Most Haunted Places in America

If you are in the Eureka Springs area in Arkansas, you are probably more than familiar with the Victorian 1886 Crescent Hotel and Spa. The tales of the ghosts here are terrifying, yet it happens to still be one of the most popular hotels in the area for tourists. Is it the ghostly forces that attract visitors or is it the accommodations? Let’s find out more about who is haunting the 1886 Crescent Hotel and Spa and if they are, in fact, friendly.

The Haunted History of the 1886 Crescent Hotel

Known as one of the most Haunted Hotels in America, the 1886 Crescent Hotel and Spa has had several functions since its construction. At one point, it served as a girls’ college and even was a cancer hospital. It was originally built as a retreat for very wealthy travelers. It quickly became a symbol of elegance. It hasn’t always been a hotel, and there have been periods when it was part of the transformations taking place in the area. It all began when news of how magical the town was began to spread all over the country.

Eureka Springs gained a reputation in the 1800s as a beautiful town in the mountains where travelers went for solace and rejuvenation. The town made great progress to accommodate all of the visitors. Soon, it was booming, and more and more people came to see how magical it was.

It didn’t take long for the town to need more lodging for its guests. In 1886, the Crescent Hotel was opened. The designers wanted it to overlook the mountains and showcase the beauty of the area. The hotel’s service was known to be some of the best in the area. It was a great getaway for wealthier travelers. However, it changed hands shortly after it opened.

In 1902, the Frisco Railroad leased the hotel for five years. It was very slow in the winter, so Crescent College opened for women. The building acted as a college until 1934. The college was known for providing women with an exceptional education, and women from around the country attended classes here. Even though it was short-lived as a college, those who attended gained many life experiences during that time.

The hotel was then purchased by Norman Baker. He was ready to share with others that he had found the cure for cancer. He turned the hotel into the Baker Cancer Clinic and claimed to be a healer. It was clear that he was scamming cancer patients out of money because they trusted that he would cure them. Not only did he pretend to heal cancer patients, but he also broadcast very controversial claims over the radio. He told his listeners that he could heal cancer without surgery and pushed for patients from all over the world to come to Eureka Springs.

Room 419 – 1886 Crescent Hotel

Soon, the American Medical Association would begin to investigate his claims. In 1940, he was arrested and thrown in prison for mail fraud, ending his medical practice for good. However, while he was in the hotel, he made a lot of changes to it. He built hidden staircases and even made himself an escape route if he ever needed it.

In 1946, it was purchased again, and the owners began to make major changes to it. Most of these changes still exist today. In 1967, the hotel suffered some devastation after a fire broke out due to faulty wiring. More changes had to take place to make the hotel what it is today.

The Ghosts and Hauntings of 1886 Crescent Hotel and Spa

Theodora – Room 419

Since it reopened, the 1886 Crescent Hotel and Spa has experienced many paranormal events. There are rumors that some of the ghosts are those of the cancer patients who died there. One spirit often seen in the hotel is Theodora. She is a former cancer patient who was in Dr. Baker’s care. Some guests have seen her trying to find her keys right outside of room 419 and trying to clean up that room.

Michael – Room 218

In room 218, there was a man named Michael who apparently fell to his death. There are a lot of rumors as to what really happened to him in this room. No one knows the exact story, but Michael has been seen hanging out in this room, and his presence is also felt in other parts of the hotel.

Breckie and Morris

There are ghosts of children in this hotel as well. One child, Breckie, who was the son of Richard and Mary Breckenridge Thompson, died at the hotel when he had complications from appendicitis. Guests and staff have seen him going around the hotel and bouncing his ball. Not only is Breckie hanging around, but the hotel cat, Morris, also lingers around. He was called the hotel’s General Manager for 21 years. When he died, he was buried on the property, and guests have seen and heard him around the hotel often. Clearly, he is still devoted to the hotel and making sure it is still taken care of.

Dr. Baker

Paranormal experts continue to visit the 1886 Crescent Hotel and Spa. It recently emerged that the hotel is connected to a hospital, which could be one of the main reasons that the ghosts continue to linger. Graves have also been found where Dr. Baker buried some of his cancer patients.

Those who have stayed at the 1886 Crescent Hotel and Spa have seen quite a bit of paranormal activity. The ghosts and hauntings continue as more guests visit the hotel. If you are looking for some haunts during your next hotel stay in Arkansas, be sure to check in at the 1886 Crescent Hotel and Spa.

