The Top 100 Most Haunted Places in The World

 

Considered by locals, visitors and paranormal investigators world wide as actually the most haunted and No #1 Haunted city in all the United States and the world is New Orleans Louisiana. But why is it so haunted ?, thats what most would like to know. So here are just a few stories to help you understand why.

In the 1800s New Orleans was not a place for the weak. Located below sea level, in a hot and humid climate, it was a place of oppressive humidity from June to October, and was infested with mosquitoes. The city was often hit with terrible cholera and tropical illness epidemics and was labeled a "damp grave" for those foolish enough to live there. And if that wasn't bad enough the people also had to worry about hurricanes, thunderstorms from the gulf of Mexico, and the frequent floods. Spring flooding usually brought about two feet of muddy water and debris into the city, not to mention the snakes and rats. New levees were constructed each time, the damage was horrible. 

    In 1832, New Orleans was savaged by a cholera epidemic and in addition, between 1817 and 1860, there were 23 outbreaks of Yellow Fever. This wicked disease was spread by mosquitoes. The most serious epidemic of Yellow Fever hit the city in 1853, sending thousands to higher ground in surrounding cities like Natchez and Mobile. Over 8,000 people died before the cool months of fall arrived.

    No study of ghostly tales or strangeness in New Orleans would be complete without mention of Marie Laveau, the "Queen of voodoo" in New Orleans. This mystical religion is as big a part of New Orleans as jazz, cajun food, and Mardi Gras. But before you think that its a thing of the past, voodoo is still very much alive today. But there has been no practitioner of Voodoo greater than Marie Laveau and no look at the religion in New Orleans would be complete without a mysterious glimpse of the woman who made it so famous.

And at the ghostly tales which keep her memory alive today.

    Voodoo originated from the ancient practices of Africa. It came about most likely in Santo Domingo (modern day Haiti) where slaves devoted rituals to the power of nature and the spirits of the dead. For many enslaved Africans, such spiritual traditions provided a means of emotional and spiritual resistance to the hardships of life. In time, slaves from the Caribbean were brought to New Orleans and they brought Voodoo with them.

    When the slaves were brought into New Orleans they were baptized into the Catholic church, forbidden to practice Voodoo and later, the use of these Catholic icons would play a major role in their new religion of Voodoo. These icons would take their place in the Voodoo hierarchy and be worshipped as if they were praying to the God of the Catholic church.

    Many of the Catholic saints would become "standin's"for important Voodoo deities and if you go into a Voodoo shop today, you will see statues, candles and icons depicting various Catholic images. There are in fact, Voodoo symbols as well.

    So strong was the power held by the upper echelons of the religion that they could entice their followers to any crime, and any deed. Whether or not these priests held supernatural power or not, the subtle powers of suggestion and of secret drugs made Voodoo a force to be reckoned with. Masters felt the taste of poison in their food, women and men the taste of lust with a handful of powder... and even death was held in check by the use of "zombie" drugs. There was no denying that Voodoo was real, and powerful, and even today, it is widely practiced in the south and in the Caribbean islands... and even in New Orleans.

    No study of Voodoo in New Orleans is complete without mention of Marie Laveau... the undisputed Queen of Voodoo. During her lifetime, she was the source of hundreds of tales of terror and wonder in New Orleans. She was born in Santo Domingo in 1794. Her father was white and she was born a free woman. The first record of her in New Orleans was in 1819, when she married Jacques Paris, another free black. He died in 1826 and Marie formed a liaison with Christophe Glapion, with whom she had a daughter, also named Marie. During her long life (she lived until 1881) she gave birth to fifteen children.

    That same year, Marie embraced the power of Voodoo and became the queen of the forbidden but widely practiced culture. She was a hairdresser by trade and this aallowed her access to many fashionable homes in the city. In this way, she and her daughters had access to a intelligence network that gave Marie her "Psychic" powers. she knew everything that was going on in the city.

    Today, Marie and her daughter still reign over the shadowy world of New Orleans Voodoo from the confines of St. Louis Cemetery No. 1. Both are entombed in this cemetery in two-tiered, white stone structures. The tombs look like so many others in this cluttered cemetery, until you notice the markings and crosses that have been drawn on the stones. Apart from these marks, you will also see coins, pieces of herb, beans, bones, bags, flowers, tokens and all manner of things left behind in an offering for the good luck and blessings of the Voodoo Queen.

    Many believe that Marie returns to life once each year to lead the faithful in worship on St. John's Eve. It is also said that her ghost has been seen in the cemetery and one man claimed that he was slapped by her while walking past one day. The ghost is always recognizable thanks to the "tignon", the seven-knotted handkerchief, that she wears around her neck.

    It is also said the her former home at 1020 St. Ann Street is also haunted. Many claim that they have seen the spirit of Marie, and her ghostly followers, engaged in Voodoo ceremonies there.

 

    No New Orleans was not weak. Located below sea level, in a hot and humid climate, it was a place of oppressive humidity from June to October and was infested with moquitoes. The city was often hit with terrible cholera and tropical illness epidemics and was labeled a "damp grave" for those foolish enough to live there. And that's not to mention the hurricanes, thunderstorms from the Gulf of Mexico, and the frequent floods. The spring flooding was usually pour about two feet of muddy water and debris into the city, not to mention the snakes and rats. New levees were constructed each time the devastation would hit the city but each time, the damage was horrible.

    In 1832, New Orleans was savaged by a cholera epidemic and in addition, between 1817 and 1860, there were 23 outbreaks of Yellow Fever. This wicked disease was spread by mosquitoes. The most serious epidemic of yellow fever hit the city in 1853, sending thousands to higher ground in surrounding cities like Natachez and Mobile. Over 8,000 people died before the cool months of the Fall arrived. 

