American Ghost Walks Haunting Tales

WESTA 2026 Ketchikan Ghosts and Legends Tour

Fri, 20 Mar 2026 19:59:27 GMT

We are so excited to welcome the travel professionals, families, and industry partners of the Western Association of Travel Agencies (WESTA) to one of Alaska's most iconic port cities.

You've arrived in Ketchikan, a place where misty rainforest meets the sea, where totem poles stand alongside historic boardwalks, and where the stories of gold rush pioneers and the colorful characters of Creek Street are still very much alive. There's truly nowhere else like it in the world.

We hope your time here is more than just a conference. Whether you're exploring the historic Creek Street district, taking in the natural beauty of Southeast Alaska, or getting a taste of the local haunted history on our complimentary Ketchikan Ghost Walk , this city has a way of staying with you long after you sail away.

Chicago's Most Haunted Irish Pubs

Sun, 01 Mar 2026 15:16:32 GMT

I spend a lot of time in bars. That’s not a confession, it’s a job requirement. When you run haunted history tours across the country, you end up in a lot of old buildings, and a surprising number of old buildings have been converted into places that serve alcohol, because apparently the best thing to do with a building where people died is to put a bar in it. And honestly, I’m not complaining.

Chicago is one of those cities where the Irish influence runs so deep you can feel it in the architecture, the politics, the neighborhoods, and especially the pubs. The Irish built the city in a very literal sense, laying the roads and digging the canals that turned a swampy trading post into one of the biggest cities in the world, and a lot of them didn’t survive the effort. So when people tell me that some of Chicago’s most beloved Irish pubs are haunted, I don’t find that surprising at all. What would be surprising is if they weren’t.

Our haunted pub crawl hits some of these spots, and over the years we've collected enough stories about three pubs in particular that I think they deserve their own write-up. So grab a pint and settle in (or even better, join us on a St. Patrick's Irish Pub Crawl Ghost Tour that we run annually!)

Streeter’s Tavern

The first thing you notice about Streeter’s is that you have to go down to get in. The bar at 50 E. Chicago Avenue sits below modern street level, which makes it feel like you’re descending into the city’s past, and in a way you are. This space was once at grade with Chicago’s original streets before the city famously jacked itself up out of the mud after the Great Fire of 1871. So what feels like a basement dive bar was actually ground floor at one point, and whatever happened here before the city decided to raise itself a few feet is literally still underneath you.

The bar takes its name from one of Chicago’s most unhinged historical figures, a guy named “Cap” George Streeter. He was a former sea captain who ran his steamboat aground on a sandbar near the lakeshore in 1886, and instead of doing the normal thing and trying to get unstuck, he just decided to stay. As the city dumped landfill around his boat, the sandbar grew into a sizable chunk of land, and Streeter declared the whole thing (about 186 acres) to be an independent territory outside the jurisdiction of Illinois. He called it the “District of Lake Michigan” and fought the city, the courts, and the wealthy Gold Coast landowners for decades. He lost every legal battle, but he never stopped fighting, and when he finally died in 1921, he reportedly cursed the land with his dying breath, swearing that no one would ever be happy in Streeterville again.

Whether the Woman in White that staff and regulars have reported seeing in the bar over the years has anything to do with Cap Streeter’s curse or something else entirely, nobody knows. She’s been described as a pale figure who tends to appear around the holidays and seems to be most active around St. Patrick’s Day, which feels on-brand for a haunted Irish bar if nothing else. She doesn’t seem to bother anyone, she just shows up and then she’s gone, like a regular who never stays for a second round.

The Kerryman

The Kerryman at 661 N. Clark Street is a good-looking River North pub with dark wood, solid whiskey, and a history that would make a true crime podcast blush.

Long before it was The Kerryman, this address was McGovern’s Liberty Inn, which was a roughneck saloon on one of the most vice-ridden stretches of road in all of Chicago. And this is where, in the early 1900s, a kid named Dion O’Banion got his first job. O’Banion came from a North Side Irish family and he had this incredible singing voice, a boy soprano that was pure enough to get him hired as a singing waiter at McGovern’s. He’d stand up there and belt out sentimental Irish ballads while the customers got misty-eyed over their drinks, and then while everyone was distracted by the music, his buddies would go around the room lifting wallets. It was a pretty efficient system, honestly.

That early hustle was just the beginning. O’Banion grew up to become the most powerful Irish mob boss on Chicago’s North Side, running a flower shop as his legitimate front while bootlegging and hijacking on the side. He was one of the very few people that Al Capone was genuinely afraid of, which is saying something. His story ended the way a lot of stories ended in Prohibition-era Chicago: in November of 1924, three men walked into his flower shop at 738 N. State Street (directly across from Holy Name Cathedral, which is just a few blocks from The Kerryman), shook his hand, and shot him dead while he was holding an armful of chrysanthemums.

Fadó Irish Pub

Of the three pubs, Fadó has what I’d call the most fully developed ghost story, meaning there’s a specific figure with a specific backstory and specific activity that staff have reported for years. That’s the kind of thing that makes my ears perk up, because when multiple people who don’t know each other are describing the same experience in the same location, that’s when it starts to get interesting.

The building at 100 W. Grand Avenue dates back to 1876, and before it became one of Chicago’s best-known Irish pubs it served as a hotel, then a series of saloons, then cabarets, and then some other types of establishments that I’ll just say don’t translate well to a family-friendly blog post. The point is that this building has seen a lot of human drama over the last century and a half, which is usually a prerequisite for a good haunting.

The ghost that people associate with Fadó is a young woman in a white nightgown, and she’s believed to date from the late 1800s or early 1900s. Staff have reported cold spots near the back of the bar, lights and electronics going haywire for no apparent reason, doors slamming shut in empty rooms, and (this is the one that gets people) the feeling of a hand pressing firmly on your shoulder when there’s nobody standing behind you. I’ve talked to enough bartenders and servers at supposedly haunted establishments to know that the shoulder thing comes up a lot more often than you’d expect, and it’s always the detail that seems to genuinely rattle people.

The story that’s been attached to this particular ghost is that a jealous railroad brakeman murdered the woman he was involved with and then killed himself in a third-floor apartment above the bar. Whether she’s still trying to get out of that room or whether she’s just drawn to the noise and energy of a packed Irish pub on a Friday night, she apparently gets most active around St. Patrick’s Day, which is when the building is at its loudest and most crowded. There’s a theory in paranormal circles that spirits are attracted to (or activated by) high-energy environments, and if that’s true, an Irish pub on St. Paddy’s Day is about as high-energy as it gets.

Fadó itself ships its fixtures and decor directly from Ireland and goes out of its way to recreate the feel of an authentic country pub, so if you’re a ghost from old Chicago (or the old country) looking for a place to spend eternity, you could certainly do worse.

See it in person

These three pubs are all within walking distance of each other in the River North and Streeterville neighborhoods, and when you connect the dots between them you start to see a layered ghost story that covers everything from 19th-century curses to Prohibition-era mob hits to a murder-suicide that left a permanent mark on a building. That’s Chicago for you. Every block has a story, and if you’re paying attention, some of those stories haven’t ended yet

If you want to experience these places for yourself (and hear the stories in person, with a drink in your hand), we we do an Irish Pub St. Patrick's Day Ghost Tour Pub Crawl that is a great time, and I promise the ghosts don’t drink your beer. I however, am a different story!

Stock photos provided by depositphotos.com

Why Is Friday the 13th Unlucky? The Real History Behind the Superstition

Thu, 12 Feb 2026 04:16:55 GMT

It's that time again for everyone's favorite unlucky holiday, Friday the 13th ! And funny enough, the slasher series from which Kevin Bacon's career was launched and hockey-masked mass killer Jason Vorhees (and his murderous mother) emerged started only from a title. Producer Sean S. Cunningham was inspired by the success of John Carpenter's Halloween and wanted to make his own horror movie in that vein. So taking the ingredients of that seminal horror movie, he grabbed a spooky holiday name and found a mask for the killer to wear, and he even ran in ad in International Variety magazine giving a timeframe for the debut of the film before a script was finished. The title came before the movie and it worked! Friday the 13th spawned ten sequels and a remake in the thirty years since it debuted.

But why do we think of that day as unlucky?

It's Actually Two Separate Superstitions Mashed Together

Here's the thing most people don't realize: "Friday the 13th" as a single unlucky concept is surprisingly modern. The number 13 has been considered unlucky for centuries, and Friday has independently been considered an unlucky day for centuries, but as folklorist Steve Roud documents in The Penguin Guide to the Superstitions of Britain and Ireland , the combination of the two into one superstition is a Victorian-era invention, with the first concrete English-language reference to the specific bad luck of Friday the 13th appearing around 1913.

Why Is the Number 13 Unlucky?

The Last Supper

The most commonly cited origin ties back to Christianity. There were 13 people seated at the Last Supper, Jesus and his twelve apostles, and the 13th to sit down is traditionally said to have been Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus. This gave rise to a longstanding superstition that having 13 guests at a table was courting death, though this specific association appears to have solidified in the medieval period rather than in early Christianity.

Norse Mythology

An older parallel comes from Norse mythology. In the story, 12 gods were feasting in the great hall of Valhalla when Loki, the trickster god, showed up uninvited as the 13th guest. Loki then manipulated the blind god Höd into killing his brother Balder, the beloved god of light, with a mistletoe-tipped arrow. The death of Balder plunged the world into mourning.

12 as the "Complete" Number

There's also a simpler mathematical/cultural explanation: Western civilization is steeped in the number 12 as a symbol of completeness. Twelve months, twelve zodiac signs, twelve hours on a clock, twelve tribes of Israel, twelve labors of Hercules, twelve gods of Olympus. The number 13 breaks that neat pattern, it's the interloper, the one too many.

The clinical term for fear of the number 13 is triskaidekaphobia — coined in 1908 in Religion and Medicine: The Moral Control of Nervous Disorders by Elwood Worcester, Samuel McComb, and Isador H. Coriat.

Why Is Friday Unlucky?

Friday's reputation as an unlucky day also has deep roots in Christian tradition. According to various Biblical traditions:

Jesus was crucified on a Friday (hence "Good Friday," though the day itself carried an ominous weight).
Friday is said to be the day Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit from the Tree of Knowledge.
It's also been associated with the day Cain murdered his brother Abel, and the day the Great Flood began.

The literary record backs this up: Geoffrey Chaucer references Friday as an unlucky day in The Canterbury Tales (late 14th century), warning readers not to begin a journey or start a project on a Friday. However, broader references to Friday as generally ill-fated in English sources don't become common until around the mid-17th century.

So When Did "Friday the 13th" Become a Thing?

The Earliest Known Written Reference (1834)

The earliest known written reference linking Friday and the 13th comes from 19th-century France. An 1834 article in the French literary magazine Revue de Paris , written by Italian author Marquis de Salvo, references a Sicilian count who killed his daughter on Friday the 13th.

It Hits the English-Speaking World (Late 1800s–Early 1900s)

In the late 1880s and early 1890s, references to a belief in Friday the 13th begin showing up regularly in American newspapers. But the superstition truly exploded into popular consciousness with Thomas W. Lawson's 1907 novel Friday, the Thirteenth , in which an unscrupulous Wall Street broker deliberately exploits the superstition to crash the stock market. The book was a hit — it sold over 60,000 copies in its first month. After publication, stockbrokers allegedly refused to trade on any Friday the 13th.

What About the Knights Templar?

This is the one you've probably heard: On Friday, October 13, 1307, King Philip IV of France ordered the mass arrest of the Knights Templar. Hundreds of members were seized, including Grand Master Jacques de Molay. The charges of heresy, idolatry, and sodomt were largely fabricated; Philip was deeply in debt to the Templars and wanted their wealth. Many Templars were tortured into false confessions and eventually executed. De Molay himself was burned at the stake in Paris in 1314.

It's a real historical event, and it really did happen on a Friday the 13th. But historians are skeptical that it's actually the origin of the superstition . The connection between the Templar arrests and the Friday the 13th superstition was popularized much later, most notably by Dan Brown's 2003 novel The Da Vinci Code . Historian Helen Nicholson of Cardiff University has noted that many of the rationalizations linking the Templars to the superstition are relatively recent inventions.

Author Nathaniel Lachenmeyer, who has researched the superstition extensively, argues that before the 20th century, "13" and "Friday" were separately unlucky, but "Friday the 13th" wasn't really a unified concept, making the Templar connection a case of retrofitting history to fit a modern belief.

The Thirteen Club: A Victorian Attempt to Fight Back

Not everyone has taken this lying down. At 8:13 p.m. on Friday, January 13, 1882, Captain William Fowler, a Civil War veteran whose life was so entwined with the number 13 it bordered on absurd (he attended Public School No. 13, fought in 13 battles, and bought his bar on September 13), gathered 12 brave souls in room 13 of his Knickerbocker Cottage on Sixth Avenue and founded The Thirteen Club . To reach their meal, guests walked under a ladder and past a banner reading "Morituri te Salutamus" ("Those of us who are about to die salute you"). Salt cellars were deliberately overturned. The first of 13 courses was lobster salad molded into coffin shapes.

The club grew rapidly, from 13 members to over 1,300 by 1889. Four U.S. presidents (Chester A. Arthur, Grover Cleveland, Benjamin Harrison, and Theodore Roosevelt) joined its ranks.

It's Not Universal

Friday the 13th isn't a global superstition. It's largely a Western (especially Anglo-American) phenomenon.

In Spain and Latin America, the unlucky day is Tuesday the 13th (martes trece). There's even a saying: "En martes, ni te cases ni te embarques" — "On Tuesday, don't get married or set sail."
In Italy , it's Friday the 17th that's considered bad luck.
In Greece , Tuesday the 13th is the feared date.

The Modern Impact

The fear of Friday the 13th has its own clinical name: paraskevidekatriaphobia (from the Greek paraskevi for Friday, dekatreís for thirteen, and phóbos for fear), coined by psychotherapist Donald Dossey.

The superstition has real economic consequences. It has been estimated that $800–$900 million is lost in American business on each Friday the 13th, as people avoid travel, delay purchases, and postpone major decisions.

And yet, a 2008 study by the Dutch Centre for Insurance Statistics found that fewer traffic accidents, fires, and thefts were actually reported on Friday the 13th compared to other Fridays, likely because superstitious people simply stayed home.

While Jason Vorhees might get all the credit, it's the obscure Friday The 13th: The Series that I enjoy the most when I think about the holiday. It was a low-budget horror show that was syndicated in the late 1980s and it was just gruesome and scary enough to leave a lasting impression on me. It was all about a shopkeeper who made a deal with the Devil (the late great RG Armstrong, who played the general who gave Arnold and Carl Weathers their marching orders in Predator , as well as taking on the Warlock in that film's misbegotten sequel) and he sold cursed antiques in his store. After he dies and his soul goes to Hell, his younger relatives inherit the store and it's up to them to get the cursed items back.

Every episode of Friday the 13th: The Series was basically the same, where someone comes into contact with one of the items and it promises them fame, money, sex, adoration, etc... but people have to be killed to feed it. If they stop killing, then they stop getting what they want, and well, once you get a taste, you never want to give it up. Anyway, this show is why I'm always wary of seeing things that are too good to be true, because there is no magic pill and you never get something for nothing .

Anyway, my Friday the 13ths haven't been particularly unlucky, but I have had several strange occurrences on the 12th of the month in the past. Coincidence?! Who knows, maybe 12 isn't a "complete" number for me. But whatever your luck is right now, it's always in our power to turn it around. So, here's a little salt to throw over your shoulder... just in case.

