Top 5 - Haunted Places I'd Love To Visit
Catching up on my top 5 since I realized I've missed it for a couple weeks now...
Top 5 Haunted Places I'd Love To Visit: (in no particular order)
- Waverly Hills Sanitarium in Louisville, Kentucky: Arguably one of the most haunted places in the world as far as the number of deaths on the property (at least 63,000 recorded deaths). Waverly Hills was a facility to "treat" TB patients during the breakout in the 1920's (and decades to follow). Unfortunately, few people survived TB during that period. One of the most notable areas of Waverly Hills is the "Death Tunnel" where bodies were transported in secret to keep other patients from seeing the results of their illness and help them through a more positive recovery.
- Athens Lunatic Asylum (a.k.a. The Ridges) in Athens, Ohio: The British Society for Psychical Research named this the 13th most haunted place on Earth. Coincidence? The Athens Lunatic Asylum began operations in 1874 and the last patients were moved from the facility in 1993 (the last patients to be buried on the grounds were in 1972). That's about 100 years of insanity and death in one building. Patient treatments included water, shock, and lobotomy (open surgery & trans-orbital). The Ridges (and Ohio University) were featured on the TV show Scariest Places on Earth. Though some of the stories told on the show were a bit over-the-top, one story was true.
There was a patient at the asylum named Margaret Schilling who disappeared on December 1, 1978. She was found dead in an abandoned ward of the hospital a month later (possible cause of death being exposure). Apparently the hospital staff didn't think to look there. When she was found, she was naked, laying in the middle of the floor, her clothes neatly folded nearby. The strangest part is that a stain on the floor, in the exact shape of a human body, now marks the area where she died. Forensic scientists conducted an investigation to determine if indeed someone had died there or if it was just fabricated. Their results concluded that human decomposition was present, but the stain had become more prominent in people's attempts to remove it.
The property (except the asylum's cemeteries) is now owned by Ohio University and houses some of their department offices as well as the Kennedy Museum of Art.
- Sloss Furnaces in Birmingham, Alabama: Open from 1882 until 1971, Sloss was a pig-iron producing blast furnace. There are stories of several employees who died when they fell into the furnaces and their ghosts are said to haunt the building. Several paranormal investigations have been conducted by different agencies and all have turned up some sort-of evidence of paranormal activity, be it EVP, photographs, or video. Today, Sloss Furnaces serves as a museum of industry, hosting a metal-arts program. The facility also hosts concerts and, because of the hauntings, hosts events during Halloween.
- McPike Mansion in Alton, Illinois: Considered to be the Most Haunted Town in America, Alton has a rich history. It was the site of the first Lincoln-Douglas debate and the site of the murder of abolitionist Elijah Lovejoy (killed by a pro-slavery mob). It's also the site of McPike Mansion. Built in 1869 (and part of the registry of Historic Places), the mansion is now privately owned and the residents are in the process of restoring it to what it once was. Because of the popularity of the site as a proven haunted location, the owners allow paranormal investigators and general visitors to investigate the grounds.
- The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado: Being a Stephen King fan, I'd be crazy (pun intended) not to want to stay at the hotel that inspired King's novel The Shining. The hotel opened on July 4, 1909 and has catered to emperors and empresses, United States Presidents, and even Titanic survivor Molly Brown. King stayed the night there before it closed for an extended period for renovations, and the hotel was nearly empty. The real-life hauntings in the hotel occur mostly in the ballroom, where employees report hearing noises as if a party's going on only to find the room completely empty. Other phenomena include glasses on bedside tables cracking, cupboard doors unlocking and opening, and furniture being moved.
Top 5 Haunted Places I'd Love To Visit: (in no particular order)
- Waverly Hills Sanitarium in Louisville, Kentucky: Arguably one of the most haunted places in the world as far as the number of deaths on the property (at least 63,000 recorded deaths). Waverly Hills was a facility to "treat" TB patients during the breakout in the 1920's (and decades to follow). Unfortunately, few people survived TB during that period. One of the most notable areas of Waverly Hills is the "Death Tunnel" where bodies were transported in secret to keep other patients from seeing the results of their illness and help them through a more positive recovery.
- Athens Lunatic Asylum (a.k.a. The Ridges) in Athens, Ohio: The British Society for Psychical Research named this the 13th most haunted place on Earth. Coincidence? The Athens Lunatic Asylum began operations in 1874 and the last patients were moved from the facility in 1993 (the last patients to be buried on the grounds were in 1972). That's about 100 years of insanity and death in one building. Patient treatments included water, shock, and lobotomy (open surgery & trans-orbital). The Ridges (and Ohio University) were featured on the TV show Scariest Places on Earth. Though some of the stories told on the show were a bit over-the-top, one story was true.
There was a patient at the asylum named Margaret Schilling who disappeared on December 1, 1978. She was found dead in an abandoned ward of the hospital a month later (possible cause of death being exposure). Apparently the hospital staff didn't think to look there. When she was found, she was naked, laying in the middle of the floor, her clothes neatly folded nearby. The strangest part is that a stain on the floor, in the exact shape of a human body, now marks the area where she died. Forensic scientists conducted an investigation to determine if indeed someone had died there or if it was just fabricated. Their results concluded that human decomposition was present, but the stain had become more prominent in people's attempts to remove it.
The property (except the asylum's cemeteries) is now owned by Ohio University and houses some of their department offices as well as the Kennedy Museum of Art.
- Sloss Furnaces in Birmingham, Alabama: Open from 1882 until 1971, Sloss was a pig-iron producing blast furnace. There are stories of several employees who died when they fell into the furnaces and their ghosts are said to haunt the building. Several paranormal investigations have been conducted by different agencies and all have turned up some sort-of evidence of paranormal activity, be it EVP, photographs, or video. Today, Sloss Furnaces serves as a museum of industry, hosting a metal-arts program. The facility also hosts concerts and, because of the hauntings, hosts events during Halloween.
- McPike Mansion in Alton, Illinois: Considered to be the Most Haunted Town in America, Alton has a rich history. It was the site of the first Lincoln-Douglas debate and the site of the murder of abolitionist Elijah Lovejoy (killed by a pro-slavery mob). It's also the site of McPike Mansion. Built in 1869 (and part of the registry of Historic Places), the mansion is now privately owned and the residents are in the process of restoring it to what it once was. Because of the popularity of the site as a proven haunted location, the owners allow paranormal investigators and general visitors to investigate the grounds.
- The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado: Being a Stephen King fan, I'd be crazy (pun intended) not to want to stay at the hotel that inspired King's novel The Shining. The hotel opened on July 4, 1909 and has catered to emperors and empresses, United States Presidents, and even Titanic survivor Molly Brown. King stayed the night there before it closed for an extended period for renovations, and the hotel was nearly empty. The real-life hauntings in the hotel occur mostly in the ballroom, where employees report hearing noises as if a party's going on only to find the room completely empty. Other phenomena include glasses on bedside tables cracking, cupboard doors unlocking and opening, and furniture being moved.