For More information check out New Orleans Louisiana on my blog.

The Haunted Underground Vaults, Edinburgh, Scotland:

Far below the busy streets of modern Edinburgh lies a dark, forgotten corner of history. Discovered in the mid-1980's, the Edinburgh Vaults had been abandoned for nearly two hundred years. Lying beneath the South Bridge, a major Edinburgh passage, the rooms were used as cellars, workshops and even as residences by the businesses that plied their trade on the busy bridge above. Abandoned soon after they were built due to excessive water and moisture, the vaults remain unaltered, never illuminated by the light of day. They also reportedly housed the bodies of people killed by Burke and Hare for medical experiments. That people had lived there was only discovered in 1985 during an excavation, when middens were found containing toys, medicine bottles, plates, and other signs of human habitation.

    Slum dwellers took over the vaults and they became a renowned red light district with countless brothels and pubs operating within the abandoned complex. The vaults also served as additional slum housing for the city's poor. Living conditions were appalling. The rooms were cramped, dark and damp. There was no sunlight, poorly circulated air, no running water, and no sanitation. Many rooms housed families of more than ten people. Crimes, including robbery and murder, soon plagued the vaults Burke and Hare, the infamous serial killers who sold corpses to medical schools, are rumoured to have hunted for victims here. They were also said to be used as the storage for the sick of the black plague.

    The vaults are said to be very haunted for this very reason today. And are used for ghost tours.

The Haunted Catacombs, Paris, France:

The Catacombs are an underground cemetery in Paris, France. Located south of the former city gate at today's Place Denfert-Rochereau. The cemetery holds the remains of of about 6 million people and fills a renovated section of caverns and tunnels that are the remains of Paris's stone mines. Opened in the late 18th century, the underground cemetery became a tourist attraction on a small scale from the early 19th century, and has been open to the public on a regular basis from 1874. Following ab incident of vandalism, they were closed to the public in September 2009 and reopened December 19 of the same year. This place is considered to be the most haunted place in France.

The Myrtles Plantation, Saint Francisville, Louisiana: 

The Myrtles Plantation was built in 1796 by General David Bradford and was called Laurel Grove at the time. General Bradford lived there alone for several years, until being pardoned for his role in the Whiskey Rebellion in 1799 when President Washington ordered him to be executed. He then moved his wife Elizabeth and their five childern to the plantation. One of Bradford's law students, Clark Woodruff 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. 

   When Elizabeth died in 1830, the plantation was sold 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 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 of 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.

        Possibly the most well known of the Myrtles supposed ghosts, Chloe was reportedly a slave owned by Clark and Sara Woodruff. According to one story, Clark Woodruff had pressured or forced Chloe into being his mistress Other versions of the legend have Chloe listening in at keyholes to learn news of Clark Woodruff's business dealings or for other purposes. After being caught, either by Clark or Sara Woodruff, one of her ears was cut off, and she wore a green turban to hide it.

Chloe supposedly baked a birthday cake containing extract of boiled and reduced oleander leaves, which are extremely poisonous. The various legends diverge as to why she did this, a house maid who was getting the favor of the mistress was a suspect with some saying she was getting revenge on the Woodruffs  and some saying she was attempting to redeem her position by curing the family of the poisoning. According to the legends, her plan backfired. Only Sara and her two daughters ate the cake, and all died from the poison. Chloe was then supposedly hanged by the other slaves, and thrown into the Mississippi River, either as punishment or to escape punishment by Clark Woodruff for harboring her.
There is also a ghost who reportedly walks, staggers, or crawls up the stairs and stops on the 17th step. Some have said that this is William Winter, the victim of the only verified murder in the house. He was shot on his front porch, staggered or crawled up the stairs, but collapsed, dead, on the 17th step. Alternate versions of his murder claim he managed to walk or crawl up the stairs, and collapsed in his wife's arms on the 17th step. However, this version of the story is contested.

Cassadaga Hotel, Cassadaga Flordia:

Cassadaga Hotel is one of the most haunted places in Flordia. There are several haunted hotels located throughout the popular "Sunshine State", but the Cassadaga Hotel is perhaps the most intriguing based on its location. This hotel is located in the City of Cassadaga, which is the home to the organization known as the "Southern Cassadaga Spiritualist Camp Meeting Association". As you wander through the few streets that make up this city, you will discover many signs advertising services offered by mediums, clairvoyants, psychics, and even ghost tours. Individuals in and around this city identify it as "The Psychic Center of the World". There are very few real haunted places in America that carry so much mystery as the City and hotel of Cassadaga, Florida.

      The Cassadaga Hotel is a large two story building that sits on the intersection of the roads in Cassadaga identified as Cassadaga Road and Stevens Street. As you look around the small, quaint town, you will notice that the hotel itself appears oddly out of place as it is among the largest of all the buildings and the most modernized. It was built in the year of 1928. When evaluating the building, you will discover that many renovations have been performed throughout the years that assist in keeping it attractive to those that wish to visit this city, but the structure still maintains it welcoming appeal and old world elegance. The hotel has an astonishing forty different rooms and is the only hotel located in the City of Cassadaga. Throughout its history, the Cassadaga Hotel has attracted many visitors - both living and deceased. When it comes to haunted hotels in Florida as well as the most haunted places in the state, the Cassadaga Hotel ranks exceptionally high as far as unexplained phenomenon is concerned.
            If you discuss the unexplained phenomenon of the Cassadaga hotel with the locals, you are likely to hear several stories about the apparent ghosts that haunt the structure. However, the most popular story is about the spirit that the residents refer to as "Arthur". The ghost identified as Arthur is the spirit that makes this haunted hotel one of the most haunted places in Florida. This spirit is said to have stayed at the Cassadaga Hotel during the 1930s. It is rumored that he resided in the room that is identified as "22". At the end of the hall where this room is located is a window. Individuals that live in the community, work in the hotel, or have stayed at the hotel claim that they smell the aroma of cigar smoke and gin. It is said, in life, Arthur would sit at this area of the hall and observe the great outdoors while drinking gin and smoking his favorite cigars.
In addition to Arthur, it is said that several other spirits roam the halls of the prestigious Cassadaga establishment. Many individuals believe that the many generations of individuals that belonged to the Spiritualist Camp throughout history that has passed on to the afterlife roam in and around the elegant Cassadaga Hotel. Many individuals that have stayed at the hotel and those that live in the community claim that this is one of the most haunted places in Florida. Those that have experienced this hotel definitely agree that when it comes to real haunted places in America - especially haunted hotels - the Cassadaga Hotel is the most interesting. This could be due to the fact that the City of Cassadaga is actually considered to be one of the world's greatest unsolved mysteries as far as spirituality is concerned.

