the hanging of a boat thief named James “Yankee Jim” Robinson. The gallows were constructed on a parcel of land that had at one time been a graveyard; the very same parcel of land that Thomas Whaley purchased and upon which he built his cursed family home.
Not long after the family moved into the home, Thomas Whaley began noticing that something was amiss. He complained of the sound of loud footsteps that couldn’t have been made by his dainty wife or young children. He concluded that the spirit of Yankee Jim was haunting the residence. While living in the home, Thomas and his wife Anna had 3 children; Francis, Thomas Jr., and Anna Amelia. Tragically, Thomas Jr. died of scarlet fever at only 18 months of age. That same year Thomas Sr.’s general store was destroyed by arson.
In 1859, in an attempt at starting over, the Whaleys moved to San Francisco where they added 3 more children to their family: George, Violet, and Corinne Lillian. Several years later, in 1868, the family moved back to San Diego and returned to settle back into the old homestead.
Til death do us part…
Violet Whaley
Years later, Violet Whaley was married to a man named George Bertolacci. However, two weeks into the marriage, her new husband left in the middle of the night never to be heard from again. She would later learn that Bertolacci had been a con artist who only married her in hopes of acquiring a dowry. So humiliated by the betrayal and the backlash it caused to her reputation, Violet sunk into a deep depression. In 1885, Thomas Whaley found his daughter Violet lying in a pool of blood. She had shot herself with his handgun.
22-year-old Violet died in the parlor of the home, leaving behind a sorrowful note:
“Mad from life’s history,
Swift to death’s mystery;
Glad to be hurled,
Anywhere, anywhere, out of this world.”
She borrowed the poem from Thomas Hood’s book of prose, Bridge of Sighs. Violet was the first of four family members who would die inside the Whaley House. Anna Whaley, as well as Francis and Corinne Lillian all died in the Whaley residence, though of natural causes.
The family that haunts together…
Parlor Room
While Yankee Jim was the first spectral inhabitant to be reported at the Whaley House, there have been reports of hearing an infant wailing as well as witnesses who claim to have seen an apparition of a sad young woman sitting alone in the courtroom. An overwhelming feeling of melancholy, and a distinct feeling of being watched have passed over many visitors to the home, especially while in the parlor.
While on tours of the home, visitors have had their flashlights suddenly snuff out, and have reported hearing an empty chair begin to creak. Otherwise healthy visitors have reported a feeling of unease followed by dizzy spells that mysteriously disappeared once they left the residence.
A retired police officer reportedly approached a woman from behind who appeared to be crying. When he asked if she was okay, the woman turned around and smiled. When he shined his flashlight directly on her, she vanished in front of his eyes.
A tour guide vehemently believes Thomas and Anna still inhabit the home. On one occasion, the guide heard a woman’s voice ask: “Why are you here?”
Phantom Philbin?
In 1960, the Whaley House was repurposed into a historical museum. According to Wikipedia, the US Commerce Department deemed the residence an official “haunted house.”
Regis Philbin once visited the museum, and reported having a spooky interaction with Anna Whaley.
“There was something filmy white, it looked like an apparition of some kind, I got so excited I couldn’t restrain myself! I flipped on the [flash]light and nothing was there but a portrait of Anna Whaley, the long-dead mistress of the house.”
-Regis Philbin
Travel Channel and LIFE magazine both assert that the Whaley House in San Diego, California, is “The most haunted house in America.”
108 Ocean Avenue, Amityville, NY 11701, United States
The Real Amityville Horror House
The story behind the real Amityville Horror house is a gruesome tale. The horrific murders that took place in the Amityville home in November of 1974 forever haunt this tainted residence. And what followed has been told and retold.
The Amityville Horror Story
Ronald Joseph DeFeo Jr., otherwise known as “Butch,” was convicted in 1974 for murdering his entire family in a cold-blooded shooting spree. His mother, father and four siblings were all shot dead in the Amityville home while they slept.
DeFeo, who was 23 at the time of the murders, was the eldest of the family’s five children. While originally fabricating a story about a mob hitman who was responsible for the bloodbath, DeFeo eventually confessed to the murders, asserting that “voices” within the house had convinced him to do it. He was arrested by Suffolk County Police and charged with six counts of second-degree murder.
