The Most Haunted City In Your State

It may be a fairly young country in relation to the rest of the world, but America is super-haunted. Not only was it built on ancient burial grounds, but its sordid past of violence, slavery, and medical experimentation also has led to some emotional spirits with unfinished business, trapped on Earth for the rest of their days to haunt and terrify entire towns and cities from coast to coast.

The Active Times has found the most haunted city in each state and the site of the most paranormal activity in each one. From ghosts to poltergeists to potential demons, these hotels, theaters, cemeteries, and homes in major (and small!) U.S. cities are super-spooky.

Whether these ghosts died hundreds of years ago or in 2001, they're making sure their presence can still be felt by throwing things from walls, slamming doors, or making the hair on the back of your neck stand up. Even more terrifying? You can still visit many of these sites of the paranormal in your city, today.

Try not to get too spooked reading our list of the most haunted city in your state.

Alabama: Birmingham

This massive pig iron factory at Sloss Furnaces in the city of Birmingham operated from 1882 until 1971. Skyscrapers and car factories relied on it to provide the needed materials for construction. Temperatures reaching more than 120 degrees, lack of sleep, and low visibility made working there a "living hell." Dozens of workers died at the site. One person sustained injuries after being "pushed from behind" and told angrily by a deep voice "to get back to work" even though there was no one else around. Other instances of screams and strange noises have been reported.

Alaska: Valdez-Cordova

The abandoned Kennecott Copper Mining Camp in Valdez-Cordova is a National Historic Landmark district. The old railroad is said to be so haunted and scary that more than 70 years after the area was abandoned, even the government has given up on redeveloping the region because of ghosts who have taken over. Workers have said they were constantly hearing screams, and their tools kept disappearing.

Arizona: Bisbee

Bisbee is the most haunted city in Arizona. In it rests Arizona's oldest hotel. It was built in 1902 to accommodate the traffic brought to town by mines rich with copper, lead, and silver, and it's still in operation. Every mining town has its ghost stories, but the Copper Queen Hotel has an unusually high number of tales and strange happenings. Stories surrounding the old luxury hotel range from the suicide of a young beautiful prostitute to the deaths of children who still roam the halls. It's said that some of the workers haven't left the premises, either.

Arkansas: Eureka Springs

Eureka Springs is so haunted, there are ghost tours that take you to spooky places in town like the Crescent Hotel. First opened in 1886, this old hotel has a grand history of many unexplainable and mysterious happenings. When they first purchased the hotel in 1997, Marty and Elise Roenigk knew they were inheriting a "confused association with the paranormal." But instead of ignoring it, they hired two certified mediums to "read" the building. Their findings, combined with an uncanny number of sightings that had been recorded during the hotel's history, eventually became the basis for what was developed into the Crescent Hotel Ghost Tours that take place nightly.

California: San Francisco

It's no wonder San Francisco is the most haunted city in California. With the Great Earthquake of 1906, Alcatraz, the twists and turns of the Tenderloin and "Suicide Alley," ghosts walk among us in this gorgeous Northern California city. Visitors, tour guides, and guards alike on Alcatraz, the former federal prison for convicts and gangsters such as Al Capone, Machine-Gun Kelly, and more, have said to have heard strange clanging sounds coming from empty cells. Others have reported hearing men running, loud screams, and voices, and feeling cold spots, but seeing absolutely nothing.

Colorado: Denver

There are quite a few places in Denver that are haunted, one being the home of Titanic survivor the "Unsinkable" Molly Brown. After surviving the Titanic, she lived in a gorgeous home in the city that she, her husband, and her daughter Catherine Ellen (who died at a young age) now haunt. People have reported seeing blinds open and close on their own, as well as the sound of footsteps on the stairs. Denver is also home to the Central Masonic Cemetery, which is haunted by a woman in a black satin gown who comes to lay flowers at the grave of her lost love, John Edward Cameron.

Connecticut: Burlington

Burlington is only 30 square miles, but it's packed with paranormal activity. There is a tiny stone jail called Tory Prison that sits in the woods on a narrow road, and people wandering by have reported not only seeing ghosts, but also hearing echoing moans. The Seventh Day Baptist Cemetery has been battered by the elements and has only one tombstone still standing. It belongs to a woman named Elizabeth Palmiter, who haunts the cemetery and is followed by a green mist.