Joelma Building,

Sao Paulo Brazil:

The Joelma Building is one of the most imposing buildings in Sao Paulo Brazil.

    On February 1st 1974, it took more than four hours to burn down, the cause a short in the wiring of the air conditioning system. The result of this tragic event 345 people were injured and 189 people were killed.  Even today experts ensure that the place is surrounded by a strange spiritual energy. Witnesses said the building Joelma carries a curse.

     In 1948, there was a house where the Joelma building now stands. There lived a chemistry professor, Paul Cambell, along with his mother and two sisters. One day Paul shot and killed his mother and sisters then buried them in a pit in the backyard. Afterwards Paul committed suicide. The police worked with two hypotheses for the crime. The first one was that Pauls mother and sisters must have rejected a girlfriend. The second was that Paul killed them because they had serious health  problems and he didn't want to take care of them.

    The mystery of the death of the entire family has never been solved. After the recovery of bodies however, a firefighter lost his life to the curse, cause of death corpse infection. The triple murder-suicide shocked the population of Sao Paulo and became known as "The crime of the pit". The place became famous for being haunted.

     Since the fire, the building was under construction for four years, when it was finally reopened, it was renamed Plaza of the Flag. Witnesses said the dead spirits roam the building today. 

The Galvez Hotel:

The Galvez is probably one most haunted places the members of Haunted Galveston have ever had the opportunity to investigate. The hotel was built in 1911, eleven years after the devastating hurricane that killed some 6,000 Galveston Island residents and leveled most of the buildings on the island. The hotel was built on the site where the Beach Hotel, Electric Pavilion, and Pagoda Bathhouse once stood.

    The Galvez was referred to as "The Playground of the Southwest" mostly for wealthy socialites, businessmen, and celebrities. American Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Lyndon B. Johnson stayed at the Galvez along with as did General Douglas MacArthur. Other notable names include Jimmy Stewart, Frank Sinatra, and Howard Hughes. Many of the 6th and 7th floor Junior and Senior suites are named for these famous and infamous personalities. The only true historic hotel on Galveston Island, the Galvez is reminiscing of a gilded age gone by.

The Hauntings:

The LovelornLady

"The Lovelorn Lady" of the fifth floor is how hotel staff refer to this ver active spirit. Rumor has it that many years ago she checked into room #500 awaiting her fiance` who was at sea. One day she received word that her fiance` and his ship had sunk somewhere off the coast of Florida, there were few survivors but sadly her fiance` wasn't counted among those saved. Upon hearing the news she flew into a fit of despair, returned to her room, and hung herself.

    Now the "Lovelorn Lady" is said to be trapped eternally in The Hotel Galvez. Wondering the halls searching constantly for someone or something.

The Downstairs Lobby Ladies Room

The downstairs ladies room is rumored to be haunted by some unknow entity. Staff members and hotel guest have mentioned strange activity, from violently rattling and shaking stall doors, toilets that flush in adjoining stalls when no one else is in the restroom, and sinks being turned on. Voices have also been reported being heard in there as well as shadows being seen passing across the marble floor when no else is said to have been in the restroom or entered, and the strong scent of gardenias both inside and outside the restroom. Gardenias seem to be the calling card of paranormal activity both in and through out other areas of the hotel.

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania:

On July 1, 1863, Confederate General Robert E. Lee led his troops from Northern Virginia up to south central Pennsylvania, to small a, rural town called Gettysburg. He was confronted there by Union General George G. Meade, and although a scrimage had not been planned, a three day battle suddenly ensued that was extremely violent and ultimately very bloody. By the end the Confederates were defeated and pushed back to Virginia, there were 51,000 American casualties, including 1 civilian casualty, a woman by the name of Jennie Wade who died when a stray bullet entered threw her window at the very beginning of the battle. It was a morbid massacre, and is considered to be the turning point of the civil war even though the fighting would continue unabated for another two years. Because of the instances of brutal hand to hand combat and high number of deaths, it is believed that nearly all 40 miles of the Gettysburg battlefield are ripe with paranormal activity.

    But by far the most active location is known as the Devil's Den. The rocky area is full of massive boulders. Due to it's unique layout, a sharpshooter was able to hide behide the rocks in "blind spots", and systematically take out hundreds of soldiers as they passed through unknowingly without being seen. Eventually, union forces were able to use mirrors and field glass to determine the sharpshooters location and kill the man. Photography was in it's infancy during the Civil War, and it is said that photographer/war correspondent Alexander Gardner was at Devil's Den snapping pictures after the battle ended. In order to get a better shot, he instructed his assistants to move the bodies of the dead soldiers to different locations so he could get a better picture. Supposedly, he even went so far as to drag one particular fallen soldier to the pile of rocks behind the blind spot so he could snap a picture and fabricate a story about the unrelated man being the infamous sharpshooter. It is believed that since these men were not left in their final resting places, their souls may have never found peace. From that day on Photographers have had inordinate amounts of difficulty taking pictures in Devil's Den as well as in several other areas of notorious fighting. 

