1. LaLaurie House, New Orleans, Louisiana:The haunted history of the LaLaurie Mansion in New Orleans is perhaps one of the best known stories of haunted houses in the city. It tragically recounts the brutal excess of slavery in a horrifying and gruesome manner because for more than 150 years, and through several generations, the LaLaurie house has been considered the most haunted location in the french quarter.
The origin of the ghostly tale dates back to 1832 when Dr. Louis LaLaurie and his wife, Delphine, moved into their Creole mansion in the french quarter. They became renowned for their social affairs and were respected for their wealth and prominence. Madame LaLaurie became known as the most influential woman in the city, handling the family's business affairs and carrying herself with great style. Her daughters were among the finest dressed girls in New Orleans.
For those lucky enough to attend a social function at the mansion were amazed by what they found there. The three-story mansion, although rather plain on the exterior, was graced with delicate iron work but the interior was lavish by anyone's standards. The house had been made for grand events and occasions. Mahogany doors that were hand carved with flowers and human faces opened into a bright parlors, illuminated by the glow of hundreds of candles in gigantic chandeliers. Guests dined from European china and danced and rested on Oriental fabrics which had been imported at great expense.
Madame LaLaurie was considered one of the most intelligent and beautiful women in the city. Those who received her attentions at the wonderful gatherings could not stop talking about her. Guests in her home were pampered as their hostess bustled about the house, seeing to their every need.
But this was the side of Madame LaLaurie the friends and admirers were allowed to see. There was another side. Beneath the delicate and refined exterior was a cruel, cold-blooded and possibly insane woman that some only suspected, but others knew as fact.
You see the finery of the LaLaurie house was attended to by dozens of slaves and Madame LaLaurie was brutally cruel to them. She kept her cook chained to the fireplace in the kitchen where the sumptuous dinners were prepared and many of the others were treated much worse. We have to remember that, in those days, the slaves were not even regarded as being human. They were simply property and many slave owners thought of them as being lower than animals. Of course, this does not excuse the treatment of the slaves, or the institution of slavery itself, but merely serves as a reminder of just how insane Madame Lalaurie may have been.... because her mistreatment of the slaves went far beyond cruelty.
It was the neighbors on Royal Street who first began to suspect something was not quite right in the LaLaurie house. There were whispered conversations about how the LaLaurie slaves seemed to come and go quite often. Parlor maids would be replaced with no explanation or the stable boy would suddenly just disappear... never to be seen again.
Then, one day a neighbor was climbing her own stairs when she heard a scream and saw Madame Lalaurie chasing a little girl, the Madame’s personal servant, with a whip. She pursued the girl onto the roof of the house, where the child jumped to her death. The neighbor later saw the small slave girl buried in a shallow grave beneath the cypress trees in the yard.
A law that prohibited the cruel treatment of slaves was in effect in New Orleans and the authorities who investigated the neighbor’s claims impounded the Lalaurie slaves and sold them at auction. Unfortunately for them, Madame Lalaurie coaxed some relatives into buying them and then selling them back to her in secret.
Then, one day a neighbor was climbing her own stairs when she heard a scream and saw Madame Lalaurie chasing a little girl, the Madame’s personal servant, with a whip. She pursued the girl onto the roof of the house, where the child jumped to her death. The neighbor later saw the small slave girl buried in a shallow grave beneath the cypress trees in the yard.
A law that prohibited the cruel treatment of slaves was in effect in New Orleans and the authorities who investigated the neighbor’s claims impounded the Lalaurie slaves and sold them at auction. Unfortunately for them, Madame Lalaurie coaxed some relatives into buying them and then selling them back to her in secret.
The stories continued about the mistreatment of the Lalaurie slaves and uneasy whispering spread among her former friends. A few party invitations were declined, dinner invitations were ignored and the family was soon politely avoided by other members of the Creole society.
Finally, in April of 1834, all of the doubts about Madame Lalaurie were realized.
Finally, in April of 1834, all of the doubts about Madame Lalaurie were realized.
A terrible fire broke out in the Lalaurie kitchen. Legend has it that it was set by the cook, who could endure no more of the Madame’s tortures. Regardless of how it started, the fire swept through the house.
After the blaze was put out, the fire fighters discovered a horrible sight behind a secret, barred door in the attic. They found more than a dozen slaves here, chained to the wall in a horrible state. They were both male and female. Some were strapped to makeshift operating tables, some were confined in cages made for dogs, human body parts were scattered around and heads and human organs were placed haphazardly in buckets, grisly souvenirs were stacked on shelves and next to them a collection of whips and paddles.
It was more horrible that anything created in man’s imagination.
After the blaze was put out, the fire fighters discovered a horrible sight behind a secret, barred door in the attic. They found more than a dozen slaves here, chained to the wall in a horrible state. They were both male and female. Some were strapped to makeshift operating tables, some were confined in cages made for dogs, human body parts were scattered around and heads and human organs were placed haphazardly in buckets, grisly souvenirs were stacked on shelves and next to them a collection of whips and paddles.
It was more horrible that anything created in man’s imagination.
According to the newspaper, the New Orleans Bee, all of the victims were naked and the ones not on tables were chained to the wall. Some of the women had their stomachs sliced open and their insides wrapped about their waists. One woman had her mouth stuffed with animal excrement and then her lips were sewn shut.
The men were in even more horrible states. Fingernails had been ripped off, eyes poked out, and private parts sliced away. One man hung in shackles with a stick protruding from a hole that had been drilled in the top of his head. It had been used to “stir” his brains.
The tortures had been administered so as to not bring quick death. Mouths had been pinned shut and hands had been sewn to various parts of the body. Regardless, many of them had been dead for quite some time. Others were unconscious and some cried in pain, begging to be killed and put out of their misery.
The fire fighters fled the scene in disgust and doctors were summoned from a nearby hospital. It is uncertain just how many slaves were found in Madame Lalaurie’s “torture chamber” but most of them were dead. There were a few who still clung to life, like a woman whose arms and legs had been removed and another who had been forced into a tiny cage with all of her limbs broken than set again at odd angles.
Needless to say, the horrifying reports from the Lalaurie house were the most hideous things to ever occur in the city and word soon spread about the atrocities. It was believed that Madame Lalaurie alone was responsible for the horror and that her husband turned a blind, but knowing, eye to her activities.
The men were in even more horrible states. Fingernails had been ripped off, eyes poked out, and private parts sliced away. One man hung in shackles with a stick protruding from a hole that had been drilled in the top of his head. It had been used to “stir” his brains.
The tortures had been administered so as to not bring quick death. Mouths had been pinned shut and hands had been sewn to various parts of the body. Regardless, many of them had been dead for quite some time. Others were unconscious and some cried in pain, begging to be killed and put out of their misery.
The fire fighters fled the scene in disgust and doctors were summoned from a nearby hospital. It is uncertain just how many slaves were found in Madame Lalaurie’s “torture chamber” but most of them were dead. There were a few who still clung to life, like a woman whose arms and legs had been removed and another who had been forced into a tiny cage with all of her limbs broken than set again at odd angles.
Needless to say, the horrifying reports from the Lalaurie house were the most hideous things to ever occur in the city and word soon spread about the atrocities. It was believed that Madame Lalaurie alone was responsible for the horror and that her husband turned a blind, but knowing, eye to her activities.
Passionate words swept through New Orleans and a mob gathered outside the house, calling for vengeance and carrying hanging ropes. Suddenly, a carriage roared out of the gates and into the milling crowd. It soon disappeared out of sight.
Madame Lalaurie and her family were never seen again. Rumors circulated as to what became of them.... some said they ran away to France and others claimed they lived in the forest along the north shore of Lake Ponchatrain. Still other rumors claimed the family vanished into one of the small towns near New Orleans, where friends and relatives sheltered them from harm. Could this be true? And if so, could the terrible actions of Madame LaLaurie have "infected" another house in addition to the mansion in the French Quarter?
Whatever became of the Lalaurie family, there is no record that any legal action was ever taken against her and no mention that she was ever seen in New Orleans, or her fine home, again.
Of course, the same thing cannot be said for her victims.
Of course, the same thing cannot be said for her victims.
Hauntings
2. The Whaley House, San Diego, California:On January 5, 1882, Violet and Anna Amelia Whaley married in old San Diego. Violet married George T Bertolacci and Anna Amelia wed her first cousin John T. Whaley, son of Henry Hurst Whaley. After Violet and George divorced, violet never recovered from the humiliation and suffered from depression. Violet committed suicide by shooting herself in the heart with her fathers 32-calibre on August 19, 1885.
Francis Whaley married Susan E. Murry in Mendocino, California on December 31, 1888. on December 14, 1890, Thomas Whaley died due to ill health at the State Street address. Anna Amelia Whaley died at Medesto on December 12, 1905.
Meanwhile the old Whaley House remained vacant and fell into disrepair until late 1909, Francis Whaley undertook the restoration of the building, which greatly improved its appearance. Francis turned the home into a tourist attraction where he posted signs outside promoting its historicity and entertained visitors with his guitar. Anna Whaley, Thomas's widow, Corinne Lillian, Francis and George all lived in the old Whaley House in 1912. On February 24, 1913 Anna died at eighty years of age. A year later, Francis Whaley died on November 19, 1914. George Whaley died on January 5, 1928 in San Diego and, Corinne Lillian Whaley continued residency in the house until her death in 1953.
The house is located in Old Town San Diego, California. The historic house opened as a museum on May 25th, 1960. Now, the Whaley House is one of Southern California's most popular tourist attractions. The house was the first of its kind in San Diego. Whaley boasted, "My new house, when completed, will be the handsomest, most comfortable and convenient place in town or within 150 miles of here." Thomas Whaley's new house was known as the finest in Southern California. The house was furnished with mahogany and rosewood furniture, Brussels carpets, damask drapes and was considered a mansion for its time and place. The residence became the gathering place for San Diego. Besides being the Whaley family home, it was also San Diego's first commercial theater, the county courthouse, and a general store. In 1868, the theater was located in a bedroom upstairs. It had a small stage and small benches allowing the capacity of the room to be 150. The operator of the theatre, Tanner Troupe, died within 17 days of the opening of the theatre. The Whaley House also served as the county courthouse in 1869. For 65 dollars a month, the county of San Diego leased the courtroom and three of the upstairs bedrooms. Another part of the Whaley House history was the Whaley & Crosthwaite General Store which was a wholesale and retail store.