Originally a hospital for the copper mining town of Jerome, this hotel is home to many ghosts and manifestations dating back to 1927. Sitting at 5000 feet in elevation, this National Historic Landmark offers ghost hunting packages which includes a good old fashioned ghost hunt. Maybe you will meet the ghost of Claude M. Harvey, the hospital’s fireman engineer who is said to have been crushed to death by the elevator. He is known to appear in the basement and sometimes has some fun with the elevator. Going down?

A Spectral Sport – Ghost Hunting

Guests of the Jerome Grand Hotel, are offered one of the most unique experiences of any haunted attraction: The chance to go on an actual ghost hunt, complete with digital camera, EMF meter, and IR thermometer to aid in their search.

The hotel is five stories high, with guestrooms that are all notoriously haunted. One couple chose to mount a digital camera near the ceiling of their hotel room during their stay. A ghostly orb appears to float across the room and into the back of the woman’s head while she slept. The same white orb was again captured seeming to dance back and forth across the balcony of the couple’s suite. Numerous other encounters with the orb have been well documented by various hotel guests and a quick search online yields proof of the ethereal sightings.

History of a Ghost Town

Jerome Grand Hotel, which was once a state-of-the-art hospital, is believed to be one of the most haunted attractions in the United States. Situated in the town of Jerome Arizona, the hotel is among several haunted dwellings in what is now considered a ghost town. In the 1950’s, with its mines rich in copper, silver, and gold, Jerome was home to over 15,000 miners and their families. During World War II, the town continued to thrive, but two massive fires destroyed much of Jerome in the late 1890’s. In 1953, the mine closed and by 1955 the population of Jerome dwindled to fewer than 100 people.

The hospital, which was owned by the Phelps Dodge Mining Company, was closed in 1950 and the building remained unoccupied for the next 44 years.

In the 1970’s, Jerome began to breathe new life. A subculture of artists, curators, restaurateurs, and other creatives settled into the hillside and the community began to flourish once again. While this community has continued to thrive due to increasing tourism, Jerome is currently home to fewer than 500 residents.

The old hospital was purchased by the Altherr family in 1994, and opened as Jerome Grand Hotel in 1996. The building was so well preserved that to this day, it has retained 95% of its historical attributes.

Jerome Arizona is also known as “The World’s Most Vertical City” due to its intense steepness. It is located atop Cleopatra Hill and rises to a staggering 5,200 feet in altitude. The 30-degree incline has not been kind to many of the buildings that once dotted its slopes. While many of the original buildings were damaged or destroyed in the fires, others have succumbed to gravity, crumbling into heaps at Cleopatra’s feet. Of the buildings that have remained standing, many have been restored and transformed into restaurants, wineries, and gift shops.

Ghosts of the Jerome Grand Hotel

In the 1930’s, the body of the Verde Hospital’s maintenance man Claude Harvey was found at the bottom of a service elevator shaft. The elevator was found to be in working order and the death was investigated as a homicide. Several guests of the hotel, while acting as Paranormal Investigators, have reported a ghostly figure of Claude Harvey in the basement, staring vacantly at the closed elevator doors. Others have reported hearing a distant whistling; presumably the sounds of a man dutifully performing his maintenance routine, even from beyond the grave…

Considering the hotel served as a hospital in its previous incarnation, it is no surprise that guests often report the haunting wails and cries of its former inhabitants. Sounds of labored breathing, coughing, and screaming have oft been reported within the common areas, halls, and stairwells of the Jerome Grand Hotel. One such inhabitant is known as “the bearded man” and appears to “visit” numerous rooms on various floors of the hotel.

One of the most common sounds heard in any busy hospital is the first cry of a newborn babe. Guests of the hotel frequently report the sound of an infant crying. Callers have reported the sound to hotel staff, claiming to hear it coming from a neighboring room, only to learn that the room had not been occupied.

The hotel is even home to the ghostly form of a feline; numerous guests have reported feeling a ghost cat brushing up against their leg, leaving an imprint on the bed linens from its cat nap, and one guest even captured the phantom feline in a photograph. The picture was framed and still sits upon the front desk of the hotel.

Haunted Room 32

The most popular of all the rooms available for guests to retire after an evening of ghost hunting, is room 32. The room is well-known as the most haunted room in the hotel after having been the location of not one, but two grisly suicides… One man leapt from the balcony to his death, while another turned his gun on himself. Guests who dare attempt sleep in this room are awoken by the sounds of doors opening by themselves, and of water streaming from faucets that apparently turned themselves on full blast.

Your Stay

If hunting for ghosts at a historic hotel, decked out with high-tech paranormal detection equipment appeals to you, then Jerome Grand Hotel is where you should book your stay. The ghost hunt costs $30 per adult, $20 per child and is offered on select weeknights. And as an added bonus for you ghost hunters, you’ll receive a 10% discount on your stay, for as many nights as you dare.