Delaware: Delaware City

Delaware City is so haunted that it has year-round ghost tours. People on these tours routinely claim to see ghosts, and a few have even been captured in tourists' photos, mainly in Fort Delaware. Apparently, most of the spirits belong to dead Confederate soldiers who were once imprisoned at the fort, and who now spend their time creating cold spots, cannon explosion sounds, and disembodied voices.

Syfy's "Ghost Hunters" once filmed an episode at Fort Delaware, where the crew caught a thermal image of a person peeking around the corner to look at them. One expert even felt someone tug on his jacket. Many say the dungeons are the most haunted quarters on the premises, but others argue it's actually the kitchen. It's alleged that a dead cook has shown up in several Polaroid pictures, but she's not menacing. She just wants to be noticed.

Florida: Fort Lauderdale

Many translucent apparitions (ghosts) have been seen around this Florida city. Lucky's Tavern, also known as the Coyote Ugly Saloon, is haunted by a gangster who was shot in front of the building, as well as a woman in white who floats up and down the stairs. The King-Cromartie House in Fort Lauderdale is haunted by Louise Cromartie and her children. Visitors have caught her ghost on camera and have reported hearing the sounds of children running and laughing, as well as a porch swing suddenly rocking back and forth.

Georgia: Savannah

Savannah is known for its hauntingly beautiful Spanish moss trees, genteel airs, and ghosts. One of the most haunted places in the city is the Old Candler Hospital. It's the first hospital ever built in Savannah, and it's full of paranormal activity. The large oak tree on the property was formerly the site of many racially driven lynchings, and people have reported seeing ghosts hanging from its branches. There is also the Marshall House Hotel, which was a Civil War-era hospital. Staff have reported seeing the ghosts of soldiers wandering the halls.

Hawaii: Waipahu

Not only is Hawaii's Plantation Village in Waipahu apparently haunted, but every October more than five dozen workers go all out for Halloween by putting on a seriously scary haunted house. The property is so spooky that haunted-house actors aren't even allowed to work by themselves. They must be in pairs.

Even in the off-season, employees and visitors alike have reported apparitions, curtains moving and doors unlocking on their own, and the eerie sounds of pots and pans banging. A woman in 1930s clothing has also been seen wandering around the old sugar farm. This scary site makes the town of Waipahu Hawaii's most haunted.

Idaho: Boise

Boise is the most haunted city in Idaho because of its notorious prison. The Old Idaho State Penitentiary is often called the most haunted location in the state. Many phenomena have been reported in the prison, some of which include people hearing footsteps and screams, as well as feeling odd but overwhelming sensations. Visitors have also reported feeling pressure on their heads while standing where the gallows used to be, according to reviews on Yelp.

Illinois: Chicago

The Windy City's violent history has made for a ton of ghost sightings and paranormal activity. From gangsters to gang violence, the ghosts of those murdered haunt the Second City. Most notably, Chicago's Hull House was made famous by Jane Addams, who opened it as a settlement house for European immigrants arriving in the U.S. Many ghosts are said to haunt the house, including that of Charles Hull's wife and the numerous people who died there throughout the years. The most fantastical legend told is that of a father who said he would rather have Satan in his house than a picture of the Virgin Mary. Shortly after, his child was born with pointed ears, horns, scaly skin, and a tail. The baby's mother dropped him at Hull House, where Addams tried to baptize him before ultimately locking him in the attic.

Addams herself spoke of one of the front bedrooms being haunted, saying she and a friend once saw a "woman in white" there, an entity that was later seen by a group of girls using the room as a dressing room for the adjacent theater.

Indiana: Mitchell

The city of Mitchell is known for the Whispers Estate, which has been featured on several paranormal TV shows and was cited as the "4th Most Terrifying Place in America" by the Travel Channel. The house was once home to a couple who adopted several children, one of whom died in a fire and another who died of sickness as an infant. The lady of the house died in the master bedroom of double pneumonia and, to this day, visitors can swear they hear the walls whispering, rattling doorknobs, and the giggle of a little girl. Plus, those who sleep in the room where the lady of the house died have reported waking up with uncontrollable coughing fits. Spooky!