          Jennie Wade, the one civilian casualty I mentioned, is said to wander the house where she died along with the ghost of her father, who was institutionalized after her death and ended up passing away in the "poor house." Several people have reported seeing a rugged man, barefoot, with a floppy hat and sloppy, ragged clothes on the rocks at Devil's Den. According to Civil War buffs, this perfectly matches the description of the unkempt, poorly dressed Texans who were at Gettysburg fighting for the Confederate Army in 1863. Gettysburg Battlegrounds frequently has volunteers scheduled to reenact the prominent battles for the enjoyment of passing tourists. However, there have been countless reports of visitors witnessing a "reenactment" on a day when there was not one scheduled, and no actors were even in the area.

Devil's Den hasn't changed much in the 144 years since the battle was fought, which could account partially for the high level of paranormal activity that takes place there. For the spirits that exist in this location, the surroundings look exactly as they did the day they died, a factor which could lead the restless ghosts to believe that the war has never ended, as they continue to fight the same battle day after day after day.  

Borley Rectory:

Borley Rectory was built in 1863 for the Revd Henry Bull. It was erected on the site of an ancient monastery and the ghost of a sorrowful nun who strolled along the so called "Nun's walk" was already well known to the villagers at the time. An old story claimed she was a wayward sister from the nearby nunnery at Bures who had fallen in love with a monk from Borley Monastery. The two had tried to elope together but had been quickly tracked down. The monk was executed and the nun bricked up in the cellars of the monastic buildings.

          Revd Bull had a summer home put up overlooking the nuns walk so that he could watch the manifestations. However, they soon became something of a nuisance: often startling guests by peering in through windows of the rectory. Servants rarely stayed long. The Reverend's four daughters even saw the lady gliding across the lawn in broad daylight. The hauntings increased during the incumbency of Henry Bulls son, Harry. Apparitions now included a ghostly caoch and horses seen racing up the rectory drive. 

    1927 saw the death of the last of the Bulls, and the Revd Eric Smith and his wife arrived at the rectory. They had been warned of the buildings reputation and took the precation of inviting the well known phychic researcher, Harry Price, to visit. Mr Price's arrival appears to have set in motion an outburst of inexplicable poltergeist activity. Objects were smashed and stones hurled at the investigator by unseen forces. It was all too much for the Smiths and they left after only two years.  

        The rectory now became the home of Revd Lionel Foyster and his family, and the ghostly phenomena immediately took a turn for the worse. The resident phantom appears to have taken a liking to the rector's young wife, Marianne. She often had objects thrown at her, but even more strange were the messages addressed to Marianne which began to appear scrawled on the walls of the house - even while witnesses watched! However, despite attempts at communication, most remained unintelligible. Though one certainly read, "Marianne, please help get" and another, "Pleas for help and prayers".

        Taking the bull by the horns, the Revd Foyster had Borley Rectory exorcised. The result was positive at first and the manifestations stopped. However, it was not long before they reappeared in a new form. Strange music would be heard from the nearby Church, communion wine would unaccountably turn into ink, the servants bells in the house rang of their own accord and the Foyster's child was attacked by "something horrible". The rector had had enough. The family left and all successive incumbents refused to live in the house.

       Intrigued by the further reports of psychic activity at Borley, Harry Price returned in 1937 and rented the building himself. He advertised in The Times for trustworthy assistants and, in a prolonged psychic investigation, he attempted to get to the bottom of the hauntings. With a team of forty-eight observers he logged an extraordinary number of psychic phenomena. The most bizarre was perhaps the results of a seance held on 27th March 1938. A ghostly communicant from beyond the grave claimed that the the rectory would catch fire in the hallway that night and burn down. A nun's body would be discovered amongst the ruins. An extraordinary assertion, particularly as nothing happened.

Harry Price's lease ran out later that year, and the building was taken on by one Captain Gregson. He too was subjected to continuing mysterious happenings, including the disappearance of his two dogs. Then, exactly eleven months to the day after the curious ghostly warning, an oil lamp unaccountably fell over in the hall and Borley Rectory burnt to the ground. Witnesses claimed to have seen ghostly figures roaming around and through the flames, while a nun's face peered down from an upper window.
      Harry Price returned again in 1943. Digging in the cellars, he discovered the jawbone of a young woman. Convinced that it was part of the body of the spectral nun, he attempted to end the hauntings by giving the bone a Christian burial.
 It does not seem to have worked. Supernatural happenings are still reported from the site of the rectory and the nearby churchyard. And Borley has an eerie air about the place that visitors cannot help but remark upon.
    People claim this to be a hoax however saying that Harry Price himself was inexperienced and that this case put him on top, so to speak. Whats your take ?.

Sloss Furnaces:

Is a National Historic Landmark in Birmingham, Alabama in the United States.