The Marshall House Haunted Hotel in Savannah, Georgia

The Marshall House was established in 1851 in Georgia’s oldest city of Savannah. The Marshall House would endure the Civil War and a bout of Yellow Fever early in its history, which provided a grand setting for the hotel to latch onto its ghostly inhabitants. Today the Marshall House is one of the most haunted hotels in America with a ghoulish history that might leave a few in disbelief.

Civil War Ghostly Remnants

During the Civil War Era, The Marshall House functioned as a Union hospital. In 1864, a frigid winter struck and the doctors were presented with a frightening problem. The doctors would be unable to bury the myriad of amputated arms and legs in the frozen ground. Their solution was grotesque in that it had them concealing the human remains underneath the floorboards throughout what is now the hotel.

It wasn’t until 1999 when the hotel was restored that workers uncovered the Marshall House’s gruesome secret. While replacing the hotel’s floorboards, the workers uncovered human remains. Little did they know the discovery would date back to the Civil War. Historians soon learned that the remains were from the old hospital and they were properly removed and the hotel restored. The ghosts of the Civil War had come full circle and the doctor’s secrets revealed.

Civil War Ghosts & Sightings at The Marshall House

The remains were cleared, but many paranormal remnants are still attached to the hotel. Ghosts envelop parts of the haunted hotel and have appeared as apparitions to guests. Many unexplained noises resonate in the late hours of night and even smells of rotting flesh inexplicably accost the senses. It has been reported on numerous accounts that the ghost of an amputee soldier walks aimlessly through the lobby of the hotel with his missing arm in hand as he beseeches guests to find him a surgeon.

Many Ghosts of Savannah’s Haunted Hotel

It is also said that the ghost of a woman haunts the ladies’ restroom and a stall will lock by itself. Late author Joel Chandler Harris was also a frequent visitor of The Marshall House before his passing, and various accounts have noted that there are times when the clacking of a typewriter can be heard reverberating from the room he used to stay in.

One guest reported being unable to sleep due to macabre noises and smells. At one point, she recounts, there was even the feeling of being touched by a paranormal presence. “I always felt very uneasy and utterly creeped-out at night,” she stated. She goes on to say that she “heard strange noises in the hall late at night” and that she was very unnerved by her paranormal experiences. She went on to report that her husband’s sleep was interrupted by what he said sounded “like a child giggling in the sitting area,” but when he got up to turn on the light no one was there.

There are many ghosts and haunts in Savannah, Georgia as it is noted as a historically haunted city. Savannah is home to a variety of ghost tours, haunted hotels, and spooky stories and The Marshall House one of the more famous haunt experiences in the state. If you stay at the Marshall, check in to hear some of the previous guest’s haunted stories as the hotel collects many of the spectacular tales for story time.

Haunted Rooms in the Marshall House

• The 4th floor is where the most haunted activity has been reported.
• Room 414 is the room that has had the most sightings. Children’s laughter can be heard. Doors have locked on their own and mysteriously unlatched.  Guests have had things move and often report a strange

What happened in Room 414? Are the ghosts of the Civil War finally at peace? Have all of the remains truly been discovered?

Marshall House Tips

If you want the 4th floor, book in advance. Also, when planning your stay at The Marshall House try for a Thursday or a Sunday as the hotel puts on a history talk in the library discussing the Marshalls, history of the haunted building, and the many stories and experiences with ghosts over the years. It makes for a great addition to your spooky stay.

The Haunted Congress Plaza Hotel

Built for the World’s Fair in 1893, the Congress Hotel’s famous, and spooky, history lays claim to many ghastly stories. With visits from America’s first serial killer to a one-legged ghost, the hotel has many ghost stories to sort through. These are only a few of the reasons the Congress Plaza Hotel is known as one of the most haunted hotels in America.

The Congress Plaza Hotel & Convention Center has played host to U.S. presidents and world-famous celebrities, but mortal souls aren’t the only visitors these days. The Congress is said to be home to dozens of ghosts.

Several tragic deaths have occurred in this grand hotel over its illustrious history. Even America’s very first serial killer, H.H. Holmes was known to meet young women in the lobby of the Congress only to coerce them to his Murder Castle which was only a few blocks away.

The Sealed Room

Sealed Rooms of The Hotel Congress. Where did room 666 and 209 go?

The room that should be 666 is boarded up. What could possibly have gone on inside those walls? It’s said that this was the most haunted room in the hotel and was sealed shut. Other rooms, such as room 209, have been sealed as well. Room 209 was reported to be, “too horrible,” and was sealed shut. Now you won’t even notice there was a door where 209’s entrance once stood.

