This is our second installment of our Ghost Hunter’s Guide to the U.S.
We are giving you some of the most haunted spots from every state in the U.S.! Here is the Ghost Hunter’s Guide Part Two: the next 17.
Be sure to Check out our other Ghost Hunter’s Guides to the U.S.!
Ghost Hunter’s Guide to the U.S. Part 1
This features the first 17 states.
Ghost Hunter’s guide to the U.S. Part 3
This features the last 17 states.
Without further ado, here’s the Ghost Hunter’s Guide to the U.S. Part 2!
Kentucky: Bobby Mackey’s Music World
In 1978, country music star, Bobby Mackey purchased the property and turned it into a music club. Prior to being a club, the premises was a meat slaughterhouse during the 1850s. In 1896, a woman by the name of Pearl Byran was murdered by decapitation. The 22 year old’s headless body was found two miles from the slaughterhouse. At one point it was a location where satanic worship took place. Present owners of the club believe the building is a portal to Hell. Be sure to check out Season 1, Episode 2 of Ghost Adventures on the Travel Channel to learn more about Bobby Mackey’s Music World.
Louisiana: Manchac Swamp, North of Laplace
Voodoo priestess Julie Brown lived in this swamp, which sat in a little town called Frenier. She lived there during the turn of the century. She felt that she was being taken for granted by the people in this town, so she decided to spend her energy cursing it. She’d sit on her front porch and sing to herself, “One day I’m gunna die, and I’m gunna take all of you with me”. On September 15th, 1915, the day of her funeral, a hurricane swept through, destroying the town and everyone in it. The only remnants left behind are a graveyard of the hurricane victims and their ghosts. Many people have heard their distant screams when visiting the swamp. Some even say that they can hear Julie Brown’s voice singing her song. There are those who won’t even visit the swamp for fear of the curse she left behind.
Maine: Colonel Jonathon Buck’s Tomb, Bucksport
Jonathon Buck was the founder of the town Bucksport in Maine. He was also a Puritan. In the late 1700s, he sentenced a woman to death that he accused of witchcraft. As she was burning to death in the pyre, her leg rolled out. In 1795, Colonel Buck passed away and was buried in the town’s cemetery. Just over one hundred years later in 1899, a newspaper story came out, documenting a mysterious stain that had appeared on the tombstone. It was eerily in the shape of a stocking-clad woman’s leg. His family through the generations have tried cleaning the stain off, to no avail. They have even replaced the tombstone twice, but the leg keeps appearing.
Maryland: Greenbrier Swamp, Snow Hill
During the civil war, a woman named Big Lizz was the slave of a smuggler who owned a plantation. What he did not know about her was that she was recruited by the Union Army to spy for the North on Confederate wealthy landowners. When he found out that she was a traitor to him and had possibly revealed locations of his vast wealth to the Union, he led her to this swamp. He told her he needed help hiding money. Once she had buried his treasure, he pulled out his sword, sliced her head clean off, and left her in the swamp. After he returned home, his life started to fall apart. He lost his wealth, he lost his family, and he lost his good health.
He never went back to the swamp to reclaim his treasure. Since then, travelers have noticed floating lights in the swamp, and some have even come across the ghost of Big Lizz herself. She emerges from the swamp holding her decapitated head under one arm and beckons the traveler to follow her. Legend has it that if you follow, she’ll lead you to the buried treasure. However, nobody who has followed her has ever been seen again.
Massachusetts: Hoosac Tunnel
1851 was the year workers started to dig through the rock of Hoosac Mountain to create this tunnel. This was also the year the explosive nitroglycerin was introduced to the U.S. The crew that started construction on this tunnel, Ned Brinkman, Billy Nash, and Ringo Kelly were some of the first to use it. The protocol was to place the explosive and then run back into a bunker to stay safe from the explosions. Brinkman and Nash went to place the explosive, but it seems that Kelley set off the explosion, burying the two alive under a rockfall.
Kelley was thought to have murdered the other two until March 30, 1866 when his body was finally discovered. An autopsy revealed that his death was caused by strangulation at the exact spot where Brinkman and Nash’s bodies were found. The explosion remains shrouded in mystery. Many visitors have been seen ghosts holding lanterns, apparitions holding picks and shovels who disappear, and heard screams of agony. Over the 25 year construction of this tunnel, over 200 people died in mining accidents, earning it the nickname “the bloody pit”.