Iowa: Villisca

The town of Villisca is home to the Villisca Ax Murder House, making it the most haunted place in Iowa. The house still holds the spirit of the murderer (or murderers) who bludgeoned to death the entire family of Josiah Moore and two overnight guests on June 10, 1912. Day tours are now open. Overnights are seven nights a week all year, if you dare!

Kansas: Atchison

This Kansas town is known to be a hot spot for paranormal activity. The Sallie House is one of the most haunted places in the state and is known for its frequent and often times violent ghost activity at the hands of a former resident who died in the home. There is also a ghost who haunts a local cemetery, where people have sworn they could spot her ghostly shape hanging from a tree and hear her wails of anguish.

Kentucky: Bardstown

The six-room Jailer's Inn of Bardstown was once a jail where prisoners, some of whom were among most notorious criminals in the country, were hanged at the gallows. Now it's a bed and breakfast and one of the top stops on the two-hour guided tours hosted by Bardstown Ghost Treks. World-renowned certified ghost hunter Patti Starr leads the tours and says Bardstown is easily one of the most haunted locations she's ever encountered. Visitors talk of a female ghost who is believed to be one of the original jailers.

Louisiana: New Orleans

The paranormal is a part of daily life in New Orleans. You can hardly walk down the street without hearing about a haunted hotel or some sort of ghostly interaction. Many buildings in NoLa have chilling histories, like the Andrew Jackson Hotel in the French Quarter, which is haunted by the ghosts of five boys who died in a fire. Guests of the hotel have claimed to hear the kids playing or see them running by. The Omni Royal Orleans is also a popular place for a haunt. The ghosts at the Omni are friendly and do things like tuck guests into bed, flush toilets, run baths, and move things around.

Maine: Augusta

Allegedly thousands of patients died at the Augusta Mental Health Institute. The facility closed in 2004, but visitors report hearing unusual sounds, crying, and screaming, and even seeing ghosts.

Maryland: Sharpsburg

Hundreds of visitors to this historic battlefield have reported seeing both Union and Confederate soldiers, in uniform, wandering the grounds as if they are lost. Sure, they could simply be Civil War reenactors who stayed out at the local tavern for too long and forgot the way home, or they could be the ghosts of the more than 23,000 casualties at this site back in 1862.

The spookiest part of the property is called Bloody Lane, where approximately 5,500 men were killed or wounded, then stacked on top of one another in a sunken road. Here, visitors also report hearing distant cannons, gunfire, and chants of "fa-la-la-la-la," as in "Deck the Halls." If you plan to visit, ghost hunters have recommended dawn and dusk as the prime times.

Massachusetts: Boston

Boston is not only the most haunted city in Massachusetts, it's also one of the most haunted cities in America. Ghosts have been spotted everywhere from hotels to national landmarks. The Cutler Majestic Theatre is haunted by the ghost of a former mayor, as well as a couple and their young daughter, whom theater patrons have seen. Granary Park, a cemetery founded in 1660, is the final resting place for many of the U.S.'s Founding Fathers. Visitors have experienced shadowy figures, glowing orbs, ghostly faces, and chilling sensations all while wandering its grounds.

Michigan: Mackinac Island

Mackinac Island should basically be called "Ghost Island," because the whole place is apparently crawling with apparitions, cold spots, and strange events. Specific locations known to be haunted include the Grand Hotel (which was built upon an old military cemetery and has seen countless unexplainable incidents), Mission Point Resort (formerly Mackinac College, which was open only for four years and was allegedly the site of a suicide by a heartbroken lover), Fort Mackinac (once visited by Syfy's "Ghost Hunters"), and the so-called Drowning Pool.

If you're a history buff, you'll be interested to know that U.S. Presidents Truman, Kennedy, Ford, [George H.W.] Bush, and Clinton have all stayed at the Grand Hotel, which was also the location of Thomas Edison's first public phonograph demonstration.

