#30. Maple Hill Cemetery
The Maple Hill Cemetery is an old cemetery in Huntsville, Alabama, that was built in 1822, making it the oldest burial grown in the whole town. Spreading across 100 acres, this massive cemetery is believed to be haunted by the spirits of many children who had an unfortunate fate that ended their lives way too soon, which is why it’s also known as The Dead Children’s Playground.
In the 1960s, several children went missing in the area. After a long search, their bodies were found in a playground that’s right next to the cemetery, where the kids were later buried. Ever since then, people claim you can hear children playing, screaming, and running around, although nobody is there, and that the swings move on their own.
#29. Castle Of Good Hope
The Castle of Good Hope is one of the oldest and biggest colonial buildings of South Africa, and it was built by the Dutch India Company to let traders rest during their travels. But that’s not the only thing it was built for. In fact, it had a torture chamber in its basement to torture prisoners, who usually drowned when the tide was too high and the basement flooded.
Many ghosts reportedly haunted the place as a result, but the most famous one was the Lady in Grey, the ghost of a woman that was seen sobbing constantly. Employees of the castle started investigating the apparitions, and they eventually found the body of a woman buried in the castle. Once they gave her a proper burial, the hauntings stopped.
#28. Atsugi Hangar Bay
The Atsugi Naval Base in Tokyo, Japan, is commonly known as one of the most haunted places in the country, and this dates back to World War II. The base was secretly used as a CIA base, so a lot of shady stuff went down there. People have reportedly seen the spirit of a young man wandering for decades, and it is believed that it is the spirit of a man who died in a car accident at the base back in 1960.
But the most haunted area of the base is the Hangar Bay, which was used by most Kamikaze pilots of Japan, who purposely crashed their planes to kill themselves for their failures after Japan surrendered in WWII. Ever since then, people have reportedly seent the spirits of these pilots floating around, with big, red eyes shining in the dark.
#27. Poveglia Island
Poveglia Island is one of the most horrifying places in the world, which is why it is actually forbidden to go there. Located near Venice, Italy, the island was used to harbor people allegedly infected with the black plague, where they would agonize to death and their bodies would be piled up and burned. A lot of them, however, were mistakenly sent there, and they weren’t infected with the bacteria.
50% of the island’s soil is actually human ash, so you can safely assume thousands of people died there. Not only that, but a mental asylum was also built there 100 years ago, where most patients were horrifically tortured. All of these events resulted in the Island being closed off, and people who dared to sneak in have reported hundreds of ghosts haunting every inch of the island.
#26. St. Katherine’s Abbey
You would think that a convent from the 1500s would be a beautiful sight to see, but the truth is that St. Katherine’s Abbey, located in Limerick, Ireland, is one of the most haunted places in Europe. It all dates back to an old legend about the Earl and Countess of Desmond, who were attacked by some enemies. The Earl died, but the Countess was left agonizing and screaming for help, though nobody heard her.
People have reportedly heard the Countess’ cries for help many times over the years. But that’s not all. One of the nuns in the convent was said to have made a deal with the devil, and one day, she was found sitting in a chair with her face contorted in a scream of horror and her eyes open —oh, and of course, dead. It is believed that the devil finally came for her soul.
#25. 29 Hanbury Street
Jack the Ripper is one of the most famous serial killers of all time, known for brutally murdering women, mostly prostitutes, in the streets of London in 1988. The scariest part about his horrific acts is that he was never ever found, so you could say the souls of his victims never got any closure, which is why many of them have been spotted, haunting the places where they were murdered.
One of his victims was decapitated, and her body was found on 29 Hanbury Street. Years after the murder, a brewery was opened right where the attack had happened, and people say they have witnessed apparitions of the decapitated woman’s spirit, who wanders at night searching for her killer, who she will never find.
#24. Aokigahara Forest
At the edge of Mt. Fuji in Japan rests the Aokigahara Forest, also known as The Forest of Death. While it is a beautiful and mysterious sight, filled with gorgeous trees and vegetation, the forest has witnessed countless deaths since the 1950s. That is because hundreds of people over the years have chosen the forest as a spot to commit suicide by hanging.
The Japanese government has stopped publicizing the number of deaths that occurred in the forest in the hopes of reducing the number of suicides, but it has not helped much. Many visitors of the forest claim to have seen the ghosts of those who committed suicide, and people often find bodies or nooses hanging from the trees.
#23. Myrtles Plantation
The Myrtles Plantation in Louisiana has a very dark, dark story behind it. During the 1700s, the Woodruff family owned the plantation, and of course, had many slaves. One of the slaves, Chloe, stopped working in the fields and became a housemaid, which was a job with much more favorable conditions. However, she suspected that she would be sent back to the fields, so she came up with a plan to get on the family’s good side.