Robert “Butch” DeFeo remains incarcerated at Sullivan Correctional Facility in New York. He has been denied all appeals and continues to serve out his six consecutive life sentences.
Accounts of Paranormal Activity
Two years after the murders took place, George and Kathy Lutz, along with her three children from a previous marriage, moved into what they imagined would become their dream home. In fewer than 30 days, the terrifying truth drove them from the home and nearly their sanity.
After fewer than four weeks of living at the Ocean Avenue home, George and Kathy Lutz left behind nearly all of their worldly possessions and fled to live with a relative outside the city. They never set foot in the residence again. But what drove them to swoop up their children and flee?
The real Lutz Family from Amityville Horror
Reports of paranormal activity began almost immediately. Danny, one of the Lutz boys, reported that he was swarmed by flies while unpacking clothes in his new bedroom. Minutes later, the insects disappeared without a trace. On more than one occasion, Danny recalls levitating above his bed. Random objects were said to have flown across a room without warning. The eyes of a hellish hog appeared to glow red in the night, and the walls oozed a green goo of unknown origin. A voice reportedly warned the local priest to “GET OUT” while he prayed incantations in a vain attempt to rid the house of its pesky poltergeists.
None of these accounts could ever be verified by anyone outside of the Lutz family, but over the years, George and Kathy’s stories never changed, and neither did their children’s. They passed lie detector tests and surprisingly reaped very little financial reward for the notoriety the house brought them.
When the Lutz family moved out of the Amityville House in 1977, they had hoped to leave the paranormal activity behind. Unfortunately for them, it seemed the haunting was not attached to the house itself, but to their own family. They claimed that they continued to be haunted for years after departing the infamous house. And the new owners, who purchased the house for far below what the Lutz’s had paid for it, never reported any unusual activity in the home.
George and Kathy Lutz divorced in the 1980s; George had become prone to bouts of rage and was at times feared by his stepchildren. In 2004, Kathy died of emphysema, and two years later George succumbed to a long illness. Their three children currently live in and around New York City.
Where is the Real Amityville Horror House?
The home was built in 1927 at 112 Ocean Avenue in Long Island, just south of New York City. However, the address has changed and now sits upon 108 Ocean Avenue. The original address was expunged from all maps at the behest of one of the subsequent owners because of the notoriety of the films. The home has been remodeled several times and the paint has changed. Don’t confuse the movie home for the true home as they don’t look exactly alike. The easiest way to recognize the real Amityville Horror house is by its half-moon windows that have haunted all of us since the first movie.
Popular Culture
The murders and the subsequent paranormal activity associated with the house inspired numerous books and films.
Jay Anson wrote a book titled The Amityville Horror which was released in September 1977. The text recounts the tribulations of the Lutz family during their brief occupancy of the home.
The 1979 hit movie, The Amityville Horror, was later adapted from the book and documented the chronicles of the Lutz family. George Lutz, who was known to be a bit “out there,” and possessed numerous books on Satanism and sorcery, was portrayed by actor James Brolin.
In 2005, Ryan Reynolds starred in a remake alongside actress Melissa George. While the film grossed over $100,000,000 worldwide, it was critically a bust.
The story continues to inspire filmmakers nearly 50 years later with the forthcoming Amityville – The Awakening, expected to hit theaters in January 2017.
9601 Steilacoom Boulevard Southwest, Lakewood, WA 98498, United States
Old Haunted Western State Hospital
Old Western State Mental Hospital is one of the eeriest places in all of Washington State. It was originally Fort Steilacoom Asylum in 1871, but the building dates back to 1849 when it was part of the Fort Steilacoom Army post.
The history of the hospital tells stories of frontal lobotomies, mental wards that were secretly open for prostitution by the orderlies and brutal attacks on patients. The grounds are creepy indeed and many paranormal groups will ghost hunt at night after the park closes. Be careful and watch your step.
The hospital catered to the insane and stories from the high security wards of beatings and crazed outbreaks are plentiful.
How to get to the Old Western State Hospital
The ruins of the old mental hospital are inside Fort Steilacoom County Park in Lakewood. The address is located on the map tab above. There is a path at the end of the parking lot that takes you through the woods. You’ll walk a little bit and find the old hospital in ruins and graffiti. The grounds have deteriorated with time.