Minnesota: St. Paul

St. Paul is totally haunted. The Landmark Center was formerly a federal courthouse where an owner of a speakeasy committed suicide. His ghost likes to attend events such as weddings and parties in the building, and his apparition is frequently spotted inside the women's third-floor restroom. Hamline University's Manor Hall is also pretty spooktacular. Students have claimed to hear strange sounds and see objects move by themselves, even ghosts. According to the school's website, "The most recent apparition to appear on campus is known as the Hand of Drew Hall. Self-proclaimed expert on Hamline lore, Jon Schill '09, explained that it all began in the 1960s shortly after the elevator had been installed in Drew Hall. A freshman, goofing around between classes, kept putting his hand in-between the door whenever it was about to close. Apparently, the elevator's sensor failed to detect it and slammed shut like a guillotine, severing his hand at the wrist. "The kid lived but they never did find that hand and, as the legend goes, that hand is still crawling around Drew Hall looking for its body," said Jon, adding that "this story was corroborated by Ka Vang, former Assistant Director for Multicultural and International Student Affairs, when she talked about girls reporting feeling icy fingers on their feet at night."

Mississippi: Vicksburg

Vicksburg is home to Mississippi's most haunted places, including the old Kuhn Memorial State Hospital and the McRaven Home. The hospital is often visited by ghost hunters and, in 2014, a team of them found the body of a missing woman inside its haunted walls. Its national military park is also the site of a ton of paranormal activity. Visitors have reported hearing cannon fire, screams, and horses across the now-empty stretch of land.

Missouri: St. Louis

The Lemp Mansion in St. Louis continues to play host to a tragic family, a dynasty of rich beer brewers. Four members committed suicide after the death of son Frederick. One of the ghosts seen is "the monkey-faced boy," who is believed to be William Lemp's illegitimate son, who had Down syndrome and kept in the attic. Over the years, the house was transformed from the stately home of millionaires to office space, decaying into a rundown boarding house, and finally restored to its current state as a fine dinner theater, restaurant, and bed and breakfast, according to Legends of America. St. Louis is also home to the Alexian Brothers Hospital, which inspired the novel and film The Exorcist.

Montana: Virginia City

A ghost town full of ghosts? Makes sense to us, especially when the original town (founded in 1863) was infamous for a lack of law enforcement or a justice system, and consequently had a high rate of robberies and murders along the region's trails.

Around town, numerous entities are said to hang at the local saloon, a little girl ghost is known to sit on the steps of a costume shop, a piano-playing apparition haunts the opera house, and the Bonanza Inn (once a hospital) is home to the spirit of a nun.

Nebraska: Springfield

Springfield is known for its super-spooky Ball Cemetery. There have been tales of a tall male ghost who walks around in the middle of the night attacking and strangling visitors, unexplainable bruises appearing randomly on people after visits, the faint voice of a woman followed by maniacal laughter, strange ectoplasm mists appearing in photographs, and headstones tipping over and rising back up on their own.

Adding to the frights, the very-much-alive, shotgun-toting next-door neighbors guard the cemetery at night, so you might want to pass on visiting this one without permission.

Nevada: Virginia City

Virginia City is filled with haunts. An old hotel called the Silver Queen is haunted by the spirit of a sex worker who committed suicide in the bathtub of Room 11. The Mackay Mansion is haunted by its former owner, Col. John Mackay, and his ghost has been seen by guests of the house, which is now a museum.

New Hampshire: Bretton Woods

Omni Mount Washington Resort in Bretton Woods hosts the ghost of Caroline Foster, the wife of railroad tycoon Joseph Stickney, the resort's builder. The elegant woman in Victorian dress is often spotted in the hallways of the hotel, but perhaps the most common sighting of the beloved Caroline is in Room 314, where guests report seeing the vision of the woman sitting at the edge of the bed. Don't believe all the hype?

According to this Trip Advisor review from a guest who stayed in Room 314, the fireplace turned on by itself, the lamp flickered often, and her daughter's plush monkey went missing, only to show up in the center of the floor later in the day. After the housekeeper tidied the room the next morning — brought new towels, put away the ironing board, and made the bed — the guest noticed an imprint in the sheets and cover as if someone had lain down to take a nap.

New Jersey: Trenton

An old psychiatric hospital in Trenton has made it the most haunted city in New Jersey. The former director of the Trenton Psychiatric Hospital would treat his patients' mental illnesses by removing their organs, without anesthesia. People have heard screaming inside the empty property, as well as shadowy figures.