She planned on secretly poisoning the family so that they would get sick, and then she would nurse them back to health with the antidote and become their favorite slave. Unfortunately, it backfired, and the children died. When she confessed, she was dragged outside in the middle of the night and hanged. People still report seeing the young girl wandering the fields aimlessly.
#22. The Hampton Lillibridge House
The Hampton Lillibridge House is an 18th Century three-story house located in Savannah Georgia, and while it is an architectural gem, it is also a ghost-ridden nightmare. Nobody knows how or why the house became such a horrifying place, but it has been that way for centuries. The first owner of the house, Hampton Lillibridge, died in it, so it is suspected that his ghost has been haunting the place all along.
The first supernatural event recorded was the fact that the house somehow survived the Great Fire of Savannah in 1820, which completely destroyed all houses in the area, but this one remained untouched. Years later, a sailor who was renting the house hanged himself inside. Later, when it was going through renovations, a construction worker was accidentally killed. Nobody knows what to do with the place, and a priest has even exorcised it, with no results.
#21. The Moore House
While the Moore House is a gorgeous home located in Villisca, Iowa, it was also the location of a gruesome murder scene. The Moore family and two house guests were enjoying a quiet evening at home on June 10, 1912, when an unidentified man wielding an ax broke in and violently slaughtered every last one of them. The eight victims were found the next day, but the killer was never found.
Ever since then, people have reportedly seen the ghosts of the victims wandering around the place, looking for their killer. The house became so famous for its paranormal activity that it has been featured in a few tv shows like Ghost Adventures, and the place is now a museum for ghost tours.
#20. Leamaneh Castle
The Leamaneh Castle is a ruined castle in Ireland that consists of a 15th-century tower house and a 17th-century mansion that was once the home of one of the last High Kings of Ireland. In 1639, the owners, Conor O’Brien and Maire Rua (which translates to Red Mary) got married. Mary was known for her bright red hair, which earner her name. Sadly, Conor died and left Mary alone to care for their 11 children.
Mary married John Cooper in order to maintain her wealth and her property, but locals weren’t fond of him. They turned their back on Mary and a rumor that she murdered her previous husband started spreading, which led to her kidnapping. She was put in a hollow tree and left to die of starvation. To this day, Mary’s ghost is still seen wandering around the castle, with her bright, red hair flowing in the air.
#19. The House Of Death
The House of Death is a home located at 14 West 10th Street in New York City, and it earned its name back in the 1960s. The gorgeous mansion was home to Mark Twain, who lived there for two years and whose ghost has reportedly been seen wandering inside the place. Although the home has been turned into a ten-story apartment building, the hauntings never stopped.
When actress Jan Bryant Bartell bought it in the 1960s, she felt icy hands touching her neck and noticed the smell of rotting corpses. She then began investigating the history of the house, and not only did she find out about Mark Twain but also that two people had died in the house as well. She couldn’t handle the paranormal activity going on at her home, and she committed suicide there.
#18. Hotel Majestic
The Hotel Majestic is one of San Francisco’s oldest hotels, and also one of the most haunted places in the city. It is a gorgeous building that has been sitting there since 1902, and hundreds of guests have reported paranormal activity going down on the fourth floor specifically. This dates back to the original owner, Milton Schmidt, who owned the building as his personal home and sold it in 1904, when it became a hotel.
His daughter, who grew up there, was extremely upset when the place was sold, and her ghost is said to haunt the fourth floor, where she used to live. Not only that, but a portrait of her hangs in the lobby of the hotel, and people believe that her spirit lives in it. From shaking beds to strange noises, to sightings of the girl, the fourth floor is no place to spend the night.
#17. The Screaming Bridge
There is a paranormal phenomenon known as the crybaby bridge, which is a bridge where you can hear the cries of ghosts. There are many of these bridges scattered around the United States, but the Screaming Bridge of Maud Hughes Road is definitely the scariest one. Located in Liberty Township, Ohio, the bridge has reportedly been the site of many accidents and suicides —it is estimated that at least 36 people died there.
As a result, people have reported seeing ghosts wandering around, mist floating in the air, and even flashing lights. But the worst part is the screams and cries of the ghosts, which have also been heard having conversations with each other. Next time you’re in Ohio, stay as far away as possible!
#16. Jerome, Arizona
The amount of paranormal activity reported in Jerome, Arizona, makes the entire town one of the most haunted places in the world. In the 1800s, the town became the home of hundreds of copper miners, many of who died in collapsing mines. Also, drug overdose and gun fighting made the city a very dangerous place to live —and an easy place to die.