Stock photos provided by depositphotos.com

A Spirited Start: A Guide to Haunted New Year's Eve Traditions

As the clock strikes midnight on New Year's Eve, the world erupts in a chorus of celebration. But in some places, the stroke of midnight awakens more than just the new year. It stirs the spirits of the past, who are drawn to the raw energy and emotion of this transitional night. From the smoky speakeasies of the gangster era to the glittering hotels of Hollywood's golden age, here are some of America's most haunted New Year's Eve destinations.

St. Paul, Minnesota: A Gangster's Last Party

In the Roaring Twenties, St. Paul was a city with a secret. It was a notorious haven for gangsters, thanks to an unofficial "layover policy" with the city's police chief. As long as they kept their business outside the city limits, mobsters like John Dillinger and the Barker-Karpis gang were free to hide out and spend their ill-gotten gains.

The Wabasha Street Caves , a former silica mine carved into the bluffs of the Mississippi River, became a glamorous speakeasy known as the Castle Royal. It was a place of illicit booze, jazz music, and lavish New Year's Eve parties where gangsters and socialites rubbed elbows. It is said that the ghosts of these parties still linger. As the Wabasha Street Caves' own history notes, visitors report hearing the phantom clinking of glasses, the faint strains of a jazz band, and the apparitions of men in pinstripe suits and women in flapper dresses, forever celebrating a New Year's Eve from a bygone era. The most famous story is of a gangster shot and killed in the caves, his spirit now haunting the back rooms, forever searching for his killer. These tales of the city's gangster past are a cornerstone of St. Paul's haunted history , an era of speakeasies and spectral celebrations.

Hollywood, California: A New Year's Toast with Marilyn Monroe

New Year's Eve in Hollywood is a time of legendary parties and celebrity glamour. But at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel , the guest list includes some stars who checked in but never truly checked out. The hotel, which hosted the first-ever Academy Awards, is a hotbed of paranormal activity, and New Year's Eve is when the spirits are said to be most active.

The ghost of Marilyn Monroe is famously seen in the reflection of a full-length mirror that once hung in her favorite suite. On New Year's Eve, when the hotel is filled with the energy of celebration, her playful spirit is said to be at its strongest. Guests have reported feeling a sudden chill, smelling the faint scent of her perfume, and even seeing her reflection in the mirror, as if she's getting ready for a party she'll never attend.

Another famous ghost is that of actor Montgomery Clift , who haunts the ninth floor. He lived in Room 928 for three months while filming From Here to Eternity . Guests and staff report hearing him practicing his trumpet, pacing the hallways, and even feeling his presence in the room. On New Year's Eve, his lonely and restless spirit is a stark contrast to the celebrations happening just a few floors below, a story captured in a Vanity Fair article about the hotel's hauntings. These stories are a highlight of Hollywood's paranormal lore , where the glamour of the past meets its ghostly reality.

San Juan, Puerto Rico: The Ghosts of Three Kings Day

In Puerto Rico, the holiday season extends to El Día de los Reyes , or Three Kings Day, on January 6th. This is a time of vibrant festivals and ancient traditions, and it's also when the island's colonial spirits are said to be most active.

El Morro , the 16th-century Spanish fort that guards San Juan Bay, is a place of immense historical and spiritual power. The ghosts of Spanish soldiers are said to still patrol its ramparts, forever watching for enemy ships. During the festive season of Three Kings Day, the contrast with the fort's somber history is particularly stark. According to the National Park Service , visitors have reported hearing phantom cannon fire and seeing the apparitions of soldiers in colonial uniforms.

The streets of Old San Juan are also filled with holiday spirits. The city's blue cobblestones are said to hold the memories of centuries of history. The ghost of a young woman who died after falling from a balcony is said to haunt Calle del Cristo, and the spirit of a priest who was killed during a revolt is seen in the Plaza de Armas. The city's rich history and haunted folklore offer a unique way to experience the magic and mystery of a Puerto Rican holiday.

Chicago, Illinois: The Water Tower's Winter Spirits

While the Iroquois Theatre Fire is Chicago's most famous holiday tragedy, the city has other winter spirits. The Chicago Water Tower , one of the few buildings to survive the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, is a beautiful limestone landmark on Michigan Avenue. But it's also home to several ghosts.

The most famous ghost is that of an unknown man who was operating the water pumps during the Great Chicago Fire. As the flames engulfed the city, he realized his efforts were futile. Rather than face the fire, he climbed to the top of the tower and hanged himself. His ghost is said to haunt the upper levels of the tower, and as recounted by Windy City Ghosts , his shadowy figure has been seen in the windows by countless passersby.

Two other tragic deaths are associated with the tower. In 1875, Frederick Kaiser, a young German bookkeeper suffering from depression, jumped to his death from the top of the tower. Six years later, Hugo Von Malapert, another German immigrant facing financial ruin, also jumped from the tower. Both men are said to haunt the tower, their spirits forever trapped in the place of their tragic ends. The stories of the Water Tower, a key landmark in Chicago's haunted history , serve as a chilling reminder that some spirits are forever tied to the places of their greatest despair.

New Orleans, Louisiana: Voodoo and New Year's Rituals

New Orleans is a city where the veil between the living and the dead is always thin, but during the New Year's season, it becomes almost transparent. New Year's Eve in New Orleans is not just a time for parties; it's also a time for spiritual rituals and offerings to the spirits.

Marie Laveau, the legendary Voodoo Queen of New Orleans, is said to be particularly active during the New Year's season. Her tomb in St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 is a pilgrimage site for those seeking her blessing or her curse. On New Year's Eve, when the city is filled with the energy of celebration and transition, her spirit is said to be at its most powerful.

The LaLaurie Mansion on Royal Street is another site of intense paranormal activity. The mansion was the site of horrific torture and murder in the 1830s. The spirits of Delphine LaLaurie's victims are said to haunt the mansion, and their cries can be heard on quiet nights. The city's voodoo traditions and most famous hauntings, including the LaLaurie Mansion and the tomb of Marie Laveau, are central to its paranormal identity .

St. Thomas, Virgin Islands: Colonial Spirits and Pirate Ghosts

For those seeking a tropical New Year's celebration with a ghostly twist, St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands offers a unique blend of Caribbean beauty and colonial horror. Fort Christian , the oldest standing structure in the Virgin Islands, is a place of immense historical and spiritual power.

The dungeons of Fort Christian are said to be haunted by the spirits of prisoners who died in its dark, damp cells. As noted by the U.S. Virgin Islands tourism board , visitors report hearing the sound of chains rattling and seeing shadowy figures in the dungeons.

Blackbeard's Castle , another historic site on St. Thomas, is also said to be haunted. The tower is rumored to have been a lookout point for the infamous pirate Blackbeard. Visitors report seeing the apparition of a headless man and hearing the sound of footsteps on the stone stairs. The haunted dungeons of Fort Christian provide a chilling look into the island's dark colonial past .

Alaska: Ghosts of the Frozen North

For those who truly want to embrace the cold and dark of winter, Alaska offers a New Year's experience unlike any other. The state's history of gold rush dreams, isolation, and tragedy has left behind a legacy of ghost stories.

In Juneau , the Alaskan Hotel , built in 1913, is said to be haunted by the Lady in Red , the spirit of a woman who worked in the hotel during the gold rush era. Guests report seeing her apparition in a red dress and hearing her footsteps in the hallways. The Red Dog Saloon , another historic Juneau landmark, is also said to be haunted by the ghosts of gold rush miners. The tales of the city's gold rush ghosts and other local legends are a key part of Juneau's haunted folklore .

Why We See Ghosts on New Year's Eve

This New Year's, resolve to do something different. Instead of another crowded bar or another boring party, why not spend your evening with the spirits of the past? The stories are out there, woven into the fabric of these historic cities.

At American Ghost Walks, we're passionate about history and the paranormal. We believe that the truth is far more terrifying than any fiction. Whether you're in a snowy city like Chicago or a tropical paradise like St. Thomas, the ghosts of New Year's Eve are waiting.

Here's to a spooky and spirited New Year!

Boston, Massachusetts: A Revolutionary New Year

Boston, a city where the echoes of the American Revolution still ring through the cobblestone streets, has a particularly charged atmosphere on New Year's Eve. The city's historic cemeteries, like the Granary Burying Ground, are the final resting places of patriots like Paul Revere and Samuel Adams. On the cold, quiet nights of winter, their spirits are said to be most active.

Visitors to the Granary Burying Ground have reported seeing shadowy figures moving among the ancient headstones, and hearing the faint sound of voices engaged in hushed, urgent conversation. Some believe these are the ghosts of the Sons of Liberty, forever plotting their rebellion against the British Crown. On New Year's Eve, as the city celebrates its freedom, the spirits of those who fought for it are said to join in, their spectral forms a reminder of the sacrifices made for the birth of a nation.

San Francisco, California: The Lady of the Lake

San Francisco's Stow Lake, in the heart of Golden Gate Park, is a beautiful and serene spot, but it holds a dark secret. It is said to be haunted by the ghost of a woman who lost her child in the lake over a century ago. She is known as the "Lady of the Lake," and her tragic story is a staple of San Francisco folklore.

According to legend, the woman was walking with her baby in a stroller when she stopped to talk to a friend. When she turned back, the stroller was gone. She searched frantically for her child, but the baby was never found. Heartbroken, she drowned herself in the lake. Her spirit is said to haunt the lake to this day, forever searching for her lost child. On New Year's Eve, when the park is quiet and the fog rolls in from the bay, her mournful cries are said to be heard echoing across the water.

Seattle, Washington: The Hotel Sorrento's Spectral Muse

The Hotel Sorrento, one of Seattle's oldest and most elegant hotels, is also one of its most haunted. The hotel is said to be haunted by the ghost of Alice B. Toklas, the companion of writer Gertrude Stein. Toklas was a frequent guest at the hotel, and her spirit is said to have returned to the place she loved.

She is a creative and mischievous spirit, and she is often seen in the hotel's bar and restaurant. Guests and staff have reported seeing her apparition in a flowing white gown, hearing the sound of her laughter, and feeling her playful presence. She is particularly active during the New Year's season, when the hotel is filled with the energy of celebration and creativity. She is a beloved figure in the hotel's history, a spectral muse who continues to inspire and entertain its guests.

The Golden Tiki in Las Vegas, Nevada

Sun, 25 Jan 2026 21:33:58 GMT

A Tiki Paradise With a Poltergeist Problem

Just off the neon roar of the Strip, tucked along Spring Mountain Road in Las Vegas’s Chinatown, The Golden Tiki feels like a secret portal. From the outside it is almost unassuming, but once you step in, you are surrounded by glowing portholes, tropical shrines, pirate treasure vibes, and enough carved faces staring from the shadows to make you double-check what you saw out of the corner of your eye.

People come for the rum drinks, the spectacle, and the pure escapism. But if you ask around long enough, you will hear another reason some guests keep coming back: The Golden Tiki has a reputation for activity that goes way beyond themed décor.

A Modern Bar Built to Feel Like Old Vegas

The Golden Tiki opened in 2015, but it was designed as a love letter to Las Vegas’s classic tiki era, when places like Aku Aku at the Stardust were part of the city’s cocktail mythology. The bar openly nods to that lineage, with drinks and references that signal it is not just “tiki-inspired,” it is tiki-committed.

It is the kind of place where every object looks like it came with a story attached. Which, depending on who you ask, might be part of the problem.

The Golden Tiki’s haunted reputation got loud enough that Ghost Adventures investigated it, drawn by the steady stream of reports that sound like classic poltergeist territory: sudden disturbances, things shifting without explanation, and an uneasy feeling in certain areas of the room.

Whether you believe in paranormal TV or not, the fact that the bar is known for these stories tells you something important: people are having experiences here, and they are talking about them.

Paranormal Activity at The Golden Tiki

Plenty of haunted bars have one famous story. The Golden Tiki has clusters of stories, and what makes the reports compelling is that the details keep pointing back to the same zones inside the bar.

During my visit, I talked with Sharon (also known as Candy), and they shared some of the “most repeated” experiences guests and staff have reported.

Common claims include:

The middle table in the back: one of the glass tabletops reportedly exploded without warning.
The table all the way in the back: staff say objects have moved on their own , the kind of subtle shift that makes everyone stop and scan the room.
A booth at the back of the bar: a couple took a photo when there “wasn’t anyone there,” and then immediately showed the staff because they believed they caught something in the picture .
The bathrooms: people report hearing someone in the bathroom when no one is there , including voices or movement in an otherwise empty space.

Any one of these stories could be explained away. Glass can fail. Photos can glitch. Sounds carry strangely in busy spaces. But taken together, the accounts create a pattern that feels familiar to anyone who has spent time collecting bar-haunting lore: repeat locations, repeat experiences, and a sense that something “shares the room.”

Why The Golden Tiki Belongs on America’s Most Haunted Bars

When we talk about haunted bars, we usually picture century-old saloons or buildings with a tragic backstory. The Golden Tiki is different. It is modern, but it is dense with lore, and the hauntings people report are the kind that feel immediate and physical.

What earns it a spot on America’s Most Haunted Bars is the consistency of the reports:

Stories that keep returning to the same tables and corners, including the back of the room.
Poltergeist-style activity, from unexplained movement to sudden breakage.
Bathroom encounters that leave people questioning what they just heard.

And then there is the bar’s cabinet-of-curiosities side, where tiki fantasy blends into something darker. The Golden Tiki has even claimed that a portion of Aleister Crowley’s ashes is among the artifacts inside the bar. Add in the bar’s notorious mermaid oddity (the kind of thing you would expect to be fake, until you are standing there staring at it), and you get the perfect haunted-bar recipe: a place designed to feel like an escape, with just enough “what is that doing here?” energy to make you wonder what else came in with the décor.

Visiting The Golden Tiki

f you want to experience it for yourself, here is what to know:

Location: 3939 Spring Mountain Road, Las Vegas, NV
Known for: elaborate tiki cocktails, immersive décor, Vegas tiki nostalgia
Best time to visit for ghost vibes: late evening on a quieter night
Ghost-hunting tip: if you can, sit near the back tables and pay attention to the “small stuff,” like objects shifting, unexplained sounds, or that feeling that someone is standing just out of view.

See it in person

The Golden Tiki is the kind of place where you can come for a drink and leave with a story, even if you did not expect one. And if you hear footsteps where there should be none, or voices behind a bathroom door that opens to an empty room… well, welcome to the club.

Because in Las Vegas, even paradise can be haunted.

Chicago St. Valentine's Day Massacre Pub Crawl Is Back for 2026

Mon, 19 Jan 2026 04:56:34 GMT

Chicago's Most Infamous Ghost Tour - Fri Feb 13 2026

Chicago has no shortage of love stories, but on Valentine’s week, the city also remembers one of its darkest: the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre . If you’re looking for a night out that’s equal parts history, chills, and cocktails, our Chicago St. Valentine’s Day Massacre Ghost Tour Pub Crawl is built for exactly that.

This is not a “sit and sip” kind of evening. It’s a moving, story-driven crawl through Lincoln Park and into the heart of Chicago’s gangster era, where Prohibition turned bars into battlegrounds and headlines into body counts.

We kick off at Chicago Oven Grinder (1850 N Lincoln Ave) to get everyone settled in with your first drink special and the big-picture setup: Chicago in the late 1920s, when organized crime wasn’t just in the city, it was part of how the city worked.Then we start walking straight into a story that still doesn’t feel real.

The history: what happened on February 14, 1929

The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre was the bloody peak of Chicago’s gang war. Seven men were lined up inside a garage and gunned down in a burst of machine-gun fire.The attack is most often linked to the rivalry between Al Capone’s organization and George “Bugs” Moran’s North Side gang , and it helped cement Chicago’s reputation worldwide as the capital of American gangland violence.