The Ghosts of the Congress Plaza Hotel

The 6-year-old “Little Boy” is waiting for you to visit the 12th floor. In the 1930s, his mother was worried about being sent back to Nazi Germany, so in a complete panic, she threw her son out the window. He has been said to follow guests down the hall and back to their room. The 12th floor is considered the most haunted floor, causing some employees to refuse to work on it.

The 12th floor and 12th-floor roof access

Peg Leg Johnny, as some people call him,  has been seen by employees hopping around the hotel. Some people believe him to be Conway, a one-legged killer clown who in 1912 was arrested for murder just feet away from the hotel.

Haunted Rooms & Places in the Congress Hotel

• Room 441 is said to receive more calls of the spooky variety than any other room.
• The Little Boy haunts the 12th floor.
• The Florentine Room is a popular spot for weddings and parties that go late in the night. Some guests have seen tables and chairs move by themselves. Others have heard a young lady’s voice whisper in their ear.
• The South Tower appears to have the most paranormal activity.
• Sealed Rooms 666 and 209 were permanently removed from the hotel.

Al Capone’s Ghost at the Congress Hotel?

Many people have witnessed a heavy set man, roaming the halls at night, wearing an old suit. Is this the ghost of Al Capone? It is disputed that he stayed on the 8th floor of the North Tower. Our investigation leads us to believe that Capone may have made an appearance or two but he did not live at the hotel like many have reported. It’s more accepted that Capone’s thugs were at the Congress dealing with “business.” If you’re hunting for Capone’s ghost, try the haunted Arlington Hotel in Arkansas where he stayed on the 4th floor.

Is the Yosemite View Lodge Haunted?

One of Yosemite’s most haunted locations is the Yosemite View Lodge in El Portal, California. The rustic hotel sits at the edge of the Merced River, near the entrance to the park where guests have reported a real haunt and ghostly happenings.

The River People of Yosemite

The Lodge on the Merced River is in a peaceful setting, but looks can be deceiving. One guest at the Yosemite View Lodge was traveling with a friend. Their first night at the lodge was quiet, and they weren’t prepared for what happened the second night. One of the guests awoke in a terrified state after seeing a shadow person standing near the bed. The figure had no discernible features, didn’t speak, and appeared to be approximately five feet tall.

The guest was so horrified that she called to her friend to witness the apparition. She wasn’t able to sleep for over an hour after the encounter. She referred to the apparition as one of the river people because she wondered if it was a native spirit and felt that the river may have been responsible for the phenomenon. The guest possesses psychic abilities, but it’s unusual for her to see spirits. When doing an internet search, the psychic found that other people have had similar experiences.

Midnight Visitors

Shadow people have appeared numerous times in guest rooms at the lodge. Most of the guests aren’t aware of the hotel’s haunted reputation and aren’t provoking the spirits. The apparitions usually disappear when they realize that guests are aware of their presence. On an April day, three friends checked into the lodge. When they entered their room, two of the guests felt a presence that was most powerful in the bathroom. During the night one of the guests awoke to see a shadowy apparition standing at the foot of the bed. Upon checking, found that both of her friends were asleep. When the friends talked in the morning, one of the trio reported seeing a shadow person standing near the fireplace. All three feel that the hotel is haunted and get chills thinking about their experience.

Family Hauntings

One woman has stayed at the lodge with her family on four occasions. One night she heard someone walking around the room, but her husband and daughter were asleep. She had similar experiences in other rooms at the lodge. One night she was tapped on the shoulder. Thinking it was her daughter, she checked to find her sleeping peacefully. She had the sensation that there was a presence in the room and remained awake all night. In the morning, she did an Internet search and found that several guests had similar experiences. Even though the family planned to stay another night, they packed and left the hotel.

One family from Australia was unaware of the haunted reputation of the hotel. The first night, the six-year old daughter complained that someone was pinching her. No one was near her. During the night, a man described as creepy knocked on their door and said he was looking for someone. Later, the husband opened their door and saw the man down the hall staring at their door. Was he a ghost?

His wife had the sensation that there was a spirit in their room. During the night, a loud crash woke them. One of their bags that had been in the center of the table was across the room. After their experience, the woman Googled the hotel and learned that numerous guests have had similar experiences at the haunted hotel.

Is the Millennium Biltmore Hotel Haunted?

Even if you never heard of the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles, you might recognize it. This legendary hotel made appearances in films and television shows like Chinatown, Entourage, Fight Club and Columbo. Built in the 1920s and opened in 1923, the hotel is a cultural landmark in Los Angeles and one of the city’s most haunted places as well.

