Ring the Doorbell and Visit a Ghost

LaLaurie Mansion New Orleans Louisiana

If you are fond of ghosts and wish to find places to meet them then visit the French Quarter in New Orleans, Louisiana. There at 1140 Royal Street, you’ll find the LaLaurie Mansion. From the outside it is an impressive-looking house it is what happened inside and what remains behind today that is important.

LaLaurie House was once the home of Madame Delphine LaLaurie. She was not a woman you’d want to have as a friend. Even though she was a socialite she was also a serial killer. Inside her house, she had set up a torture chamber for enslaved people in the early 1830s. Nothing was discovered until there was a fire. To this very day, many of her unhappy victims haunt the property. People going by have heard shouts, moans, and weeping as well as seeing ghostly faces from the upstairs windows. It is now considered to be one of the most haunted houses in New Orleans. So go ahead meet the spirits and take a ghost tour.

Lizzie Borden House Falls River Massachusetts

For a real adrenaline rush, you can stay at the Lizzie Borden House in Falls River, Massachusetts since it has become a Bed & Breakfast. They offer two suites and four rooms for rent.

Most people know the horrifying story of how a woman named Lizzie Borden killed her father and stepmother with a hatchet on August 4, 1892. She was arrested for the murders, indicted by a grand jury, and tried for the crimes and was acquitted. If she has returned to haunt her former home then you can ask her if she was guilty or not yourself.

At the house, some say that a ghostly face appears in the cellar over the sink where bloody clothing was washed out right after the murders occurred. Lizzie’s father Arthur and stepmother Abby are also still at the house. Unseen children have been heard rolling marbles on the attic floor. They were the victims of their mother who drowned them in a well in the basement next door. So there is plenty to see and hear and experience.

And when you need a break and some coffee you’ll find Miss Lizzie’s Coffee Shop next door. Guess what? It is the most haunted coffee shop in the world. Don’t be surprised to see a life-sized cutout of Lizzie as you enter the shop.

The House of Seven Gables Salem MA

Captain John Turner built the house in 1668. It is a colonial mansion located in Salem, Massachusetts. It remained in the Turner family for three generations. The house received its name – The House of Seven Gables when American author Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote a novel by that same name. The house has triangular peaks or gables and today is a museum opened to the public.

The House of Seven Gables has a connection to the Salem Witch Trials. During these years people have seen or encountered spirits in the house. Every floor has silhouettes in the shadows, the spirit of a little boy playing near the attic, and even the spirit of Susannah Ingersoll.

During the time the house belonged to Captain Samuel Ingersoll, author Nathaniel Hawthorne visited his daughter Susannah at the mansion. At this time the author made notes that would inspire him to write his famous novel, “The House of Seven Gables”.

Other paranormal activities at the house include lights and water faucets turning off and on by themselves. Hidden rooms were discovered such as a dining room where musicals and dances were hosted and an accounting room, All these were written about by Hawthorne in his novel. There is a staircase that was built by John Turner Jr, where is sisters and he could hide in case they were ever accused of witchcraft.

The House of Death New York City

If it seems you never have enough ghosts around I suggest a visit to NYC. The House of Death has 22 ghosts all looking to meet you at 14 West 10th Street. One of the most famous spirits is American author Mark Twain who lived there for a year. He has been seen on the first floor and near the staircase. Perhaps you’d enjoy a literary discussion.

Actress Jan Bryant Bartell and her husband moved into the top-floor apartment. She described that she felt the presence of a “monstrous moving shadow”. The actress wrote the book “Spindrift: Spray from a Psychic Sea” documenting her struggle with the paranormal.

Unfortunately, this brownstone also became the scene of a real-life crime, New York criminal defense attorney Joel Steinberg was charged with first-degree manslaughter for beating his 6-year-old illegally adopted daughter Lisa to death. In November of 1987 when the police arrived, Lisa was unconscious and another baby covered in filth and tied to a playpen was found. The baby lived but Lisa died. Steinberg was released from prison in 2004.

Among all the other spirits living in the House of Death is a woman in white. This spirit wanders through the halls and walks through doors. When she is around lights can flicker.

Franklin Castle Cleveland Ohio

Franklin Castle is a mansion built by German immigrant Hannes Tiedemann. Unfortunately, his life was not a happy one. He lost his 15-year-old daughter to diabetes, shortly after his mother died, and both he and his wife lost three more children. After his wife died Tiedemann sold the house to another German family named Mulhauser. After the house went to the German Socialist Society and it became the site of illegal liquor production during Prohibition and was used by Nazi spies during WW II.

In the 1960s an Italian family named Romano bought the house, They had six children and wanted to turn this into a restaurant. Two of their children informed them that a crying girl was seen on the third floor, Then everyone heard strange organ music and heavy footsteps. Two fo the older children had blankets pulled off of them when in bed, Mrs. Romano woke up screaming on her bedroom floor with another unseen prescience screaming beside her. A priest advised the family to move out.

The house has since been exchanged by many hands and is considered to be among the most haunted houses in the US.

The Castle Beaufort South Carolina

The Castle is an 1850 Italian Renaissance building that was once home to Dr. Joseph Johnson. It appears to have gained many spirits that prefer to stay and haunt this castle.

In 1861 the Castle became a Civil War Military Hospital. Behind it an outbuilding was used as the morgue and bodies of the deceased were buried on the grounds. After the war ended supernatural sightings began.

Among the strangest is the spirit of a dwarf named Gauche. He was a jester brought to the area by French explorer Jean Ribaut in 1562. His apparition was seen by Dr, Johnson and his daughter Lily would play tea party with the spirit. Visitors touring the Castle have seen Gauche. He likes to tap out messages in 16th-century French, move furniture about, open and close doors, and leave red handprints on windows. Paranormal investigators have learned that Gauche remains there because it reminds him of his home in England. Today the house is privately owned but tours are given so perhaps you can invite yourself to tea.

Ferry Plantation Virginia Beach VA

Ferry Plantation was built on Native American hunting grounds. There appear to be eleven spirits hanging around. This plantation was one of eleven stops of the ferry running along the Lynnhaven River transporting goods, people, and animals.

Among the ghosts is Grace Sherwood who was accused of witchcraft in the 1700s. She was found guilty by a “dunking” process. She managed to free herself from the binds that held her as she was dunked into the water and floated to the top. Convicted of witchcraft she spent seven years in prison. Today she haunts Ferry Plantation and is said to be buried under one of the large trees on the plantation.

In 1751 William Walke built Walke Manor on the plantation. His daughter Sally Rebecca Walke lost her fiancee John during the war. Sally planted a magnolia tree in his memory in 1836. She roams the plantation gardens waiting for him to come home.

An artist Thomas Williamson lived at the manor and never left even after death, In the 1800s he painter a watercolor of the Walke Manor and the plantation. He can be seen at the top of the stairs painting.

An old African-American spirit comes up from the basement. He walks across the room and kneels in front of the wall where a fireplace once was and appears to want to set it up. Years late when renovating, a fireplace was found behind the wall. Paranormal investigators discovered his name was Henry, he had lived in the slave quarter on the third floor, and since his entire life had been spent on the plantation he had chosen to stay. He also mentioned he loved to go fishing.

There are also ghosts hanging around from a shipwreck that occurred on January 1, 1811 when the ship Lucy wrecked in Cape Henry, These spirits have been seen by many.

An unfortunate woman now known as the Lady in White roams around. In 1826 she fell down the stairs and broke her neck. Staff member have seen two children a boy and a girl on the 2nd floor landing pressed against the wall, They are all there waiting for a visit so do make a trip.