Hauntings
According to the Travel Channel's show America's Most Haunted, out of all the haunted houses in the United States, the Whaley House is the number one most haunted. The Whaley House grounds was reportedly haunted even before the house was built and the family moved in. The first ghost to be reported was the ghost of James "Yankee Jim" Robinson who was hanged in 1852. He was hanged on the property that was the site of a gallows before Thomas Whaley purchased the property and built the house. According to the San Diego Union, after the Whaley family moved in, they heard the sound of heavy footsteps moving around the house and concluded that these footsteps were made by "Yankee Jim". Years later, many visitors to the house said that they saw the ghost of Thomas Whaley. A former keeper of the house mentioned that a little girl waved to a man who was standing in the parlor, but others did not see the man.
Moreover, four members of the Whaley family died in the house, including Anna Whaley. The ghost of Anna Whaley has been reported by visitors in the garden or in the rooms located downstairs. Furthermore, some visitors claimed that they have seen an apparition of a woman in the courtroom, but the description of her did not fit any of the Whaleys. In the 1960s, psychic, Sybil Leek, felt a presence of a girl. She was described as the great grand-daughter of Thomas Whaley, Marion Reynolds, who ingested ant poison. She is known to grab people's arms. Not only is the Whaley House a home for the family even after they had died, it is also a home for their dog. A spirit of a dog was captured; the apparition of the dog was caught running into the dining room in the house. The Whaley family used to own a terrier named Dolly Varden. The dog died of natural causes and is said to lick the bare legs of women and is mostly seen by children.3. 
Winchester Mystery House, San Jose, California:
Winchester Mystery House, San Jose, California:Is a well-known mansion. It once was the personal residence of Sarah Winchester, the widow of gun magnate William Wirt Winchester. It was continuously under construction for 38 years and is reported to be haunted. It now serves as a tourist attraction.
According to popular belief, Winchester thought the house was haunted by the ghosts of the people who fell victim to Winchester rifles, and that only continuous construction would appease them.
Deeply saddened by the deaths of her daughter Annie in 1866 of Marasmus, and her young husband in 1881, Winchester consulted a medium on the advice of a psychic. The "Boston Medium" told Winchester that she believed there to be a curse upon the Winchester family because the guns they made had taken so many lives. The psychic told Winchester that "thousands of people have died because of it and their spirits are now seeking deep vengeance."
(stairs leading to the ceiling)
One version states "She believed her only chance of a normal life was to build a house, and keep building it. If the house was never finished, no ghost could settle into it. The house contains many features that were utilized to trap or confuse spirits. There are doors that are small or lead nowhere and windows that look into other parts of the house. The mansion may be huge but there are only two mirrors in the whole place. This is because Sarah believed that ghosts were afraid of their own reflection."
Before the 1906 earthquake, the house was seven stories high, but today it is only four stories. The house is predominantly made of redwood, as Mrs. Winchester preferred the wood; however, she disliked the look of it. She therefore demanded that a faux grain and stain be applied. This is why almost all the wood in the home is covered. Approximately 20,500 gallons (76,000 liters) of paint were required to paint the house. The home itself is built using a floating foundation that is believed to have saved it from total collapse in the 1906 earthquake and the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. This type of construction allows the home to shift freely, as it is not completely attached to its brick base. There are roughly 160 rooms, including 40 bedrooms, 2 ballrooms (one completed and one unfinished) as well as 47 fireplaces, 10,000 window panes, 17 chimneys (with evidence of two others), two basements and three elevators. Winchester's property was about 162 acres (650,000 m²) at one time, but the estate is now just 4.5 acres (24,000 m²) — the minimum necessary to contain the house and nearby outbuildings. It has gold and silver chandeliers and hand inlaid parquet floors and trim. There are doors and stairways that lead nowhere and a vast array of colors and materials. Due to Mrs Winchester's debilitating arthritis, special "easy riser" stairways were installed as a replacement for her original steep construction. This allowed her to move about her home freely as she was only able to raise her feet a few inches high. Hauntings
There have been a number of strange events reported at the Winchester House for many years and they continue to be reported today. Dozens of psychics have visited the house over the years and most have come away convinced, or claim to be convinced, that spirits still wander the place. In addition to the ghost of Sarah Winchester, there have also been many other sightings throughout the years.
In the years that the house has been open to the public, employees and visitors alike have had unusual encounters here. There have been footsteps; banging doors; mysterious voices; windows that bang so hard they shatter; cold spots; strange moving lights; doorknobs that turn by themselves. 
4. The Stranahan House, Fort Lauderdale, Florida:It was built in 1902 as a trading post by Frank Stranahan, the founder of Fort Lauderdale, who had earlier established a ferry across the New River. The building also served as the town hall and post office. It became his home in 1906 when added a second story and remodeled the existing structure for his wife, Ivy Julia (Cromartie) Stranahan, fort Lauderdale's first teacher and co-founder, whom he had married in 1900. After her husbands death Ivy kept the house, but rented out the first floor to a restaurant. After her death it was devised to the seventh-day adventist church which sold it to the Fort Lauderdale historical Society in 1979.
Hauntings
Many people state that strange occurrences happen within the walls of the Stranahan house. One has claimed that she has spoken to Ivy. Instances such as the burglar alarms were going off on several occasions and when the police arrived, there was nobody there. Over the years, several employees would up and quit due to the activities. Several ghost hunters have explored the historical house and have confirmed the paranormal activities going on in the Stranahan House. One group discovered an impression of a human being, sitting in an empty chair and has smelled the distinct presence of a woman’s perfume.
People Who Died in The House
- Pink Cromartie Moss- Sister of Ivy. Died of complication after given a still birth in the Living Room Parlor.
- Frank Stranahan- Committed suicide by hurling himself into the New River with a sewer cap tied to his waist under the shade of a Mangrove Trees which are still there today.
- Albert Cromartie- Brother of Ivy. Died of illness. Contracted TB/Tuberculosis and died in the Guest Bedroom.
- A young seminole girl named Lucpel. She died near the stairs near the back door.
- Augustos Cromartie- Father of Ivy. Died of old age (he was in his late 70's) in the back bedroom, which is known as the gift shop area now.
- Ivy Cromartie Stranahan- Died of old age in her master bedroom at the age of 90.
5. 
The White House, Washington, D.C.:
The White House, Washington, D.C.:In 1814, during the war of 1812, the mansion was set ablaze by the british army in the burning of Washington, destroying the interior and charring much of the exterior. Reconstruction began almost immediately, and President James Monroe moved into the partially reconstructed house in October 1817.
Adams lived in the house only briefly before Thomas Jefferson soon moved in. Despite his complaints that the house was too big ("big enough for two emperors, one pope, and the grand lama in the bargain"), Jefferson considered how the white house might be added to, he helped lay out the design for the East and West Colonnades, small wings that help conceal the domestic operations of laundry, a stable and storage. Today, Jefferson's colonnades link the residence with the East and West Wings.
In 1814, during the War of 1812, the White House was set ablaze by British troops during the Burning of Washington, in retaliation for burning Upper Canada's Parliament Buildings in the Battle of York; much of Washington was affected by these fires as well. Only the exterior walls remained, and they had to be torn down and mostly reconstructed because of weakening from the fire and subsequent exposure to the elements, except for portions of the south wall. Of the numerous objects taken from the White House when it was ransacked by British troops, only two have been recovered. Then-first lady Dolley Madison rescued a painting of George Washington, and in 1939, a Canadian man returned a jewelry box to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, claiming that his grandfather had taken it from Washington. Some observers allege that most of these spoils were lost when a convoy of British ships led by HMS Fantome sank en route to Halifax.
Today the group of buildings housing the presidency is known as the White House Complex. It includes the central Executive Residence flanked by the East Wing and West Wing. The Chief Usher coordinates day to day household operations. The White House includes: six stories and 55,000 ft² (5,100 m²) of floor space, 132 rooms and 35 bathrooms, 412 doors, 147 windows, twenty-eight fireplaces, eight staircases, three elevators, five full-time chefs, a tennis court, a (single-lane) bowling alley, a movie theater, a jogging track, a swimming pool, and a putting green.
Hauntings
The White House has a reputation for being one of the most haunted homes in America. President Harry Truman said the place was haunted "sure as shooting." Kennedy’s Press Secretary James Haggerty admitted to sensing the presence of Lincoln’s ghost in the White House, and Clinton’s Press Secretary Mike McCurry admitted he was a believer: "There are, from time to time, reports that the White House is haunted by mysterious appearances of figures from history, and I believe them. There have been serious people who have serious tales to tell about these encounters, and there are many people who seriously believe that there is a haunting quality to the White House."
Hillary Rodham Clinton said: "There is something about the house at night that you just feel like you are summoning up the spirits of all the people who have lived there and worked there and walked through the halls there." On the “Rosie O'Donnell Show,” the former first lady noted: "It's neat. It can be a little creepy. You know, they think there's a ghost there. It is a big old house, and when the lights are out it is dark and quiet and any movement at all catches your attention."
There have been many séances in the White House, but the majority occurred during the administration of Abraham Lincoln. While living in the White House, he and his wife held several séances in the Green Room in an attempt to contact the spirit of their son, Willie, who died there. One medium who visited the White House regularly gave Lincoln advice from great leaders of history. At one of those séances, the spirit of Daniel Webster pleaded with Lincoln to follow through with his efforts to free the slaves. Medium J.B. Conklin conveyed a message to Lincoln from his close friend, Edward Baker, who had been killed at the battle of Ball's Bluff. The cryptic message said: "Gone elsewhere. Elsewhere is everywhere." In 1863, medium Charles Shockle visited the White House and performed a levitation. At another levitation, Lincoln allegedly ordered a Maine congressman to sit on top of a piano that was floating in mid-air. Following the assassination of her husband, Mary Todd Lincoln sought contact with his spirit through mediums and séances, and felt that she had succeeded. Members of household of Ulysses S. Grant's are said to have conversed with the ghost of young Willie Lincoln during a séance in his former second floor bedroom. Bob Woodward of Watergate fame describes how in 1995, a séance was held by psychic Jean Houston in the White House solarium, during which Hillary sank into a trance and channeled the spirits of Eleanor Roosevelt and Mahatma Gandhi. There are also rumors that in the late 1970s, Nancy Reagan’s personal astrologer, Joan Quigley, arranged another attempt to communicate with spirits through the “White House portal.”
