The Most Famous Ghosts In The United States
The US is full of countless ghost stories and reports of paranormal encounters. From ghosts dating back to colonial days to ghosts from the Golden Age of Hollywood, stories can be found in all corners of the country.
Here are some of the most well-known haunts that are still quite active to this day. Read on and see which ones you want to add to your bucket list of spooky places to visit next.
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The Greenbrier Ghost In West Virginia
The story of the Greenbrier Ghost begins on January 23, 1897, with the discovery of a young woman’s body in her Greenbrier County, WV, home.
Andy Jones, the 11-year-old boy who helped with chores around the home, discovered Elva Zona Heaster’s body at the bottom of the staircase in the log house she shared with her husband, Edward S. Shue. Shue and Heaster had only been married three months when this tragedy struck.
Initially, authorities claimed Heaster died from a heart attack, and Shue requested the coroner not further examine the body. Shue then dressed Heaster in clothes that covered her entirely, including her neck, around which he tied a scarf.
Soon after, Heaster’s mother, Mary Jane, claimed her daughter’s ghost came to her and told her Shue had murdered her. Mary Jane managed to convince John A. Preston, a prosecutor, to look into the case. Heaster’s body was exhumed, and medical examiners discovered her windpipe was crushed and her neck was broken.
Mary Jane insisted her daughter was been murdered after discovering Shue’s second wife (Heaster was his third) died under mysterious circumstances.
Shue was arrested, and a trial was held. A jury found him guilty and sentenced him to life in prison. The trial was considered one of a kind, and today, a highway marker in Greenbrier reads, “Only known case in which testimony from a ghost helped convict a murderer.”
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John Pedder In California
The RMS Queen Mary has been permanently docked in the harbor of Long Beach, CA, since 1967. The ship has the distinction of being one of the greatest cruise ships built - and also one of the most haunted. Paranormal investigation teams from all over the world have visited the ship to investigate.
Officially, there are approximately 49 deaths that occurred aboard the ship. Reports of scary occurrences have been come from all areas of the ship, from the engine room to the swimming pool area. Many of the deaths were very gruesome.
Two of the most famous include the deaths of crew member John Pedder and Senior 2nd Officer W.E. Stark. Stark, who died after he accidentally drank acid he thought was gin. Pedder, an 18-year-old fireman, was crushed by an iron mechanical door on July 10, 1966.
Legend claims the ship was conducting an emergency drill in which the watertight doors closed automatically, and unfortunately, Pedder didn't make it through in time. Since then, guests have reported seeing the apparition of a young man in coveralls near the door where Pedder lost his life.
Odd sounds, lights, and cold spots are some of the many paranormal phenomena that occur on a daily basis aboard the ship. Visitors can join specific haunted tours aimed at visiting the most spiritually active spots aboard the ship.
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The Grey Man Of Pawleys Island In South Carolina
Pawleys Island, SC, is one of the oldest summer resort towns on the East Coast. Since it's located along the coast, Pawleys Island is especially vulnerable to storms, and legend says the Grey Man has appeared prior to every major hurricane that has struck the area for the last 200 years.
People who have seen the Grey Man claim he appeared dressed in all grey clothing and warned them to leave the island.
The Grey Man's origin is thought to be tied to a tragedy that struck a young couple: A young woman was waiting for her fiancé to return home to her, and while the young man made it back to the island, he decided to take a shortcut. Unbeknownst to him, the shortcut would lead him through a patch of quicksand, which quickly sucked in both him and his horse. His manservant was riding behind him and witnessed the incident but was unable to save him.
The young woman was heartbroken. She claimed that one day, she was walking along the beach when a figure who looked like her fiancé appeared and told her to leave the island at once because she was in danger. The young woman and her family heeded the warning and went to their inland home.
A storm hit the coast that night, destroying most of the homes but sparing the one belonging to the woman and her family. Since then, locals believe the Grey Man continues to warn others of impending danger.
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The Madonna Of Bachelor's Grove In Illinois
The Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery is located near the Rubio Woods Forest Preserve roughly 25 miles outside of Chicago. The cemetery is the oldest in the Cook County area, and according to many, it's also the most haunted.
Visitors have reported encounters with a variety of specters, including a woman in a white dress, blue and red orbs of light, a man and his horse, and a disappearing farmhouse.