The ruins of the hospital are slowly disappearing. The cemetery is ominous and paranormal researchers have captured orbs and strong signals suggesting ghostly inhabitants. A walk around the grounds during the day can be spooky, but at night things get even more interesting.
Nirvana and Western State Hospital’s most famous patient
Frances Farmer was an up and coming Hollywood actress in the 1930s, starring in films with Bing Crosby and Cary Grant. Unfortunately she struggled with alcoholism and was arrested for drunk driving with her car’s headlights on during a war time blackout. You read that right. While awaiting trial she was very violent and had to be regularly subdued. At her sentencing, her family urged the judge to move her to a psychiatric hospital, believing that she needed treatment. She spent a short time in a California hospital but eventually made her way to Western State Hospital where she spent almost 5 years.
This time of her life was documented in the 1978 book Shadowland by William Arnold. As popular as this book was, it wasn’t very factual. Arnold admitted in 1983 to making up the story that Frances was given a lobotomy during her stay at the hospital. But 1983 was a bit too late and Hollywood made their film Frances, starring Jessica Lang, where she indeed get’s a lobotomy. Oops!
This isn’t to say that her stay at Western State wasn’t a horrible experience. In her biography, Will There Really Be A Morning? she states that she was “raped by orderlies, gnawed on by rats and poisoned by tainted food…chained in padded cells, strapped into strait jackets and half drowned in ice baths.”
Frances was released from the hospital for good in 1950. She made a small comeback in Hollywood but never regained her much desired stardom. She died in 1970 of esophageal cancer at the young age of 57.
Being from Seattle and all, super group Nirvana took a shine to the story of Frances. In 1993, Nirvana released the song Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge On Seattle off of their album In Utero. Nirvana’s singer Kurt Cobain said of the song, “I guess that’s my way of letting the world know that bureaucracy is everywhere and it can happen to anybody and it’s a really evil thing,.” He went on to say “The story of Frances Farmer is so sad and it can happen to anybody and it almost felt at a time that it was happening to us.”
Nirvana’s Frances Farmer Will Have Revenge On Seattle
601 Museum Ct, Brooksville, FL 34601, United States
The Haunted May-Stringer House in Brooksville, Florida
The May-Stringer House was built in 1855. It’s said to be haunted by the ghost a 3-year-old girl named Jessie Mae who died in the house. The house has seen many deaths over the years and several bodies have been buried on the property. Jessie Mae is not the only specter who haunts this historic landmark. There are many other ghosts said to walk the halls making the May-Stringer House one of the most haunted places in the country.
Death and Sadness at the May-Stringer House
John L. May was the original owner who built the four-room home for his wife Marena and 2 daughters in the 1850s. He succumbed to tuberculosis 3 years after moving in. His wife and family remained in the home through the Civil War. Marena married a Confederate soldier named Frank Saxon after the war. Marena died while giving birth to the new couple’s daughter Jessie Mae.
Sadly, 3 years later, Jessie Mae passed away from unknown causes. There are several graves on the property. John May, Marena and Jessie Mae, as well as the infant son of Frank and Marena, are all buried on the property.
Frank Saxon sold the home to Doctor Sheldon Stringer who expanded the home dramatically into what’s regarded as a mansion today. The good doctor served patients and it’s been said used the home as something of a sanatorium to patients suffering yellow fever and smallpox.
Ghosts of the May-Stringer Home
With so many deaths and an abundance of sorrow, the home has the perfect making for a horror story. It’s said that ghostly happenings began very early after the deaths of the children. During the expansion of the home, children’s giggles and laughter were heard when no child was around. Reports of mists, ghostly shapes and cold spots have been reported and the crying of a baby is heard from time to time.
Florida’s most haunted place?
This is said to be one of Florida’s most haunted homes. Investigators have set up camp often. An angry spirit called “Mr. Nasty” was apparently a shooting victim of Doctor Stringer’s and he can be quite active now and then. He supposedly hung himself in the attic after his wife cheated on him years ago and now he does not tolerate women in the house.
With many spirits, a great sadness, and a sordid history, the May-Stringer House is definitely a top haunt spot, to say the least.