But most of the deaths that resulted in paranormal activity come from the Jerome Grand Hotel, which used to be a hospital. It is believed that more than 9,000 people died there while the hospital was still operating, and the hotel is infested with ghosts. Actually, the entire town is full of ghosts, as many visitors claim.
#15. The Ostrich Inn
The Ostrich Inn located in London, England, was an adorable little inn owned in the 17th century by John Jarman. Jarman and his wife seemed like sweet, kind people, but they were the complete opposite. They had one room in the inn reserved for wealthy guests, and while all other guests slept comfortably in their rooms, the wealthy guests were murdered.
The room had a hatch that would drop the sleeping guest into a pot of boiling water in the kitchen below. Jarman’s wife did the dirty work, while Jarman took the money and belongings of his victims. It is said that 60 people were murdered there until the couple was caught, but the 60 ghosts still wander around the building, looking for closure.
#14. The Island Of The Dolls
A tiny island in the canals of Xochimilco, Mexico, is known as The Island of the Dolls, and it earned its name thanks to a scary urban legend. It is believed that in the 1920s, a little girl was playing with her doll in the murky water of the canals, but she fell and drowned. Her ghost was spotted in the place of her death several times, but it was a man named Julien Santana Barrera who actually spoke to the ghost.
The little girl repeatedly asked for a doll, so Barrera left a doll for her there, but she wasn’t satisfied. He then began leaving dolls for her in order to help her find the light and leave this world, but it was no use. The task consumed his life, and he was found drowned in the exact same spot where the girl died.
#13. The Carrickfergus Castle
Well, Ireland seems to be hella haunted, right? The Carrickfergus Castle, built in 1185, has been haunted by ghosts for 800 years. One of the many ghosts that roam the castle is known as Buttoncap because his real name was never discovered. It is believed that the young boy was murdered at the castle for unknown reasons.
Another famous ghost is Timothy Lavery, a soldier that was stationed at the castle in the 1760s. A man named Robert Rainey murdered another soldier at the castle in a jealous rage for sleeping with his fiancé, and it just so happened that he resembled Lavery. Lavery was then wrongfully accused of murder and executed. His ghost never left the castle.
#12.Château De Brissac
The Château de Brissac is the tallest castle in France and an impressive, gorgeous piece of architecture from the 15th century. But this beautiful building was the location of a double homicide in 1477. At that time, the castle was the home of Charlotte De Brézé, the illegitimate daughter of King Charles VII, and her husband Jacques. But the couple didn’t really like each other and even slept in different rooms.
In spite of that, when Jacques found out that Charlotte had brought a lover to spend the night with her in her room, Jacques lost it. He brutally murdered both Charlotte and her lover, and then fled the scene. Since then, guests of the castle claim to have seen the ghost of Charlotte, now known as the Green Lady, because her ghost wears a bright green dress, which was her outfit at the time of her death.
#11. The Baker Hotel
In 1929, the gorgeous Baker Hotel opened its doors in Mineral Wells, Texas. Unfortunately, it was quickly shut down because of the Great Depression and World War II. As a result, the massive, luxurious hotel was abandoned. But during the few years it was open, it hosted thousands of people who came to Mineral Wells to seek help.
The city is known for its mineral-rich water, which, a hundred years ago, was believed to cure any illness. But of course, there’s no such thing as some magic water that can cure cancer, so hundreds of people died in this town, and their ghosts sought refuge in the abandoned Baker Hotel, which is now crowded with the ghosts of ill people who are still looking for a cure.
#10. Eastern State Penitentiary
The Eastern State Penitentiary in Pennsylvania operated for 142 years before it was closed and abandoned. During its history, it witnessed suicide, madness, disease, and of course, murder, as it was the home of thousands of criminals for over a century. Ever since it was shut down, it is believed to be haunted by the ghosts of hundreds of prisoners who died there.
One of the most famous ghost stories of the penitentiary is that of Jimmy the Ghost. The prison saw thousands of criminals come and go, and one of them was none other than Al Capone, a world-famous gangster. While he was incarcerated, he claimed to have seen the ghost of his friend Jimmy, whose death he was responsible for.
#9. The Pine Barrens
The Pine Barrens of New Jersey is a huge forest located between New York City and Philadelphia, and it is believed to be one of the most haunted places in the United States. Spanning 7 counties and encompassing over 1.1 million acres, the forest houses hundreds of ghosts that roam between the trees.
One of the paranormal creatures that are believed to live in the forest is the Jersey Devil, which is a demon with wings, hooves, and the head of a goat that screams at the top of its lungs. Also, many of the ghosts are believed to be those of victims of the mafia, which used to dump bodies in the forest.