  Colonel James Withers Sloss was one of the founders of Birmingham, helping to promote railroad development in Jones Valley, Alabama and participating in the Pratt Coke and Coal Company, one of the new city's first manufacturers. In 1880 he formed his own company, the Sloss Furnace Company, and began construction of Birmingham's first blast furnace on 50 acres (202,000 m²) of land donated by the Elyton Land Company for industrial development. The engineer in charge of construction was Harry Hargreaves, a former student of English inventor Thomas Whitwell. The two Whitwell-type furnaces were 60 feet (18 m) tall and 18 feet (5.4 m) in diameter. The first blast was initiated in April 1882. The facilitiy produced 24,000 tons of high quality iron during its first year of operation. Sloss iron won a bronze medal at the Southern Exposition held in 1883 at Louisville, Kentucky.
In 1886 Sloss retired and sold the company to a group of investors who reorganized it in 1899 as the Sloss-Sheffield Steel and Iron Company. New blowers were installed in 1902, new boilers in 1906 and 1914 and the furnaces completely rebuilt with modern equipment between 1927 and 1931. Through this aggressive campaign of modernization and expansion, including furnace and mining and quarrying operations all around Jefferson County, Sloss-Sheffield became the second largest seller of pig-iron in the district and among the largest in the world. During this period the company built 48 small cottages for black workers near the downtown furnace — a community that became known as "Sloss Quarters" or just "the quarters".
In 1952, the Sloss Furnaces were acquired by the U.S. Pipe and Foundary Company, and sold nearly two decades later in 1969 to the Jim Walter Corp. The Birmingham area had been suffering from a serious air pollution problem during the 1950s and 1960s due to the iron and steel industry there, and Federal legislation such as the U.S. Clean Air Act encouraged the closure of older and out-of-date smelting works. Also, by the early 1960s, higher-yielding brown ores from other regions were feeding the blast furnaces.
The Jim Walter company closed the furnaces two years later, and then donated the property to the Alabama State Fair Authority for possible development as a museum of industry. The authority determined that redevelopment was not feasible and made plans to demolish the furnaces. Local preservationists formed the Sloss Furnace Association to lobby for preservation of this site, which is of central importance to the history of Birmingham. In 1976 the site was documented for the Historic American Engineering Record and its historic significance was detailed in a study commissioned by the city. Birmingham voters approved a $3.3 million bond issue in 1977 to preserve the site. This money went toward stabilization of the main structures and the construction of a visitor's center and the establishment of a metal arts program.
In February 2009 Sloss became the new home of the SLSF 4018 steam locomotive, which was relocated from Birmingham's Fair Park.

      Present use

Sloss is currently used to hold metal arts classes, a barbecue cookoff, Muse of Fire shows, and concerts. Being a reportedly haunted location, it is also an annual Halloween haunted attraction. Once a year, Sloss Furnaces hosts a "Ghost Tour" based on a story written by Alabama folklorist Kathryn Tucker Windham. Sloss Furnaces has been investigated by Ghost Adventures from Travel Channel and also by Syfy's Ghost Hunters. The story of Sloss' preservation and modern use was documented in Alabama Public Television's Sloss: Industry to Art.In June 2012 a formal groundbreaking ceremony was held at the site, signaling the beginning of construction on a new 16,000 square foot Visitors and Education Center to be located on the southwest corner of the furnace site.The new complex, funded jointly by the City of Birmingham and the Sloss Foundation, is expected to host educational exhibits relevant to the site's history, administrative offices, as well as additional multipurpose space for public events. The facility improvements are expected to be in line with an ongoing project within the city to construct new "greenway" spaces in the downtown area, possibly linking several popular city venues in the future.

The Spirits

It is believed that there are many different spirits haunting the Sloss Furnace in Birmingham, Alabama. If you enjoy ghost hunting or simply experiencing real haunted places in America, you are sure to enjoy visiting this industrial facility. Many believe that the ghosts associated with the facility remain because when they were alive, there was always such a high degree of emotion generated from the work. It was not at all unusual for the employees to be subjected to unrelenting heat, severely unsafe condition, and ordered to work hours that were beyond reason. Apparitions, disembodied voices, and even faint breezes that create goose bumps are commonly felt in and around the Sloss Furnace. Those that have toured the facility and grounds agree that it is definitely one of the scariest places on Earth. If you want to visit real haunted places in America, be sure to stop by the Sloss Furnace the next time that you are in or around Birmingham, Alabama.

Tower of London:

   Is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England, United Kingdom. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the square mile of the City of London by the open space known as Tower Hill. It was founded towards the end of 1066 as part of the Norman Conquest of England. The White Tower, which gives the entire castle its name, was built by William the Conqueror in 1078, and was a resented symbol of oppression, inflicted upon London by the new ruling elite. The castle was used as a prison since at least 1100, although that was not its primary purpose. A grand palace early in its history, it served as a royal residence. As a whole, the Tower is a complex of several buildings set within two concentric rings of defensive walls and a moat. There were several phases of expansion, mainly under Kings Richard the Lionheart, Henry III, and Edward I in the 12th and 13th centuries. The general layout established by the late 13th century remains despite later activity on the site. Many of the towers once held prison cells, and the White Tower once held torture chambers within its crypt. Tower Green outside the White Tower was reserved for Royal executions, while Tower Hill served as the public execution place for all the other traitors. Over the centuries the tower has performed diverse royal functions, it has been a prison, palace, observatory, menagerie, place of capital punishment and a museum.With all the blood, death and intrigue the Tower of London has been involved with in its 900-year history, there is little wonder that it has the reputation as one of the most haunted places in Britain. There have been literally hundreds of executions on Tower Hill, from claimants to the throne, political activists and petty criminals. Many of the towers have also served as prisons, and places of misery for people on the wrong side of powerful people. If anywhere could lay claim to a host of tortured souls it would be the Tower.
   apparently a sentry on guard in what is now the Martin Tower, witnessed the apparition of a bear coming from out of the Jewel Room. He stabbed at it with his bayonet, which passed through the apparition and embedded in a door, whereupon the bear promptly disappeared. The sentry died a few days later, possibly of shock, but he had already confided in Swifte and another sentry who verified his story. The sighting has been dated to January in the year 1815 or 1816.
The Bloody Tower was the scene for the infamous disappearance of the two princes; Edward V (12) and Richard Duke of York (10), who are thought to have been murdered in 1483 on the probable command of the Duke of Gloucestershire, who was to be crowned Richard the III. According to one story, guards in the late 15th century, who were passing the stair in the Bloody Tower, spotted the shadows of two small figures gliding down the stairs. These figures were identified as the ghosts of the two princes. In 1674 workmen found a chest that contained the skeletons of two young children, they were thought to be the remains of the princess, and were given a royal burial not long afterwards.
Ann Boleyn is said to be one of the most enduring ghosts of the Tower, she haunts the vicinity of the White Tower, the King's House, Tower Green, and the chapel of St Peter ad Vincula, where her headless body was interred in an arrow case under the floor. She was executed in 1536, after Henry VIII had become tired of her. In 1864 a sentry is said to have challenged a headless figure thought to be Ann Boleyn, his bayonet passed straight through her, and he fainted in shock. He was saved from court martial for being asleep at his post, on the word of other guards, who said they had witnessed a similar occurrence. In another account a Captain of the Guard is said to have seen a light source coming from within the locked empty Chapel Royal in the White Tower. He climbed a ladder to peer down into the chapel, and witnessed a procession of people in ancient dress, with an elegant woman walking in front of them. He recognised the slender figure as Ann Boleyn from portraits that he had seen.
Sir Walter Raleigh makes an appearance now and again, and has been seen as recently as 1983 by a Yeoman Guard on duty in the Byward Tower. The same apparition was also seen a year and a half later by a different sentry in the same area. Sir Walter is said to wander the tower as he did when he was imprisoned, he was not as restricted in movements as some of the other prisoners during his incarceration.
The bungled execution of Lady Salisbury is said to be enacted on Tower Green, on the anniversary of her execution in 1541. She ran from the block in hysterics with the axe man chasing behind her. She was finally felled with a number of heavy blows from behind, the whole bloody scene is said to be replayed in full.
   Lady Jane Grey, the 9-day queen, is also said to appear on the anniversary of her death on the 12th February 1554. She has been seen on the Salts Tower, although it is difficult to reason how you would recognise one royal figure from the next.
Other ghostly traditions include the screams of Guy Fawkes echoing through the tower, as they did when he was tortured before being hung drawn and quartered, the ghost of Lord Northumberland who was executed in 1553, and various other apparitions and shades from its bloody history.