Lizzie Borden took an axe
And gave her mother forty whacks.
When she saw what she had done,
She gave her father forty-one.
The History of the Haunted Lizzie Borden House
While many establishments boast of housing spirits of a bygone era, few can claim to host the ghostly victims one of the most famous murders in our history. The ghosts of Abby and Andrew Borden, father and stepmother of Lizzie Borden, are said to haunt the home in which they were brutally murdered over 100 years ago.
In 1892, Lizzie Borden maliciously murdered her father and stepmother with an ax… Allegedly. Lizzie Borden was 32 years old when she was accused of gruesomely murdering her father and stepmother with an ax. Lizzie Borden’s actions after the murder were highly suspect and her stories were wildly inconsistent. All signs pointed to Lizzie as the culprit, yet Lizzie was acquitted of the murders in 1893. The crime has never officially been solved and many believe she got away with murder.
You can sit in this very couch at the Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast
Lizzie Borden’s Mother’s Body
Ghosts of the Lizzie Borden House
At the Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast Museum, guests can take a ghostly tour of the historic haunt where the murders took place. Though Ms. Borden was acquitted of the murders and released from prison, she spent the remainder of her years being ostracized by members of her community who believed her guilty.
While questions remain about who was responsible for the murders, many guests maintain that the spirits of Mr. and Mrs. Borden have visited them during their stay at the Bed & Breakfast.
Born in Fall River, MA on July 19, 1860. Died in Fall River, MA on June 1, 1927. Lizzie lived free in Fall River for 35 years after the murders took place.
“I acquired a strange scratch on my arm from an unknown source – I found out later the same thing had happened to another guest. I’m convinced it came from a spirit in the house,” one guest claimed.
While most visitors enjoy recounting the haunting and gory details of the Borden murders, there is debate about the “paranormality” of the legendary landmark.
“The case is fascinating because of the family dynamics, Victorian-era history, and judicial aspects.” a guest said. “There is NOTHING supernatural going on; “natural” family hatred is scary enough.”
Where is the Lizzie Borden House
The Lizzie Borden House still stands at 230 2nd St, Fall River, Massachusetts and it is now a “haunted” bed and breakfast. The house is located about 50 miles south of Boston, near Providence Rhode Island. They offer daily tours, as well as overnight stays, but beware, your rooms are not private; not only will your guestroom share a bathroom with adjoining guest suites, but during tour hours, visitors will view your room as part of their ghostly edification.
Stay in the Haunted Lizzie Borden Ax Murder House if You Dare
Lizzie enthusiasts can choose to spend a night in her Lizzie Borden’s very own bedroom, and the whole house can be rented for larger parties such as weddings.
While skeptics abound, curiosity wins out for many Lizzie Borden fans who would pay for the chance of an encounter with a spectral soul. One hotel patron asked:
“Curious to know which rooms the murders actually took place in. Me and my fiancé would like to stay in the exact room one of the murders happened in for his birthday.”
Bring your imagination and your Ouija board, and you might just find yourself face to face with Mr. or Mrs. Borden… or perhaps, even Lizzie herself.
This is the ax that Lizzie allegedly used to murder her victims.
640 S Main St, Los Angeles, CA 90014, United States
Is the Cecil Hotel truly haunted? The true horror stories that surround this 1924 building weave a dark and uncomfortable tale rife with unexplained deaths, serial killers, and horrors that are usually only told in the movies.
Unexplained: Cecil Hotel & Elisa Lam
Elisa Lam is the most recent victim of the Cecil Hotel. The story of her mysterious disappearance on January 31, 2013 and the unexplained circumstances of her death contribute to a visceral cloud of horror haunt the Cecil to this day. Before she goes missing, Elisa is seen acting very strangely in the elevator of the Cecil Hotel. An elevator video recording released by the LAPD on Feb 13th, shows a very eerie glimpse into what may be Lam’s final moments. On the tape, she appears erratic and looks as if she’s interacting with someone who does not show up on the screen. She’s on the 14th floor and she eventually disappears and is not seen alive again. Weeks later, her body is found in the water tank on the roof of the Cecil Hotel on February 19th, an area that was supposedly locked and unreachable by anyone other than hotel employees. The body was found by hotel employees after guests had complained of low water pressure and the water was black and tasting “funny.”
