12 Spooky House of USA You Must Visit

There are many cheesy haunted houses nationwide, but some individuals want to see actual ghosts on Halloween. The US is plenty of ancient homes with intriguing (and eerie) stories, and it’s easy to find “real” haunted houses if you know where to search.

Ghost-hunting and paranormal-investigation fans can tell you where to find the country’s scariest real-life ghosts. The Whaley House, Winchester Mystery House, and Lizzie Borden’s Fall River residence are infamous for terrifying tourists.

If you like ghost stories and shivers, visit one of America’s most haunted houses, some of which allow guests stay the night.

The Whaley House Museum, California

Grand larceny convict James “Yankee Jim” Robinson was hanged in 1852. A few years later, Thomas and Anna Whaley constructed a house on Robinson’s grave, and Yankee Jim’s spirit soon appeared. He reportedly stomps around the home.

Yankee Jim isn’t the only ghost—Mr. and Mrs. Whaley, a little girl, and even the family dog have appeared. The 1960s U.S. Commerce Department declared the San Diego mansion haunted due to its eerieness. Ghosts and Gravestones now provides night tours of the Whaley House Museum for thrill-seekers.

House of Death, New York

Greenwich Village contains some of the world’s best real estate, except for one brownstone on West 10th Street. At the “House of Death,” 22 persons who lived or died in the townhouse, including a six-year-old child slaughtered by her adoptive father, are supposed to haunt it. Due to its New York City location, the house has famous ties. In 1900, Mark Twain stayed in the residence, and his ghost apparently visits occasionally.

Jan Bryant Bartell’s “Spindrift: Spray from a Psychic Sea,” about her time at the House of Death’s top-floor apartment, describes its eerie history. The building still has private apartments, so you can’t explore the interior, however New York Ghosts’ city-wide tour stops on this block.

Winchester Mystery House, California

This rambling Victorian mansion on a busy thoroughfare in San Jose, California, is said to be haunted by the souls of all Winchester gun victims. Quite a lot of spirits. Sarah Winchester, the founder’s widow and heir to the Winchester gun fortune, began adding rooms to the home to make room for the dead to satisfy them.

She didn’t just add rooms. She designed a labyrinth with dead ends, cut-off staircases, sloping floors, and rabbit warren rooms. According to ABC News, the mansion boasts “10,000 windows, 2,000 doors, 47 fireplaces, 40 staircases, 13 bathrooms, and nine kitchens.”

Since Sarah’s 1992 death, the mansion has offered Winchester ghost tours. The podcast “99% Invisible” suggested that she enjoyed architecture and expanded rooms without demolishing others.

Villisca Ax Murder House, Iowa

Tourism in Villisca, Iowa, is limited to a night of fear at the Villisca Ax Murder House. In 1912, an ax-wielding murderer killed a family of four children and two young pals at the white wooden house.

A state senator from Iowa was among the suspects, but no one was charged with the terrible act. Over a century later, the victims’ ghosts are claimed to haunt the mansion, seeking justice. Visitors can organize tours of the location or stay the night to experience the uncanny.

Lizzie Borden House, Massachusetts

The Bordens were murdered by an ax-wielding psychopath in 1892. The police’s top suspect was Andrew’s daughter Lizzie. Lizzie lived with guilt for the rest of her life despite being acquitted.

Her ghost can be heard laughing at the top of the stairs in Fall River, Massachusetts, where her father and stepmother were slain. The house is now a museum and bed-and-breakfast with ghost cams, where loyal guests can hear Lizzie’s ghost, her murdered parents’, or the maid’s screams after finding the Bordens dead in their beds.

In addition to in-person visits, “Ghostflix.” offers eerie virtual tours of the mansion.

Bell Witch Cave, Tennessee

John Bell purchased lands on Tennessee’s Red River near the Bell Witch Cave in the early 1800s. He and his family lived on the farm until they saw odd animals, including a rabbit-headed dog.

From then on, unknown forces ambushed the household, targeting John and Betsy. At least one version describes the “entity” as the Bells’ former neighbor Kate Batts, who was avenging a wrong from beyond the dead. They also experienced physical attacks, heard odd noises, and spoke with the spirit.

The monster allegedly killed John and prevented Betsy from marrying a local lad. Bell Witch websites claim the haunting is supported by “eyewitness accounts, affidavits, and manuscripts penned by those who experienced the haunting first hand.”

Gutsy? Take a tour of the Bell Witch Cave and John Bell Cabin near Adams, Tennessee, Wednesday through Sunday from May to October and see if you observe anything weird.

The White House, Washington, D.C.