North Portico The ghost of Anne Surratt has been seen pounding on the doors of the White House, pleading for the release of her mother. Mary Surratt was executed in 1865 for her part in the conspiracy to assassinate President Lincoln. Her daughter is said to appear on the steps of the White House on July 7, the anniversary of her mother's trip to the scaffolds. The tenants of the H Street apartment house where Mary lived reported eerie moaning and sobbing sounds for many years.
The ghost of a British soldier from the War of 1812 is said to walk the grounds in front of the White House at night. He is said to be a remnant of the 1814 attempt by the British to burn the White House. The menacing apparitions is always seen with a blazing torch in his hand. Other ghosts seen in the front of the White House are a long-deceased White House usher still turning off lights and a former White House doorman who acts like he is still be on the job. (The North Portico is the front entrance to the White House.)
Rose Garden The ghost of Dorothea Paine "Dolley" Madison, wife of President James Madison, appeared in the Rose Garden most frequently during the administration of Woodrow Wilson. Dolley had planted the garden a hundred years earlier, but First Lady Ellen Louise Wilson gave orders to have it dug up. Workmen reported Dolley's ghost appeared in the garden and kept them from carrying out their job. After that, no one dared harm the famous White House Rose Garden, and Dolley's original rose garden continues to bloom to this day. (The Rose Garden is on the White House grounds.)
Attic The ghost of William Henry Harrison can sometimes be heard rummaging about in the White House attic. What he is looking for has never been determined. During the Truman administration, a guard heard the voice of David Burns, who was forced to give up his land for the White House property in 1790, coming from the attic area above the Oval Room.
Basement Some versions of the story of Washington's Demon Cat (“D.C.”), place the phantom cat in the White House basement. Another version puts the supernatural black cat in the basement of the U.S Capitol Building possibly in the room known as The Crypt. According to the legend, years go by without a sighting of the Demon Cat, but when it does appear a national disaster is likely to occur within a short period of time. A creepy detail, of some versions of the story, warns that while the Demon Cat may first appear as a helpless looking kitten, it grows in size and menace the closer one moves toward it. A guard claimed to have seen it a week before the great stock market crash of the 1920s; it was also seen right before JFK died.
East Room White House staffers have reported the ghost of Abigail Adams, wife of President John Adams, hanging laundry in this airy room. She is the "oldest" ghost still to be encountered in the White House today. During her time in the White House, there was a problem with where to hang the laundry to dry, since the White House was not yet fully complete, and it was not adequately heated. The warmest and driest place in the White House was the East Room, and that is where Mrs. Adams hung her clothes line. There were dozens of sightings of her ghost during the Taft administration, and to this day, Abigail Adams can sometimes be seen hurrying towards the East Room with her arms outstretched as if she is carrying a load of laundry. Sometimes the faint smell of damp clothes and soap is detected. In 2002, tourists reported a ghostly figure moving around in the second floor balcony of the East Wing. The East Room is also part of the legend of Abraham Lincoln. His body lay in state in this room, just as he dreamed it would. (The East Room is on the first floor of the White House and is part of the White House tours.)
Lincoln Bedroom President Lincoln was perhaps the nation's most mystical leader, and he generated tremendous psychic energy. In November 1860, Lincoln told his wife he knew he would be elected for a second term but would die in office, and he saw his own assassination in a series of dreams three days before that fateful day of April 14, 1865. Afterwards, many people reported seeing his ghost in the White House. Grace Coolidge, wife of Calvin Coolidge, was the first person to report having seen Lincoln's apparition in the White House. She said that he stood at a window of the Oval Office, hands clasped behind his back, gazing out over the Potomac. She saw his ghost repeatedly after that.
Cesar Carrera, Franklin D. Roosevelt's personal valet, ran screaming from the White House one day, after seeing Lincoln's ghost. Eleanor Roosevelt's assistant, Mary Eben, saw the ghost sitting on his bed pulling off his boots. Even the Roosevelt's dog, Fala, was said to have sensed Lincoln’s presence. Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands was a guest of the White House when she heard a knock on her bedroom door in the middle of the night. When she answered it, Lincoln stood before her with his famous top hat and all. The Queen fainted, and when she came too, he was gone.
Britain's Winston Churchill refused to sleep there after sighting President Abraham Lincoln's ghost lurking about, and there is an interesting story in that regard. During one of Winston Churchill's visits to the United States during World War II, he spent the night in the Lincoln Bedroom. Churchill retired late after relaxing in a long, hot bath while drinking a Scotch and smoking a cigar. He climbed out of the bath naked, except for his cigar, and walked into the adjoining bedroom. He couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw Abraham Lincoln standing by the fireplace in the room, leaning on the mantle. The two men looked each other in the face, in seeming embarrassment, as Lincoln’s apparition slowly faded away.
Theodore Roosevelt, Herbert Hoover, Margaret Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, Jacqueline Kennedy, Ladybird Johnson, Susan Ford, and Maureen Reagan have all admitted sensing the presence of the Civil War president in the White House. Ladybird, wife of Lyndon Johnson, witnessed Lincoln's mysterious presence while she watched a television program about his assassination. She felt compelled to read a plaque above the fireplace, which explained the dead president's connection to the room. Gerald Ford's daughter, Susan, saw Lincoln's ghost in the room in the 1980s. In 1987, Ronald Reagan's daughter, Maureen, and her husband, Dennis Revell, both saw Lincoln's transparent form next to the bedroom's fireplace.
Lincoln’s ghost is known to walk up and down the second floor hallway, rap at doors, and stand by certain windows with his hands clasped behind his back. A bodyguard to President Harrison was kept awake many nights trying to protect the president from mysterious footsteps he heard in the hall. He grew so tired and worried; he finally attended a séance to beg President Lincoln to stop so he could get enough sleep to properly protect the living president. One White House staff member reported that after turning off the lights of the chandelier in the Lincoln bedroom, they came back on for no apparent reason. He rushed into the Lincoln Bedroom, hoping to see the famous ghost. While he did not see a spirit, he did feel an icy cold spot in the room, which he attributed to the ghost of Lincoln. Another staff member arrived at the White House very early in the morning and was shocked to see a very clear ghostly image of Lincoln outside of his former office. The staff member blinked and the apparition was gone. He reported the event to his superior and learned that several other staff members had reported similar encounters. Recently, an Operations Manager at the White House encountered Lincoln’s ghost in the second floor hall. (Lincoln’s Bedroom was actually Lincoln's Cabinet Room. He signed the Emancipation Proclamation here. It was named the Lincoln Bedroom when his 9-foot-long bed was moved here. The room is on the second floor, between the Treaty Room and the Yellow Oval Room.)
Rose Bedroom The ghost of Andrew Jackson is said to haunt his old canopy bed here. White House personnel have reported an inexplicable cold spot and the sound of hearty laughter coming from the empty bed. In 1865, Mary Todd Lincoln reported encountering Jackson's ghost “swearing up a storm,” and in the 1930's Jackson's ghost was heard laughing in his former bedroom by many staff members. In the 1950s, White House seamstress Lilian Parks felt Jackson's presence lean over her, while she sat hemming a bedspread in a chair next to his bed. An aide to Lyndon Johnson heard the cussing, hollering ghost of Jackson in this room in 1964.
The Rose Room is also known as the Queen's Suite, because visiting Queens have often stayed there. Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands was sleeping in this room, when she answered a knock at the door. Standing in the hallway was the ghost of Abraham Lincoln, whose bedroom was right across the hall. (The Rose Bedroom is on the second floor of the White House.)
Other Second Floor Bedrooms President Johnson's daughter, Lynda Johnson Robb, sensed Willie Lincoln’s spirit in his former bedroom on this floor. The cries of Mrs. Grover Cleveland have also been reported coming from this area of the White House. She was the first president's wife to have a baby in the building. In another bedroom, in 1953, the ghost of a British soldier appeared carrying a torch. The husband and wife who stayed there said the ghost tried to burn their bed. The same ghost has been seen on other occasions in the White House and is thought to be the spirit of a soldier involved in setting fire to the structure on August 24, 1814. In 1952, extensive repairs were done to the second floor of the White House. Since then, the ghosts have not walked so actively. (The bedrooms on the second floor are used by the presidential family and are not open to the general public.)
Second Floor Halls During William Taft's presidency, the ghost of John Adam's wife, Abigail, was first reported passing through doors on the second floor of the White House. More recently, she has been reported roaming through the second floor hall and balcony. The footsteps of Abraham Lincoln have also been reported in this corridor by several White House residents, including Eleanor Roosevelt. Harry Truman once wrote to his wife: "I sit here in this old house, all the while listening to the ghosts walk up and down the hallway. At 4 o'clock I was awakened by three distinct knocks on my bedroom door. No one there. Damned place is haunted, sure as shootin'!" (The entire second floor of the White House is the private residence of the presidential family.)
Yellow Oval Room Grace Coolidge first saw Lincoln’s ghost in this room. When Lincoln was alive, he used the room as a library and spent a lot of time meditating here, while gazing out the windows. White House employees have seen his figure standing in front of those same windows. Army Chaplain E.C. Bowles remembers Lincoln's sad look as his ghost stared out a window here. The 16th President's biographer, Carl Sandburg, said he felt Lincoln come stand beside him at that window. Mary Todd Lincoln encountered the ghosts of Thomas Jefferson and John Tyler in this room. Cesar Carrera, valet to Franklin Delano Roosevelt, said he once heard someone calling his name in the Yellow Oval Room. The voice seemed to come from a distance, saying, "I'm Mr. Burns." A similar story arose during the Truman years when a guard heard a soft voice saying, "I'm Mr. Burns." Could it be David Burns, the former owner of the land where the White House now sits? (The Yellow Oval Room is next to the Lincoln Bedroom on the second floor. The window is above the front entrance to the White House.)