Ghosts of the Biltmore Hotel

One of the more common stories involves a ghostly troop of soldiers passing through the lobby. It isn’t surprising that some guests see the men walking through the hotel or hanging out in the lobby. The hotel served as a temporary boarding house for sailors arriving in Los Angeles prior to entering World War II. Guests may also catch a glimpse of the Black Dahlia herself. Elizabeth Short, the infamous unsolved murder victim, allegedly visited the hotel just before her death.

The second and ninth floors are among the most haunted. Guests staying on the ninth floor sometimes hear the sounds of a little girl giggling and her footsteps racing down the hallway. Others even spotted her watching them from the corner of their eyes, but when they turned, the little girl was gone. Those staying on the second floor may also encounter the spirit of a former nurse.

Guests of the hotel also claimed that they saw a woman in black in the lobby, and workers recall hearing the sounds of a party taking place on the first floor. At least one person encountered a ghostly little boy as well. No one who visits the Millennium Biltmore Hotel knows what they might see or experience.

The Black Dahlia last seen at the Biltmore Hotel

In 1947, Elizabeth Short was last seen alive at the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles. Short went missing on January 9th and was found on the 15th of January, 1947. Her tortured and naked body was sheared in half at her midsection and left in Leimert Park, Los Angeles. Her body was found completely drained of blood and posed intricately, which sounds like something out of an episode of Dexter. Elizabeth Short was nicknamed “The Black Dahlia” by the media who made every effort to sensationalize the story beyond its already morbid details. Short’s murder is still one of the oldest unsolved mysteries in Los Angeles.

Haunted Places at the Millenium Biltmore Hotel

• The 2nd and 9th floors are rumored to have the most paranormal activity in the hotel.
• The lobby is said to have some ghostly activity.
• The first floor has had reports of noises from a ghoulish party with no one around.

The Haunted Driskill Hotel in Austin, TX

The Driskill Hotel was built by Jesse Driskill and opened in 1886. The plan was to create the most luxurious hotel in all of Texas. That plan was succesful as the hotel played host to governor’s inaugurations as an annual tradition. Word is that Jesse Driskill lost the hotel in a poker game to his brother-in-law Jim Day. The details have never been fully revealed. Thus began some of the hardships of the Driskill Hotel and the beginning of its haunted legacy.

The Ghosts Driskill Hotel in Austin, TX

Several spirits are said to haunt the Driskill Hotel, including Jesse Driskill’s apparition. Jesse Driskill’s ghost is said to frequent the lobby to “welcome” guests as well as the upper floors of the original 4 story (now 17) hotel. A young girl, believed to be Samantha Houston, the daughter of a Texas senator, was playing with her ball near the grand staircase in 1887 where she lost her balance and fell to her death. Guests report hearing the little girl giggle’s throughout the hotel and some have witnessed her ball rolling or bouncing throughout the hotel.

Haunted Room 525 of the Driskill Hotel

Two different jilted brides, decades apart, are said to have taken their lives in room 525 on what was supposed to have been their wedding night. The weight of this room can be felt at times. Guests have reported seeing a weeping bride in her wedding dress wanding the halls of the Driskill. The bridal suite is said to have some activity with doors closing, lights flickering, and other unexplained activity.

The Story of the Driskill Hotel

@frightfind Some eerie history on the Driskill Hotel in Austin, Texas! #fyp #frightfind #scary #spooky #texas ♬ original sound – FrightFind

Galveston, Texas is a coastal city that’s situated right on the Gulf of Mexico. Serving as a gateway to greater commerce in both Texas and the American Southwest, historically speaking Galveston is second to only New Orleans in terms of ship travel. Sailors from the Atlantic, Tampa Bay region, the Caribbean, and Mexico thought of Galveston as must-visit port. With all the sea traffic, Galveston emerged as also a popular tourist spot for those descending from the nearby Houston area as well as those arriving by sea.

Looking to capitalize on all the traffic, civic leaders in the area commissioned the construction of the Hotel Galvez in 1911, the hotel was favorably named after the first explorer to the area, Bernardo de Galvez. Over two hundred and twenty-six guest rooms span out over a lavish thirteen thousand square feet property that includes six individual palatial style suites. Constructed with a trifold positional foundation and standing with its center wing at seven stories, the hotel is the most luxurious beachside spectacle in the Galveston area. Including a spa, dining room, banquet hall, tropical swimming pool area with cabanas, Hotel Galvez has had the honor of receiving four sitting Presidents as well as celebrities and dignitaries of all variety. With all the prestige and presumedly normal tourism industry, just what exactly is the story behind the spirits haunting the Hotel Galvez?

