It’s Halloween time and that means we dig up the scariest stories we can think of. Chad and Jim went to the Palmer House Hotel, one of the most haunted places in the state, but there are some other haunted houses and haunted spaces around the country for the ghost hunter in you.

Winchester Mystery House – San Jose, California

This 160 room maze like mansion boasts long, dark hallways, staircases to seemingly nowhere and doors that open to nothing. The Winchester Mystery House was built for Sarah Winchester of the Winchester rifle family. The story is a sad one that tells the tale of how Sarah lost her daughter and her husband to some sort of illness. After they died, she hired a medium to come in and help her overcome her depression. The medium told her that the only way to please the dead was to build a house for them. For seven days a week, 24 hours a day, for 38 years, construction went nonstop until Sarah herself died. Now, visitors to the house are encouraged to look out for the number 13, which apparently shows up all over the house for no reason.


Stepp Cemetery – Benton, Indiana

It’s a small cemetery, but the couple dozen crumbling tombstones in the Stepp Cemetery are home to a few restless souls. Rumor has it that a woman lost her infant daughter and she was so distraught, she dug up her daughter’s body and can be seen dressed in black mourning over the grave site and sitting on a stump that rotted away years ago.


Moundsville Penetentiary – Moundsville, West Virginia

Legend goes that over a thousand inmates died in the Moundsville Penetentiary. Some died of natural causes, but some were murdered by other inmates while they were incarcerated. Another 90 or so were put to death in the prison. Today, ghosts of the inmates still roam the halls, most famously The Shadow Man. Another visitor is the ghost of a janitor who was murdered by inmates for snitching to guards about their activity. Tours of the haunted prison start at sunset, taking visitors through the most haunted part of the prison by nightfall.


Gettysburg Battlefield – Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

The Gettysburg Batllefield saw one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War and also stands as one of the most haunted places in the country. Fifty thousand soldiers lost their lives on that battlefield and some of them still hang around. Visitors, tourists and townspeople swear at night they can both see and hear them wandering around. Some have also claimed to hear cannon fire, gunshots, screaming and moaning from time to time. There’s also another spot on that field called Devil’s Den, which is a rock formation where dozens of bodies and limbs were discovered that visitors swear is haunted and claim to have had a ghostly experience.


The Stanley Hotel – Estes Park, Colorado

You may have heard of The Stanley Hotel before because it was the setting for the Jack Nicholson film, The Shining and yes, it really is haunted. The Paranormal Research Society of Paranormal State as well as the TV show Ghost Hunters took a wander through the hotel. There’s a young boy who has a particular affinity for room 1211 and another young guy who likes closets and bedrooms. The owner, Mr. Stanley also likes to stay in his hotel and his wife Flora plays piano for guests. The hotel offers ghost tours, so don’t forget your camera. Rumor has it the ghosts like to photobomb.


St. Augustine Lighthouse – St. Augustine, Florida

Local folklore around St. Augustine says that the daughters of the Superintendent of Lighthouse Construction drowned, and continue to haunt the St. Augustine Lighthouse ever since their untimely death. Three other people died in the lighthouse from illnesses, while a keeper named Joseph fell to his death. They still make their presence known around the grounds by making noises, laughing and giggling. Some have claimed to see shadows moving around inside and outside the lighthouse and the oldest daughter likes to show up in front of visitors wearing the clothing she wore on the day she died.

Do You Have Any Paranormal Experiences?

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