The woman in white, in particular, has appeared in many visitors' photographs, all of whom insist no one was around when they took the picture. Many theories persist regarding who she may be, but two of the most popular include a woman buried far away (but whose baby was buried at Bachelor's), and the spirit of a hit-and-run victim who died close to the cemetery and was buried there.
The cemetery was in use from 1834 to 1989, and today it's open for visitors from sunrise to sunset. Many believe the vandalism the cemetery has seen over the years has caused further unrest to the spirits there, making it a very active place of paranormal activity.
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Resurrection Mary In Illinois
Chicago's history is rich with dark occurrences, so it’s no wonder the city has plenty of ghost stories to go around. One of these is that of a ghost known as Resurrection Mary.
Mary’s ghost is believed to belong to a young woman who was killed in a hit-and-run accident while she was walking home from a party in the 1920s. Countless people have seen her ghost along Archer Avenue in Willow Springs, an area about 30 minutes from downtown Chicago.
Mary fits the hitchhiker/woman in white archetype: Legend claims that at night, she walks along the road in her white gown and asks strangers for rides. Those who pick her up say she disappears into thin air before reaching her requested destination.
Some also claim they’ve seen Mary’s ghost in nightclubs on the Southside of Chicago and that they’ve even shared a dance with her, only noting something was off by her extremely cold hands. This has led people to describe her as having “cold hands but a warm heart.”
Her name, Resurrection Mary, comes from the Resurrection Cemetery located close to the site where many believe she was killed. It’s also the site where she’s allegedly buried - and where she frequently asks drivers to drop her off.
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Bobby Darnall In New Mexico
The Kimo Theatre can be found in Albuquerque, NM. It opened in 1927, and like many old buildings, it has been the site of several tragic accidents. This includes the death of Bobby Darnall, a 6-year-old who was visiting the theater with some of his friends.
Bobby was at the concession stand when a boiler located beneath the area exploded, killing him. Since then, theatergoers and workers have reported seeing a little boy running around and playing pranks on people.
Bobby is especially fond of playing tricks on performers while they're on stage. To appease him, they leave out treats like donuts and candy. Tales of performances going haywire because people either take the treats or forget to leave them have become common over the years.
Another ghost frequently spotted in the theater is that of a young woman wearing a bonnet, who simply walks around the theater minding her own business. No one knows who she is or why she's there, but she appears content strolling the halls alone.
The theater is still in use today.
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Around the world, the word “Hollywood” conjures images of fame, fortune, and flashing lights. The actual Hollywood, however, has a long history of tragedies that don’t often get splashed on the front page of tabloid magazines. One of these tragedies is that of Peg Entwistle, and it's tied to the Hollywood sign itself.
Around the late 1920s, Entwistle traveled to Hollywood with the dream of becoming a famous actress. The future seemed bright for Entwistle when she earned a role in the film Thirteen Women; however, a higher-up later decided to cut the part. Entwistle had been cast to play a lesbian, a very controversial role in the 1930s. Understandably, Entwistle was devastated.
On September 16, 1932, Entwistle climbed a maintenance ladder up to the top of the Hollywood sign's letter H and jumped 50 feet to her death. The next day, her body was found with a note that read:
I am afraid, I am a coward. I am sorry for everything. If I had done this a long time ago, it would have saved a lot of pain. P.E.
Since her passing, many visitors to the Hollywood sign and park rangers patrolling the hills have sighted her alleged ghost. Legend says the smell of gardenia perfume permeates the air right before a sighting.
Those who have seen her describe her as having a forlorn expression, likely due to the sad end she met in the very place where her dreams came crashing down.
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The Bell Witch In Tennessee
The Bell Witch haunting has spurred people's imaginations for centuries and has led to many movies and documentaries. The story behind the US's most famous haunting starts with a man named John Bell and his family moving to a farm in Robertson County, TN, in 1804.
For the first 13 years on the farm, the Bell family lived peacefully. That all changed in the summer of 1817, however, when the family began seeing strange creatures on their land and hearing odd noises in their home. The sounds reportedly escalated from bumps and knocks to actual voices that spoke directly to the family members. The entity would start conversations about religion and even predict the future.
John and his youngest daughter, Betsy, were especially tormented by the entity, who came to be known as the Bell Witch. John would often hear the witch threaten him directly, while Betsy was beaten into unconsciousness. John died in 1820, and many attributed his death to the Bell Witch, who never stopped tormenting him.