Standing at the site, it’s easier to understand why this case became legend. Even people who know the facts by heart still get quiet there. It’s one of those rare spots where the city’s “then” and “now” feel stacked on top of each other.

The hauntings: what people say lingers at the massacre site

This is where our tour shifts from history you can verify to stories Chicago refuses to let die.

Over the years, visitors and locals have reported strange experiences tied to the old garage location:

Phantom gunfire that seems to come out of nowhere.
Screams and shouting that vanish as quickly as they appear.
Barking dogs and animals acting unsettled, as if they sense something people cannot.

There are even local stories about winter nights when fresh snow seemed to hold “body outline” shapes in the wrong place, like the scene replayed itself when nobody was looking. Believe it or not, it’s the kind of claim that has kept this location in Chicago’s paranormal lore for decades. Click below to watch your tour guide tell the story on video!

The encore: Dillinger at the Biograph Theatre

We will visit another Chicago true-crime landmark: the Biograph Theatre , where John Dillinger was shot and killed by federal agents after leaving a movie in 1934. It’s one of the most famous “walked-out-and-never-made-it-home” moments in American crime history, and it’s a perfect final stop for a tour that lives in the overlap between legend and real-life violence.

You’ll get gangster-era history , ghost stories , and can get drinks as we go. If you’re 21+ and want a Valentine’s season night that’s more guns than roses, come take the crawl with us.

Bring a date! Use the code BUGS2026 to get 2 tickets for only $60!

Stock photos provided by depositphotos.com

Lake Geneva Chills Ghost Tour Winterfest 2026

Fri, 09 Jan 2026 21:39:04 GMT

Experience Winter Magic and Lore on Lake Geneva's Shores

Venture into the shadowy past of Lake Geneva on this spine-tingling 30-minute ghost tour through the town's most haunted locations during Winterfest. As winter's icy grip transforms this historic lakeside community into a landscape of shadows and frost, the veil between worlds grows thin, and the spirits of Lake Geneva's storied past emerge from the darkness. This chilling walking tour combines the town's rich supernatural heritage with the eerie beauty of winter, taking you past the haunted mansions, spectral shorelines, and historic buildings where unexplained phenomena have been reported for generations. From ghostly figures spotted near the frozen Riviera Docks to the mysterious apparitions that wander Main Street's century-old buildings, you'll discover why Lake Geneva is not only a premier winter destination but also one of the Midwest's most haunted towns. Bundle up, bring your courage, and prepare for an unforgettable journey into the paranormal... where history, mystery, and winter magic collide in the most haunting way possible.

Afternoons on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday during Winterfest!

Haunted St. Thomas (U.S. Virgin Islands): Hotel 1829 and the Ghost Legends of Charlotte Amalie

Wed, 31 Dec 2025 20:05:28 GMT

If you’re searching for haunted St. Thomas or the most haunted places in the Virgin Islands , start in the heart of Charlotte Amalie’s historic district... where old stone, steep streets, and centuries of seafaring history make the past feel close.

One of the most talked-about landmarks in this part of town is Hotel 1829 , perched in the Kongens Quarter (King’s Quarter) above downtown Charlotte Amalie.

Hotel 1829: a historic building at the center of haunted Charlotte Amalie stories

Hotel 1829 began as a private residence, constructed in 1829 by Alexander Lavalette , described in local history as a prosperous French sea trader . His initials— “A.L.” —are still visible in the wrought iron of the upper balcony, a signature stamped into the building itself.

But in a port town shaped by trade, privateers, and the ever-present temptation of easy money, “sea trader” has always been a flexible job title. That’s where the local legend creeps in. One travel account claims Lavalette was, in fact, a pirate and that he had to build the hotel in order to win the favor of the father of the Parisian beauty that he fell desperately in love with. Was he a pirate? Well, Charlotte Amalie had its share of pirates , but it was also a Danish free port that was a center of Caribbean trade, especially for coaling the steam ships in the early 19th Century, so he might have been a legit sea trader.

From private residence to hotel (1906) — and a long-running reputation

Historic Hotels of America notes that after serving as an upscale private residence for decades, the building entered a new chapter in 1906 , when the Taylor Family acquired the property and converted it into a small inn. O, that inn became known as Hotel 1829 , building a reputation for upscale hospitality in the heart of Charlotte Amalie, strong enough to attract prominent travelers for generations before the property’s later decline and closure in the 2000s.⁠

In the 1960s, the hotel was renovated and renamed Hotel 1829 by the Ball family (more on them in a little bit...)

Today, it is not just the age of the walls that gets people talking. It is what’s inside.

The Tiffany Stained Glass

Inside Hotel 1829’s lobby is a standout artifact: an authentic Tiffany stained-glass window created in 1903 , which the hotel says was originally crafted as a memorial for an Ohio doctor named Adams Elliot (who died in 1902) and was likely intended for a church setting. The piece uses Tiffany’s signature layered opalescent glass to create depth and shifting color without paint, so it “changes” as the daylight moves. What makes it especially eerie (and perfect for a haunted-history lens) is the mystery of how it traveled from the mainland to St. Thomas: Hotel 1829 notes it was authenticated by the Tiffany museum, whose records indicate they lost track of the window around the 1950s , and the exact path to the Virgin Islands remains unknown.

The name of the piece, "In Search of The Promised Land" evokes the Biblical story of Moses leading the Israelites through the desert to find the Land of Milk and Honey that God promised them after freeing them from slavery in Egypt.

The Blonde in the Hallway

And that's the location of our first ghost story there, because it's right past that window in the hallway where they see a mystery blonde walking behind the stained glass window and when they follow her to see if she's a guest, there's no one there. Several of the front desk staff told me about the blonde in person and they think they've all seen the same entity and have no idea who it could be.

Maybe it's the rumored Parisian woman who Alexandre Lavalette had his heart set on and built the house for in the first place? Somehow recorded in the walls...

Who's Messing With The Bar Shelves?

One story that comes up again and again at Hotel 1829 doesn’t involve a single dramatic encounter, but still something unsettling in its consistency. Since being renovated and reopened, different bartenders, many of whom never compared notes with one another, have all pointed to the same shelf behind the bar as a focal point for unexplained activity.

Bottles have shifted when no one was nearby. Glassware has tipped or rattled without vibration. Staff describe the odd sensation of being watched while reaching for that spot, followed by a sudden chill or the feeling that someone is standing just out of sight. What makes the story linger isn’t one spectacular incident, but the repetition. In a building as old as Hotel 1829, even the smallest patterns can feel like something trying very hard not to be ignored.

Maybe the ghosts don't like the renovations? I think the dark brick gives it a more historic feel and they've definitely got a better booze selection now than in the past!

Famous guests who stayed at Hotel 1829 (St. Thomas)

Famous people have been drawn to Hotel 1829 for decades, and the guest list reads like a cross‑section of modern fame... music, fashion, royalty, and sports. According to the hotel’s own write‑up, Paul McCartney and Robert Plant have stayed there, along with style icons like Oscar de la Renta and Jackie Onassis . The hotel also claims a King of Romania visited, and even Muhammad Ali passed through, adding heavyweight star power to an already storied address in the heart of Charlotte Amalie.

But my personal favorite is a menu from the 1970s that talks about how you can play backgammon with champion Baron Vernon Ball, who was also the owner of the establishment for decades. Indeed, here's a picture of him playing backgammon with Muhammad Ali. Now, the Facebook group where I found this image mentions them playing in Puerto Rico, and Ali did face off in 1976 against Jean-Pierre Coopman in the only heavy weight boxing match on that island.

However, if "The Greatest" stayed at Hotel 1829, doesn't it make more sense that that's where this backgammon game was played?

Psychic Backgammon?

Now, Backgammon is a game built on chance. Every throw produces an immediate, measurable outcome. To our Baron Ball, this made it the perfect testing ground for what parapsychologists in the mid-20th century were calling mind–matter interaction .

Ball claimed that when he entered a calm, focused mental condition, often referred to as the alpha state, he experienced statistically improbable success at the board. Doubles appeared at critical moments. Fortunate rolls arrived when strategy alone shouldn’t have been enough. He believed he wasn’t forcing outcomes, but gently nudging them.

These ideas eventually became the foundation of his 1980 book, Alpha Backgammon , a cult-favorite that blends gaming strategy, meditation techniques, and personal experimentation. The book never promises riches or domination at the table. Instead, it reads like a field journal from the era’s fascination with ESP, consciousness expansion, and the possibility that intention might influence randomness.

Whether Ball’s results were psychic phenomena, coincidence, or selective memory remains a matter of debate. But what’s undeniable is that Hotel 1829 served as a haven for thinkers willing to test the boundaries of conventional reality. In an age when scientists were wiring up random number generators to study psychic influence, Ball was doing his experiments over a backgammon board.

The Jewel Of The King's Quarter

Now reopened and renovated, Hotel 1829 styles itself as "The Jewel Of The King's Quarter", which was historically the cultural and social heart of the city, home to merchants, officials, sailors, and visiting dignitaries. While many buildings in the area were altered, rebuilt, or lost over time, Hotel 1829 retained its distinctive architecture, craftsmanship, and sense of place . Its survival through fires, economic shifts, and changing eras helped cement its reputation as a rare original, something precious in a district defined by constant movement and reinvention.

If you want to explore haunted Charlotte Amalie beyond the highlights and actually walk through the historic district where these stories took root, join our St. Thomas Charlotte Amalie Ghost Walk , which we put together through thorough research, and on-the-ground interviews with the people who live and work in these amazing buildings every day.

A Guide to Haunted New Year's Eve Traditions

Tue, 23 Dec 2025 12:51:44 GMT

A Spirited Start: A Guide to Haunted New Year's Eve Traditions

St. Paul, Minnesota: A Gangster's Last Party

Hollywood, California: A New Year's Toast with Marilyn Monroe

San Juan, Puerto Rico: The Ghosts of Three Kings Day

Chicago, Illinois: The Water Tower's Winter Spirits

New Orleans, Louisiana: Voodoo and New Year's Rituals

St. Thomas, Virgin Islands: Colonial Spirits and Pirate Ghosts

Alaska: Ghosts of the Frozen North

Why We See Ghosts on New Year's Eve

Here's to a spooky and spirited New Year!

Boston, Massachusetts: A Revolutionary New Year

San Francisco, California: The Lady of the Lake

Seattle, Washington: The Hotel Sorrento's Spectral Muse

A Spirited Start: A Guide to Haunted New Year's Eve Traditions

St. Paul, Minnesota: A Gangster's Last Party

Hollywood, California: A New Year's Toast with Marilyn Monroe

San Juan, Puerto Rico: The Ghosts of Three Kings Day

Chicago, Illinois: The Water Tower's Winter Spirits

New Orleans, Louisiana: Voodoo and New Year's Rituals

St. Thomas, Virgin Islands: Colonial Spirits and Pirate Ghosts

Alaska: Ghosts of the Frozen North

Why We See Ghosts on New Year's Eve

Here's to a spooky and spirited New Year!

Boston, Massachusetts: A Revolutionary New Year

San Francisco, California: The Lady of the Lake

Seattle, Washington: The Hotel Sorrento's Spectral Muse

The Legend of La Rogativa: San Juan’s Haunting Procession

Sat, 20 Dec 2025 16:20:55 GMT

Old San Juan is no stranger to legend, faith, and mystery. Among its cobblestone streets and centuries-old walls, one story stands above the rest. It is a tale of courage, candles, and spirits that never left. Locals call it La Rogativa , and each year as the holidays approach, its echo returns to the Plazuela de Rogativa , where flickering torches seem to dance with memories of a ghostly procession.

A Night When Faith and Fear Collided

In 1797, British forces prepared to invade San Juan. As ships lined the bay, panic spread through the city. Instead of surrendering, a group of faithful citizens led by the bishop organized a rogativa , a religious procession meant to invoke divine protection. Carrying crosses and torches, they marched through the narrow streets, their chants echoing against the city walls.

From the ships offshore, the flicker of flames looked like reinforcements arriving to defend the city. The British withdrew, never realizing they had been deceived by candlelight and faith.

To this day, many say those same lights still appear along the ramparts on quiet nights, as if the La Rogativa procession continues its eternal march, reminding San Juan that courage sometimes takes spectral form.

Exploring Plazuela de la Rogativa

Near La Fortaleza, the Governor’s Mansion, stands the Plazuela de Rogativa, a small plaza that overlooks San Juan Bay. It is home to the bronze sculpture known as La Rogativa, created by Lindsay Daen in 1971. The figures—three women and a bishop—carry torches aloft, frozen in a moment of prayer and bravery.

Visitors searching for plaza la rogativa or plazuela la rogativa often discover it while walking the ancient walls near the Cathedral of San Juan Bautista. It is one of the most photographed spots in the city, especially at dusk, when the golden light gives the statues a haunting glow.

But locals know there is more here than meets the eye. Guides whisper that if you stand quietly after dark, you may hear the rustle of robes or the faint murmur of hymns from another time.

Statues That Tell a Story

San Juan is filled with art and monuments, yet none possess the same energy as the La Rogativa statue . While other statues in San Juan, Puerto Rico honor battles or political heroes, this one celebrates faith, resilience, and the supernatural bond between the living and the dead.

For travelers exploring San Juan statues , this site offers not just visual beauty but emotional depth. The air feels charged with history, the way only a place touched by myth can.

It is a stop every traveler should make, whether for the view, the story, or the ghostly presence said to accompany those who linger too long.

From Legend to Living Tradition

For centuries, the people of San Juan have told the story of La Rogativa as both history and legend. Today, American Ghost Walks keeps that spirit alive through immersive storytelling and guided tours that blend history with haunting experiences.

Our San Juan Ghost Tour retraces the same cobblestone paths the townspeople once walked, revealing the truth behind the city’s most enduring myth. Guests hear tales of colonial specters, restless souls, and the processions that never ended.

This is more than a ghost story. It is a living tradition that connects the modern city to its colonial past.

Frequently Asked Questions

Plan Your Visit

Location: Plazuela de la Rogativa, near La Fortaleza, Old San Juan, Puerto Rico
Tour Recommendation: San Juan Ghost Tour by American Ghost Walks
Best Time to Visit: Sunset or after dark for the most atmospheric views
Perfect For: History lovers, paranormal enthusiasts, and holiday travelers

Join the Candlelight Ghost Procession

During the holiday season, when the streets of Old San Ju an glow with lanterns and festive music, the legend of La Rogativa lives on. The San Juan Ghost Walk is the most fun way to learn the history and legends of the old city, Viejo San Juan.

Reserve your San Juan Ghost Tour today and follow in the footsteps of the faithful who once saved a city and left behind a haunting legacy.

The Legend of the Night Marchers in Hawaiʻi

Mon, 15 Dec 2025 19:51:56 GMT

A Holiday Tale Beneath the Winter Moon

When December arrives in Hawaiʻi, the islands grow quieter. The trade winds cool, the nights stretch longer, and a stillness settles across the valleys. During this season, locals say that the ancient spirits of Hawaiian warriors, known as the Night Marchers , return to walk the paths they once guarded.

If you listen carefully, you might hear the soft echo of drums or catch a flicker of torchlight along a distant ridge. It is a time when the spiritual world feels closer, and the stories of the Huaka‘i Pō , the Procession of the Night, come alive again.

The Ancient Hawaiian Spirits Known as the Night Marchers

The Night Marchers are the spectral warriors of Hawaiʻi’s past, the eternal guards of royal chiefs and kings. They are said to appear in long, glowing lines, each ghostly soldier holding a torch as they move together through sacred lands.