#8. Borgvattnet
The town of Borgvattnet, located in Sweden, is a very small town that is said to be heavily haunted. It all began in 1927, when the town vicar reported that his laundry was being torn from the line, among other supernatural events. As the years passed, every single vicar along with their families experienced the same events.
Many different ghosts have been spotted, but the most notorious are ghostly women in grey, who stand at the foot of people’s beds and silently observe them as they sleep. They are believed to be the maids of an old vicar who used to mistreat them. Nowadays, there’s a small bed and breakfast at the vicarage, and people get a diploma if they manage to spend the whole night there. Would you be up for the challenge?
#7. Bodmin Jail
Bodmin Jail is known as the most terrifyingly haunted jails in the United Kingdom. The building opened in 1779 and hosted hundreds of prisoners over two centuries, until it was closed in 1927. After that, it was abandoned, and now most of it remains in ruins. Ever since it closed, reports of ghosts wandering around the corridors of the jail have come up constantly.
It is believed that the ghosts of the prisoners who died in the prison, especially those who committed suicide, never left the building, and still stay in their cells and wander around aimlessly. The most famous ghost is that of a woman who was imprisoned for drowning her baby in a well, and she has been spotted in the bathrooms, crying uncontrollably.
#6. Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey is one of the most famous buildings in London, as it is the church where royals have their weddings, coronations, and religious ceremonies. Just like any other church, it has a choir. In 1920, the Westminster Abbey choir was doing their routine rehearsal before Christmas, when they usually sing Christmas carols, when they spotted something very strange.
Although the door was closed, an old woman managed to get inside, and even though the choir thought it was strange, their let her join the rehearsal. As soon as practice finished, the woman suddenly vanished, and a cat was found running around the church. They figured it was the ghost of a former choir member who loved carols and had a passion for cats. Ever since then, she has been spotted hundreds of times before Christmas.
#5. The White House
You might be surprised to find the White House in this list, but the presidential building has been known to be haunted ever since Abraham Lincoln was president. During his time as president, Lincoln’s son, Willie, tragically passed away at age 11 due to typhoid fever.
Lincoln’s wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, was crushed and couldn’t get over her son’s death. Rumor has it that she used The Red Room to try to summon his ghost and communicate with him, and it worked. Ever since then, people have reportedly seen Willie’s ghost roaming the halls, as well as a couple of other ghosts.
#4. The Banff Springs Hotel
The Banff Springs Hotel, located in Alberta, Canada, is a majestic building built in 1888 that still operates as a luxurious hotel. However, it is believed to be heavily haunted by a bunch of ghosts, each with a horrible story behind it. One of them is a man who allegedly murdered his wife and daughter at the hotel, before committing suicide.
Because of its beauty, the hotel is often used for weddings, and as one story goes, when a bride was getting ready for her big day, her dress caught fire from a nearby candle. Startled, the bridge started to panic, then fell down the stairs, and died from a broken neck. Ever since then, her ghost has been spotted attending other people’s weddings.
#3. The Babenhausen Barracks
The Babenhausen Barracks of Hesse, Germany, used to shelter World War II German soldiers, was abandoned after the war ended. Now a museum, the place is known for being packed with World War II soldiers’ ghosts still wearing their uniforms, and German drill commands can be heard in the distance.
A woman talking backward has been heard, along with screams, and marching footsteps. A woman accused of being a witch was also burned alive at the stake in the 19th century, and her ghost is believed to have seduced and then murdered many German soldiers stationed in the barracks since then.
#2. The Lutz House Of Amityville
You might have heard of the legend of the Lutz House of Amityville, as the story has been turned into several films and books over the years, making it one of the most famous haunted places of all time. Now a part of American pop culture, the house was the site of a gruesome murder back in 1974.
Ronald DeFeo Jr. murdered his siblings and parents with a rifle in the middle of the night as they slept peacefully in their beds. A year later, the Lutz family moved in, having no knowledge of the murder. The family only lasted a month there, as the haunting of the home almost drove them to insanity. According to them, the stepfather of the family was being coerced by ghosts to commit the same crime as DeFeo against his family.
#1. The Tower Of London
Henry VIII was King of England from 1509 until 1547, and is best known for having a whopping 6 marriages because he could not produce a male heir. Eventually, he separated the Church of England from the Pope so that he could have his marriages annulled and take new wives. Sadly, however, he executed two of them.
One was Anne Boleyn, who he beheaded at the Tower of London in 1536. She had been accused of adultery and sentenced to death, although there was no convincing evidence against her. Ever since then, people have witnessed the headless body of a woman wandering around the Tower of London, and her head is nowhere to be seen.