Longtime White House Chief Usher Gary Walters described his encounter. “Several staff members have had eerie experiences. Once, three police officers and I were standing at the state floor of the White House. We all felt a cool rush of air pass between us, and then two doors that stand open closed by themselves. I have never seen these doors move before without somebody specifically closing them by hand. It was quite remarkable."
6. The Bell Farm, Adams, Tennessee:The Bell Witch or Bell Witch Haunting is a poltergeist legend from southern United States folklore, involving the Bell family of Adams Tennessee.
Legend
According to the legend, the first reported manifestation of the haunting occurred in 1817 when John Bell, Sr., encountered a strange animal in a cornfield on his large farm in Robertson County, on the Red River, near Adams Tennessee. Bell shot at the animal, described as having the body of a dog and the head of a rabbit. At a later date the Bell family claimed to hear knocking and gnawing noises on the outside walls of their house. These noises eventually moved inside the dwelling. Some time after the noises began, Betsy Bell (the family's youngest daughter) claimed to have been assaulted by an invisible force. The legend continues with the poltergeist gaining strength, moving various objects about, speaking and having conversations with the family and guests. It identified itself as "Kate Batts", a neighbor of the Bells that John had apparently upset in some way. Bell Sr., later in life, suffered frequent facial seizures, often rendering him speechless. He died on December 20, 1820. A small vial containing a very powerful poison he allegedly ingested was found near his body. When some of the contents were force-fed to the family cat, the animal died. The vial was then disposed of in the fireplace.
GHOSTLY MANIFESTATIONS: The legend of the Bell Witch is quite possibly the most famous ghost story of the American South. Publicly, her exploits against John Bell and his family in the Early Nineteenth Century are considered nothing but sheer legend, but today, believers of the supernatural, as well as modern inhabitants of Adams, Tennessee, believe something of the stories must be true. In fact, some thing is reported to still exist on the old farm.
During the Seventies, farmer Wayne “Bill” M. Eden owned much of the old John Bell Property and eventually, became a firm believer of the Bell Witch. He grew accustomed to the farm and his usual duties, but he also became prone to a sort of strange and unique happenings, which became difficult to explain on a normal level of circumstances. When author Richard Winer visited Bill Eden for a follow-up on the Bell Witch in the late Seventies, the industrious farmer confessed he thought the ghost was still around.
“I was coming from the milk barn here on the way to the house one night when something took a hold of my arm.” Eden told Winer. “I thought it was one of the boys hiding beside the road trying to scare me, so I lit my cigarette lighter and there was nobody on the road except me. I couldn’t hear no sound and I couldn’t see nothing. There wasn’t anything there that you could see at all.
“Also, we had footsteps come through our new house. We had tore the old house down that stood where our new house is standing now. We’d here knocking at the door as well, or walking down the hall. A few weeks ago, my wife was fixing dinner and she heard someone in the basement like they were dragging an old straight back chair around. So she went down there twice, and she still couldn’t find anything.
“Those cabinet doors in the kitchen. Sometimes, we’ll be sitting there eating and the doors will be partially open. Suddenly, like someone came along and hit them with their hand, they’ll slam shut, or sometimes, they’ll be closed and, bloop, one of them will fly open.
“Back in January, “ Eden continues. “When all that snow and ice was on the ground, about two o’clock in the morning, something woke me up knocking at the front door. I got up - and I had to go to the living room to get to the front door – and when I got there, instead of going to the door, I just raised the curtains so I could see out, but there wasn’t anybody there.
“So I went back to my bedroom, and instead of going back to bed I went into the bathroom and there lit myself up a cigar and sat on the commode and smoked. In a few minutes, the knock came again, and knocked about three times, so I sneaked back into the living room to take a look. There was someone, looked like a real person, walking out my front walkway that appeared to have on a long black coat pulled up high around its ears and was almost dragging on the ground. Now, I couldn’t tell whether it was a man or a woman. I couldn’t tell. I saw there wasn’t any car out there, and I kept wondering where the car was. It went behind a big tree, but didn’t come out the other side, so I called my wife and woke her up. She came into the living room and asked, ‘What in the world are you doing in here?’
“I said, ‘Come on in here and watch behind this tree till I get my gun and fetch my clothes on.’ I thought it was someone trying to break in. That’s what I thought it was.
“So, I got dressed and went down into the basement with my shot gun and my light and sneaked my way around and came all the way around it. I kept peeping and looking and walking clear around the tree. I looked down for the tracks in the snow, but there were only my tracks. I looked over the walkway, and there wasn’t a single track on my walkway. It’s such things that make me believe in ghosts.”
Other than Bill Eden, friends and visitors to the Eden Farm also saw and bore witness to a host of strange phenomenon that could occur without warning. Bill Eden recalled one young lady who had come up from Nashville to fish on the river nearby:
“Well, we came back up here, and she said she had walked around to the front of my house on the hill. She was just sitting there, you know, looking for rocks and making herself to home, and there was a girl who walked up to her. (She) said that she was blonde-haired, sort of blondish-looking, had blue hair and her hair hung down to her waist. She thought she just walked up to where she was at, and she looked back to say something to her, and she was gone. “
“What kind of clothes did she have on?” Winer asked.
“Said she was dressed in a long black skirt and a white blouse.” Eden goes on to describe another occasion. “(Another) lady came here to go to the cave. So, we started off down to the cave, about twelve or fifteen of us. All at once, this lady just sat down in the path. One of the people who was with her asked what she was doing down there in the path. She answered, ‘I’m not sitting here. Something just lit on my back just like a heavy weight – like a ton of lead and just pressed me into the ground. I can’t get up.’ So, they got a hold of her arms and helped her up and got her back up her hill to her car.”
The cave in question is the Bell Witch Cave, a cave in the embankment of the river that is featured in the tour. It reaches practically a hundred feet or more underground and constants floods whenever it rains and the water level of the river rises. Bill Eden has played host to the cave for several guests and Halloween outings to the farm. He has even had a strange experience inside at one time or another.
“You can hear footsteps in there at times.” Eden says. “And I only ever saw one thing. Lots of people come out here expecting to see a ghost or a witch or whatever you call it. I just call it a spirit, and I only saw one thing and it looked like a real person with its back to you. Looked as if it was built out of a real white-looking heavy fog or snow, or something really solid white, but you couldn’t see through it. It had the complete figure of a person till it got down to about its ankles. It wasn’t touching the floor at all. It was just drifting – bouncing along. There was about five of us there at the time.”
Before Bill Eden owned the farm, a man named Cope and his sister lived in a house on the same location of the present house. When they lived here, Cope saw a bright light about the size of an old oil lamp up in one of the trees. One night when it appeared, Cope’s father shot it and it went out, but nothing feel to the ground. They never figured out just what it was they had shot, or whether or not they had actually hit it.
Bill’s wife, Frances Eden, had also experienced her share of spirit activity at the farm. Like her husband, she could sometimes hear a woman’s voice calling out to her at any time of the day, but, of course, she could never find out just who was supposed to be calling her. One time while she was preparing lunch, the sound of someone dragging a long chain came through the front door and into the living room. Passing through the dining room, the sound entered the kitchen and stopped near her and the cooking stove. She never saw a single thing the whole time, bust she has heard on two or three occasions a loud, shrill scream just like a woman screaming. Bill has heard the ghostly screams at the cave at one time or another. Trying to follow it into the cave, he headed as far as he could into it, but couldn’t catch up to it or figure out what was doing the screaming. Whatever was doing it was just managing to keep ahead of him to goad him into going deeper and deeper into the cave.
A few descendants of the John Bell family still live in the area of Adams. One of them became good friends with Bill Eden through his ownership of the farm, and together, they shared stories and facts of the Bell Witch. The camaraderie between the two seemed to lead to more mischief from the witch.
“His mother had inherited this bunch of old china dishes and kept them stored in a cabinet.” Bill tells the story. “She hadn’t used them in over forty to fifty years. She lived just two houses down from her son, and one morning, it sounded as if ever dish in those cabinets had fallen out on to the floor and broke all to pieces. She had thought someone had broken into the house on her. She was an old lady so she called upon her son and told him to get up there quick because she thought someone was in there breaking all her dishes. So he grabbed his pistol and raced on down to the house. When he got into the house, every single dish that had been in the cabinets was lying all over the floor, and there wasn’t a single cracked dish in the whole bunch.
“I lived with some of the Bells over here. The house would fill up with smoke and drive the company off and things like that would happen. They all got scared to live there and moved away because they couldn’t stay there anymore. So I lived on in there, and all I ever had happen sounded like a team of horses or mules running across the front porch. It had a wooden floor, but you could jump up and look outside and look all you wanted to and there’d be nothing to see so I poured a concrete porch, but it didn’t help.
“And a funny thing, that old house, right today, the lady that lives across the road, she told me last summer that the lights upstairs still light up and time of the day or night, and there hasn’t been an electric line going to that house for years. She says those lights still come on upstairs.”
7. 
Franklin Castle, Cleveland, Ohio:
Franklin Castle, Cleveland, Ohio:The building has four stories and more than twenty rooms. It is purported to be the most haunted house in Ohio.
The house was built in 1865 for Hannes Tiedemann, a German immigrant.
On January 16, 1881, Tiedemann's fifteen year old daughter Emma succumbed to diabetes. The house saw its second death not long afterwards when Tiedemann's elderly mother, Wiebeka, died. During the next three years the Tiedemanns would bury three more children, giving rise to speculation that there was more to the deaths than met the eye.
To distract his wife, Luise, from these tragedies, Tiedemann began extensive construction on the home, adding a ballroom which runs the length of the house in the fourth floor of the manor. Also during this building, turrets and gargoyles were added to the edifice's facade, giving the house an even more pronounced "castle" appearance.