The Elisa Lam Cecil Hotel Disappearance Video
It’s important to note that it was reported that Elisa’s body had no evidence of drugs or alcohol in her system at all. She may have suffered from mental anxiety. Her demise has many factors that paint an ominous picture.
Serial Killers Haunt the Cecil Hotel
Over the years, the Cecil has been home to 2 infamous serial killers, Richard Ramirez (the Night Stalker) and journalist Jack Unterweger. Richard “The Night Stalker” Ramirez murdered at least 13 people during the 80s while staying at the Cecil Hotel. He even disposed of his bloody clothes in the hotel dumpster. Coincidentally, The Night Stalker’s character appears in the American Horror Story: Hotel as a welcomed guest of James Patrick Marsh.
Jack Unterweger was another serial killer that called the Cecil home. Unterweger was actually a police ride-along journalist during the day. At night, Unterweger brutally murdered prostitutes by hanging them from their undergarments. Another strange circumstance of this story is that Unterweger actually was a key journalist on his own murders at one point during the investigation.
These 2 horrifying accounts of serial killers staying at this hotel are only the beginning of a history of bloodshed.
The Black Dahlia
In 1947, Elizabeth Short was last seen alive at the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles. Short is also reported to have visited the Cecil Hotel in the days leading up to her murder. Her gruesome murder dubbed her “The Black Dahlia” and remains unsolved to this day. The Black Dahlia went missing on January 9th and her body was found severed in half at a vacant lot the 15th of January, 1947.
Hauntings at the Cecil Hotel
The hotel looms under a dark shadow that spans decades of horror, death, mystery, and downright scary stuff. There have been reports of strange dark images in the shadows, spooky noises, and items moving in the night. Is the Cecil Hotel haunted? The facts add up to a considerable history of bad stuff taking place here. If there are any hotels worthy of the glamour of AHS, this is one of them.
AHS Hotel: Cecil Hotel Inspiration
The Cecil Hotel’s haunted history appears to have lent a lot of it’s history to the famed American Horror Story: Hotel, which has borrowed the stories of Elisa Lam in the form of “Kara” as well as its serial killer Richard Ramirez. An interesting note about Unterweger, is that he was at one point, a key journalist covering his own murders, somewhat similar to John Lowe who is investigating his own murder cases. Spot the similarities by reviewing the TV version of the Cecil if you dare.
Now the Stay On Main
Trying to hide from its inglorious past the Hotel Cecil has been rebranded as The Stay On Main. The current ownership regime is very tight lipped and appears to be trying to hide from the past. Employee responses and unwillingness to answer questions forthright can be expected from a business that is trying to maintain a respectable image in a competitive market such as Los Angeles. The hotel employees would not speak of Elisa Lam, but did elude to the history of the health hazards of the roof’s water tank. They also disclosed that security upgrades have been made and that there have been efforts to improve the hotel’s clientele.
Haunted Places in the Hotel Cecil
14th Floor – The last known place Elisa Lam was seen alive. Do you dare to ride the elevator? The same floor that Richard Ramirez stayed.
14th Floor – Where Richard Ramirez stayed in the Cecil Hotel.
9th Floor – Is where Pauline Otto jumped from her hotel room window. She landed on George Gianinni and both died from the impact.
7th Floor – is where Goldie Osgood’s unsolved murder took place before Richard Ramirez’s stay.
“The Cecil will reveal to you whatever it is you’re a fugitive from,” said novelist Steve Erickson after his stay in June of 2013.
1677 Round Top Road, Burrillville, Rhode Island 02830, United States
The Real House From The Conjuring Movie
In December of 1970, the Perron Family of northwestern Rhode Island was in dire need of a home for their growing family. Roger and Carolyn Perron, together with their five young daughters, found a perfect and quite overly spacious ten-bedroom farm-style house situated in the village of Harrisville that is found within the town of Burrillville. Carolyn refused to move at Christmas and wanted to wait until the first week of January 1971 to move the family so that their new year could start with a new home. Everything seemed so picturesque to the Perrons at that moment that it would be hard to imagine years later when eldest daughter Andrea would be asked just how soon after moving in did the paranormal activity start? Her answer would be chilling in its simplicity, “about five minutes.”