Is the Hotel Galvez Haunted?

The most commonly reported paranormal activity on the hotel property is the sense of being surrounded or followed. Nothing malicious or violent is attached to this feeling, but guests claim to be sitting quietly in the lobby area in the evening during a time when there’s no foot traffic and they hear a low chatter. Almost just a whisper, it seems to be a supernatural hum that even has the overnight hotel clerks commenting that they’ve even detected the faint odors of cigar smoke despite nobody smoking in the lobby at all. It’s almost as if, to guests and the clerks, that the lobby area is crowded with ghosts that aren’t directly seen. On the flip side of this, guests have also spoken about a sense of being followed. Walking down to the lobby or across its hall, they’ve felt a presence as if someone were right on their heels yet turning around and nobody is there.

Despite sensations of a room full of crowded spirits, it is in fact a singular entity that is both the most active and the most popular. Hotel staff refers to her as “the Lovelorn Lady.” As her name and spiritual status would imply, she is of tragic origin. The most popular version is that her real name is Audra and she was engaged to a sailor who had frequently gone out to sea. Audra was quite fond of Room #501 as it was a short trip up to the roof via a nearby maintenance hatch. It is said that she would go often to sit and gaze out into the gulf, eagerly awaiting the ship that carried her betrothed. One day reports that her fiancé’s ship had been sunk in the Gulf reached the hotel and Audra was devastated. Feeling all was lost, she ended up committing suicide via hanging in her room, yet the tragedy was amplified when her fiancé was not in fact drowned and returned two days later to learn of her untimely death.

The Ghosts of Hotel Galvez

Over the years guests have spoken about Room #501 being haunted by Audra’s spirit. Primarily, activity of electrical nature is the most common complaint. At first, guests have mentioned a very cold breeze will pass by them in the room before the lights mysteriously flicker on and off as does the television. Housekeeping has further mentioned such disturbances and also commented that the electronic key card doesn’t work to the room, despite operating normally on others. Guests along this fifth floor have claimed to have similar experiences with a cold breeze, and even at times, witnessed a sad-looking woman in period piece clothing who mysteriously is there one moment then disappears the next!

In one of the more unknown and rarely publicized facts is that the hotel is actually constructed on top of the former ruins of St. Mary’s Orphanage. In 1900, Galveston was hit hard with a hurricane that is still officially recorded as the deadliest in U.S. history. The orphanage was leveled during this time and nearly 100 children and nuns were killed in its path. Years later, once the hotel was built over the leveled ruins, guests and hotel clerks noticed some bizarre activity. At times the sensation of child wrapping themselves around a person’s leg is felt, in not so much in a malevolent way, but in one that seems to desire attention and protection. Sounds of little children running and giggling throughout hallways and the spa area have been reported when simply nobody is there. The piano has been heard playing by mysterious little hands and even random women have heard someone softly cry out, “mommy” to them.

The Hotel Galvez has taken the paranormal activity at their hotel with a badge of honor as they welcome guests to indulge in a ghost tour that is held once a month coupled with a dinner tour. During the month of October, a more in-depth tour is held four times a week, however, abbreviated tours are held at intermittent times and information is available with the front desk. For all the lavish old-world charm that the Hotel Galvez has, it still proudly stands as a testament to the historic past and paranormal present.

Whether its history as a hospital or its proximity to the Alamo where hundreds of men once fought and died is to blame, the Emily Morgan Hotel has a long history of hauntings. Today, the staff receives a regular stream of reports from guests about paranormal activity, and it is known as one of the most haunted sites in Texas, if not America.

Emily Morgan History

Originally built in 1924 as the Medical Arts Building on the Alamo Plaza, this Gothic-revival influenced building sets the spooky stage with the unique architectural feature of terracotta gargoyles that portray various ailments. Patients were treated there for more than 50 years until the building was converted to offices in 1976 and to a hotel in 1984.

Ghosts of the Haunted Emily Morgan Hotel

Eager ghost hunters are encouraged to book a room on one of several particularly active floors as well as checking out the haunted elevator. The fourteenth floor was once the crematorium as well as being a hospital and surgery floor along with the twelfth. On these floors and on the eleventh, people report experiences such as smells of alcohol and the sense of being touched along with unexplained noises such as the sound of a hospital gurney rattling around. The ghost of an elderly woman weeping is often seen on the eleventh floor.

The ninth, seventh and third floors are said to be particularly haunted as well. On these floors, people have seen apparitions and heard strange noises. One of the most terrifying experiences happened to a guest staying on the third floor.