Their march is not meant to frighten but to remind people to show reverence. Hawaiian tradition holds that those who witness the procession must show deep respect by lowering themselves to the ground or turning away. Those who do are protected, while anyone who interrupts the sacred path may face danger from the power of mana , or spiritual energy.

In the calm of winter, when nights are at their darkest, stories of the Night Marchers feel even more alive.

The Meaning of the Huaka‘i Pō in Hawaiian Tradition

The name Huaka‘i Pō translates to “Procession of the Night.” It comes from ancient Hawaiian beliefs that the dead continue to serve their chiefs in the afterlife.

Centuries ago, when high-ranking aliʻi traveled, the living were required to kneel or avert their gaze in respect. The same rule applied to their ghostly counterparts after death.

According to legend, these processions still follow the old paths between battlefields, royal compounds, and heiau (temples). They are seen most often on nights with a bright moon, when the spirits of the past seem to step once more into the living world.

Night Marchers in Modern Hawaiʻi

Across the islands, many residents still avoid certain areas after dark. Some of the most well-known locations include:

Nuuanu Pali Lookout (Oʻahu) : Said to be one of the most active Night Marcher paths, especially during the winter months.
Kaʻena Point (Oʻahu) : Believed to be a spiritual gateway where spirits cross between realms.
Lahaina and Hana (Maui) : Travelers have described faint torches in the hills and the sound of chanting carried by the wind.
Waipio Valley (Hawaiʻi Island) : A place of royal burials and one of the most sacred valleys in Polynesia.

Even in the modern age, people continue to report unexplained lights, drums, and footprints in the sand where no one has walked.

Are the Night Marchers Real?

Skeptics say no, yet hundreds of stories tell otherwise. Many Hawaiians believe these spirits are protectors rather than haunts. Their purpose is to remind the living of respect for land, ancestors, and tradition.

The holiday season is a time for reflection, and this legend mirrors that sense of connection between generations. Whether seen as myth or memory, the Night Marchers of Hawaiʻi remind everyone that the islands’ history is still alive in the places where we walk today.

How the Legend Lives On During the Holidays

December is a special time in Hawaiʻi. The air is cooler, the nights arrive sooner, and the stars seem brighter. Visitors often come seeking sunshine during winter, yet they also discover that the islands have a deeper story beneath the festive lights.

For local families, holiday gatherings often include storytelling. Around a bonfire or beneath palm trees strung with lights, tales of Hawaiian ghosts and urban legends are shared alongside music and food. Among these stories, the Night Marchers remain the most powerful.

It is a season when the supernatural and the sacred feel closest. The legend of the Huaka‘i Pō fits naturally into this time of year when Hawaiians honor both ancestors and the spirit of renewal.

Experience the Legend on a Hawaiʻi Ghost Tour This December

If you are visiting the islands this holiday season, a Hawaiʻi ghost tour is one of the most unique ways to explore local history.

Our guides at American Ghost Walks bring the Night Marchers’ story to life through real locations, historical context, and firsthand accounts from locals who still believe. You will walk the paths where torches were once seen, hear the chants that echo through the valleys, and feel the quiet power of Hawaiian legend.

The Oʻahu Ghost Tour is especially popular in December when the nights are calm and the atmosphere feels charged with mystery. It is not a haunted house or a thrill ride, but a cultural experience that connects travelers to the deeper side of Hawaiʻi’s past.

FAQs About the Night Marchers

Experience the Legend for Yourself

The legend of the Night Marchers is more than a tale told by locals. It is a living part of Hawaiʻi’s identity, a reminder that the islands carry stories far older than the hotels, highways, or city lights.

If you are visiting this December, let the cool night air and full moon set the scene for an unforgettable experience. Walk through historic streets and ancient paths where the Night Marchers are said to appear. Hear the chants, the drums, and the stories that have kept this legend alive for centuries.

Our Hawaiʻi Ghost Tours and Oʻahu Ghost Walks are led by guides who know these legends deeply — people who have listened to the stories passed down through generations. Together, you will explore the spiritual side of Hawaiʻi that most travelers never see.

Whether you believe in the supernatural or simply want to discover the cultural heart of the islands, this is the perfect time to do it.

Join us this holiday season and follow the path of the Night Marchers .

Book Your Hawaiʻi Ghost Tour and make this December a story you will never forget.

Donna Olimpia Maidalchini: Rome’s “She-Pope” and the Phantom Carriage of Ponte Sisto

Thu, 11 Dec 2025 20:17:02 GMT

This is a guest post by Ben Messenger from Dark Side City Tours in Rome, Italy. We love haunted history all over the world so we thought you might enjoy it too!

Rome has never lacked for powerful figures. Emperors, popes, generals who bent the world to their will. The city's practically built on their bones. But few have haunted Rome, both in life and death, quite like Donna Olimpia Maidalchini.

In the 17th century, she was the most feared woman in Christendom. Romans called her La Pimpaccia di Piazza Navona (the Wicked Woman) and La Papessa , the She-Pope. She ran the Vatican from the shadows, built an empire on brothels and blackmail, and when the Pope died, she looted his corpse and fled across the Tiber with a carriage stuffed with gold.

And if Roman legend holds true, she's still fleeing. Every night just before dawn, a phantom carriage thunders across Ponte Sisto. Headless horses pull it forward, carrying a woman clutching stolen treasure, pursued by demons clawing at her soul.

This is the story of how a merchant's daughter became the power behind the papal throne, and why her restless spirit may never find peace.

From Viterbo to the Vatican: A Ruthless Rise

Olimpia Maidalchini was born in 1591 in Viterbo, a town north of Rome. Her father was a respectable but stubborn merchant who flatly refused to provide dowries for his daughters. In 17th-century Italy, that meant one thing: the convent. A slow death by boredom and obedience.

Olimpia wasn't having it.

She defied her family and married Paolo Nini, the wealthiest man in town, without permission. Conveniently for Olimpia, Paolo died just two years later, leaving her a considerable fortune. With wealth came options, and she knew exactly where to take them. Rome. The beating heart of power, wealth, and corruption.

Once there, she did something few women of her time dared: she entered business.

The Brothel Queen of Rome

Olimpia started investing in brothels and properties, including several on Via delle Zoccolette (literally "Street of the Little Prostitutes"). But she wasn't just a landlord collecting rent. She was building a network.

Her brothels doubled as intelligence hubs. Cardinals, priests, and nobles talked freely in the company of women they considered beneath notice. Olimpia listened. Secrets slipped into her hands like coins, and she learned to weaponize them with surgical precision.

Even her so-called charity work (running an orphanage and a retirement home for sex workers) was part of the same ruthless efficiency. In a city where virtue and vice were often indistinguishable, Olimpia spoke the language of piety to the Church and the language of profit to everyone else.

It wasn't long before she caught the eye of one of Rome's most powerful families: the Pamphili. Her second marriage, to Pamphilio Pamphili, elevated her into the ranks of Roman nobility. Her true ascent had begun.

The Woman Who Made a Pope

Olimpia's brother-in-law, Giovanni Battista Pamphili, was a rising star in the Catholic Church. Ambitious, well-connected, and hungry for the papal throne. Olimpia recognized his potential and decided to help him reach it.

How? Money, manipulation, and blackmail. Her trademark combination.

She brokered alliances, paid bribes, and quietly leaned on those whose secrets she'd collected from her brothels. She knew which cardinals had gambling debts, which ones kept mistresses, which ones had skeletons they'd pay dearly to keep buried.

In 1644, her work paid off. Giovanni Battista became Pope Innocent X, and Olimpia became the most powerful woman in Christendom.

From that moment, nothing happened in the Vatican without her involvement. Olimpia moved into the papal palace on Piazza Navona, dispensing patronage and punishment in equal measure. She advised the Pope on policy, managed appointments, and handled vast sums of Church wealth. She was the power behind the throne, and some whispered she even shared Innocent's bed.

Her enemies called her La Pimpaccia (a derisive nickname meaning something like "the plump, vulgar woman"). Others called her La Papessa , the She-Pope.

Olimpia didn't mind. She was too busy running the papacy.

The Night Everything Changed

Papal power only lasts as long as the man who holds it. When Innocent X died of plague in 1655, Olimpia's world collapsed overnight.

The enemies she'd humiliated for years circled like vultures. The same men who'd trembled in her presence saw their chance for revenge. Olimpia knew that in Rome, vengeance was swift and rarely merciful.

Before the cardinals could act, she made her move.

She looted the papal palace. Jewelry, gold, silver. Anything of value disappeared into her coffers. She even took the rings from the Pope's corpse, slipping them off his cold fingers under the pretense of mourning. Then she climbed into a carriage laden with treasure and fled across Ponte Sisto, smashing through guards in a desperate dash for freedom.

It was a dramatic end to a dramatic career. Olimpia retreated to her estate in Viterbo, where she died two years later (of plague, fittingly), largely despised and unmourned.

But Roman legend insists her story didn't end there.

The Phantom Carriage of Ponte Sisto

Ponte Sisto is one of Rome's most picturesque bridges, spanning the Tiber with a postcard-perfect view of St. Peter's dome. By day, it's alive with locals, tourists, and street musicians strumming under the Roman sun.

But in the darkest hours before dawn, it belongs to something else.

According to centuries of local lore, a ghostly black carriage appears on stormy nights, thundering across Ponte Sisto at terrifying speed. The sound comes first. The crack of iron wheels on ancient stone, the snap of a whip cutting through the air, the pounding of hooves echoing off the water below.

Then you see it.

A carriage, black as pitch, racing toward the far end of the bridge. Inside sits a cloaked woman clutching a chest of gold to her breast. As she races forward, demons leap aboard. Clawing, shrieking, trying to drag her down to Hell.

They say the temperature drops ten degrees when she passes. That the air smells of river water and something else. Something acrid and wrong, like burnt hair or sulfur. That the horses have no heads, just gaping necks trailing smoke. And that if you're foolish enough to look directly at the carriage, you'll see her face pressed against the window. Pale, furious, and fixed on you.

Then comes the scream. A chilling, soul-freezing scream that echoes through the night before fading into silence.

Every Roman knows who it is. Donna Olimpia Maidalchini, fleeing once again from the city she ruled and from the sins that, according to legend, won't let her rest.

Old superstitions linger. Locals say if you hear hooves on Ponte Sisto before sunrise, you walk the other way. You don't look. You don't linger. Because Olimpia Maidalchini isn't known for forgiveness, and she's had centuries to perfect her grudges.

Want to test your courage? Stand on Ponte Sisto yourself on our Rome Ghost Tour and listen for the faint rattle of wheels in the pre-dawn mist. Just don't say we didn't warn you.

A Modern Encounter: When Olimpia Made Her Presence Known

Ghost stories have a way of fading into folklore over the centuries, softened by time and retelling until they feel more like fairy tales than fact. But Olimpia Maidalchini seems unwilling to fade.

Her spirit still lingers in the Palazzo Doria Pamphili, the grand palace on Piazza Navona where she once held court. And we know someone who can confirm it.

Ivana, one of our guides at Dark Side City Tours , lived in a section of that very palazzo. Her family occupied the apartment for years, surrounded by centuries of history pressed into the walls. They'd grown used to the weight of the past. The creaking floors, the drafts, the sense that the building remembered things.

But they weren't prepared for what happened when Ivana's mother decided to redecorate.

It started with a painting. An old portrait of Donna Olimpia had hung in the same spot for as long as anyone could remember. Stern-faced, imperious, watching. Ivana's mother thought it was time for a change. She took it down and moved it to another room.

That night, the knocking started.

It wasn't loud. It wasn't violent. But it was persistent. A steady, deliberate knock knock knock on the bedroom doors, as if someone were standing just outside, waiting to be let in.

They checked. No one was there.

The knocking continued night after night. Always the same rhythm. Always at the same doors. The family tried to rationalize it. Old pipes, settling foundations, the wind. But none of those explanations felt right. The sound was too deliberate. Too purposeful.

Finally, unnerved and out of options, they made a decision. They put the painting back.

The knocking stopped immediately.

Coincidence? Perhaps. But in a city where the dead are never quite gone, where history refuses to stay buried, many Romans would say Olimpia simply didn't approve of the change. Even in death, it seems, she insists on being seen. On being respected. On getting her way.

The painting still hangs in its original place. And no one has any plans to move it again.

A Legacy Written in Shadows

For centuries, Olimpia has been vilified as the ultimate villain. Greedy, corrupt, ruthless. Her enemies compared her to poison. The Church tried to erase her from memory.

But Rome remembers. The city holds onto its ghosts, especially the ones who refused to be quiet in life. Walk through Piazza Navona today and you can still feel her presence in the stones, in the palazzo windows, in the way the shadows fall across the fountain at dusk.

Was she a monster? A survivor? A woman who simply played the only game available to her and played it better than any man?

Perhaps she was all of those things. Perhaps that's why she can't rest.

Following in Her Footsteps: How to Visit Olimpia's World

If this story has sparked your curiosity (or your sense of adventure), you can still walk in Olimpia's footsteps across Rome today.

Here's where to look:

Ponte Sisto : Best visited in the quiet hour before dawn, when legend says Olimpia's ghostly carriage thunders across. Even if you don't see a phantom, the atmosphere alone is worth the visit.

Palazzo Doria Pamphili, Piazza Navona : Now home to the Brazilian embassy, this was Olimpia's seat of power. Outside, you can still feel the weight of history pressing against the walls. And, if you're lucky (or unlucky), maybe something more.

San Martino al Cimino : The town near Viterbo where Olimpia died, and where some say her spirit began its eternal flight from judgment.

Via delle Zoccolette : Once part of her brothel empire, now an ordinary Roman street with an extraordinary past.

To dive deeper into stories like Olimpia's (where real history and restless spirits intertwine), join us on Rome's Dark Side: Ghosts & Legends Tour . We walk the same streets she did, stand on the same bridge where her phantom is said to pass, and uncover the chilling stories Rome hoped you'd forget.

A Spirit That Will Not Be Silenced

Donna Olimpia Maidalchini has been dead for over three and a half centuries, but in Rome, death is never the end. The past lingers here in the cobblestones and the river mist, in the faint echo of hooves on Ponte Sisto, and (if Ivana's story is anything to go by) in firm opinions about interior decorating.

She was called a sinner, a schemer, a thief, and a She-Pope. Perhaps she was all of those things. But she was also a woman who refused to accept the role the world tried to assign her, and in doing so, she left a mark that time, and even death, cannot erase.

So if you ever find yourself on a storm-dark Roman night near Ponte Sisto, and you hear the distant thunder of iron wheels on stone, the crack of a whip, the scream of a woman who will not be silenced, take our advice.

Don't look back.

Because Donna Olimpia Maidalchini is still here. Still fleeing. Still furious.

And she's not finished yet.

Stock photos provided by depositphotos.com

Krampusnacht, Milwaukee's Most Paranormal Christmas Party

Wed, 03 Dec 2025 23:23:53 GMT

It's the most terrifying time of the year...

Santa Claus, St. Nicholas, Baby Jesus in the manger... Christmas is a wonderful time full of joy laughter, and monsters! What?! Why would Christmas have monsters?

Because not all little boys and girls will be good if you just show them the carrot...

...sometimes you need the stick.

And nobody has a bigger Christmas stick than Krampus, the Christmas Punisher .

You can read more about the history of Krampus here , because we've talked about him extensively over the years. But to make a long story short, in Austria in the 19th Century, instead of just getting coal in your stocking if you were a bad kid, St. Nick brought along a demon who would tie you up in a sack and drag you to Hell. So, awesome, right?