It is rumored that there were hidden rooms and passageways that were used for bootlegging during Prohibition. Though rumored, none of these rooms or passageways exist other than a small stairway used by servants from the kitchen to the front door.Luise Tiedemann died from a liver disease on March 24, 1895, at the age of fifty-seven. Hannes sold the house to the Mullhauser family, and by 1908 he and the entire Tiedemann family were dead, leaving no one to inherit his considerable personal wealth.
Rumors of crimes committed in the house by Tiedemann (including sexual indiscretions and murder) have contributed to Franklin Castle's reputation as a haunted house.
The house remained largely unoccupied until January 1968, when James Romano, his wife, and six children settled in the long abandoned building. The Romano family reported several encounters with ghosts in their new home, and attempted exorcisms and even had a now defunct ghost-hunting group (the Northeast Ohio Psychical Research Society) investigate the castle. By 1974, the Romanos decided to leave the house, and sold it to Sam Muscatello, who planned to turn the castle into a church.To raise money for the church, tours and overnight stays at the castle were offered.
8. 
Destrehan Plantation Destrehan, Louisiana:
Destrehan Plantation Destrehan, Louisiana:In the nineteenth century, the house was the center of a bustling slave plantation that produced sugar for export. The site hosted the notorious St. Charles Parish Tribunal, which excuted 18 of the slaves involved in the 1811 German Coast Uprising, the largest slave revolt in American history.
Destrehan Plantation was constructed beginning in 1787 and completed in 1790.
Under the ownership of statesman and planter Jean Noel Destrehan, the plantation became the leading sugar producer in St. Charles Parish in 1803. Later owners included Scotsman-turned-millionaire Stephen Henderson and Judge Pierre Adolph Rost, who served on the Louisiana Supreme Court from 1845 to 1853. The plantation remained in the family until 1910.
Hauntings
The hauntings began in the 1980's, when the River Road Historical Society began to make great progress in renovating and restoring this plantation, giving it some of the TLC it badly needed. The entities, while having their personal issues, are pleasant, complete with gentile southern manners of hosts, willing to share their home with the living, probably thrilled that someone fixed the place up finally!
Disembodied voices have been heard by staff and visitors.Staff have had odd experiences with the resident entities.Tourists taking pictures are surprised to see apparitions, orbs and mists in their photos that weren't there when the original photograph was taken. The staff has put such photos on display for all to see when amazed tourists send these pictures to them.A white, misty form has been seen sitting in its favorite chair, crossing the driveway and peering out a second floor window.A rocking horse in one of the upstairs rooms, would rock back and forth vigorously by itself, freaking out the workers restoring the rooms. The rocking horse was finally removed from the room.An apparition of a woman has been seen standing on the back staircase.
Main Spirits: Entity of Stephen Henderson and his young wife, Marie Eleonore "Zelia" Destrehan Henderson
Apparitions of both Stephen and Marie Eleonore have been identified by both staff and visitors.The apparition of John Lafitte has also been seen by some.
9. Lemp Mansion, St. Louis, Missouri:The house was built in 1868 by St. Louisian Jacob Feickert. William J. Lemp and his wife, Julia, moved into the mansion in 1876. In 1911, the house underwent major renovations including conversion of some space into offices for the Lemp Brewery. The Lemps lived in the house until 1949 when Charles Lemp committed suicide.
In 1950, the mansion became a boarding house; throughout the next decade, it lost much of its ornate charm. The construction of Interstate 55 during the 1960s led to the destruction of much of the grounds and one of the carriage houses.
The current owners, the Pointer family, purchased the house in 1975 and have since renovated much of it as the Lemp Mansion Restaurant and Inn.
Lemp Family History
Adam Lemp and the Western Brewery: The original patriarch of the Lemp Family was Johann "Adam" Lemp, born in 1798 in Gruningen, Germany. He became a naturalized citizen in November 1841. He arrived in the United States in 1836, eventually settling in St. Louis in 1838. In the St. Louis city directory of 1840-41, he is listed as a grocer.
Adam Lemp started a grocery store at Sixth and Morgan, called A. Lemp & Co., family grocery. This site is now occupied by the middle of the south side of the Edward Jones Dome. In addition to typical groceries, Lemp sold his own vinegar and beer. By 1840 he focused solely on the manufacture and sale of the beer, forming Western Brewery at 37 South Second Street (about where the south leg of the Arch now stands). Adam Lemp’s beer became very popular due to the increase of German population in the area. Lemp was one of the first in the country to produce German lager, which was a great difference from the English ale and porters. The business prospered, and when a large storage space became necessary, a cave in south St. Louis was used for this purpose as it provided natural refrigeration. The cave was below the current locations of the Lemp and Chatillon-DeMenil House and the Lemp Brewery. By the 1860s there were 40 breweries in the St. Louis area taking advantage of the caves along the Mississippi, with the Western Brewery emerging as one of the most successful.
William J. Lemp Sr: Adam's son William J. Lemp was born in Germany in 1835. After completing his education at St. Louis University, he worked at the Western Brewery until he left the company to form a partnership with another brewer. In 1861, he enlisted in the United States Reserve Corps, and achieved the rank of Orderly Sergeant. On December 3, 1861, he married Julia Feickert.
On August 23, 1862, Adam Lemp died, and William returned to the Western Brewery as owner and operator. In 1864 he began building a larger brewery above the caves where Western had been storing its goods.
Under William Lemp, the Western Brewery became the largest brewery in St. Louis, and then, the largest outside of New York with a single owner. William began to brew and bottle the beer in the same facility to meet growing demand, a practice that was rare at that time. Further demonstrating his innovation and business sense, in 1878 he installed the first refrigeration machine in an American brewery, and then extended the idea to refrigerated railway cars, in a successful attempt to be the first beer in the United States with a national reach. Soon, Lemp Beer was sold worldwide.
In 1892, the William J. Lemp Brewing Company was founded from the Western Brewery with William as President, his son William Jr. as Vice-President, and his son Louis as Superintendent.William J. "Billy" Lemp, Jr., was born on August 13, 1867. Like his father, he went to St. Louis University and then studied the art of brewing. However, it was William Sr.'s fourth son, Frederick, born in 1873, whom he hoped to groom to take over the company. Unknown to William Sr. and his family, Frederick had significant health problems. On December 12, 1901, Frederick died of heart failure due to complication of diseases. William Sr. became despondent and slowly declined. On the morning of February 13, 1904, William Lemp committed suicide by gunshot, and died at 10:15 a.m.
William J. Lemp, Jr:
On November 7, 1904, William J. "Billy" Lemp, Jr., took over the brewing company as president. Billy had married Lillian Handlan five years earlier, and they moved to a new home at 3343 South Thirteenth Street.
Lillian Handlan Lemp was was allegedly nicknamed the “Lavender Lady” for her lavender colored wardrobe and carriages.
Lillian filed for divorce in 1908, charging Billy with desertion, cruel treatment and indignities. The divorce proceedings lasted 11 days and ended in an award to Lillian of the divorce, and custody of William III, their only child, with Billy being given visitation rights. After the trial, Billy built "Alswel", his country home overlooking the Meramec River, in what is now the western edge of Kirkwood. By 1914, he lived there full-time.The Lemp Brewery suffered in the 1910s when Prohibition began. The brewery was shut down and the Falstaff trademark was sold to Lemp's friend, "Papa Joe" Griesedieck. The brewery itself was eventually sold at auction to International Shoe Company for pennies on the dollar. On December 29, 1922, Billy Lemp shot himself in his office, a room that today is the front left dining room.
Elsa Lemp Wright:
Elsa Lemp Wright, the youngest child of William Sr. married Thomas Wright, president of the More-Jones Brass and Metal Company in 1910. They separated in 1918 and in February, 1919, Elsa filed for divorce. She cited, among other things, damage to her mental and physical health. The divorce was granted after a trial, but Elsa and Thomas soon reconciled and remarried in March 1920. Later that month on March 20, Elsa shot herself while in bed at their house at 13 Hortense Place.
William Lemp III:In 1939, William J. Lemp III, the only son of Billy Lemp, licensed the Lemp name to Central Breweries of East St. Louis. Central Breweries renamed itself the William J. Lemp Brewing Company and began a grand marketing campaign resulting in increased sales of the new Lemp Beer. The contract was terminated by Ems Brewing, which bought out Lemp in 1945.
Charles Lemp:
Charles Lemp, the third son of William Sr., was the final Lemp to live in the mansion, starting in 1929.He had left the brewery in 1917, to go into banking and finance. He had also dabbled in politics, influencing many south side wards. He never married and lived with his dog in the mansion with two servants, a married couple.
April, 1941, Charles Lemp sent a letter to a south St. Louis funeral home requesting that in case of his death, his remains should be taken by ambulance to the Missouri Crematory. His body should not be bathed, clothed, or changed. His ashes should be put into a wicker box and buried on his farm. There were to be no held or a notice put in the papers.
On May 10, 1949; eight years later, he shot his dog then, himself in the head, leaving the following note: "St. Louis Mo/May 9, 1949, In case I am found dead blame it on no one but me. Ch. A. Lemp". This is the only known suicide note in the family history.
Edwin Lemp: After Charles' death, the only surviving son of William Sr. was Edwin Lemp. (Louis Lemp, the second oldest son, had died of natural causes in 1931.) Edwin, the youngest son, had worked in the brewery until 1913. He then retired at "Cragwold", the estate he had built overlooking the Meramac in 1911. "Cragwold", in western Kirkwood, had an observation tower, two servant' houses, and a collection of birds, antelope, sheep, yaks, buffalo and other animals. After his retirement, Edwin dedicated himself to many charitable causes, primarily the St. Louis Zoo.
In 1970, Edwin died at the age of 90. His final order to his caretaker was to destroy his art collection and family heirlooms.Today the mansion is a major tourist attraction for St. Louis Missouri. It has been made into a restaurant and Inn by the Pointer family and offers tours.
Yes the Lemp Mansion is said to be very haunted, but what mansion wouldn't be with so many suicides ?.