Haunt Reportings

A woman was awakened in the middle of the night to a humming sound, and woke to the sight of a young girl sitting at the foot of her bed inviting her to sing a song. Apparently this did not frighten her enough to seek another room because on the following night, she reported the sensation of someone crawling into bed beside her.

Another guest was tormented by the sound of clanking chains in her room on the eleventh floor. She was so frightened that she phoned the front desk, and the woman working there promised her a full refund if the problems continued. The following morning, the guest mentioned the conversation to the desk clerk who informed her that a woman had not been working the previous night’s shift. To whom or what had the guest been speaking?

Going Up? Down? Unexplained Elevator Activity

The peculiar behavior of the elevator at the Emily Morgan cannot be attributed to mechanical failure as it has been inspected many times. However, it is said to take guests repeatedly to the hotel basement that was formerly the hospital’s morgue. It also stops on floors without being called to them and sometimes will travel back and forth between floors six and seven.

Ghosts of the Alamo

There is little doubt that along with the many tragedies that must have played out on these floors when it was a hospital, the ghosts of the Alamo dead walk the halls of the hotel as well. More than 600 men fell in battle there in 1836, and their bodies were stacked and burned. Many suggest that their violent end and lack of a peaceful resting place has caused their spirits to continue wandering all these years later. Perhaps they do not even realize they are dead. They may still be enacting the old battle that killed them.

Ghost enthusiasts in search of a scare are sure to find one at the Emily Morgan Hotel. If they aren’t visited in their own room by restless ghosts, we suggest a stroll around the hallways or a ride in the elevator might be a good place to entice an encounter with the spirits that haunt the Emily Morgan
.

Reported haunting locations at the Emily Morgan

• Alamo ghosts are said to roam the halls of the Emily Morgan. Book a room with a view of the Alamo and search for the ghosts of Davy Crockett, William Barret Travis, and Jim Bowie.
• The Emily Morgan elevators have been repeatedly inspected and have a clean bill of health. However, they mysteriously make calls on their own to visit the 6th and 7th floors. Take a ride for yourself and find out.
• The 3rd floor is haunted by a little girl and other spirits.
• The 7th floor you might see apparitions.
• On the 9th floor, objects have reportedly moved around by themselves on tables and many unexplained eerie noises have awoken guests in the middle of the night.

The Menger Hotel in San Antonio, Texas has a haunted history like none other. The hotel is quite welcoming, with many hospitable rooms ranging from single beds to parlor suites. However, you’ll find that its sordid history has this 316-room hotel placed firmly at the top of Texas’s Most Haunted list.

The Haunted Menger Hotel in San Antonio, Texas

Originally built in 1858 next door to William Menger’s brewery, the hotel’s long and occasionally bloody history has left at least 32 distinct ghosts living within its walls. Many of them have persisted through remodeling and have taken to drifting through walls where doors used to be, much to the dismay of unassuming guests.

Guests looking for a scare will certainly not be disappointed. While the living identity of many of the Menger ghosts is unknown, a consequence of its nearness to the devastation at the Battle of the Alamo just a few yards away, The Menger ghosts have a few famous haunts on their roster.

The Ghosts of the Menger Hotel

Sallie White, a young maid working at the hotel, got into an argument with her husband one spring afternoon in the late 1800s. She took refuge in one of the hotel’s guest rooms for the night, but her husband, incensed, sought her out the next day. She was badly beaten but hung on for two days before she succumbed to her injuries and passed away in the hotel. Her funeral was provided for by the hotel’s owners, and today she appears more often than any of the hotel’s otherworldly residents.

Captain Richard King, the one-time owner of Texas’ King Ranch, learned that he was dying. Rather than pass on in the comforts of his own home, he booked his favorite room at the Menger, where he stayed until his illness overcame him. Though his room has since been remodeled, legend says that the bed frame is still the same one he sought out for his last moments, and his funeral service took place in the hotel parlor.

In addition to Captain King and young Mrs. White, other reported incidents include unseen kitchen help who carries utensils from counter to counter and the unknown man in buckskin who accosts guests coming out of the shower with his repetition of a single question:

“Are you gonna stay, or are you gonna go??

Haunted Myrtles Plantation

Built in 1796, The Myrtles Plantation is located near Baton Rouge, Louisiana. In the 1970’s, the mansion was converted into a Bed & Breakfast. Those who visit are treated to the splendor of 1790’s southern architecture, with the grandeur of a traditional plantation-style home. In addition to opulent chandeliers, a vast veranda, and ornamental furnishings, the Bed & Breakfast also offers a ghastly history full of violence and scandal. Visitors experience the mystery firsthand via daily guided tours… and firsthand while they sleep.