I grew up near Milwaukee and our city is very influenced by the German settlers who came here in the mid-to-late Nineteenth Century (like my Allison and my great-great grandparents, I even just saw his Civil War Union Army papers. He came over from Germany, fought for Wisconsin in the war and THEN became an American citizen) and then started the breweries (Pabst, Miller, Schlitz) that literally made Milwaukee famous. One of those breweries was started by Jacob Best, whose son-in-law was famous Milwaukee ghost Frederick Pabst whose beer famously won a Blue Ribbon 1000 years ago and they're still bragging about it.

Anyway, there's still a beer named "Jacob Best" and it was the first one I ever tried when my father let me have a taste at a Thanksgiving party when I was a child and I promptly gagged and ran outside to spit it out. Here's there most memorable commercial from the 1980s.

And the area where Krampusnacht is held is called "Best Place" and it's at the old Pabst Brewery near downtown Milwaukee and yes, you can still get beer from Pilot Project Brewing which makes their beer in Milwaukee and makes special beers for Krampusnacht in particular. Every year I make sure to try it and every year it's amazing! This year, I might even have two...

Anyway, the first time I went to Milwaukee Krampusnacht wasn't even in a haunted capacity. One of the organizers, Tea Krulos, is the cousin of the drummer in my band, Sunspot . And we discovered he was a fellow weirdo while interviewing him for a podcast that we used to do where we would write a song every week about a paranormal topic . Tea started the Milwaukee Paracon in 2015 and he became an amazing Milwaukee ghost host shortly after (it's one of the reasons why we're the best ghost tour in most towns that we operate in... we hire people who know something their stuff) and then helped create this one of a kind Wisconsin event (the second biggest in the United States.) Parties always need music, so we were happy to provide some rock n' roll for the original Krampusnacht, which you as you can see in the picture below was a huge party (and even after staying out late and playing and partying, I remember working on the title track for our 2022 album, The Strangest Frequency, the next morning...)

For the past few years, one of my favorite parts of course is the American Ghost Walks Krampusnacht Parade, which is a ton of fun and it shows off everyone's costumes... in 2024, it was led by our Madison Ghost Host with the Most, Lisa Van Buskirk, wearing a living Baron Samedi American Ghost Walks outfit, followed closely behind by me in the Cthulhu mask with my sister Allison as Krampus, and more of our family members representing three generations of Milwaukee weirdness and we are proud to be part of it.

Here's everyone getting ready for the Krampusnacht parade and it's wild to see everyone in costume. This is worth the price of admission right here (and you can purchase tickets right here...) Just to see everyone walking the Streets of Old Milwaukee together in the craziest Christmas costumes you can imagine.

Of course, there's still plenty of music, and the drummer/violinist/vocalist in my band always puts on an amazing performance with even more amazing costumes. She'll be performing again this weekend and delighting the audiences with her violin renditions of your favorite Pop and Christmas tracks.

There's stuff to do for the kids as well, with a Kids Krampus Hour kicking off the festivities and of course they'll go crazy in the vendors area where you can find unique Holiday gifts and even better, most of them are made by Milwaukee artisans. It really is a community event where the best of Brewtown comes together. I think we're all proud of the community and open-ness, and it's an honest-to-goodness testament to Cream City and its people.

This is also one of the only times of the year that you'll be able to get a ghost tour from my sister, Allison Jornlin, who started ghost tours in Milwaukee. She did all the original research, she put in all the work, she was the one asking hotel workers, waiters and waitresses, bartenders, and everyone else about ghost stories before the Discovery Channel made it cool. She is an amazing resource on paranormal in Wisconsin and you'll have access to her on the Milwaukee Krampusnacht Ghost Bus Tour (more details at the bottom of this post...)

Anyway, hope to see you at Milwaukee Krampusnacht this weekend, once again you can grab your tickets here . It's Milwaukee's most paranormal Christmas party and we here at American Ghost Walks, can't wait to celebrate with you again!

A Guide to America's Haunted Holiday Destinations

Wed, 19 Nov 2025 19:18:54 GMT

A Chilling Christmas: A Guide to America's Haunted Holiday Destinations

Beneath the warm glow of Christmas lights and the cheerful sound of carols, a colder, older tradition lies dormant. Long before the advent of electric lights and inflatable snowmen, families would gather around the hearth on the longest, darkest nights of the year to share tales of the supernatural. The Victorians, in particular, understood that the Yuletide season, with its deep shadows and howling winds, was the perfect time for a ghost story. It was a way to acknowledge the darkness that surrounds the light, a tradition noted by historians at History.com .

Today, that tradition is experiencing a quiet resurgence. For those who find more magic in a cold spot than in a cup of hot cocoa, exploring the haunted history of America's most iconic cities offers a unique way to celebrate the season. Here is a guide to some of America's most haunted holiday destinations, where the Christmas spirits are not just in the eggnog.

Chicago, Illinois: The Echoes of Death Alley

The Windy City decks itself in splendor for the holidays, with the Magnificent Mile glittering and the Christkindlmarket bustling with cheer. But listen closely beneath the merriment, and you might hear a colder, more tragic story carried on the winter wind.

On December 30, 1903, the Iroquois Theatre was a beacon of holiday joy. It was brand new, advertised as “absolutely fireproof,” and packed with over 1,700 souls, mostly women and children, for a matinee of the musical Mr. Blue Beard . But a single spark from a stage light met a muslin curtain, and the theater became an inferno. Locked exits and faulty fire escapes turned the architectural marvel into a tomb. Over 600 people perished in the flames and the ensuing panic, a horror well-documented in historical records like those on Wikipedia . The alley behind the theater, now called Couch Place, became a makeshift morgue, bodies stacked in the freezing air. It earned a new, infamous name: Death Alley .

Today, the alley is a place of profound sorrow. Visitors speak of a heavy, oppressive atmosphere, of being pushed by unseen hands, and of hearing the faint, desperate cries of women and children. The ghosts of the Iroquois Theatre Fire are a somber reminder of Chicago's haunted history , a story that continues to be told in the hushed tones of those who dare to walk the alley at night.

New Orleans, Louisiana: The Phantom Christmas Tree

In a city that wears its paranormal reputation like a shroud, even the holidays have a haunted hue. While tales of voodoo and vampires are whispered year-round, a modern mystery has captivated the city's imagination: the phantom Christmas tree of Charity Hospital.

Old Charity Hospital stands as a dark, hulking monument to the sorrow of Hurricane Katrina. Abandoned since 2005, its windows are black and empty, its halls silent. Yet, for several years after its closure, a single, inexplicable light would appear in one of those darkened windows during the holiday season: a brightly lit Christmas tree. The phenomenon was widely shared and discussed by locals and news outlets . The building was sealed, without power, yet the lonely light shone on.

Was it the spirit of a patient, longing for one last glimpse of holiday cheer? Or a dedicated nurse, forever making her rounds? Whatever the cause, the image of that solitary tree became a symbol of New Orleans' enduring spirit, both living and dead. It adds another layer to the rich tapestry of New Orleans' paranormal lore , a city where the past is never truly past.

Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Krampus and the Beer Barons

Milwaukee's German heritage brings a darker, more terrifying figure to its holiday celebrations: Krampus, the horned demon who punishes naughty children. This ancient tradition is alive and well in Milwaukee, with events like the annual Krampusnacht celebration bringing the folklore to life.

But beyond the Krampus, the city's historic mansions are filled with the ghosts of Christmas past. The Pabst Mansion , former home of beer baron Captain Frederick Pabst, is a vision of Victorian Christmas splendor. It is also famously haunted. The ghost of Captain Pabst himself is said to wander the halls, still overseeing his grand home. During the holidays, when the mansion is filled with the sights and sounds of a bygone era, his spirit is said to be particularly active, drawn to the familiar festivities.

Similarly, the Pfister Hotel is known for its own spectral resident, Charles Pfister. Numerous guests, including many visiting baseball players, have reported strange noises, flickering lights, and the unnerving feeling of being watched. These tales of Krampus and beer baron ghosts showcase how Milwaukee's festive cheer often meets its chilling past.

Hollywood, California: Ghosts of the Golden Age

Hollywood is a city built on dreams, but also on tragedy. During the holidays, the spirits of its golden age are said to make their presence known. The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel , site of the first Academy Awards, is ground zero for these spectral celebrations.

The ghost of Marilyn Monroe is famously seen in a mirror that once hung in her favorite suite. But a more restless spirit is that of actor Montgomery Clift, who haunts Room 928. As detailed in a Vanity Fair article , guests report hearing him practicing his trumpet and pacing the halls, forever rehearsing a role he can never perfect. On New Year's Eve, his lonely spirit is a stark contrast to the glittering parties below.

Another tragic tale comes from the Knickerbocker Hotel . It was here that D.W. Griffith, the controversial director of The Birth of a Nation , died alone in the lobby. On New Year's Eve, some say his lonely spirit can be seen, forever waiting for a comeback that will never arrive. These tales are a staple of Hollywood lore , recounting the stories of stars who never truly left the city of dreams.

Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota: Twin Cities, Twin Hauntings

The Twin Cities are a winter wonderland during the holidays, but beneath the cheerful exterior lies a dark history. The Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul is home to the ghost of a man in old-fashioned clothing, seen in the upper balcony during holiday performances. In Minneapolis, the Orpheum Theatre is haunted by a stagehand who died in an accident. His ghost is said to move props and call out instructions during Christmas shows. The haunted theaters and gangster hideouts of the Twin Cities are a highlight of the region's paranormal folklore, with the spirits of the past in both Minneapolis and St. Paul seeming most active during the holiday season.

Portland, Maine: Victorian Christmas Spirits

Portland, Maine, embraces the holiday season with Victorian-era charm. The Victoria Mansion , a masterpiece of pre-Civil War architecture, is famous for its elaborate Christmas decorations. It is also home to several ghosts. The original owner, Ruggles Sylvester Morse, is said to haunt the grand staircase, his presence marked by the scent of pipe tobacco. The ghost of a young servant girl is also seen, her spirit drawn to the beauty of the holiday decorations. The history of the city's beautiful and haunted buildings, including the Victoria Mansion, is a cornerstone of Portland's local lore .

Hawaii: The Night Marchers of a Tropical Christmas

Even in paradise, the holidays have a dark side. The Hawaiian islands are home to the Night Marchers , the spirits of ancient warriors who march in ghostly processions. To see them is considered a deathly omen. As Hawaiian legends recount, anyone who witnesses the procession is said to be at risk of death unless they have an ancestor among the marchers. The Night Marchers are most active during the winter solstice, and their ghostly drumming is often heard on the Big Island, in the areas of K ailua-Kona and H il o .

Why We Tell Ghost Stories at Christmas

A Christmas ghost story is more than just a spooky experience. It's a way to connect with history, to understand the darker side of the holiday season, and to embrace a tradition that goes back centuries. The Victorians understood that the holidays are a time of contrasts—light and dark, joy and sorrow, life and death. By telling ghost stories during the holidays, they acknowledged that the past is always with us, and that the spirits of those who came before us are never truly gone.

At American Ghost Walks, we believe in the power of these true stories. The history of a place is written not just in textbooks, but in the whispers and shadows that linger long after the events have passed. These tales, grounded in historical research and real accounts, connect us to the past in a way that pure fiction cannot.

This holiday season, embrace the chill and explore the haunted history that lies just beneath the festive surface. The stories are waiting.

Boston, Massachusetts: The Ghost of the Christmas Present

Boston, a city steeped in revolutionary history, also holds lesser-known tales of holiday hauntings. The Omni Parker House, a historic hotel that has welcomed guests since 1855, is famous for its paranormal activity. The ghost of Harvey Parker, the hotel's founder, is said to roam the halls, a perfectionist even in death, ensuring his guests are well cared for. But during the holidays, another, more tragic spirit is said to make her presence known.

In the 1940s, a young woman who was a guest at the hotel died in her room. The circumstances of her death are unclear, but some say she was waiting for a lover who never arrived. Her lonely spirit is said to haunt the third floor, and guests have reported hearing the faint sound of a woman weeping, the scent of her perfume lingering in the air. During the Christmas season, when the hotel is filled with the joy of families and couples, her sorrowful presence is a poignant reminder of a love that was lost.

San Francisco, California: The Ghost of the Golden Gate

San Francisco's history is as colorful as its famous Victorian houses, and its ghost stories are just as compelling. The Queen Anne Hotel, a beautiful Victorian mansion that was once a girls' finishing school, is famously haunted by the ghost of Miss Mary Lake, the school's headmistress. She is a friendly spirit, known to tuck guests into bed and unpack their suitcases. But during the holidays, a more mysterious and somber energy is felt in the hotel.

Some say it is the spirit of a young girl who died at the school, forever missing her family during the Christmas season. Guests have reported hearing the faint sound of a child crying, and the feeling of a small hand tugging at their clothes. The ghost of Miss Mary Lake is said to be particularly protective of this young spirit, and her presence is often felt nearby, a comforting and watchful guardian.

Seattle, Washington: The Market's Spectral Shopper

Pike Place Market, one of Seattle's most famous landmarks, is a bustling hub of activity, especially during the holidays. But amidst the crowds of shoppers and the cheerful chaos, a spectral figure is said to wander the stalls. She is known as the "Market Ghost," and she is believed to be the spirit of a woman who owned a small shop in the market in the early 20th century.

She is a gentle spirit, and she is often seen browsing the stalls, as if she is still looking for the perfect Christmas gift. Shopkeepers have reported seeing her reflection in their windows, and customers have felt a sudden cold spot as she passes by. She is a beloved figure in the market's folklore, a reminder that the spirit of Christmas can be found in the most unexpected of places.

Halloween in Red Wing: Spooky Fun, Family Events and Haunted Tours

Thu, 16 Oct 2025 16:00:14 GMT

Perched along the Mississippi River, Red Wing, MN is famous for its pottery, river views, and small-town charm. But when October arrives, the atmosphere shifts. The streets glow with jack-o-lanterns, the air turns crisp, and whispers of local legends fill the night. From family-friendly trunk-or-treats to haunted walks through historic streets, Halloween in Red Wing offers a memorable mix of fun and fright.

Halloween Events in Red Wing 2025

Haunted Houses and Spooky Attractions

Red Wing may not host large-scale haunted parks, but nearby Minnesota towns provide plenty of scares with haunted barns, corn mazes, and eerie woodland trails. Within Red Wing, history takes center stage through the Ghost Tours in Red Wing presented by American Ghost Walks . These tours uncover the haunted heritage of the town through storytelling that combines history, folklore, and mystery.

Family Trunk-or-Treats and Kid-Friendly Celebrations

Families will find safe and festive trunk-or-treat events organized by local schools, churches, and community groups. With decorated cars, games, and costume contests, these gatherings create a welcoming atmosphere for children and parents to enjoy the season together.

Concerts, Arts and Entertainment

October in Red Wing brings a wave of creativity to the stage and streets. The Sheldon Theatre hosts Halloween-themed performances, while Red Wing Arts organizes fall-inspired exhibits and workshops. Together, they make Halloween a time not only for fun but also for celebrating local culture and art.

Haunted History and Ghost Tours in Red Wing

The American Ghost Walks Experience

For those drawn to Red Wing’s mysterious side, American Ghost Walks offers an unforgettable guided experience. Guests wander through the town’s most storied streets, listening to chilling accounts of haunted hotels, restless river spirits, and unexplained occurrences. These tours focus on atmosphere and storytelling, allowing visitors to see the city in a completely new light.