(Note the orbs, the reason the little boy has a circle around him is because supposedly there was no boy on that tour, you be the judge though.)
10. The Myrtles Plantation, St. Francisville, Louisiana:The Plantation was built in 1796 by General David Bradford and was called Laurel Grove at the time. General Bradofrd lived there alone for several years, until being pardoned for his role in the Whiskey Rebellion in 1799. He then moved his wife Elizabeth and their five children to the plantation from Pennsylvania. One of Bradford's law students, Clark Woodruff (or Woodroff) eventually married Bradford's daughter, Sara Mathilda, in 1817. After the death of David Bradford in 1808, Clark and Sara Woodruff managed the plantation for Elizabeth Bradford. They had three children: Cornelia Gale, James, and Mary Octavia.
When Elizabeth Bradford died in 1830, Clark Woodruff and his daughter Mary Octavia moved to Covington, Louisiana, and left a caretaker to manage the plantation. In 1834, Woodruff sold the plantation, the land, and its slaves to Ruffin Gray Stirling. Woodruff eventually died in New Orleans in 1851.
Stirling and his wife, Mary Catherine Cobb, undertook an extensive remodeling of the house. When completed, the new house was nearly double the size of the former building, and its name was changed to The Myrtles. They imported fancy furniture from Europe. The Stirlings had 9 children, but five of them died young. Stirling died in 1854 and left the plantation to his wife.
In 1865, Mary Cobb hired William Drew Winter to help manage the plantation as her lawyer and agent. Winter was married to Mary Cobb's daughter, Sarah Stirling. Sarah and William Winter lived at the Myrtles and had six children, one of whom (Kate Winter) died from typhoid at the age of three. Although the Winters were forced to sell the plantation in 1868, they were able to buy it back two years later.
In 1871, William Winter was shot by a suspected man named E. S. Webber on the porch of the house and within minutes died. Sarah remained at the Myrtles with her mother and siblings until 1878, when she died. Mary Cobb died in 1880, and the plantation passed to Stephen, one of her sons. The plantation was heavily in debt, however, and Stephen sold it in 1886 to Oran D. Brooks. Brooks sold it in 1889, and the house changed hands several times until 1891, when it was purchased by Harrison Milton Williams.
Hauntings
Most of the stories regarding the Myrtles revolve around a string of unfortunate choices that brought disturbance and death. It begins with David Bradford who helped quell the Whiskey Rebellion, and bought the land with a special grant from the Spanish, building a humble eight-room main house. Unfortunately the land had previously been the burial ground for at least one Native American tribe and when his builders happened upon bones, Bradford supposedly ordered them burned. Bradford’s daughter married Clark Woodruff, a main figure in the most popular tales about the Myrtles. According to popular lore, Woodruff married Sarah, but was quite the philanderer! Woodruff’s most damaging affair was with a household slave, Chloe. When his attentions turned to a new slave, Chloe began eavesdropping to figure out ways to prevent being sent out to harsh labor in the fields. Catching Chloe listening to a private conversation, Woodruff drew a sword and cut off one of her ears. As a result Chloe began wearing the turban that has become her ghost’s signature in photographs. Even more desperate than before to prove her worth as a household staff member, Chloe baked a birthday cake for one of Woodruff’s children. In the batter she included some oleander, thinking the amount would make them ill enough that she could show her value by nursing them back to health. Unfortunately she overestimated the amount she needed. Quickly Woodruff’s wife and children succumbed to the poison-laced birthday cake. Afraid they’d be found guilty of murder by association, Chloe’s fellow slaves lynched her. Rumor claims Chloe’s ghost still haunts the grounds and the eerie sounds of children playing where none can be seen suggests that the Woodruff children have remained as well.
As the property was passed through other owners, tragedies mounted. Children died young (a horribly common occurrence) and diseases like yellow fever ravaged families. William Winter was murdered on the front porch of the Myrtles following the Civil War, supposedly rallying long enough to drag himself inside and partway up the main staircase where he died in his wife’s arms. In 1886, the Myrtles passed out of the original family’s grip forever.Although historical records do not support every story that has helped make the Myrtles Plantation so attractive to would-be ghost hunters, enough paranormal researchers and curious visitors have investigated and experienced creepy and unexplained things that it seems certain the plantation is haunted.
11. Oak Alley Plantation, Vacherie, Louisiana:The house is characterized by high ceilings, large windows, a symmetrical facade and interior plan, and a second-floor gallery for viewing purposes. The flooring was made of marble (since removed and now only wooden), the roof of slate, the house and columns of brick painted white to look like marble.
Hauntings
There have always been rumors and fearful whispers of ghostly activity surrounding Oak Alley Plantation, but it wasn’t until locals and tourists began staying in the bed and breakfast that the reports of spiritual activity really started pouring in. Guests and plantation workers alike have reported everything from unexplained noises and footsteps to visible apparitions.
One of the most common claims relates to the sound of a woman or child crying. Numerous reports point out the ghostly apparition of a tall, thin woman with brown or black hair, peeking out the windows, walking the halls or even galloping her phantom steed through the fields. Historians, employees and others with enough knowledge of the history of Oak Alley Plantation tend to believe this lady is none other than Josephine, wife of the original owner J. T. Roman. Others believe the female ghost to be Josephine’s daughter, Louise.
Office workers have claimed to see lights turning on and off without physical assistance, objects moving of their own accord, empty rocking chairs swaying in unison. Many are said to have heard the clear clip-clop resonation of a horse drawn carriage, though none have ever identified it visually.
12. Lotz House, Franklin, Tennessee:The house was built in 1858 for the Lotz family, Johann Albert his wife Margaretha and their three children, twins Paul and Augustus and daughter Matilda.
In 1864, the union Army, expecting a Confederate attack, began to mobilize many soldiers in the areas containing the Carter and Lotz houses. The Union soldiers cut down every tree they could to prevent Confederate sniping and poisoned much of the water supply. This would prove tragic when the Lotz twins, Paul and Augustus, went out to play at a nearby stream where they were killed due to the poison in the water.
When the Battle of Franklin was imminent, the Lotz family took refuge in the cellar of the Carter house because the Lotz house had no substantial or hidden shelter. Johann salvaged as many of his tools as he could before hiding because the tools were necessary to support his family. The battle raged on for five hours and is condsidered one of the bloodiest battle of the Civil War.
When the two families emerged from fighting, the area was a wasteland- piles of bodies everywhere and evidence of brutal hand-to-hand combat. The Lotz house was still standing, though damaged, and the south wall had been blasted off, obviously by Confederate forces. There are cannon ball holes inside the house that can be seen to this day. Johann was quick to repair the house.
The house became a hospital after the battle. To this day a visitor can see many bloodstains on the floors and walls all over the house.
Family life went on as usual after the Confederate surrender. A cemetery not far from the Lotz House contains the bodies of those that died in the Battle of Franklin. Johann continued woodworking and Matilda, since young childhood, became an extremely talented artist who painted animals and became known even throughout Europe. She also had an uncanny ability to attract animals of all kinds to herself.
Later in life, Johann Lotz was forced to flee the Lotz house with his family after constructing a piano that he carved an image on it that was controversial: he carved an American eagle holding up an American flag with one foot and with the other a Confederate flag, which was pointing down. Confederate activists sought to destroy the piano and perhaps kill Johann. Though the house was unharmed, the piano was taken outside and burned. Lotz and his family trekked across the country to San Jose, California.
Today the house is a museum where there are many interesting artifacts to be seen. Its close location to the Carter House and the Franklin Battlefield make it an ideal destination for tourists.
Hauntings
The owners and visitors have seen a woman crying out for a loved one and a little girl staring out the window, heard drummers beating to battle cadence, and noticed ordinary items that just can’t stay put.
13. Lizzie Borden House, Fall River Massachusetts:
The house was built in 1845 and was originally built for two families, but was later made into a single family home by Andrew Jackson Borden.
Mr. Borden was first married to Sarah Anthony Morse who bore him three daughter's Emma Lenora Borden, Alice Esther Borden and Lizzie Andrew Borden. Sadly Alice died at the age of two, followed by her mother Sarah five years later.
After Mr. Borden's first wife died, he married Abby Durfee Gray they however had no children.
Sadly on August 4, 1892 Mr. and Mrs. Borden's life came to a horrible end. On this tragic day Mrs. Borden was making the bed upstairs, while Mr. Borden was laying down in the downstairs sitting room, Lizzie was said to be in the barn behind the home while their maid Bridget Sullivan was cleaning the windows. 
Apparently Lizze had come into the home and found her father slumped over on the couch dead caused by blows to the head from a hatchet. Shortly thereafter while Lizzie was being tended by neighbors and the family docter, Sullivan discovered the body of Mrs. Borden laying face first on the floor, again from crushing blows to the head with a hatchet.
The Borden House has been turned into the Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast. Many patrons of the inn have reported various accounts of ghostly activity within the house. The most popular room and reportedly the most haunted is the room in which Abby Borden was hacked to death. People have witnessed a woman in 19th century clothing making the bed. Disembodied voices have been heard coming from empty rooms and echoing through the house. Footsteps that belong to no one are also a common experience inside The Lizzie Borden House. Perhaps the most spooky reports are that of a woman heard crying throughout the home.
12. Lotz House, Franklin, Tennessee:In 1864, the union Army, expecting a Confederate attack, began to mobilize many soldiers in the areas containing the Carter and Lotz houses. The Union soldiers cut down every tree they could to prevent Confederate sniping and poisoned much of the water supply. This would prove tragic when the Lotz twins, Paul and Augustus, went out to play at a nearby stream where they were killed due to the poison in the water.
When the Battle of Franklin was imminent, the Lotz family took refuge in the cellar of the Carter house because the Lotz house had no substantial or hidden shelter. Johann salvaged as many of his tools as he could before hiding because the tools were necessary to support his family. The battle raged on for five hours and is condsidered one of the bloodiest battle of the Civil War.
When the two families emerged from fighting, the area was a wasteland- piles of bodies everywhere and evidence of brutal hand-to-hand combat. The Lotz house was still standing, though damaged, and the south wall had been blasted off, obviously by Confederate forces. There are cannon ball holes inside the house that can be seen to this day. Johann was quick to repair the house.