The Perron Family in 1971
Ghostly Beginnings at the Real Conjuring House
Moving day for the Perrons came during a terrible snowstorm in which there was a flurry of snowflakes and tightly packed boxes in constant motion. Amongst the commotion, former owner, Mr. Kenyon, was moving the last of his belongings out of the house as another stiff-looking gentleman observed him. Daughter Andrea was tasked with taking a box to her mother in the kitchen, only to ask who the man was behind Mr. Kenyon. Carolyn sweetly informed her daughter that nobody was there in the immediate area with Mr. Kenyon and she was imagining things. Her other siblings, Nancy, Christine, Cindy, and April followed suit into the kitchen with boxes and pale expressions on their faces. When asked why they all looked troubled, they meekly offered up that, “the man in the living room with Mr. Kenyon just disappeared!”
As if a daytime paranormal activity wasn’t enough, the children began experiencing phenomena at night. Chief among the most terrifying occurred with one of the littlest girls, Cindy. Within the first week, she was awoken to the sound of whispers all over her bedroom. Alone in the dark, she bolted down the hall to her sister Andrea’s room and asked if she could stay in there. When asked what was happening, Cindy explained that there were people whispering all over her room and that she got scared. Feeling safe with Andrea she confided that all whispering voices said the exact same thing, “that there are seven dead soldiers buried in the walls!”
Roger and Carolyn were also becoming slowly exposed to the increasing paranormal activity within the home. Carolyn herself had become subject to a more playful form of activity involving a broom. While tidying up any room adjacent to the kitchen, she would often hear the strong sweeping sound of broom bristles against the tile kitchen floor. She would check the kitchen and find nobody there, just the broom leaning against the wall. Carolyn would disappear only moments later to hear the sound again and check, only the broom would be on the other side of the kitchen! Roger noticed the uptick in chatter among his daughters about the spirits they saw in the house warranting a deeper look into the past of the house.
The house was initially constructed all the way back in 1736, predating the Revolutionary War by forty years, making it a true Colonial-era home. Owned by eight generations of an extended family over many decades, the light history of the home revealed no sinister occult practices or deaths. The Perrons naturally reached a breaking point and in 1973, husband and wife paranormal investigator duo Ed and Lorraine Warren were brought in to help. Lorraine was a self-professed clairvoyant who is reported to have picked up on the name “Bathsheba” in connection with the supernatural activity.
Bathsheba Sherman, the Ghost of the Conjuring House?
Bathsheba Sherman was a local area woman, who despite never living on the property, had developed an ominous reputation during the mid-1800s. Her baby is said to have been found dead with a sewing needle jammed into the base of its skull. The ritualistic overtone and morbidity of the infanticide had her thoroughly questioned by law enforcement but was never charged with the crime. Needless to say, the stories around her lost child seemed to have unfairly tainted her name. The true reason behind the infant’s death was never discovered. However, this name kept appearing to Lorraine in her clairvoyance. Added to this scenario was the twisted demonic appearance of an entity in the form of a woman in blackened clothing, with a foul smell, sharp jagged teeth, and her head cruelly twisted off to the side of her neck that had appeared with frequency to the Perron children.
Ed & Lorraine Warren – The Conjuring House Paranormal Investigators
Some paranormal theorists long believed that Bathsheba Sherman was responsible for the activity on the Perron Family property and was the ghastly figure that the children kept seeing. However, there was never a formal connection at any time tying Bathsheba to the historical Arnold Farm, as it was long called. Ed and Lorraine Warren were able to secure a Catholic priest to come and formally bless the house and Carolyn in particular. She had taken to wearing vintage turn-of-the-century dresses and using archaic language. The Warrens believed her not to be possessed but rather oppressed which is a smaller demonic foothold that can lead to possession. It involves emotionally wrecking a person coupled with slight physical disturbances in an effort to funnel them into possession.
The Story of the Blessing
The story goes that the blessing was for naught as it had quickly turned into a seance in which religious provocation was used to bring out whatever demonic entity lurked in the home so it could then be vanquished from the physical world and sent back to an abyss in Hell.
