This former smallpox hospital is said to be home to numerous spirits, such as that of its former caretaker and maid – including their son. Additionally, ghost tours often visit its haunted grounds.
Screams, echos, ghostly footsteps and knocks have been reported at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue as some of the many paranormal activity reported here.
1. Alcatraz Island
Alcatraz Island has long been considered one of the most haunted places on earth due to its history as a federal prison that housed some of America’s most notorious criminals from 1934 until 1963 – such as Al Capone and George “Machine Gun” Kelly – both former inmates who made headlines for their behavior while imprisoned there.
Ghosts that still haunt the island are thought to be spirits of prisoners who once resided there, felt and seen by staff and visitors of the island alike. Reports include men’s voices, screams, whistles and clanging metal doors heard on occasion – as well as putrid smells and even reports of seeing mysterious entities with glowing eyes seen by inmates and guards alike.
Sightings was one of the first paranormal television shows to visit the island and during a visit in 1992 several park service employees confirmed its eerie atmosphere by reporting unexplainable crashing sounds, running footsteps, rattling chains and cell doors that suddenly closed without their presence being felt.
2. Toyama Park
Tokyo is widely known to be one of the safest cities in the world, yet this cosmopolitan metropolis also contains some unsettling haunted spots – like Toyama Park which reportedly houses ghosts from Unit 731 (Japanese military’s biological and chemical warfare facility which conducted experiments on human subjects during WWII).
Hakone Yama, one of the park’s small mountains, has long been associated with ghost stories; people report hearing unsettling sounds and seeing fireballs representing dead souls there at night.
Sendagaya Tunnel has long been reported as being particularly creepy. Situated nearby Shibuya and Harajuku, it was built over a cemetery for the 1964 Olympic Games with many legends associated with it, including sightings of long-haired bloodstained female spirits who wander along its length.
3. Paris Catacombs
With six million bodies buried beneath an intricate network of tunnels lined with skulls, it’s no wonder why Paris Catacombs are one of the world’s most haunted places. Built during the 18th century in response to cemeteries becoming overflowing and creating unsanitary conditions for Paris residents, these eerie tunnels were meant as an innovative public health solution.
Bones were relocated from overcrowded cemeteries and stored deep underground into old quarry tunnels, then stacked and arranged into patterns with crosses or other shapes created from them for macabre art pieces.
Catacombs have since served several purposes, such as being used by members of the French Resistance during WWII as an underground refuge. Visitors who seek thrills often frequent this dark maze.
4. Banff Springs Hotel
Though often associated with celebrity, glamour, and luxury, Fairmont Banff Springs has also seen tragedy at times. According to legend, one haunted tale tells of a ghost bride who fell down an elevator staircase at this hotel before breaking her neck on marble flooring below. Her ghost has since been seen both by guests and staff both on that staircase and within its ballroom.
Built as the flagship hotel for Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR), this building was completed in 1888 under an architectural concept known as organic architecture – where buildings should integrate themselves organically into their surroundings.
5. The Church of the Holy Trinity
The Church of the Holy Trinity in Trondheim, Norway is well-known as an eerie haunted site where visitors have reported hearing screams, hearing mysterious noises and seeing ghostly figures. Furthermore, two girls who died while working on its construction have also been reported as haunting it regularly.
The Tower of London has a 900 year-long history of torture and execution, as well as being one of England’s most haunted places; Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII’s wife has even been reported lingering around its corridors as she walks headless around this medieval monument.
Few buildings in NYC boast such a gloomy reputation as the House of Death. Dating back to 19th-century brownstone construction, this mysterious space has witnessed multiple violent deaths over its century-old history. Visitors have reported feeling watched and experiencing sudden gusts of wind in closed-off rooms as well as furniture moving and doors banging – as well as witnessing furniture moving and doors banging in mysteriously.