The U.S. president lives in the White House, but many famous ghosts are said to haunt it. President Ronald Reagan allegedly told dinner party guests about his dog barking at invisible specters and his daughter, Maureen, waking to a transparent figure looking out the Lincoln Bedroom window. It may have been President Lincoln returning to his former home to reunite with his wife and son. Winston Churchill apparently saw Lincoln’s ghost while exiting the bathtub.

The White House Historical Association asserts that President William Henry Harrison, the first president to die there, still lives there. The spirit of President Andrew Jackson has also been seen in his abandoned bedroom. Dolley Madison, wife of President James Madison, visits the gardens she helped establish, and Abigail Adams, wife of President John Adams, does her wash in the East Room.

The White House offers free tours, but you must request a visit through your state’s senator or representative and pass numerous security checks. You may also see outside from Lafayette Square or the Ellipse.

The Sallie House, Kansas

You surely know about this famous haunted mansion from ghost-hunting shows. A family’s strange experiences at a residence in Atchison, Kansas, have led to rumors that a demon in the form of a small girl lives there.

In the early 1990s, new renters Debra and Tony Pickman reported flickering lights, apparitions, possessions, unexplained voices, and unusual scars, marks, and burns on their body. These events appear to have been caused by Sallie’s ghost. Former renters Bobby and Colleen Humbard and their daughter, Heather, said they saw or heard Sallie, Heather’s imaginary companion.

Sallie’s no ordinary ghost. Due to her malicious presence in the house and satanic rituals in the basement, she may be a demon disguised as a girl. The house provides overnight and self-guided tours.

Franklin Castle, Ohio

This grand Victorian home is Ohio’s most haunted because Hannes Tiedemann, a harsh and abusive Clevelander, built it in the 1800s. A series of inexplicable deaths in Tiedemann’s family at the mansion solidified those rumors.

The house’s many deaths included Emma, Tiedemann’s daughter, who died of diabetes. Next, his mother and three more children perished. Tiedemann’s wife, Louise, died of liver failure, although allegations spread that he was responsible. He allegedly killed his niece, a possibly illegitimate daughter, and his mistress. Tiedemann left the residence soon after his wife’s death.

Since the tragedies, the house has had several owners, including a German Socialist Party member who lived there for 55 years, sparking accusations that Nazi agents lived there. Recent investigations have revealed human bones in the walls, suggesting foul play.

Although Franklin Castle is private, occasional ghost tours pass by to tell its frightening tale. The house appears on Travel Channel’s “Ghost Adventures.”

Biltmore, North Carolina

In the 1800s, George Washington Vanderbilt II erected this grand Asheville vacation mansion. Since then, it has become one of North Carolina’s and the nation’s most haunted locales. Even though nothing bad has transpired on the land, its former owners seem highly active in the afterlife. After Vanderbilt died in 1914, his children opened his estate to the public. Paranormal activity started then.

Some visitors swear they’ve seen ghosts and heard Edith Vanderbilt’s voice beckoning him. The mansion has several hidden doors and tunnels, adding to its spookiness. Today, visitors can tour the estate alone or with a guide. If you want a long journey, there are winery excursions and nearby hotels.

The Conjuring House, Rhode Island

In 1736, the Old Arnold Estate, now the Conjuring House, was established and became famed for its paranormal activities. The owners’ family first heard voices, footsteps, lights, and apparitions in the 1970s. Their daughter Andrea Perron created “House of Darkness: House of Light,” a three-volume manuscript that inspired “The Conjuring.”

In Burrillville, Rhode Island, extraterrestrial orbs and lights, ghostly children playing, and phantom animals wandering the pet cemetery are among the eerie events. Abigail, a benign ghost from another time, warns people to flee the cellar when a malevolent spirit is there. Mathew, who died in 1888, seems as interested in today’s guests and their weird new technologies as they are in him.

A guided tour explores the property’s unique history and dispels myths regarding film vs. real life. Another tour introduces ghost hunting and spirit communication equipment. Embark on a five-hour paranormal investigation inside the house or grounds, or spend the night with a “experienced investigator.” Ghostly glamping is available from June to October for outdoor enthusiasts.

The House of the Seven Gables, Massachusetts

The 1668 House of the Seven Gables, immortalized by Nathaniel Hawthorne’s 1851 novel, is one of Salem’s oldest homes. One of the most haunted.

The Turner-Ingersoll Mansion is said to be haunted by a man who has been seen climbing a secret staircase and a youngster who plays in the attic. There’s also Hawthorne’s cousin Susannah Ingersoll’s ghost.

On many Salem ghost tours, the mansion and grounds are visited to learn about its residents. Daytime excursions focus on the site’s literary heritage.

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