Michigan: Mackinac Island
At first glance, this island may seem perfectly picturesque but it’s known to be a hotbed for unexpected paranormal activity. Mackinac Island was once the site of two pivotal battles of the War of 1812. This land has been home to numerous violent events throughout its history. In the early 1800s, there was a witch hunt that resulted in seven women who were believed to be witches. They were put to trial and viciously thrown in the water with stones attached to their feet and if they sank, they were deemed innocent. The ghosts who wander this island have been known to move objects, sound footsteps down hallways of homes, and appear in the cemetery.
Minnesota: Grey Cloud Island, Washington County
Grey Cloud Island is an island best associated with Native Americans and settlements, originally being home to the Medwakanton Dakota Sioux tribe. As legend has it, Grey Cloud has a rich history of paranormal activity. The most notable being the story of the green lantern held by a former Indian Chief throughout the cemetery. People have heard voices in the cemetery. One woman saw a man in a red flannel jacket with an orange hat with a rifle that left her feeling so uneasy she left immediately. Shortly after, she saw the man again in the backseat of her car.
Mississippi: McRaven Tour Home, Vicksburg
The McRaven Tour house is the home to a few terrifying apparitions. It is rumored that Andrew Glass built McRaven as a hiding place. Glass was a famous highway robber, known for riding with the Murrall gang. He even built a special room in which to count his money, which can be visited today and has not changed. His ghost has been spotted roaming the halls through the years, along with the ghosts of several other former owners who have died. However, Mary Elizabeth is the most active spirit. Known for being the ‘lady of the house’, she tragically died during childbirth at age 15. She has been seen in many different locations and visitors have been known to feel heat when handling her possessions, which have been left in her room.
Missouri: The Exorcist House, St. Louis
Best known as the house that inspired the The Exorcist movies. This house is known for the “Roland Doe Exorcism” in the 1940’s. As an only child, Roland depended on the adults as his play friends, specifically his Aunt Harriet. Following his aunt’s death, he noticed paranormal happenings, from furniture moving itself, to footsteps in the home, to photographs of Jesus moving on their own. Due to the influx of paranormal activity, an exorcism was performed on the boy under the Episcopal Church. It took several weeks of exorcisms for Roland to be freed of the dark spirits.
Montana: Grand Union Hotel, Fort Benton
Known for being one of the oldest cities in Montana, it’s no secret why it’s known for being one of the most haunted hotels throughout the entire state. The haunting is assumed to have started when a cowboy and his horse were shot and killed by the hotel bar manager. Ever since then, guests have heard horse hoofs on the staircase, dancing blue lights near room 202 and a strange man in a long trench coat who claims to roam the different parts of the hotel.
Nebraska: Museum of Shadows, Plattsmouth
The Museum of Shadows is known as one of the most haunted locations in the midwest. This place is home to some of the most haunted items in the world. According to their website, guests have reported being “physically touched, seeing apparitions, hearing disembodied voices and children laughing, running and more. Poltergeists have been seen and verified through our security cameras as well”.
Nevada: Mizpah Hotel, Tonopah
First opened in 1907, the Mizpah Hotel in Tonopah, Nevada started as a place to gather the town’s elite. It is said that the hotel is haunted by the spirits of the prostitutes who worked at the hotel. The “Lady in Red” is an affectionate spirit who is known to roam the hotel. She is known for brushing up against the male guests and running her fingers through their hair. Legend has it that she was fatally beaten by a boyfriend-client of hers while others claim that she was actually killed by a jealous wife.
New Hampshire: Mount Washington Hotel, Bretton
In 1902, a wealthy investor named Joseph Stickney had the Mount Washington Hotel built for himself and his beloved wife Carolyn. It is an enormous, lavish hotel with many floors and balconies. One of Carolyn’s favorite pastimes was peering over the balcony to see the latest fashions from the women milling around. The couple lived blissfully in this hotel until Joseph died suddenly from a heart attack a year later. His heartbroken wife was left to a lonely life in their big hotel.