The entity allegedly came and went for decades, often letting the family know it would be gone for several years but would eventually return. To this day, the property is a hotbed of paranormal activity, with many people experiencing odd things on the land.
Photography also shows odd lights, mist, and even entities that weren't visible to the human eye.
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Silverheels In Colorado
Buckskin Joe was a bustling mining town with a population of around 5,000 during the early era of the Colorado Gold Rush. The town was home to various dance halls, saloons, and bars.
According to legend, one day, a beautiful young woman dressed head to toe in black arrived in town. She sought out a job at Buck Bills Dance Hall, where her beauty made her especially popular with the dance hall patrons. It’s there she received her nickname of Silverheels, a reference to the shiny silver heels she often wore. Men from all over town would come to see her perform and try to get her attention.
The town sadly changed, however, when a smallpox epidemic swept through the region. Silverheels stopped dancing on stages and began tending to the sick. The disease had almost completely finished ravaging the town when Silverheels fell ill.
The only person she allowed in her home was an elderly woman named Aunt Martha, who helped her through her sickness. One night, after Silverheels was past the worst of the illness, she got dressed up and bid Aunt Martha goodnight. Aunt Martha was the last person to see her alive. Silverheels disappeared. The townsfolk organized an intense search, but no trace of her was ever found.
Silverheel’s story continued, however, when soon after her disappearance, a figure began appearing at the Buckskin Joe Cemetery. People began claiming a woman dressed in all black would appear and walk from tombstone to tombstone, placing what seemed to be flowers on each one. They believed this could be Silverheels's ghost comforting those who died from the disease.
While Buckskin Joe is a ghost town today, the cemetery still stands, as does the story of Silverheels and her ghostly apparitions.
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Charles B. Rosna In New York
Kate and Maggie Fox were young girls when they moved into an old cottage in New York's Hydesville Memorial Park in 1848. The cottage had a history of paranormal behavior, which pushed many families to leave. The Fox family, however, took a different approach.
On March 31, 1848, as the sisters were going to bed, the knocking and bumping noises began, as they usually did. The only difference that night was, the sisters decided to communicate with whatever was causing the sounds.
That night, the girls determined the spirit belonged to a man named Charles B. Rosna. The spirit was also able to tell them he was murdered at the property, and that his body was buried in the cellar.
After that, they attempted to find Rosna’s body in the cellar, but flooding in the area made this impossible. The Fox sisters continued communicating with the entity and grew to become famous mediums. Many now consider them the first modern spiritualists.
Decades later, in 1904, bones were discovered in the cottage's cellar walls. Today, the home is open to visitors, and the thumping noises continue.
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Jean Lafitte was a notorious pirate who lived in New Orleans, LA, in the early 1800s. His smuggling operation catered to whatever his clientele desired, ranging from spices and jewels to enslaved people. Lafitte was well-known in the New Orleans area and often catered to some of the wealthiest and most powerful people in the city.
Lafitte also owned and operated a Blacksmith Shop that's still open to the public to this day. Many believe Lafitte hid treasure somewhere in the shop, though no one has found it; this might be why store workers and visitors report seeing a pair of red eyes staring up from cracks in the basement walls and out of the fireplace. Others have claimed a full-figure apparition of Lafitte himself appears in the halls if a federal officer or a Frenchman enters the store.
Lafitte is also said to appear in other areas around the city, including Pirate Alley near St. Louis Cathedral and the Old Absinthe House, where he made his notorious deals.
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Pegues Ghost In Alabama
The tale of the Pegues Ghost legend dates back to a bright night in the spring of 1862 in Cahawba, AL.
As the story goes, one night, a young couple was out walking on the grounds behind Colonel C.C. Pegues’s home. As they wove in and out of thick cedars, a glowing white ball of light appeared in front of them. The ball darted back and forth, moving close to them before moving back. Curious and confused, the young man attempted to touch the light, only for it to disappear completely.
Colonel Pegues was the leader of the Fifth Alabama Regiment; the sighting of this light occurred soon after he was killed in battle. Colonel Pegues often returned home to Cahawba to recruit young men to fight during the Civil War; some say the light may have been a warning to young men - like the one who attempted to touch it - of impending doom, or perhaps the spirit of Pegues himself.
Eventually, Cahawba's residents abandoned the area, leaving it a ghost town. Some believe the light and its sudden disappearance was a warning of the town’s fate.
Today, the town functions as an archeological park, and visitors from all over arrive with hopes of spotting the orb.