Kutna Hora "Bone" Church, Sedlec Ossuary:  Some say this church is haunted others say it isn't either way it's on this blog for the simple fact of the bones:


   Is a small Roman Catholic chapel, located beneath the Cemetery Church of All Saints in Sedlec, a suburb of Kutná Hora in the Czech Republic. The ossuary is estimated to contain the skeletons of between 40,000 and 70,000 people, whose bones have in many cases been artistically arranged to form decorations and furnishings for the chapel. The ossuary is among the most visited tourist attractions of the Czech Republic, attracting over 200,000 visitors yearly.
Four enormous bell-shaped mounds occupy the corners of the chapel. An enormous chandelier of bones, which contains at least one of every bone in the human body, hangs from the center of the nave with garlands of skulls draping the vault. Other works include piers and monstrances flanking the altar, a large Schwarzenberg coat of arms, and the signature of Rint, also executed in bone, on the wall near the entrance.

History

In 1278, Henry, the abbot of the Cistercian monastery in Sedlec, was sent to the Holy Land by King Otakar II of Bohemia. He returned with him a small amount of earth he had removed from Golgotha and sprinkled it over the abbey cemetery. The word of this pious act soon spread and the cemetery in Sedlec became a desirable burial site throughout Central Europe.
In the mid 14th century, during the Black Death, and after the Hussite Wars in the early 15th century, many thousands were buried in the abbey cemetery, so it had to be greatly enlarged.
Around 1400, a Gothic church was built in the center of the cemetery with a vaulted upper level and a lower chapel to be used as an ossuary for the mass graves unearthed during construction, or simply slated for demolition to make room for new burials.
After 1511, the task of exhuming skeletons and stacking their bones in the chapel was given to a half-blind monk of the order.
Between 1703 and 1710, a new entrance was constructed to support the front wall, which was leaning outward, and the upper chapel was rebuilt. This work, in the Czech Baroque style, was designed by Jan Santini Aichel.
In 1870, František Rint, a woodcarver, was employed by the Schwarzenberg family to put the bone heaps into order, yielding a macabre result.

The chandelier was made using every bone in the human body, and is the most impressive. the second picture is a copy of the Schwarzenberg coat of arms.


   Many say ghost photos, sightings and strange feelings often overwhelm the visitors to the Chapel.













The LaLaurie House New Orleans, Louisiana:


   The haunted history of the Lalaurie House is perhaps one of New Orleans' best known ghostly tales...For more than 150 years, and through several generations, the LaLaurie House has been considered to be the most haunted and the most frightening 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 French-Creole 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 social functions at 1140 Royal Street, they 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.

   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 was 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.

  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.....

   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.

  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.

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.....

The stories of ghosts and a haunting at 1140 Royal Street began almost as soon as the Lalaurie carriage fled the house in the darkness.
   After the mutilated slaves were removed from the house, it was sacked and vandalized by the mob. After a brief occupancy, the house remained vacant for many years after, falling into a state of ruin and decay. Many people claimed to hear screams of agony coming from the empty house at night and saw the apparitions of slaves walking about on the balconies and in the yards. Some stories even claimed that vagrants who had gone into the house seeking shelter were never heard from again.
   The house had been placed on the market in 1837 and was purchased by a man who only kept it for three months. He was plagued by strange noises, cries and groans in the night and soon abandoned the place. He tried leasing the rooms for a short time, but the tenants only stayed for a few days at most. Finally, he gave up and the house was abandoned.