New Mexico: Santa Fe

Santa Fe has a spooky past, especially in places like La Posada de Santa Fe resort and While Sands National Monument. The resort dates to 1882, when a Santa Fe Trail merchant, Abraham Staab, built it as a three-story Victorian mansion for his family. Staab and his wife, Julia, had six children. A seventh died soon after his birth. This sent Julia into a deep depression, and after several other unsuccessful pregnancies, she confined herself to her room until she ultimately died in 1896 at the age of 52. Her presence continued to live on in the property.

Today, the Staab House at La Posada de Santa Fe retains its original structure and is home to a cozy bar and Suite 100, which used to be Julia's bedroom. To honor her, the hotel staff makes sure to invite her to parties held in the house and greet her when they enter her bedroom.

You are most likely to see Pavla Blanca, the ghost of the Great White Sands, at sunset. In early 1540, a young Spanish conquistador, Hernando de Luna, left his lovely fiancée, Mañuela, in Mexico City, to accompany the famed explorer, Francisco Coronado, in search for the fabled Seven Cities of Cibola and Gran Quivira. They were ambushed by Apaches on the edge of the Great White Sands. De Luna died and perished somewhere in the ever-shifting white sands. Mañuela was never seen again. It is said that her ghost haunts the dunes nowadays. She comes nightly in her flowing, white wedding gown to seek her lover, lost and buried beneath the eternal dunes.

New York: East Bethany

There are more than 17,000 bodies in unmarked graves on the premises of Rolling Hills Asylum in East Bethany. It was first a poor house for lunatics, paupers, and vagrants, and then an infirmary, an orphanage, a tuberculosis hospital, and finally a nursing home. It's the most haunted spot in New York state, making East Bethany the most haunted city. Most of its spooky activity allegedly comes from the psych ward, morgue, and graveyard.

North Carolina: Charlotte

Charlotte is plagued by ghosts on the city's old plantation grounds, in theaters, bars, and even one of its universities. Whether it's cold spots, ghost sightings, phantom footsteps, or disembodied voices, Charlotte has it all. The Antique Kingdom, a shop on Central Avenue, has an extremely haunted third floor that even the shopkeeper refuses to visit. Customers have reported feeling an unseen person breathing on their neck or cheek while wandering through its wares.

North Dakota: Dunseith

A tuberculosis ward in Dunseith has made it the most haunted city in North Dakota. Not only did thousands of patients die there, in 2001 a teenage boy died while exploring the property. His ghost, as well as the ghosts of others, can be heard crying inside, looking out of windows, or seen as passing shadows.

Ohio: Cincinnati

Several performance establishments in Cincinnati are said to be haunted. Recently a photographer caught several ghoulish images of apparitions during renovations of the city's Music Hall. The Cincinnati icon is known as one of the region's "most haunted" places, and was even featured on the Syfy Channel's "Ghost Hunters" in 2014. The Music Hall became known as being among the "most haunted" places in the country due to its location. Before its construction, the plot was home to Ohio's first insane asylum.

Oklahoma: Guthrie

An old mansion that is now the Stone Lion Inn in Guthrie was formerly used as a funeral home. The house was bought in 1986 by Becky Luker, who turned it into a B&B. Guests would hear noises of what sounded like feet padding up and down a stairway at night. Toys and games would be neatly put away each night and the door locked, then the next morning, they would be found scattered all over the floor, according to Prairie Ghosts. An 8-year-old girl died in the house from the whooping cough, so some believe her ghost is still in the house. Her story has attracted ghost hunters from around the world to come to Guthrie, the most haunted city in Oklahoma.

Oregon: Portland

A pizza shop now sits on top of where Portland's famous Shanghai tunnels used to be. The ghosts of kidnapped sailors and sex-trafficked young women who were murdered inside these dank, dark tunnels that connected Portland underground haunt the property and spook guests. One of the most well-known ghosts is a young woman called Nina. She was thrown down an elevator shaft, and her ghost wanders the building.