History of the Myrtles Plantation AKA Laurel House

The stairs where William Drew Winters died on the 17th step. Listen for Winters’ ghostly footsteps.

Myrtles Plantation in St. Francisville Louisiana certainly has one of the most intricate histories dating back to the Whiskey Rebellion of the 1790’s. The house was built by General David Bradford in 1796; it was originally called “Laurel house” and lies on 600 acres. The plantation was passed down to General David’s son-in-law, and eventually came to be owned by Ruffin Gray Stirling and his family, who changed the name; it is now casually referred to as “The Myrtles.”

When Ruffin Gray Stirling died in 1854, his wife Mary Cobb Sterling was left to manage the property. She enlisted the help of attorney William Drew Winter, who would later marry her daughter Sarah; they had several children, one of whom died at the age of 3 of typhoid fever. In 1871, William Drew Winter was shot while standing on the front porch of the Myrtles home. He is said to have stumbled inside the home and climbed the staircase, making it only to the 17th step before succumbing to his wounds. His murder has never been solved.

The Hauntings Begins

Over the following decades, the Myrtles Plantation changed hands several times. Eventually the house and property were purchased by Marjorie Munson, who reported “odd happenings” within the home. Her accounts were just the beginning of a long list of reports of paranormal activity taking place on the plantation over the following century. These stories have been given new life in the form of the Bed & Breakfast’s “Mystery Tour,” and by numerous accounts of guests brave enough to spend the night within its haunted walls.

Guests who stay in the mansion have reported paranormal activity happening in the night: While some have had their bedsheets mysteriously removed while they slept, others have been violently pushed from their beds! And in the notoriously creepy “Fannie Williams Room” also known as the “Doll Room,” visitors have awoken to finding ceramic dolls inexplicable tossed across the room!

Fannie Williams Doll Room in the haunted Myrtles Plantation

Ghost Story: A Slave to Vengeance

The most infamous report of paranormal activity involves a young slave who was said to have been owned by previous plantation owners, Clark and Sara Woodruff. The slave girl, who was named Chloe, was taken as a mistress by Woodruff. The affair went on for some time, but eventually ended and when it did, Chloe began to spy on the family; driven by her fear of being banished to working the fields. One day Woodruff discovered the young slave lurking outside his study and cut off her ear as punishment. Chloe became known for wearing a green turban to hide her unsightly scars.

In a quest for vengeance, Chloe is said to have poisoned the family with a cake containing boiled oleander leaves. While Clark failed to consume the poisonous pastry, Sara and two of her young daughters who ate the cake were sickened and died within hours. Chloe was consequently hanged by fellow slaves who feared the ripple effect of her treachery. To this day, visitors report ghost sightings of the “girl in the green turban” hiding in shadows throughout the plantation.

Many ghost sightings of Chloe have been reported over the years.

Clark Woodruff’s revenge did not go unpunished. Residents and visitors alike have long reported sightings of his wife Sara and their children trapped within a 200-year-old parlor mirror in the mansion. Hand prints and drip marks are visible and appear to be inside the mirror, as no amount of cleaning has been able to remove them.

Murderous History

As many as 10 murders have been reported to have occurred in the Myrtles Plantation home, but the most famous is that of William Drew Winter in 1871, who you’ll remember was shot while standing on the front porch of the Myrtles mansion. Over the last hundred years, residents and visitors have reported hearing his ghostly footsteps ascending the staircase in the night, always climbing no further than the 17th step.

In the 1970’s the plantation’s owner Frances Kermeen published a book about the mansion, calling it “the most haunted house in America.” The plantation has more recently gained notoriety through several television features including Unsolved Mysteries (2002), Ghost Hunters (2005), Travel Channel’s Ghost Adventures, and even an episode Oprah.

The Myrtles was recently mentioned as a “bucklet list must,” for those interested in historical and paranormal mysteries. The author encourages visitors to take the guided tour, but aptly advises against eating the cake…

New Orleans has a colorful past and hundreds of ghosts. The Bourbon Orleans was a convent in the 1800s when yellow fever struck the city. Many of the ghosts that walk the halls of the hotel are those of children and young women who died during the epidemic. One of the spirits is a Confederate soldier.

Many elaborate social events took place in the Grand Ballroom. People see the apparition of a woman dancing under the chandelier in the ballroom. People have heard draperies in the room rustling as though someone was behind them.

The host of the show Psychic Kids conducted a reading in the hotel and was able to communicate with several spirits, including two children who apparently died suddenly.