Landmarks with a Chilling Past

Red Wing is home to several historic sites tied to ghostly tales. The St. James Hotel is said to host spectral guests who never checked out. Barn Bluff , with its Native American burial mounds and river legends, adds another layer of intrigue. Each of these places connects the present-day city to its haunted past, offering a compelling experience for visitors.

Red Wing Halloween for Families vs. Adults

Kid-Friendly Crafts and Activities

Parents looking for creative ways to celebrate can bring children to local art centers and libraries for Halloween crafts, pumpkin painting, and mask-making. Combined with trunk-or-treat events, these activities make October in Red Wing ideal for young families.

Red Wing Nightlife and Adult Festivities

For adults , Halloween transforms Red Wing’s nightlife into a mix of excitement and mystery. Local breweries and bars host themed parties, costume contests, and live music. Whether you prefer a casual drink or a high-energy event, there is something for every taste.

Planning Your Visit

Where to Stay

Stay overnight to experience the full atmosphere of Red Wing in October. The historic St. James Hotel offers charm and a touch of mystery, while local inns and B&Bs provide cozy comfort near the riverfront.

Dining and Seasonal Treats

Autumn flavors take over Red Wing’s cafés and restaurants. Enjoy pumpkin bars, caramel apples, and spiced lattes before dinner at one of the town’s riverside spots. The season’s local brews and fall menus make dining an experience of its own.

FAQs About Halloween in Red Wing

Ready to Explore the Haunted Side of Red Wing?

Step into the city’s mysterious past with American Ghost Walks . Join our Ghost Tours in Red Wing and experience stories of haunted hotels, river spirits, and local legends that shaped the town’s identity.

Curious what others are saying? Check our Red Wing Ghost Tour Reviews to see how visitors describe their experience.

How to Celebrate an Amazing Halloween in Puerto Rico

Thu, 16 Oct 2025 16:00:14 GMT

Halloween in Puerto Rico is unlike anywhere else in the world. Imagine celebrating October 31 surrounded by palm trees, tropical breezes, and the vibrant energy of San Juan. Instead of bundling up in sweaters, you will be strolling cobblestone streets in lightweight costumes, sipping piña coladas, and joining locals for a night of spooky fun.

By 2025, Halloween will have become one of the island’s most anticipated celebrations, blending American traditions with Puerto Rican culture, food, and folklore. From haunted houses and rooftop parties to family-friendly trick-or-treating and Ghost Tours in Puerto Rico by American Ghost Walks , this is your complete guide to experiencing Halloween on the island.

The Cultural Influences

Is Halloween celebrated in Puerto Rico? Absolutely. The holiday arrived through U.S. influence and military presence in the mid-20th century, but it is now firmly rooted in Puerto Rican nightlife and family traditions.

Schools host costume parades, shopping malls organize trick-or-treating, and San Juan transforms into a hub of costume contests, haunted events, and themed bar crawls.

Halloween vs. Día de los Muertos

Puerto Rico does not traditionally celebrate Día de los Muertos, which is more closely tied to Mexico. Instead, Puerto Ricans honor All Saints’ Day (November 1) through Catholic traditions, while Halloween on October 31 has grown into a cultural fusion of U.S. and local customs.

Halloween in Puerto Rico: A Unique Fusion of Culture and Tradition

What makes Halloween in Puerto Rico so special is the way it blends cultures:

U.S. influence: trick-or-treating, haunted houses, and costume parties
Local history: ghost stories tied to San Juan’s colonial past
Caribbean spirit: tropical food, music, and weather-friendly celebrations

The cobblestone streets of Old San Juan, lined with centuries-old Spanish colonial buildings, create the perfect eerie backdrop for ghost stories. This is also why the San Juan Nighttime Ghost Walk by American Ghost Walks has become one of the most popular October experiences for travelers seeking a mix of history and chills.

Common Spooky Decorations and Haunted Houses

Puerto Ricans go all out with Halloween decorations, but with a tropical twist. Instead of chilly pumpkin patches, you will see jack-o’-lanterns glowing on balconies surrounded by palm trees. Inflatable skeletons and spiderwebs stretch across pastel-colored homes in Old San Juan and Condado.

Best Costume Ideas for a Caribbean Halloween

Dressing up in Puerto Rico comes with one big challenge: the tropical climate. Heavy costumes do not work here. Think breathable fabrics, lightweight masks, and festive yet comfortable designs.

Weather-Smart Costume Inspiration

Pirates and mermaids inspired by Puerto Rico’s coastal history
Skeletons with tropical twists using glow-in-the-dark body paint
Classic horror icons adapted with lightweight fabrics

Cultural Costume Ideas

Vejigantes: colorful folkloric masks with horns and vibrant designs
Bomba dancers: traditional Afro-Puerto Rican attire
Taíno-inspired warriors or spiritual characters honoring indigenous heritage

Trying Amazing Caribbean Treats

No Halloween is complete without sweets, and Puerto Rico adds its own tropical flavor to the holiday.

Traditional Puerto Rican Desserts

Arroz con dulce: spiced rice pudding flavored with cinnamon and coconut
Tembleque: creamy coconut custard served during fall festivals
Flan de calabaza: pumpkin flan, a seasonal favorite

Halloween-Themed Specials

Piña colada cupcakes topped with candy skulls
Pumpkin-spiced coquito, Puerto Rico’s creamy holiday drink
Halloween cocktail menus at resorts and cafés

Family-Friendly Halloween Activities

If you are traveling with kids, Puerto Rico has plenty of safe and fun Halloween options. Mall trick-or-treating at Plaza Las Américas, pumpkin carving contests at hotels, and plaza-based activities with crafts, parades, and live entertainment make the celebration enjoyable for all ages.

Halloween Parties and Nightlife in San Juan

For adults, Halloween night is one of the biggest events of the year in San Juan. The city’s bars and rooftops come alive with music, lights, and creative costumes. Distrito T-Mobile hosts large concerts and competitions, while LGBTQ+ friendly parties in Santurce and Condado showcase the island’s vibrant nightlife scene.

Haunted Attractions and Local Legends

Halloween in Puerto Rico is also about the supernatural. The San Juan Nighttime Ghost Walk explores centuries-old streets and reveals stories of haunted convents, pirate legends, and colonial mysteries.

For more stories, explore Puerto Rico’s local legends like La Llorona, El Chupacabra, and El Vejigante, which blend folklore, fear, and culture.

Halloween in Puerto Rico vs. the U.S.

Decorations and costumes: a tropical twist with cultural flair
Trick-or-treating: often hosted in malls and plazas for safety
Parties and events: rooftop celebrations and live music
Community spirit: public parades and open plaza
Folklore: ghost tours and myths that add cultural depth

Ready to Experience the Paranormal Side of Puerto Rico?

Halloween in Puerto Rico is a celebration like no other. It combines Caribbean rhythm, colonial history, and modern spooky fun. Whether you are joining a rooftop costume party or exploring haunted landmarks, every experience shows a new side of the island’s vibrant spirit.

If you are planning to visit, do not miss the chance to join American Ghost Walks for one of their signature Ghost Tours in Puerto Rico . Walk beneath Old San Juan’s moonlit skies and uncover the city’s mysterious past.

See what others are saying and check our Puerto Rico Ghost Tour reviews to discover why travelers love it.

Halloween in the Virgin Islands: Events, Parties, and Family Fun

Thu, 16 Oct 2025 16:00:14 GMT

Halloween in the Virgin Islands is not your typical autumn holiday. Instead of crisp fall air and pumpkin patches, picture trick-or-treating under palm trees, costume contests by the beach, and masquerade galas with Caribbean music. For families, travelers, and nightlife seekers alike, celebrating Halloween in the Virgin Islands offers a memorable mix of traditions with a tropical twist.

This guide highlights the best events across St. Croix, St. Thomas, and St. John, along with insider tips, family activities, and nightlife highlights from American Ghost Walks , known for its fascinating Ghost Tours in Virgin Islands that uncover haunted stories hidden beneath the islands’ sunny charm.

Why Celebrate Halloween in the Virgin Islands

Caribbean Traditions with a Spooky Twist

While Halloween is not historically a Caribbean holiday, the Virgin Islands embrace it with enthusiasm. Expect a combination of American-style trick-or-treating, costume parades, and adult nightlife events, all enhanced with island touches like live calypso, steel drums, and warm hospitality.

Weather, Vibe, and Atmosphere in October

October in the Virgin Islands is warm, humid, and festive. With average daytime highs in the mid-80s, it feels like summer compared to the mainland United States. Halloween falls during the end of hurricane season, so flexible plans are recommended, but it also means fewer crowds and more affordable accommodations.

Halloween Events by Island

St. Croix – Parades, Costume Contests, and Live Music

St. Croix celebrates Halloween with parades through Christiansted and Frederiksted, community trick-or-treat events, and live performances featuring reggae and calypso music. Many local bars and restaurants host costume contests, making it enjoyable for both families and adults.

St. Thomas – Parties, Nightlife, and Galas

St. Thomas is the nightlife hub of the Virgin Islands . During Halloween, you can find masquerade galas, resort celebrations, and clubs in Charlotte Amalie and Red Hook hosting themed parties that fill the island with vibrant energy.

St. John – Family-Friendly Events and Outdoor Gatherings

St. John offers a more relaxed Halloween atmosphere centered around community and family. Expect outdoor movie nights, school-led parades, and trick-or-treating in Cruz Bay where local shops and restaurants join the fun.

Family-Friendly Halloween Activities

Trick-or-Treating Spots

Families can enjoy safe and organized trick-or-treating at VIPD “Truck-or-Treat” events, shopping malls, and resort-sponsored routes.

Pumpkin-Themed Events and Kids’ Parties

Although pumpkin patches are rare, local schools and organizations host pumpkin-decorating contests, children’s parties, and carnival-style games that add a festive spirit.

Nightlife and Adult Halloween Parties

Bars, Clubs, and Adults-Only Resorts

Halloween for adults is lively in the Virgin Islands, with themed parties, masquerade balls, and beachside gatherings in popular nightlife areas such as downtown St. Thomas.

Costume Competitions and Themed Events

Creative costumes are the highlight of Halloween, with generous prizes for originality and detail. Those who want to add something truly special to their trip can join American Ghost Walks for unforgettable Ghost Tours that share the islands’ haunted legends and mysterious past.

Travel Tips for Visiting During Halloween

Where to Stay for the Best Access

St. Thomas: Ideal for nightlife and upscale Halloween events
St. Croix: Perfect balance of family fun and local parades
St. John: Great for families and relaxed celebrations

Packing and Weather Tips

Choose lightweight costumes that suit warm weather. Face paint and breathable masks are better options than full costumes, and insect repellent is essential for outdoor events.

Insider Local Tips

How Locals Celebrate

Halloween in the Virgin Islands feels familiar yet distinct. Families dress up, children trick-or-treat, and adults attend festive parties with live music and local food. The tropical setting gives the celebration its own colorful personality.

Other Fall Festivities

October and early November also feature events like the Coral Reef Swim Race in St. Croix, the St. Thomas Charter Yacht Show, and seasonal food festivals that highlight local seafood and rum punch.

Frequently Asked Questions

Experience the Haunted Side of the Islands with American Ghost Walks

Before the parties and parades begin, explore the Virgin Islands’ mysterious history with American Ghost Walks . Their captivating Ghost Tours in Virgin Islands reveal eerie legends, haunted landmarks, and stories that linger beneath the beauty of the Caribbean.

See what other travelers are saying about the experience and discover why our Virgin Islands Ghost Tour is a favorite among visitors who love history and the paranormal.

Halloween in Kennebunkport: Events, Trick-or-Treating and Haunted Fun

Wed, 15 Oct 2025 16:00:07 GMT

Kennebunkport transforms every October into a coastal New England town filled with Halloween spirit. From historic streets lined with pumpkins and festive homes to Ghost Tours by American Ghost Walks that bring local legends to life, Halloween in Kennebunkport offers something for families, couples, and travelers looking for a seasonal getaway.
This guide covers the best Halloween events, trick-or-treating routes, haunted attractions, and insider travel tips for making the most of October in Kennebunkport.

Family-Friendly Halloween Events in Kennebunkport

Downtown Halloween Party at Waterhouse Center
The Waterhouse Center in nearby Kennebunk hosts a popular Halloween party with music, games, and costume contests. It is a safe and lively setting for kids to show off their costumes and enjoy treats.

Trick-or-Treating on Summer Street
Summer Street is one of the highlights of Halloween in Kennebunkport. Historic homes go all out with spooky decorations, and families can walk the neighborhood as children collect candy in a festive community atmosphere.

Happy Trolleyween at the Seashore Trolley Museum
The Seashore Trolley Museum hosts its annual “Trolleyween” event. Families can ride vintage trolleys decked out for Halloween, with each stop offering treats and seasonal fun.

Haunted Tours and Spooky Experiences

Haunted Trolley Tour with Kennebunkport Resort Collection
For adults looking for a darker side of Halloween, the Haunted Trolley Tour offers an evening of eerie stories and coastal ghost lore while riding through Kennebunkport and Kennebunk.

Ghost Walks and Local Haunted Legends
If you want something spine-tingling, guided Ghost Tours in Kennebunkport by American Ghost Walks weave history and mystery together. These tours reveal haunted inns, seafaring legends, and supernatural tales tied to the town’s past.

Maine Haunted Houses Near Kennebunkport
While Kennebunkport itself leans more toward family-friendly events, several haunted houses and scare attractions can be found in southern Maine. These are ideal for visitors who want a more thrilling Halloween experience.

Seasonal Festivals and Fall Events

Harvestfest in Kennebunk
Harvestfest is an annual fall tradition featuring local food vendors, craft booths, live entertainment, and children’s activities. It is a daytime event that pairs well with Halloween festivities.

All Souls Walk at the Brick Store Museum
The Brick Store Museum in Kennebunk hosts the All Souls Walk, a guided tour of local cemeteries where actors portray historic residents. It blends history, theater, and a touch of Halloween atmosphere.

Where to Stay and Dine During Halloween in Kennebunkport

Best Hotels for Families and Couples
Many of Kennebunkport’s inns and hotels embrace the season with fall decorations and special packages. Families may prefer accommodations near downtown for easy access to trick-or-treating, while couples can enjoy romantic inns along the coast.

Restaurants Hosting Halloween Specials
Local restaurants often join in the festivities, offering themed cocktails, fall menus, and holiday decorations. Visitors should check with participating establishments for special Halloween night events.

Insider Tips for Visiting in October

Weather and What to Pack
October in coastal Maine can be chilly, with daytime highs in the 50s and cooler evenings. Visitors should pack layers, comfortable shoes for walking, and costumes that can be worn with jackets.

Parking, Street Closures, and Safety
On Halloween night, certain downtown streets may be closed for trick-or-treating and events. Arrive early to secure parking and consider walking or using local shuttles. Families should bring flashlights for evening activities and plan safe walking routes for children.

FAQs about Halloween in Kennebunkport

Experience Kennebunkport’s Ghostly Side

Halloween in Kennebunkport blends festive charm with eerie legends, and no visit is complete without exploring its haunted past. Join American Ghost Walks for unforgettable Ghost Tours and discover the spirits that still linger by the sea.

�� Curious about what others have to say? Read our Kennebunkport Ghost Tour reviews and see why visitors keep coming back for more.

Halloween in Wiscasset: Parades, Haunted Fun & Family Traditions

Wed, 15 Oct 2025 16:00:07 GMT

Halloween in Wiscasset, Maine blends small-town charm, family-friendly fun, and a touch of spooky tradition. From the beloved Nightmare on Federal Street parade to community trunk-or-treats, residents and visitors alike celebrate the season in true New England style. Whether you’re looking for family events, haunted attractions, or local tips for enjoying the “Prettiest Village in Maine,” this guide covers everything you need for Halloween 2025 in Wiscasset.