Pennsylvania: Gettysburg

Battlefields are a natural site of spooky visitations, purported to be from former soldiers who continue to fight their ghostly wars. The Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania saw 51,000 casualties during the Civil War, and visitors report still hearing echoes of battle – drums and gunshots – as well as spotting ghostly visages. The most haunted part of the park is said to be Devil's Den, a hill used by artillery and infantry during the war. Some have reported that the den causes electronic malfunctions. While skeptics may point to this as a handy excuse for not being able to snap photographic evidence of spirits, anyone venturing to the battlefield might need the courage of a soldier.

Rhode Island: Exeter

The most unique aspect of this ghost story is that the scares have existed for almost 125 years, and the biggest panic took place all the way back in 1892. The tale began with the Brown family, which suffered numerous losses due to tuberculosis. The first to die was the mother, Mary, then the eldest daughter, Mary Olive, followed by another daughter, Mercy. The son, Edwin, got sick shortly afterward as well. Since there were so many deaths in a single family (and a whole lot of medical misinformation at the time), the town was thrown into a state of hysteria, believing one of the dead members was a vampire.

The bodies of the deceased Browns were then exhumed and found to be decomposing at the expected rate — except for that of Mercy, whose body was still in a relatively unchanged condition. Mercy's heart was removed and her body was burned, with some ashes mixed with water and given to the ill Edwin to drink in an attempt to save his life via wacky superstition. Not only did he die two months later, but the ghost of the desecrated Mercy has haunted the Chestnut Hill cemetery ever since. Countless visitors have reported hearing crying and seeing odd lights around Mercy's grave, and many have felt a presence nearby, in addition to a host of other unexplainable phenomena.

The cemetery is open to the public from dawn to dusk, but that doesn't mean we'd recommend visiting the young girl's grave, knocking on it three times, and asking, "Mercy L. Brown, are you a vampire?"

South Carolina: Charleston

The Old City Jail housed some of Charleston's most infamous criminals, 19th-century pirates, and Civil War prisoners, according to Bulldog Tours. Most of the building's original structures — like the cells and warden's quarters — have remained intact since it closed in 1939. A tour will take you through the cells, hallways, and into the places where criminals lived and died. One of the most popular stories is that of Lavinia and John Fisher, who poisoned the people who stayed at their hotel. Lavinia's ghost supposedly still, very loudly, haunts the location.

South Dakota: Deadwood

Deadwood is super-spooky. Its first-ever sheriff haunts the Bullock Hotel. His ghost appears in photos, knocks on walls, and has prompted guests to smell cigar smoke when no one is there. The Fairmont hotel is also home to a plethora of paranormal activity, Angry ghosts live on the third floor and mess with guests, appear in pictures, and float by as orbs.

Tennessee: Sevierville

Sevierville is Tennessee's most haunted city thanks to its Wheatland Plantation. The home that currently stands there is the second structure to be built on the site, as the first burned to the ground just after Christmas in 1825 with four young children inside.

There's also a burial ground underneath the property, which allegedly holds the bones of 28 Cherokees, at least 68 African slaves, and two Revolutionary War soldiers. That might explain the chanting and singing that ghost hunters often report and have even recorded. That, along with the blood smears still visible on the walls (from one of 70 murders to take place in the house), should make for a frightening visit.

Texas: San Antonio

There has been a ton of paranormal activity reported in San Antonio. Guests of the Menger Hotel, Hot Wells Ruins, and the Victoria Black Swan Inn have all reported seeing or experiencing something ghostly. Comanche Lookout Park off Nacogdoches Road is haunted by the ghosts of the Apache and Comanche tribes. People who have pulled over have reported hearing the sound of drums and seeing shadowy figures.

Utah: Salt Lake City

Although this former depot of the Denver Rio Grande and Western Railroad no longer serves its former function, it has been restored in order to house the state history offices, the Utah Research Center, the Rio Gallery, the Rio Grande Café, and the same ghosts that have been there for decades.

One apparently belongs to a beautiful, dark-haired woman who was run over by a train while attempting to rescue a wedding ring her husband threw onto the tracks. She is often seen in the ladies' room and in the aforementioned café. Most of the action takes place at night, though, when security guards have heard loud noises, disembodied footsteps, and heavy breathing, and have seen flashing lights and shadowy apparitions in the cellar and on the first floor.