This seance was performed in the dining room with Carolyn present, before long a spiritual doorway was opened up and whatever entity came through had evil intentions. It had set its sights on Carolyn in particular, and soon she was possessed briefly for a few minutes speaking in an unidentified language as her eyes maliciously rolled around. Without warning her body began to levitate inches off the ground before bending in half and being thrown an estimated twenty feet away into the adjacent parlor. When she was tended, whatever possessed her briefly left, setting its sights on the spirits in the home. The Perron daughters often mentioned the spirits they’d seen and heard speak, but the powerful entity that came through in the seance actually subdued the spirits in the Perron home.
Evil Spirits of The Conjuring House
After the seance, nearly a year passed without any activity inside the home. Then late one evening eldest daughter Andrea found her mother rambling in the parlor area, confessing an unbelievable sight. Carolyn had walked into the dining room to see a large family in late 18th-century clothing seated around the dining room table eating. Their spirits bristled and ate without any odd behavior until a man seated at the table turned his gaze to Carolyn, and nudged the people at the table pointing to her. Their faces expressed total shock and before long they faded away. One of the most unknown aspects of this now modern haunting had been revealed to Carolyn; that their home stood trapped on top of some sort of supernatural portal. She believes she appeared as a spirit to the family she saw, and their presence was vice versa. With that unexpected knowledge, Carolyn began slowly to piece her and her family’s life back together.
People have always wondered, but financial limits are what kept the Perron Family inside the home for nearly ten years before they found the funds to move away to a new farmhouse in Georgia. Close to a year after moving, Lorraine Warren contacted Carolyn Perron about the possibility of telling her full story in a book so as to warn others about the dangers of paranormal activity in a home. Carolyn demurred and insisted that she and her family had moved past this and were starting over, but promised to discuss the issue with her husband and told Lorraine to call her back the next day.
Carolyn then went to do the family’s laundry, when suddenly the laundry room door became unhinged and fell and hit her from behind. She was diagnosed with having not only a concussion but a dislocated shoulder as well. When Lorraine made good on her promise and called Carolyn the next day, she was informed that the Perrons would not be telling their story. To Carolyn, she was fearful that reminiscing about the experience on the farm would somehow bring about the vicious paranormal activity that they had worked so hard to escape. In 2007, it was the eldest daughter Andrea who felt that the world itself had matured and become savvy enough to handle stories about paranormal experiences. Along with occasional input from her mother, she wrote a trilogy of books based on experiences inside the home.
The Perron Family at The Real Conjuring House
Roger and Carolyn eventually separated with each living in different states while the daughters all grew up to lead successful and independent lives. As for the home? It has exchanged ownership over the years and recently was purchased by an area couple who hosted Ghost Adventures lead investigator Zak Bagans to a long summer stay. Bagans was compelled to leave the home after feeling, “like something was drawing the life out of me….my body wasn’t functioning right and it took three weeks to recover.” Demonic entity? Ghosts lingering inside a spiritual ethereal plane? Time portal property with ties to a supernatural force? One thing is for certain, The Conjuring House has officially been added to American haunted house lore joining the ranks of The Amityville Horror House, The Haunting in Connecticut, and The Entity House as classic examples of domestic hauntings.
Where is the Real Conjuring House?
The house that The Conjuring movie was based on is located at 1677 Round Top Road, Burrillville, Rhode Island 02830. The house sits on The Old Brook Farm, circa 1736, which was originally part of a 200-acre farm.
Respect Current Owners’ Privacy
With the fame and success of The Conjuring film, we should remind everyone to respect the owners’ privacy. Several trespassers have been reported and the occupants, both of this world and in-between, should be afforded their well-deserved peace. We stress to individuals to mind the Heinzen’s privacy out of respect for the law and their livelihood.
Elvira is a 1970 Cadillac former Ambulance with a very dark past. Now owned by Shamrock Limousine, this car was once employed at Norwich State Asylum and served 20 years. 496 documented deaths occurred in this car. Weird noises, shadows and such are seen and heard. Many paranormal investigations have been done in Elvira yielding incredible results. She was even caught on camera interacting with another vehicle in the limo company’s fleet. You can find evidence at doyouseedeadpeople.org in their investigations under Shamrock Limousine. The car can be rented on an hourly or daily basis with a driver. It can also be rented out for paranormal investigations. Call Shamrock Limousine at 712-352-0539.