Halloween Events in Wiscasset 2025

Nightmare on Federal Street Parade
The highlight of Halloween in Wiscasset is the Nightmare on Federal Street Parade, organized by the Wiscasset Chamber of Commerce. Federal Street transforms into a festive runway for floats, marching bands, and costumed families. Expect pirates, pumpkins, and plenty of candy as local businesses and schools join in the fun.

Insider Tip : Arrive early to find parking and secure a spot near the town center for the best view.

Trunk-or-Treat and Costume Contest
Hosted by local organizations and Wiscasset Parks & Recreation, the trunk-or-treat event is a safe and fun option for families with young children. Decorated cars line up, offering candy and interactive displays. A costume contest follows, with categories for kids, adults, and even pets.

Wiscasset Scarecrow Fest and Community Activities
The Scarecrow Fest adds autumn charm to downtown, with creative displays made by residents and businesses. Many shops host Halloween specials, making it a great time to stroll, shop, and soak in the festive spirit.

Family-Friendly Halloween in Wiscasset

School Celebrations and Student Events
Wiscasset Elementary and other local schools often participate with Halloween parades, classroom parties, and themed activities. Families can expect a strong community turnout supporting the students.

Best Neighborhoods for Trick-or-Treating
For traditional trick-or-treating, Federal Street and surrounding neighborhoods are popular spots. Houses are well-decorated, and families can expect generous candy hauls.

Haunted Attractions Near Wiscasset

Haunted Houses and Spooky Walks
While Wiscasset itself focuses more on family events, nearby towns in Midcoast Maine offer haunted houses and spooky trails. Regional sites listed on MaineHauntedHouses.com provide options for those seeking a scarier experience.

Regional Events in Boothbay and Midcoast Maine
Just a short drive from Wiscasset, Boothbay Harbor and neighboring communities host additional Halloween events, from haunted boat rides to harvest festivals. Pairing Wiscasset’s family traditions with Boothbay’s attractions makes for a well-rounded Halloween trip.

Planning Your Visit

Where to Stay in Wiscasset and Nearby Towns
While Wiscasset itself has limited lodging, nearby towns like Boothbay Harbor and Bath offer cozy inns and charming B&Bs. If you prefer to stay local, vacation rentals in and around Wiscasset provide a comfortable base for exploring fall festivities and small-town charm.

Local Dining and Seasonal Treats
Wiscasset is famous for its fresh seafood and small-town bakeries that embrace the flavors of fall. Stop by local cafés for pumpkin pastries, cider, and the town’s cozy atmosphere after a day of festivities.

Join a Ghost Tour and Experience Wiscasset After Dark
No Halloween trip to Wiscasset is complete without uncovering its haunted past. Step into the shadows with Ghost Tours in Wiscasset by American Ghost Walks , where local guides share eerie tales of shipwrecks, restless spirits, and legends that linger along Maine’s historic coast. It’s a fun, spine-tingling way to experience the town’s mysterious side and see why visitors can’t stop talking about it.

Curious what others think? Check out our Wiscasset Ghost Tour reviews and see why so many guests call it the highlight of their Maine adventure.

Discover Haunted History with American Ghost Walks

If you’re intrigued by the legends and ghost stories that whisper through Maine’s historic towns, extend your adventure with Ghost Tours in Wiscasset by American Ghost Walks . Their guided walks reveal chilling tales of the past and the mysterious spirits that still linger along the coast.
Curious what others have experienced? Check out our Wiscasset Ghost Tour reviews to see why so many guests call it the highlight of their visit.

The Ghosts of Thalia Hall: Chicago’s Haunted Stage Calls You In

Tue, 14 Oct 2025 16:25:11 GMT

Thalia Hall in Pilsen isn’t just one of Chicago’s most beautiful historic venues. It’s a place where the past lingers. Built in 1892, the building has hosted vaudeville, music, and community life for over a century... and with that long memory come whispers of the unexplained.

From the balcony to the backstage corridors, staff and guests have reported a chorus of classic hauntings:

Sudden cold spots that drift through otherwise warm rooms
Footsteps pacing the upper levels when no one is there
A faint rustle of seats or the sensation of being watched from the darkened gallery
Occasional notes of phantom music, as if an unseen rehearsal is underway
A visiting performer, Carnie Wilson of Wilson Phillips, reportedly spoke with the ghosts backstage before a sho w... and said they approved of the venue’s restoration work. ⁠

Like many grand old theaters, Thalia Hall carries the energy of its audience through time. Some say that energy never left. Others believe one or two resident spirits still keep watch over the stage, curious about every show that comes and goes.

Why Theaters Hold On To Ghosts

Theaters are natural spirit magnets. Layers of emotion, applause, heartache, and anticipation soak into the walls. When the lights go down, that imprint can feel almost alive. Thalia Hall’s ornate architecture, tucked-away catwalks, and echoing acoustics make it a perfect backdrop for classic paranormal activity.

A Brief History of Thalia Hall

Origins and vision: Commissioned by Bohemian immigrant and tavern owner John Dusek, Thalia Hall was conceived as a true community hub at 18th and Allport. Designed by architects Faber & Pagels and completed in 1892, the complex combined storefronts and apartments around a grand performance hall named for Thalia, the Greek muse of comedy.
Design and neighborhood roots: The interior theater was modeled after the Old Opera House in Prague, a nod to the Czech culture that defined Pilsen at the time. The building’s Romanesque Revival massing, arched openings, and ornate hall made it one of the most impressive neighborhood venues of its day.
A gathering place: For decades, the hall hosted Bohemian-language plays, concerts, civic meetings, and community events. It functioned as both a stage and a neighborhood living room, reflecting and shaping the social life of Pilsen.
Landmark status and lull: The City of Chicago designated Thalia Hall a Chicago Landmark on October 25, 1989, recognizing its architectural and cultural significance.
Restoration and revival: Closed to the public in the 1960s, the property saw limited use until a 2013 revival brought the public hall back online alongside a renewed restaurant and cocktail program, returning Thalia to active cultural life.
Renovation lore: During restoration work, local coverage noted bones reportedly found beneath floorboards, one of several strange discoveries that feed the venue’s mystique today.

Join Us for a Ghost Hunt at Thalia Hall

We’re heading into the shadows to find out for ourselves.

Date: Wednesday December 10th, 2026
Time: 6:00 PM
Location: Thalia Hall, Pilsen, Chicago
Plan: A guided walk-through of active hotspots, storytelling from the venue’s history, and a hands-on ghost hunt using investigative techniques

We’ll start with the venue’s lore and reported encounters, then move through targeted areas for EMF sweeps, EVP sessions, and controlled experiments in small groups. Whether you’re a seasoned investigator or just curious, you’ll learn the methods and the mindset of respectful, evidence-based ghost hunting.

What to Bring

Comfortable shoes and layers for cool spots
A charged phone or small flashlight
An open mind and a quiet presence during investigations
Optional: your own recorder or EMF meter if you have one

Respect the Spirits, Respect the Space

Our goal isn’t to provoke. It’s to listen. We approach these investigations with care for the building, its history, and whatever shares the space with us after dark.

If you’re ready to step behind the curtain and into the mystery, we’ll see you at Thalia Hall.

Halloween in Camden, Maine: Trick-or-Treating & Fall Events

Tue, 14 Oct 2025 16:00:15 GMT

Each October, Camden transforms into a festive seaside town filled with crisp autumn air, vibrant foliage, and Halloween spirit. Families gather for trick-or-treating, the Opera House and library host seasonal programs, and nearby farms and villages celebrate the harvest season. Whether you live locally or are planning a Midcoast Maine getaway, Camden is a charming destination for Halloween.

This guide brings together all the highlights, from family-friendly trick-or-treating to haunted houses and fall festivals, along with tips on where to stay and what to expect when visiting Camden in late October. And if you’re looking for a deeper dive into the area’s legends, American Ghost Walks offers unforgettable Ghost Tours in Camden, Maine that bring local history and folklore to life.

Family-Friendly Halloween Events in Camden

Downtown Trick-or-Treating Schedule

Downtown Camden businesses traditionally open their doors to trick-or-treaters on Halloween evening. Families can stroll along Main Street and surrounding side streets, where shop owners hand out candy and decorate their storefronts for the season. This event provides a safe, walkable environment with a strong sense of community.

Tip: Check local town announcements for the official start time each year, as trick-or-treating hours can vary.

Camden Public Library and Opera House Events

The Camden Public Library often hosts children’s programming in late October, ranging from pumpkin crafts and costume contests to Halloween storytime. The historic Camden Opera House also features seasonal concerts and events, sometimes with a spooky twist. These programs add culture and tradition to the Halloween season in Camden.

Community Trunk-or-Treat Gatherings

Camden-area schools, churches, and community organizations frequently host Trunk-or-Treat events. These gatherings feature decorated cars, candy stations, and interactive games in a safe parking-lot setting. They are especially popular for younger families seeking a relaxed and secure Halloween experience.

Haunted and Spooky Experiences Near Camden

Haunted Houses in Midcoast Maine

While Camden itself is more family-focused, several haunted attractions operate within a short drive. Regional directories such as mainehauntedhouses.com list haunted farms, corn mazes, and scare attractions across Knox and Lincoln counties. These experiences appeal to teens and adults seeking a more thrilling Halloween adventure.

Ghost Tours and Historic Legends

Midcoast Maine is rich in maritime history and folklore. Seasonal walking tours in nearby towns often share ghost stories of shipwrecks, sea captains, and coastal legends. With American Ghost Walks , visitors can take part in Ghost Tours that uncover eerie tales and mysterious pasts , adding a supernatural layer to any Camden Halloween trip.

Fall Festivals and Seasonal Fun

Pumpkinfests and Harvest Celebrations

Nearby Damariscotta hosts its famous Pumpkinfest each October, featuring giant pumpkin displays, regattas, and parades. Camden visitors can easily make the short drive to enjoy this regional highlight.

Local harvest celebrations often include cider tastings, hayrides, and family activities that celebrate both Halloween and Maine’s agricultural traditions.

Farmers’ Markets and Craft Fairs

Camden’s farmers’ markets and local craft fairs extend into October, providing seasonal foods, homemade goods, and autumn décor. Visitors can pick up local pumpkins, baked goods, and handmade crafts, perfect for celebrating Halloween at home or during a Camden stay.

Planning Your Visit

Where to Stay in Camden for Halloween

Camden offers a variety of accommodations, from historic inns and bed and breakfasts to boutique harborside hotels. Many lodging options provide fall packages that include cider, pumpkin treats, or cozy fireside evenings.

Book early: October is one of Camden’s busiest months, and rooms often sell out during the Halloween and foliage season.

Best Restaurants and Breweries for Fall Nights

Camden’s dining scene offers the perfect pairing for Halloween and autumn travel. Local restaurants serve seasonal dishes such as chowders, lobster, and farm-to-table harvest menus. Breweries and pubs highlight pumpkin ales, ciders, and hearty fall fare, making them a great option for adults celebrating the season.

Insider Tips for Halloween in Camden

Weather and What to Pack

Late October in Camden is crisp and cool, with average evening temperatures in the 40s. Families should bring jackets for trick-or-treating, and visitors may want layers for exploring the harbor or enjoying outdoor events. Comfortable shoes are recommended for walking downtown and attending festivals.

Parking and Family Safety

Camden’s downtown area can become busy on Halloween evening. Families are encouraged to park in designated lots or arrive early for trick-or-treating. Reflective costumes, flashlights, and supervised groups ensure a safe Halloween experience for children.

FAQs about Halloween in Camden, Maine

Experience Camden’s Spooky Side with Ghost Tours

Halloween in Camden, Maine combines small-town traditions, fall festivals, and coastal charm into one seasonal experience. Families will find safe and festive trick-or-treating, while visitors can explore haunted attractions, harvest celebrations, and Midcoast history. With its scenic harbor and peak foliage season, Camden is a perfect destination for celebrating Halloween and autumn in New England.

Don’t miss your chance to explore the supernatural side of town with Ghost Tours in Camden, Maine by American Ghost Walks , where history and hauntings meet for a truly memorable October adventure.

Halloween in Chicago 2025: Events, Parades & Haunted Fun

Tue, 14 Oct 2025 16:00:15 GMT

Chicago transforms into a city of thrills and chills every October. From spine-tingling haunted houses to family-friendly pumpkin patches, the Windy City offers something for everyone during Halloween. Whether you’re a thrill-seeker, a family with kids, or a visitor looking for a unique holiday weekend, this guide will help you plan the ultimate Halloween in Chicago 2025 .

Pro Tip: Popular events like the 13th Floor Haunted House and Wrigleyville Halloween Crawl sell out fast, so book tickets early.

Why Chicago Is a Top Halloween Destination

Haunted History of the City

Chicago’s dark past makes it a perfect backdrop for Halloween. The Great Chicago Fire of 1871, mobster lore, and haunted hotels all add to its spooky reputation. The Congress Plaza Hotel, often ranked among the most haunted places in the U.S., draws paranormal enthusiasts year-round. Ghost stories like Resurrection Mary on Archer Avenue have become urban legends that still give locals chills.

This eerie history has made the city an ideal home for American Ghost Walks , which offers guided Ghost Tours in Chicago that take guests deep into paranormal hotspots and stories that shaped the city’s haunted reputation.

Iconic Halloween Traditions

Halloween in Chicago blends historic charm with modern flair:

Chicago Halloween Parade — A dazzling downtown spectacle featuring floats, costumes, and music.
Neighborhood Trick-or-Treating — Safe, family-friendly celebrations in areas like Lincoln Park and Lakeview.
Haunted Bars and Themed Pop-ups — From spooky speakeasies to rooftop bars decked out with pumpkins and cobwebs.

Best Halloween Events in Chicago 2025

Chicago Halloween Parade and Route Details

The annual Chicago Halloween Parade is one of the season’s biggest attractions. Expect colorful floats, costumed performers, live music, and thousands of spectators along State Street. It’s free to attend and great for families, though crowds can get large, so arrive early for a good spot.

See the official 2025 parade route and schedule closer to October.

Haunted Houses: 13th Floor and More

Chicago is packed with terrifying haunted attractions.

13th Floor Haunted House — The city’s most famous, featuring Hollywood-level sets and actors.
Basement of the Dead (Aurora) — Immersive, high-scare experience outside downtown.
Statesville Haunted Prison — A returning fan favorite with creepy prison themes.

Tickets go on sale in late summer, so buy in advance to skip long lines.

Jack’s Pumpkin Pop-Up and Corn Mazes

Located in Goose Island, Jack’s Pumpkin Pop-Up is Chicago’s largest outdoor fall festival. Highlights include:

A massive corn maze
Pumpkin carving and photo booths
Carnival-style games and seasonal treats

Perfect for couples, groups of friends, or families looking for Instagram-worthy moments.

Wrigleyville Halloween Crawl and Nightlife Parties

If nightlife is your scene, the Wrigleyville Halloween Crawl is legendary. Dozens of bars participate with themed cocktails, costume contests, and DJs. Other nightlife highlights include:

Navy Pier Halloween Cruises with Chicago skyline views

Rooftop parties across River North and West Loop

Family-Friendly Events at Chicago Park District

The Chicago Park District organizes kid-friendly pumpkin patches, harvest fests, and costume contests in local parks. These are affordable, safe, and community-driven, making them perfect for families with younger children.