Following the Civil War, Reconstruction turned the empty Lalaurie mansion into an integrated high school for “girls of the Lower District” but in 1874, the White League forced the black children to leave the school. A short time later though, a segregationist school board changed things completely and made the school for black children only. This lasted for one year.
In 1882, the mansion once again became a center for New Orleans society when an English teacher turned it into a “conservatory of music and a fashionable dancing school”. All went well for some time as the teacher was well-known and attracted students from the finest of the local families.... but then things came to a terrible conclusion.
A local newspaper apparently printed an accusation against the teacher, claiming some improprieties with female students, just before a grand social event was to take place at the school. Students and guests shunned the place and the school closed the following day.

A few years later, more strange events plagued the house and it became the center for rumors regarding the death of Jules Vignie, the eccentric member of a wealthy New Orleans family. Vignie lived secretly in the house from the later 1880’s until his death in 1892. He was found dead on a tattered cot in the mansion, apparently living in filth, while hidden away in the surrounding rooms was a collection of antiques and treasure. A bag containing several hundred dollars was found near his body and another search found several thousand dollars hidden in his mattress.
For some time after, rumors of a lost treasure circulated about the mansion.... but few dared to go in search of it.

The house was abandoned again until the late 1890’s. In this time of great immigration to America, many Italians came to live in New Orleans. Landlords quickly bought up old and abandoned buildings to convert into cheap housing for this new wave of renters. The Lalaurie mansion became just such a house.... and for many of the tenants even the low rent was not enough to keep them there.
During the time when the mansion was an apartment house, a number of strange events were recorded. Among them was an encounter between a occupant and a naked black man in chains who attacked him. The black man abruptly vanished. Others claimed to have animals butchered in the house; children were attacked by a phantom with a whip; strange figures appeared wrapped in shrouds; a young mother was terrified to find a woman in elegant evening clothes bending over her sleeping infant; and of course, the ever-present sounds of screams, groans and cries that would reverberate through the house at night.
It was never easy to keep tenants in the house and finally, after word spread of the strange goings-on there, the mansion was deserted once again.

The house would later become a bar and then a furniture store. The saloon, taking advantage of the building’s ghastly history was called the “Haunted Saloon”. The owner knew many of the building’s ghost stories and kept a record of the strange things experienced by patrons.
The furniture store did not fare as well in the former Lalaurie house. The owner first suspected vandals when all of his merchandise was found ruined on several occasions, covered in some sort of dark, stinking liquid. He finally waited one night with a shotgun, hoping the vandals would return. When dawn came, the furniture was all ruined again even though no one, human anyway, had entered the building. The owner closed the place down.

    Other haunted stories include seeing a young slave girl fleeing across the LaLaurie roof. encounters with a black man in chains, butchered animals found within the house, seeing Delphine chasing children with a whip. Her spirit also attempted in the late 19th century, to strangle a black manservant. Today, people just passing the building on tour report fainting or becoming nauseous, and of course hearing disembodied screams or wailing are still occasionally heard. Some tourists are able to photograph orbs around the roof area.

 

 

Père Lachaise Cemetery:

   Is the largest cemetery in the city of Paris, France though there are larger cemeteries in the city's suburbs.
   Père Lachaise is in the 20th arrondissement, and is reputed to be the world's most visited cemetery, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors annually to the graves of those who have enhanced French life over the past 200 years. It is also the site of three World War I memorials.Père Lachaise Cemetery was opened on 21 May 1804. The first person buried there was a five-year-old girl named Adélaïde Pailliard de Villeneuve, the daughter of a door bell-boy of the Faubourg St. Antoine. Napoleon Bonaparte, then a consul, declared that “Every citizen has the right to be buried regardless of race or religion”.
   At the time of its opening, the cemetery was considered to be situated too far from the city and attracted few funerals. Moreover, many Roman Catholics refused to have their graves in a place that had not been blessed by the Church. In 1804, the Père Lachaise had contained only 13 graves. Consequently, the administrators devised a marketing strategy and in 1804, with great fanfare, organised the transfer of the remains of Jean de La Fontaine and Molière. The following year there were 44 burials, with 49 in 1806, 62 in 1807 and 833 in 1812. Then, in another great spectacle in 1817, the purported remains of Pierre Abélard and Héloïse d’Argenteuil were also transferred to the cemetery with their monument's canopy made from fragments of the abbey of Nogent-sur-Seine (by tradition, lovers or lovelorn singles leave letters at the crypt in tribute to the couple or in hope of finding true love).
   This strategy achieved its desired effect: people began clamouring to be buried among the famous citizens. Records show that, within a few years, Père Lachaise went from containing a few dozen permanent residents to more than 33,000 in 1830. Père Lachaise was expanded five times: in 1824, 1829, 1832, 1842 and 1850. Today there are over 1 million bodies buried there, and many more in the columbarium, which holds the remains of those who had requested cremation.
   The Communards' Wall (Mur des Fédérés) is also located in the cemetery. This is the site where 147 Communards, the last defenders of the workers' district of Belleville, were shot on 28 May 1871 – the last day of the "Bloody Week" (Semaine Sanglante) in which the Paris Commune was crushed. This cemetery is reportedly really haunted

St. Louis Cemetery Number 1, New Orleans, Louisiana:

   St. Louis Cemetery #1 is the oldest and most famous. It was opened in 1789, replacing the city's older St. Peter Cemetery (no longer in existence) as the main burial ground when the city was redesigned after a fire in 1788.
  

MANIFESTATIONS:

Like many cemeteries, there are restless souls here who cannot give up this world for the next for a variety of reasons. The entities described below go all the way and appear in a solid, human-like living form, and speak clearly to the living. They are mistaken for being real people. Perhaps they feel it would be rude not to do so, or are so upset they are willing to gather the energy to give the living the full paranormal experience.

Two of the entities were restless and upset, because they were buried in nameless graves;

one in an unmarked tomb, and one in an unmarked grave in the pauper's field section of unmarked graves, at the very back of the cemetery, next to the Protestant and Jewish section.