The house became a hospital after the battle. To this day a visitor can see many bloodstains on the floors and walls all over the house.
Family life went on as usual after the Confederate surrender. A cemetery not far from the Lotz House contains the bodies of those that died in the Battle of Franklin. Johann continued woodworking and Matilda, since young childhood, became an extremely talented artist who painted animals and became known even throughout Europe. She also had an uncanny ability to attract animals of all kinds to herself.
Later in life, Johann Lotz was forced to flee the Lotz house with his family after constructing a piano that he carved an image on it that was controversial: he carved an American eagle holding up an American flag with one foot and with the other a Confederate flag, which was pointing down. Confederate activists sought to destroy the piano and perhaps kill Johann. Though the house was unharmed, the piano was taken outside and burned. Lotz and his family trekked across the country to San Jose, California.
Today the house is a museum where there are many interesting artifacts to be seen. Its close location to the Carter House and the Franklin Battlefield make it an ideal destination for tourists.
Hauntings
The owners and visitors have seen a woman crying out for a loved one and a little girl staring out the window, heard drummers beating to battle cadence, and noticed ordinary items that just can’t stay put.
The house was built in 1845 and was originally built for two families, but was later made into a single family home by Andrew Jackson Borden.
Mr. Borden was first married to Sarah Anthony Morse who bore him three daughter's Emma Lenora Borden, Alice Esther Borden and Lizzie Andrew Borden. Sadly Alice died at the age of two, followed by her mother Sarah five years later.
After Mr. Borden's first wife died, he married Abby Durfee Gray they however had no children.
Sadly on August 4, 1892 Mr. and Mrs. Borden's life came to a horrible end. On this tragic day Mrs. Borden was making the bed upstairs, while Mr. Borden was laying down in the downstairs sitting room, Lizzie was said to be in the barn behind the home while their maid Bridget Sullivan was cleaning the windows. 
Apparently Lizze had come into the home and found her father slumped over on the couch dead caused by blows to the head from a hatchet. Shortly thereafter while Lizzie was being tended by neighbors and the family docter, Sullivan discovered the body of Mrs. Borden laying face first on the floor, again from crushing blows to the head with a hatchet. Lizzie Borden was arrested and jailed on August 11, 1892; a grand jury began hearings on November 7,1892. After evidence was presented.
During the police investigation, a hatchet was found in the basement and was assumed to be the murder weapon. Though it was clean, most of its handle was missing and the prosecution stated that it had been broken off because it was covered with blood.
No blood soaked clothing was found either, but a few days after the murder Lizzie burned a blue dress in the kitchen stove, claiming that she brushed against fresh baseboard paint that had smeared on it.
However despite incriminating evidence and testimony presented by the prosecution, Lizzie was acquitted on June 20, 1893, after the jury deliberated only an hour and a half.
After the trial, Lizzie and Emma Borden moved to a new house that Lizzie christened Maplecroft. The sisters settled all claims against them from Abby's side of the family, giving them everything they wanted in order to avoid further lawsuits. Because it was proven that Abby died before Andrew, all of her estate legally went to Andrew, with Andrew's estate going to his daughters. The settlement reached between the Borden sisters and Abby's two sisters was substantial.
Lizzie Borden died from pneumonia on June 1, 1927 at the age of 66.
HauntingsThe Borden House has been turned into the Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast. Many patrons of the inn have reported various accounts of ghostly activity within the house. The most popular room and reportedly the most haunted is the room in which Abby Borden was hacked to death. People have witnessed a woman in 19th century clothing making the bed. Disembodied voices have been heard coming from empty rooms and echoing through the house. Footsteps that belong to no one are also a common experience inside The Lizzie Borden House. Perhaps the most spooky reports are that of a woman heard crying throughout the home.
14. Amityville Horror House, Amityville, New York:The homes history starts on January 14, 1924, Annie Ireland sold the property to John and Catherine Moynahan, a family of six. John Moynahan died in the home in 1939, following a year long illness. He was 61 years old. After his wife's death in January, 1960, the house was inherited by their daughter Eileen, who sold it to the Riley family 9 months later. The Riley's lived there for five years before divorcing, causing them to sell the house to Ronald and Louise DeFeo on June 28, 1965. The DeFeo family lived in the house for over nine years until their eldest son murdered the entire family except himself on November 13, 1974.
In December of 1975, George and Kathleen Lutz moved their family into the home, only to move out twenty eight days later. The house remained vacant until March 18, 1977 when Jim and Barbara Cromarty purchased the property.
Due to the Lutz's claims of the house being haunted, the village of Amityville became synonymous for its "house of horrors". During this time, the Cromarty family changed the address on the house to confuse the hordes of tourists and ghost hunters who lined up by the dozens to take photographs of the infamous property.
The Cromarty's lived there until their son David Roskin passed away in 1987.
Peter and Jeanne O'Neil were the next people to purchase the home on August 17, 1987. The O'Neil's also made many change's to the home, such as changing the famous eye windows to square ones.
In 1997, Brian Wilson moved into the home. Wilson claims he has never experienced any paranormal phenomena while residing there.
(Note: This house is on privet property the current owners wish to be left alone, they DO NOT give out tours.)
15. The Old Slave House, Gallatin County, Illinois:Also know as The Crenshaw House, was the main residence of John Crenshaw, his wife and their five children. It was constructed in the 1830s.
The Crenshaw house was a "station" on the Reverse Underground Railroad that transported escaped slaves and kidnapped free blacks back to servitude in slave states. The home's third floor attic contains 12 rooms long believed to be where Crenshaw operated a secret slave jail for kidnapped and captured runaway slaves. A grand jury indicted Crenshaw for kidnapping, once in the mid 1820s (the outcome unknown) and again in 1842 when a trial jury acquitted him. The case’s victims, Maria Adams and her seven or eight children, ended up as slaves in Texas. In 1828, Crenshaw took Frank Granger and 15 others downriver to Tipton Co., Tennessee, and sold them as slaves. Crenshaw also kidnapped Lucinda and her children in 1828. She ended up in Barren Co., Kentucky. Contemporary letters identifying Crenshaw’s role back both cases. Crenshaw also kidnapped Peter White and three others in the 1840s. They were sold into slavery in Arkansas, but later rescued. Stories of strange noises upstairs coming from victims, date to 1851. Despite accounts that the rooms were slave quarters, Crenshaw family stories indicate a distinction between the plantation’s household servants and field hands, and the victim’s of Crenshaw’s criminal activities.
Hauntings
The story goes that Crenshaw had a habit of kidnapping and torturing these workers. He used to imprison them in the narrow rooms of the mansion and put them in chains. He regularly used to torture them and even bred some slaves. When these evil practices were brought to public knowledge, he gave it up and became a farmer.
However, people who started visiting the place from the year 1920, when it was thrown open to the general public, reported hearing moans of pain and whispers coming from the lofts of the mansion.The happenings intensified when a reputed ghost hunter Hickman Whittington took the trouble of going to the attic and tried to spend some time there. He was discovered dead after a few hours though he was in perfect health at the time he visited the mansion. After that, though many people have tried to spend some time at the attic, none of them have been successful as they had to leave the place after being scared out of their wits.
16. Villisca Axe Murder House, Villisca Iowa:The Villisca Axe Murders occured in June 1912 in the southwestern Iowa town of Villisca, when an unknown attacker entered the Moore residence, murdered the eight occupants of the house, including six children, with an axe and then disappeared.
On June 9th of 1912, the Stillinger sisters, Ina (8) and Lena (12), were invited to spend the night at the Moore house. When the day was ending, the visiting girls and the Moore family went to church, and came back to the Moore house at 9:00pm. They were not aware that there was an intruder or intruders in the attic waiting for them to fall asleep so they could attack. Once they were asleep, the attacker/s took the family axe and went up to the master bedroom, where Mr. Josiah Moore (43) and Mrs. Sara Moore (39) were asleep, and bludgeoned them in the heads. The murderer went into the children's room and bludgeoned Herman Moore (11), Mary Katherine Moore (10), Boyd Moore (7), and Paul Moore (5) in the head like their parents. The killer then went to the guest bedroom downstairs where Ina and Lena were sleeping and hacked them in the heads as well. Lena may have been killed trying to get away and keep from being killed in a sexually traumatic way. Her undergarments were on the floor, her nightgown was rolled up, and there were wounds on her arms. But, there was no way to see if she was sexually traumatized or not. In the morning, their neighbor was suspicious when she noticed that the Moore family did not come out to do their morning chores. Before going to check their house, she fed her chickens and went to knock on their door. The neighbor then called Mr. Moore's brother, Ross, to see what was going on. Ross got in and returned, having left her on the porch, saying to call the sheriff, because he saw that the guests and the family inside were murdered. The investigation of the Villisca Axe Murders ruined the town's peacefulness and innocence. After the years of trying to solve the case, the police and investigators gave up in 1917. The case remains unsolved, and the house is now a tourist attraction.
Haunting
Prior to the renovation in 1994, there were at least three recorded paranormal happenings in the house. Former tenants said that they had seen the figure of a shadowy man with an axe standing at the foot of their bed. Shoes filled with blood were found, and have since been reported to move into the middle of the room or fall over onto their side. As one report goes, a closet door opened and closed one evening, and, later that night, the tenants were seen and heard by neighbors around 3 a.m. running out of the house, screaming. In addition, there are reports that other tenants’ children woke up at night to the sound of children crying. Those tenants often returned home to find their clothing taken from their dresser and closet and strewn about the room. The father of the children was said to have been sharpening a knife in the kitchen when it suddenly turned around and forcefully stabbed him in the thumb. He later explained it felt as if someone had a grip on his wrist. The family departed the house that day and did not return.
17. The McRaven Home, Vicksburg, Mississippi:The home was built in 1797, by Andrew Glass, it originally served as a way station for pioneers en route to Nashville Tennessee along the Natchez Trace to the Mississippi River. When it was first built the home only consited of a kitchen with one room above it, this part of the house is now known as the "Pioneer Section".