Some years later, Carolyn remarried to the prince of France. She moved to his country to live with him until he, too, passed away. She decided to return to her hotel and spend the remaining years of her life there. Since she died, staff and guests have witnessed her peering over the balcony as she did in life and gliding down the stairs to enter the dining hall. Her room she shared with Joseph was 314. Guests who have stayed in this room have awoken to her brushing her hair while sitting on the edge of the bed, had their bathtubs mysteriously fill, their lights turn on and off, and perfume waft in.
New Jersey: Clinton Road, West Milford
One of the most common stories to come from Clinton Road is the tale of Dead Man’s Curve. According to the legend, if you stop at Dead Man’s Curve around midnight and toss a coin into the water you’ll hear a coin thrown back and see the reflection of the boy in the water. Some have claimed that they have been thrown into the water because the boy is protecting them from getting hit by a car.
New Mexico: Dawson Cemetery, Between Cimarron & Raton
The small town of Dawson, New Mexico, founded in 1901, was once a bustling, prosperous mining town. They prided themselves in the fact that they had a swimming pool, a hospital and a movie theater. However, on October 22, 1913, a mining explosion killed 253 men. Ten years later, another mining explosion killed an additional 123 men. The charming town soon turned into a literal ghost town. All that’s left of it is a graveyard. Even though the town’s inhabitants dispersed years ago, spirits of the deceased minors have still not left. Visitors hear voices wailing in the wind, moans of anguish, and seen mining helmet lights bobbing around. The most eerie sightings have been those of visitors to graves who disappear into the night when the living approach.
New York: Rolling Hills Asylum, East Bethany
In 1892, this asylum was first established as a home for the poor. It quickly became an asylum for the ‘mentally insane’, unwed mothers, orphans and the elderly. It is rumored that one of the nurses, Nurse Emmie was cruel and unkind to the patients of the asylum and may have practiced dark magic. Additionally, a man named Roy Cruse was left at the asylum when he was 12 due to a facial deformity that embarrassed his family. He died at the asylum at 62 and people have seen him roaming around the facility.
North Carolina: Biltmore Estate, Asheville
Known as one of the most haunted locations in North Carolina, the Biltmore Estate has made into many ghost hunter’s destinations. It was once the vacation home of George Washington Vanderbilt III. Among the 132,280 square foot property, visitors claim that they’ve seen George roam his former library, while his wife, Edith is said to explore the halls calling out for her husband. Legend claims that a headless orange cat has been seen throughout the property.
North Dakota: Old Armory, Williston
One of the lesser-known hauntings is in the Old Armory in Williston, North Dakota. Built in 1915, it is now a convention center and reception venue. The ghost of a soldier is known to guard the staircase leading to the now-sealed basement. The sound of chilling whispers permeates the still air inside the armory. But, creepiest of all, are the mannequins; there are consistent reports of them moving on their own.
Ohio State Reformatory, Mansfield
Popularly known as the set of Shawshank Redemption, the Ohio State Reformatory is known for having one of the largest freestanding cells at six stories tall. While it was originally built to hold one person per cell, due to overcrowding, violence, and disease, the prison eventually was shut down. Now, Ohio State Reformatory is open to the public for tours, and many guests have experienced being pushed, shoved, hearing disembodied voices, cells closing on their own, and more.
Oklahoma: Skirvin Inn, Oklahoma City
Opened in 1911, this hotel has been known to terrify some of the Los Angeles Lakers when playing against Thunder. Many claim that the original owner’s mistress and their love child can be seen roaming the halls. Guests have also reported the ghosts on premises to be handsy, doors shutting on their own and hearing a child crying throughout the hotel.
Anybody want to give their ghost hunter’s opinions?
Although we have a pretty good list, we know that there are many more hauntings! Do you think we missed the spookiest spot in your state? Let us know in the comments below!
Remember to visit the other parts of our 2020 Ghost Hunter’s Guide!
Ghost Hunter’s Guide to the U.S. Part 1
This features the first 17 states.
Ghost Hunter’s guide to the U.S. Part 3
This features the last 17 states.
More resources to whet any ghost hunter’s whistle:
Meet George, the Ice Cream Ghost!