The Entity of Marie Laveau - Was not a happy camper, for a very long time.

* Her distinctive apparition had been seen in the area of her unmarked tomb, probably fuming, frustrated with the living, and longing for the fame and power she enjoyed during her life-time as a Voudou Priestess.

* Perhaps she has regrets about turning from her Catholic faith, dividing her worship with the black arts, causing her burial to be anonymously.

* She has been seen, in a foul mood, storming along a pathway, chanting curses, aimed at the living.

* She slapped a man who was passing by the area of her unmarked tomb. Perhaps he unknowingly stepped on her grave. Perhaps he looked a lot like someone she was furious with when she was still alive.

* Many believe that her death didn't stop her from practicing her black magic, using the powers of darkness. Some say she turns herself into a black crow or a big black dog. Both such animals have been seen roaming the cemetery. Many people leave notes, requests, and offerings on the family vault for her.

Entity of Henry Vignes' - In search of a vault for his remains.

Appears to the unsuspecting tourist or tour guide in a full, solid form, looking very much alive. He is described as tall, dressed in a white shirt, with piercing blue eyes, still looking for his family's lost vault, or a place in someone else's vault, so he could be properly buried.

It has been reported by witnesses, who are visiting the cemetery that the entity of Henry will approach the unsuspecting person, and ask if they know where his family's old vault, for the Vignes family, is located. He then walks away and suddenly disappears.

Sometimes this entity will tap the living on the shoulder, and ask, "Do you know anything about this Tomb here?"

At family funerals, Henry has asked the mourners if there is any room in the vault for his remains.

Lonely entity of a young man - Alphonse

This entity of this young man will walk up to the visitor, looking like a real, live person, will take their hand into his ice cold hand, and with a big smile on his face, ask for help in going to his home. He will start to cry and then disappear.

This same entity is very much afraid of the Pinead family vault, and warns visitors to stay away from it.

The entity of Alphonse has been seen carrying vases and flowers from other vaults to his own, perhaps to try to make himself feel better.

 

The Stanley Hotel, Estes Park, Colorado:

   Is a 140-room neo-Georgian hotel located within sight of the Rocky Mountain National Park, the Stanley offers panoramic views of the Rockies. It was built by Freelan Oscar Stanley of Stanley Steamer fame and opened on July 4, 1909, catering to the rich and famous, including the RMS Titanic survivor Margaret Brown.
   The Stanley Hotel also hosted the horror novelist Stephen King, inspiring him to write The Shining. Parts of the mini-series version of The Shining were filmed there, although Stanley Kubrick's cinematic version was filmed at the Timberline Lodge in Oregon and at Elstree Studios in England. The Stanley Hotel shows the uncut R-rated version of Kubrick's The Shining on a continuous loop on Channel 42 on guest room televisions.
   In 1903, Stanley, who was co-inventor of the Stanley Steamer automobile, came to Estes Park for his health. Stanley suffered from tuberculosis and came West at his doctor's suggestion. The doctor arranged for Stanley and his wife, Flora, to stay in a cabin in Estes Park for the summer. Immediately, they fell in love with the area and Stanley's health began to dramatically improve. Impressed by the beauty of the valley and grateful for the improvement in his health, he decided to invest his money and his future there. In 1909, he opened the elegant Stanley Hotel, a classic hostelry exemplifying the golden age of touring.
   After spending the summer in the cabin, Flora wanted a home like the one she had left in Maine. Their home was built about one-half mile west of where the Stanley Hotel would later be built. Today the house is a private residence.
   Stanley built the hotel on land that he had purchased from the British Earl of Dunraven and Mount-Earl. Dunraven came to the area in 1872 while on a hunting trip. He built a hunting lodge, cabin, and hotel for his guests and illegally homesteaded up to 15,000 acres (61 km²) in an unsuccessful attempt to create a private hunting preserve. Dunraven was finally run out of the area after trying to swindle people out of their land and money.
   In 1907, construction started on the Stanley Hotel. Wood and rock were obtained from the nearby mountains and the hotel was built in the Georgian architectural style, which experienced a revival in the early Twentieth century. Equipped with running water, electricity, and telephones, the only amenity the hotel lacked was heat, as the hotel was designed as a summer resort.
  
Ghosts: Several apparitions and other phenomena have been reported throughout the hotel:

• The ghosts of Freelan Stanley and his wife Flora have been seen dressed in formal attire on the main staircase and in other public areas, such as the lobby and the billiard room.
• Mr. Stanley has also been spotted in the administration offices, perhaps to keep an eye on the hotel's books. The Flora's piano playing occasionally echos in the ballroom.
• Disembodied voices and phantom footsteps have been heard in the hallways and rooms.
• Staff and visitors have reported unseen hands yanking at their clothing.
• More than one guest has said they have awakened to find their blankets taken from their beds and neatly folded.
• The Earl of Dunraven, who owned the land prior to the Stanleys, is said to haunt room 407, where the aroma of his cherry pipe tobacco still can be smelled. A ghostly face has also been reported peering out of the room's window when it was not occupied.
• Room 217, where Stephen King stayed, was the site of a tragic accident in 1911: housekeeper Elizabeth Wilson was nearly killed by a gas leak explosion. Since her death in the 1950s, strange, unexplained activity is said to take place in that room, including doors opening and closing, and lights switching on and off by themselves.
• Room 418 is the most haunted room, according to hotel staff, apparently by the ghosts of children. Guests who stay there say phantom children can be heard playing in the hallways at night. One couple complained that the noisy children kept them up all night, although there were no children staying at the hotel at the time. Impressions of bodies have been found on the bed when the room as been unoccupied.
• The ghost of a small child who calls out to his nanny has been spotted on several occasions on the second floor -- including by Stephen King.