In 1836, Sheriff Stephen Howard bought the house and added the middle dining room and the bedroom above it, built in Empire architectural style. Sheriff Howard's wife Mary Elizabeth Howard died during childbirth in late August, 1836 in the middle bedroom.
The house was purchased by John H. Bobb in 1849, Bobb built the rest of the house in Greek revival style. During the Civil War's 1863 Siege of Vicksburg, McRaven was used as a Confederate field hospital and camp site. Since it was located so close to the railroad, a major point of battle, the house was battered by cannon blasts from both the Union and Confederate forces. In fact the house had been reported by many sources as destroyed, causing some confusion in later years as to whether this was the original home or not.
On May 18, 1864, after Vicksburg had fallen to Union forces, John Bobb noticed a group of six drunken Union occupation soldiers picking flowers from his garden. Outraged, Bobb promptly ordered them to leave immediately, the soldiers cursed at him and refused to leave, so John picked up a brick and threw it at them, knocking a sergeant to the ground. The soldiers left, vowing to burn down Bobb's house. Bobb then reported the incident to the Federal Commander of Vicksburg, Gen. Henry W. Slocum who dismissively said he would admonish those responsible. Upon returning to the gates of his home, Bobb was met by 25 Union troops who took him to Stout's Bayou, about 100 yards from the house, and fatally shot him in the back and face. Bobb's death was the first recorded act of violence perpetrated by Union troops after the Siege. John's widow Selina Bobb sold the house to a realtor in 1869, and moved to a family plantation outside of New Orleans, Louisiana called sunnyside. McRaven was eventually sold to William Murray in 1882. Murray and his wife Ellen Flynn raised four daughters and three sons in McRaven. William Murray died at the house in 1911, his wife Ellen died there in 1921, their daughter Ida died in 1946, and a son died in 1950, all in McRaven. From this point on, William's daughters Annie and Ella Murray, both unmarried, lived alone in the house with no modern conveniences aside from a telephone, and no contact with the outside world except their doctor, Walter Johnston. In 1960, Ella Murray died at the age of 81, and her sister Annie sold the house after moving to a nursing home. At this point, the house was in such disrepair that neighbors and nearby residents had no idea it existed. The upper story was completely overgrown with vines and the sisters had resorted to chopping up the antique furniture for firewood.
In 1960, the house was sold to the Bradway family, who restored McRaven and opened it to the public as a tour home in 1961, which it remains today. In 1984, Leyland French purchased McRaven and did further restoration, French was the first owner since the Murrays to reside in the house. Aside from a modern kitchen and bathroom in its basement, McRaven has remained largely unchanged since the 19th century. For this reason, McRaven was featured in the july 1963 issue of National Geographic Magazine which called it the time capsule of the south.
Hauntings
The house is recognized as one of the most haunted houses in Mississippi and the home to several different spirits. Countless people reported seeing apparitions, being shoved or touched, voices, and other strange activity. The ghost of Mary Elizabeth Howard has been sighted in the dining hall, staircase, and is thought to be the spirit that turns the lamp next to the bed she died in on and off on occasion. The Murray's daughters have also been reportedly spotted, as well as the ghosts of soldiers walking around the grounds and in the house itself. Finally, one owner reportedly spotted the ghost of William Murray on the staircase in the house. After the sighting and another encounter when a desk drawer slammed on his hand, he called in a local priest to exorcise the house. Since then, the activity has remained friendly for the most part, but there is no shortage of reported sightings.
18. House of Seven Gables, Salem, Massachusetts:The home was built in 1668 for Capt. John Turner. It remained in his family for three generations, descending from John Turner II to John Turner III.
After one of the Turner sons lost the family fortune, the Ingersoll family purchased it. Susan Ingersoll lived in the house until she was 72 years old - she was Nathaniel Hawthorne's cousin. He visited her often, and his experiences at the house inspired him to write the novel The House of the Seven Gables.Hauntings The House of the Seven Gables has the reputation of being haunted. Many people claim to see Susan Ingersoll's ghost roaming the hallways and peering out of the windows. There have also been reports of a ghostly boy haunting the attic area. He can be heard running around the attic, and playing with his toys. In addition to the apparitions seen, many visitors and employees also hear strange sounds - the toilets sometimes flush on their own, and the faucets turn on and off by themselves at times.
19. The Sorrel Weed House, Savannah Georgia:The house was built in 1840 by Charles B. Cluskey, a well known architect in Savannah. For General Gilbert Moxley Sorrel, the youngest General in the conederate States of America.
Gilbert Moxley Sorrel, known as Moxley. Young Moxley was a bank clerk in Savannah when the Civil War began. He fought with the Confederates, served as one of Lee's lieutenants, was wounded three times by age of 26 and was the youngest to hold the rank of brigadier general. Later the house was owned by the Weed family. The Sorrel-Weed House was designated a state landmark in 1953, the first house in Georgia to be so honored. The house is also a National Trust Historic Landmark.
Mr. Francis Sorrel was originally from the island of Hispaniola and fled during the slave revolt of 1793. He was born with the name François which he then changed to the English pronunciation of Francis when he came to America. He was guilt ridden because he left behind his mother who died shortly after he left. Francis was only a quarter black so when he came to the Southern states he was able to pass himself off as being white. He didn’t want this to be known due to the fact of the prejudice against blacks at that time. This was how he married his Virginia blueblood wife Lucinda and after she died he married her sister Matilda.
It 1861 is thought that Mr. Francis Sorrel was having an affair with one of his slaves named Molly. When his wife Matilda caught them, she jumped to her death from the second floor porch of the main house. And as the story goes, two weeks later Molly was found hung from the rafters of her room in the carriage house. This may be the reason for some of the hauntings on this property.
HauntingsMr. Francis Sorrel was originally from the island of Hispaniola and fled during the slave revolt of 1793. He was born with the name François which he then changed to the English pronunciation of Francis when he came to America. He was guilt ridden because he left behind his mother who died shortly after he left. Francis was only a quarter black so when he came to the Southern states he was able to pass himself off as being white. He didn’t want this to be known due to the fact of the prejudice against blacks at that time. This was how he married his Virginia blueblood wife Lucinda and after she died he married her sister Matilda.
It 1861 is thought that Mr. Francis Sorrel was having an affair with one of his slaves named Molly. When his wife Matilda caught them, she jumped to her death from the second floor porch of the main house. And as the story goes, two weeks later Molly was found hung from the rafters of her room in the carriage house. This may be the reason for some of the hauntings on this property.
* Steve reports that in the double parlor on the first floor he has felt hot and cold spots.
* Steve now lives on the second floor and on several occasions he has heard what sounds like a party going on downstairs. When he checks there is no one there and the sounds stop. Mr. Sorrel was known for having parties that would start at 4pm and last until the wee hours of the morning.
* Steve has also heard in the middle of the night, what sounded like a marching band and bagpipers. During the seize of Savannah a battle was fought on this land and during renovations in the courtyard they found part of a tower.
* Past carriage house resident Chris, had heard the voice of a woman talking. He also had heard his name being called.
* In the Voodoo room people have had the feeling of being woozy and of someone standing right behind them.
20. The Reed House, Asheville, North Carolina: The Home was built in 1892 by Samuel Harrison Reed, one of Vanderbilt's lawyers.
Samuel and his wife Jessie Wingate Reed moved in their and raised their family there as well they had nine children out of whom only four survived infancy.
The house was among the first in Asheville to be built with running water and a bathroom, the water being pumped from the well by a large windmill. A servants' house was erected about one hundred feet behind the kitchen entrance, and still exists.Hauntings
Doors have been reported to open and close by themselves, and things have also been reported to move. Noises have also been heard when there isn't even anyone in the room.
Correction to Lotz House History:
ReplyDeleteTwins Julia and Julius died one year before the Battle of Franklin, it is believed that they drank out of a water source that was poisoned by the
federal army, but recent studies show that it was more likely that the poison in the water was run-off from a brass-works foundry. Though it is true that armies rarely poisoned water supplies, the Union Army had been in Franklin for a year already and would be firmly stationed there by the time the twins died meaning that they would be poisoning their main supply for water. My name is Sam, I currently work at the Lotz House.
Thanks for the Comment Sam I'm sorry it's taking me until now for me to reply to you, but I have been ver busy, thanks for the extra info I higly recommend to all my followers.
DeleteHi there ....My name is Lisa:) I see my "Ghost of the Seven Gables" image here on your page... sad it is missing the actual story behind it :)from About.com ...cool site here none the less Blessed be Lisa
ReplyDeleteHi Lisa thanks for your comment, I had come across the image while surfing the internet I didnt know it was yours :) I usually try to ask for permission but I coulndn't track you down hope you dont mind but if you do I can take it off my blog, and if you have any information on the "Ghost of the seven Gables" it would be great if you could share. Im always up for help from my fans to help make this blog better. Blessed be :)
ReplyDeleteI lived at 3400 Russell Blvd in St. Louis in the carriage house for a couple years in the 1980s. That place is definitely haunted. The old lady, Ada (Stockstrom) Ohmeyer, used to call me in the middle of the night to come light the boiler in the sub basement. More than once I would hear talking in the little cafe in the basement or hear bowling balls and pins clanking on the bowling alley. The balls and pins were long gone. Also, the old caretaker, Bob who died therewas seen several times by myself and several of my friends. We also saw someone in the attic ballroom, the gazebo, the carriage house. I had to get out of there after I was attacked while sleeping in the carriage house...
ReplyDeleteI lived at 3400 Russell Blvd in St. Louis in the carriage house for a couple years in the 1980s. That place is definitely haunted. The old lady, Ada (Stockstrom) Ohmeyer, used to call me in the middle of the night to come light the boiler in the sub basement. More than once I would hear talking in the little cafe in the basement or hear bowling balls and pins clanking on the bowling alley. The balls and pins were long gone. Also, the old caretaker, Bob who died therewas seen several times by myself and several of my friends. We also saw someone in the attic ballroom, the gazebo, the carriage house. I had to get out of there after I was attacked while sleeping in the carriage house...
ReplyDelete