Two ghosts are said to occupy the mansion, which is also known as the Staines-Jennings Mansion. One is of a little girl who likes to mess with the staff. She apparently like to wave at people. She is heard talking and even singing to herself. The other is the spirit of a woman with some connection to the building and the area. She is more violent and really scares people, protecting the house from any possible mistreatment. She throws objects on the ground.

Vermont: Chittendon

Ghostly apparitions have been seen at Eddy House in Chittendon since it was first built back in 1874, originally as the home of Zepaniah Eddy. Of course, it's worth mentioning that the two of Eddy's three young children (brothers William and Horatio) claimed to be mediums from an early age, as they were descended from a long line of psychics. After a traumatic childhood, during which the brothers were beaten by their father and suffered abuse on the sideshow circuit, the duo returned home and converted their old house into the Green Tavern and Inn, where they held séances.

Despite the attempts of attorney Henry Steel Olcott to debunk the claims and events that took place there, some of which he actually witnessed, he had no luck. Eventually, Olcott wrote "People From Other Worlds" to authenticate the Eddys' claims.

Virginia: Virginia Beach

The Ferry Plantation in Virginia Beach is so haunted that every year it hosts the Stroll of Lost Souls to introduce visitors to the plethora of ghosts who live on the property, including the "Witch of Pungo," who was tried by water (drowning) on the property on July 10, 1706, and convicted of witchcraft. A cat walking through the walls is another famous and rumored ghost at the mansion.

Washington: Snohomish

Built in 1900, the Oxford Saloon (and possible former bordello) has been haunted nearly the entire time by the ghost of a policeman named Henry who was stabbed to death there while trying to break up a fight. He's reportedly fond of the ladies, creepily hanging out in the restroom or on the basement stairs waiting to pinch passing women. Upstairs (now offices), an apparition of a man in a bowler hat and two females (thought to be Kathleen and Amelia, a former bordello owner and worker, respectively) are often seen here, not surprising considering Amelia was mysteriously found dead in an upstairs closet a long time ago.

The Washington State Ghost Society has been investigating this location intermittently for the past decade and has encountered all sorts of frightening disembodied voices and ghostly figures, some of which were even recorded on audio tapes and captured in photos. Snohomish is the most haunted city in Washington because of it.

Washington, D.C.

The Octagon House in Washington, D.C. is haunted by its former residents, including slaves, and their ghosts have been seen on the second and third floors. There are also numerous ghosts in D.C.'s Old Stone House. One of the ghosts is a man called "George." George is violent and has choked and pushed visitors. Guests have reported feeling cold and an overwhelming feeling of dread when he's near.

West Virginia: Weston

Hospitals, asylums, and important war sites are all hotbeds for haunted happenings, so it's no surprise that this former mental hospital and Union soldier camp has had its share of scary situations. The institution closed in 1994, but people's curiosity about the tales of mysterious slamming doors, shadowy figures, and bloodcurdling screams have kept it open year-round thanks to a large demand for haunted tours.

The spirits allegedly belong to the former patients, who were likely ticked off about being committed for ridiculous reasons such as laziness, religious enthusiasm, women trouble, superstition, and birth control.

Wisconsin: Milwaukee

Milwaukee has three very haunted hotels in its city limits. The Pfister Hotel is its most famous. The ghost of Charles Pfister himself is said to still walk around the building. He likes to scare the famous guests – this is where professional baseball and basketball teams stay whenever they are in town – by moving tables and knocking on doors. The ghost has also been spotted wandering the hallways walking his dog. There is also the Brumder Mansion Bed & Breakfast, where decorations have been known to fall (or even fly) off walls, doors slam, and doorbells ring when no one is there. Milwaukee's Hilton Garden Inn is haunted by the ghosts of 70 people who died in a horrible fire in the building.

Wyoming: Buffalo

The Occidental Hotel in Buffalo is majorly haunted. This former saloon, hotel, and bordello dates back to the 1800s and is haunted by the daughter of a prostitute who passed away on the inn's top floor. She taps shoulders and moves furniture, and has been described as having long dark hair and wearing a white dress. Strange lights, odd voices, and ghostly laughter have also been reported by guests. Another building in the area, the Mansion House Inn, is said to be haunted by a poltergeist. There have been unexplained pounding noises on walls, screams, and doors locking by themselves reported by guests.