Spooky Things to Do Beyond Events

Haunted Tours and Ghost Walks

Explore Chicago’s dark history with guided tours. American Ghost Walks is a trusted name in the city for chilling yet fascinating Ghost Tours , covering everything from mob-era hauntings to famous cemeteries.

Most Haunted Places in Chicago

Congress Plaza Hotel — Haunted hotel with countless ghost stories
Hull House — Linked to supernatural folklore
Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery — A suburban cemetery known for paranormal sightings

Seasonal Food and Themed Bars

No Halloween is complete without themed drinks and bites:

Revolution Brewing : Pumpkin ales and seasonal beers

Pop-up cocktail bars : Rotating venues in Logan Square and River North transform into haunted speakeasies each fall

Planning Your Halloween in Chicago

Where to Stay (Downtown vs. Neighborhoods)

Downtown : Close to the parade, haunted houses, and nightlife. Best for first-time visitors.
Neighborhoods : Lincoln Park, Wicker Park, and Lakeview offer boutique stays and quieter experiences.

Costume Ideas and Shopping Spots

Need a last-minute costume? Visit Chicago Costume (a local favorite) or vintage shops in Wicker Park and Logan Square for unique finds.

Safety Tips and Crowd Navigation

Stick to well-lit, official events
Use CTA trains and buses to avoid parking headaches
Families: attend Park District events during the day for safer, kid-friendly fun

Insider Tips and Local Favorites

Hidden Bars with Halloween Themes

Chicago is home to secret speakeasies and pop-ups. Look for themed cocktails at Logan Square’s hidden bars or downtown’s rooftop lounges .

Underrated Haunted Trails and Small Festivals

Skip the big crowds with smaller, local haunted trails and community festivals in suburbs like Oak Brook or Evanston.

Suggested 2–3 Day Itinerary for Visitors

Friday : Haunted walking tour → dinner at a themed bar
Saturday : Daytime pumpkin patch → parade downtown → nightlife crawl
Sunday : Brunch → Park District family fest → haunted house finale

FAQs About Halloween in Chicago

Plan Your Halloween in Chicago 2025

Halloween in Chicago 2025 is shaping up to be bigger and spookier than ever. From parades and haunted houses to nightlife crawls and family festivals, the city offers something for every type of Halloween lover. Don’t miss the chance to join American Ghost Walks on their unforgettable Ghost Tours in Chicago , the perfect way to experience the city’s haunted history first-hand.

Plan your trip now, secure tickets early, and experience Chicago’s Halloween celebrations at their best. The Windy City is ready to deliver a Halloween you will never forget.

Halloween in New Orleans: Parades, Parties & Haunted Fun

Tue, 14 Oct 2025 16:00:15 GMT

Why New Orleans Is the Ultimate Halloween Destination

New Orleans isn’t just famous for Mardi Gras—it’s one of the best places in the world to celebrate Halloween. With a history steeped in voodoo, ghost stories, and haunted mansions, the city sets the stage for an unforgettable spooky season. Add in dazzling parades, French Quarter block parties, and gothic costume balls, and you have a Halloween like no other.

A City Built on Haunted History

Walking through the French Quarter, you’ll hear tales of restless spirits, unsolved mysteries, and legendary figures like Marie Laveau, the Voodoo Queen of New Orleans. Haunted mansions in the Garden District and chilling night walks reveal why the city is considered one of the most haunted in America. With American Ghost Walks , you can explore these eerie sites firsthand through their popular Ghost Tours in New Orleans and uncover the secrets that make this city so hauntingly unforgettable.

Voodoo, Ghost Tours, and Legends

Halloween in New Orleans wouldn’t be complete without exploring its mystical side. Ghost tours, voodoo rituals, and vampire legends are woven into the city’s cultural fabric, offering visitors a chance to experience the supernatural up close. From ancient cemeteries to shadowed courtyards, these experiences let you feel the true spirit of New Orleans’ haunted charm.

Top Halloween Events in New Orleans 2025

Krewe of BOO! Parade & Route

The official Halloween parade, Krewe of BOO!, features massive floats, costumed riders, and plenty of spooky entertainment as it winds through the French Quarter—a must-see for visitors.

Anne Rice Vampire Ball

Hosted at the historic Republic venue, this gothic costume ball celebrates New Orleans’ vampire lore and Anne Rice’s legacy. Expect elaborate costumes, theatrical performances, and a night of gothic revelry.

Bourbon Street Block Parties

For those seeking an all-night celebration, Bourbon Street is the heart of Halloween nightlife. With themed parties, live music, and vibrant crowds, it’s the ultimate Halloween playground.

Family-Friendly Events

Boo Carre in the French Market: Trick-or-treating, costume contests, and live performances for kids.
Audubon Zoo Halloween Events: Wholesome, animal-themed fun for the whole family.

Neighborhood Costume Contests: Local communities host friendly gatherings filled with seasonal joy.

Best Places to Celebrate Halloween in New Orleans

French Quarter Nightlife

The French Quarter pulses with energy during Halloween. From historic pubs to haunted bars , there’s no shortage of places to toast the night away. Join American Ghost Walks for a guided look into the ghostly past that hides behind the Quarter’s festive lights.

Marigny & Frenchmen Street Music Scene

Frenchmen Street offers a relaxed yet lively Halloween vibe, with jazz and funk bands filling the air with rhythm and magic.

Garden District Haunted Mansions

The Garden District, known for its grand old homes and ancient oaks, is a favorite for ghost stories. Haunted mansion tours here bring eerie legends and history together for an unforgettable experience.

Halloween Travel Tips for Visitors

When to Book Hotels and Flights

Halloween is one of New Orleans’ busiest seasons, so booking accommodations near the French Quarter well in advance is highly recommended.

Costume Ideas & Shopping in NOLA

Local shops like Uptown Costume & Dancewear and vintage boutiques provide creative costume options for every personality—from gothic to glamorous.

Safety and Family Considerations

While Bourbon Street can get lively, there are plenty of family-friendly events during the day. Stick to the French Market, the zoo, or neighborhood festivities if you’re traveling with kids.

Insider Recommendations

Hidden Bars and Secret Parties

Seek out speakeasy-style bars in Marigny or the Lower Garden District for a more intimate Halloween vibe. Locals love hosting themed parties that showcase New Orleans’ flair for mystery.

Local Traditions and Must-See Decorations

Neighborhoods like Uptown and the Marigny go all out with creative Halloween displays. Evening strolls reveal glowing jack-o-lanterns, skeletons, and ornate haunted lawns.

Suggested 2–3 Day Halloween Itinerary

Day 1: Haunted history tour in the French Quarter with American Ghost Walks + Bourbon Street nightlife.
Day 2: Krewe of BOO! Parade + Anne Rice Vampire Ball.
Day 3: Family fun at Boo Carre or Audubon Zoo + a Garden District ghost tour.

FAQs About Halloween in New Orleans

Plan Your Halloween Trip to New Orleans

Halloween in New Orleans is more than just a celebration—it’s a cultural experience steeped in music, mystery, and magic. Explore haunted mansions, stroll through candlelit alleys, and join American Ghost Walks for unforgettable Ghost Tours in New Orleans that uncover the legends behind the city’s chilling charm.

Want to know what makes our tours a favorite among travelers? Read our New Orleans Ghost Tour Reviews and see what guests are saying!

Halloween in Hilo 2025: Events, Parades, and Local Fun

Tue, 14 Oct 2025 16:00:15 GMT

Hilo may be famous for its lush rainforests, dramatic waterfalls, and laid-back charm, but on October 31 the town transforms into a lively celebration of ghosts, goblins, and island-style fun. Halloween in Hilo is more than just costumes and candy. It is a community-wide event that blends family-friendly traditions, spooky haunted attractions, and late-night parties.

Whether you are a parent looking for safe trick-or-treating spots, a visitor hoping to join a haunted maze, or someone curious about the town’s haunted history, American Ghost Walks brings the night to life with their signature Ghost Tours in Hilo .

Halloween in Hilo Overview

Why Hilo is a Unique Place to Celebrate Halloween

Unlike large cities where Halloween can feel commercial, Hilo keeps it authentic and community-driven. Neighborhoods open their doors to families, local nonprofits host carnivals, and the nightlife scene puts on unforgettable costume contests. Hawaiian ghost stories , such as the weliweli spirits said to roam the forests, add a cultural layer that makes Halloween here unlike anywhere else in Hawaii. Joining a guided Ghost Tour with American Ghost Walks is a great way to hear these tales firsthand while exploring historic Hilo after dark .

Weather and Atmosphere in October

Halloween in Hilo is warm, tropical, and often rainy. Expect nighttime temperatures around 70 to 75°F with passing showers. Locals know the trick: plan costumes that can handle drizzle and always bring an umbrella. The misty weather often adds to the atmosphere, making haunted forests, trick-or-treat routes, and evening Ghost Tours feel even spookier.

Family-Friendly Halloween Events in Hilo

YMCA Halloween Carnival

The YMCA Carnival is a Hilo tradition and one of the top picks for families. Visitors can expect carnival games, bounce houses, food booths, and costume contests for children of all ages. Proceeds support community programs, making it a fun way to give back while celebrating.

Botanical World Maze and Haunted Attractions

By day, the Botanical World maze is kid-friendly with hidden surprises and interactive activities. At night it transforms into a haunted attraction complete with fog, eerie lights, and costumed characters ready to provide a few scares. Families with younger children usually attend earlier, while teens and adults enjoy the nighttime thrills.

Trick-or-Treating Spots and Safe Neighborhoods

Hilo is known for safe, walkable trick-or-treating. Some of the best areas, often recommended on community groups and forums, include:

Downtown Hilo, where many businesses along Kamehameha Avenue hand out candy.
Waiakea Uka and Hilo Heights neighborhoods, known for strong participation and well-lit streets.
Community events such as church-sponsored trunk-or-treat gatherings, which provide an extra layer of safety.

Halloween Nightlife and Parties

Hilo Town Tavern Bash

For those looking for a high-energy night, the Hilo Town Tavern is the place to be. Their annual Halloween Bash features live DJs, themed cocktails, and one of the island’s most competitive costume contests. Expect a lively mix of locals and visitors filling the dance floor.

Costume Contests and Bar Crawls

Bars across downtown Hilo often organize themed contests and bar crawls. From karaoke parties to pub-style gatherings, these events showcase costume creativity ranging from handmade designs to pop culture tributes.

Live Music and Late-Night Events

Hilo’s music scene adds to the Halloween fun with local bands and DJs performing special sets. The University of Hawaii Hilo also hosts student-led parties and concerts, with some events open to the community.

Seasonal Festivals and Local Traditions

Hilo Farmers Market Halloween Specials

On Halloween weekend, the Hilo Farmers Market gets festive with decorated stalls, vendors handing out candy, and seasonal treats such as pumpkin malasadas, poi donuts, and spiced coffees. It is a family-friendly stop that highlights the island’s local food culture.

University of Hawaii Hilo Student Events

The UH Hilo campus typically organizes haunted dorm tours, open-mic costume nights, and dance parties. While many are geared toward students, some are open to the public. Details are usually released closer to October.

Planning Your Halloween in Hilo

Where to Stay Near the Festivities

Staying near downtown Hilo is ideal if you want to be close to the action. Options include boutique inns, Airbnbs, and family-friendly hotels. Visitors planning to enjoy nightlife events or late-night Ghost Tours in Hilo often prefer accommodations within walking distance.

Transportation and Parking Tips

Parking downtown can be limited on Halloween night. Families heading to early events should arrive early, while partygoers may want to use ride-sharing services. Carpooling is common for families to simplify parking and ensure safety.

Insider Tips from Locals

Best trick-or-treating streets include Waiakea Uka, a community favorite.
Always prepare for rain with a poncho or umbrella.

Try seasonal treats such as Halloween-themed malasadas from local bakeries.

Frequently Asked Questions

Experience Halloween Differently with Ghost Tours in Hilo

Halloween in Hilo 2025 offers something for everyone, from carnivals and trick-or-treating to haunted mazes and nightlife. To truly experience the spirit of the season, join American Ghost Walks for one of their immersive Ghost Tours in Hilo . Step into the shadows, hear chilling Hawaiian legends, and discover Hilo in a way that makes Halloween night unforgettable.

Halloween in Milwaukee 2025 | Events, Ghost Tours & Spooky Fun

Mon, 13 Oct 2025 16:00:04 GMT

Milwaukee Halloween Events & Festivals

Haunted Houses & Haunted Attractions

Milwaukee is home to some of Wisconsin’s most chilling haunted experiences. From the Fear District in Deer District to the Abandoned Haunted House Complex in Mount Pleasant and the Hill Has Eyes in Franklin, thrill-seekers can find no shortage of scares. Each attraction brings its own atmosphere and storyline, perfect for those who crave a night of fright.

Family-Friendly Events & Pumpkin Patches

For families, Milwaukee offers plenty of daylight fun. The Milwaukee County Zoo transforms into a Halloween wonderland during Zoo Boo, while farms like Barthel Fruit Farm and Lindner Pumpkin Farm provide hayrides, corn mazes, and pumpkin picking. These festive activities make the city a wonderful destination for parents and kids to celebrate together.

Halloween Bar Crawls & Nightlife

For adults looking to enjoy the nightlife, Milwaukee’s bar crawls and themed parties are the place to be. The city’s East Side and Downtown neighborhoods light up with costume contests, live DJs, and spooky cocktails, all part of the city’s lively Halloween culture.

Trick-or-Treat Times in Milwaukee & Surrounding Areas

City of Milwaukee Trick-or-Treat Schedule

The City of Milwaukee typically celebrates community trick-or-treating the weekend before Halloween. Families across neighborhoods participate during the designated hours for a safe and enjoyable experience.

Suburb Trick-or-Treat Times (West Allis, Wauwatosa, etc.)

Nearby suburbs like West Allis, Wauwatosa, Brookfield, and Greenfield often host their own trick-or-treat events on the same weekend. Always check your local city website closer to the date for official updates.

Safety Tips for Families

Add glow sticks or reflective tape to costumes.
Stick to familiar, well-lit neighborhoods.
Always inspect candy before eating.
Remind kids to stay with their group and avoid strangers.

Where to Celebrate Halloween in Milwaukee

Downtown Milwaukee (Deer District, Jack-O-Lantern Jubilee)

Downtown Milwaukee becomes a Halloween hotspot, with hundreds of glowing pumpkins, food trucks, live music, and festive décor. The Fear District offers haunted attractions and entertainment, making downtown a one-stop destination for spooky fun.

Bay View & East Side Parties

Known for their energetic nightlife, Bay View and the East Side host a mix of costume parties, pop-up haunted houses, and community trick-or-treat events that bring neighbors together.

Family Venues (Milwaukee Public Museum, Milwaukee Zoo)

Cultural landmarks also join the Halloween festivities. The Milwaukee Public Museum offers interactive haunted exhibits, while the Milwaukee County Zoo’s Zoo Boo is a seasonal favorite among families.

Top Milwaukee Halloween Traditions

Rocky Horror at The Oriental Theater

The Oriental Theater’s annual screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show is a beloved local tradition. Fans show up in costume, ready to sing, dance, and participate in this unforgettable cult classic.

Día de los Muertos at Mitchell Park Domes

Milwaukee embraces its cultural diversity with Día de los Muertos celebrations featuring altars, traditional performances, and local food vendors. Families come together to honor loved ones in this vibrant, community-centered event.

Local Haunted History Tours

For a real glimpse into the city’s eerie past, join Ghost Tours in Milwaukee by American Ghost Walks . These guided walking tours blend storytelling, history, and the supernatural, taking you through haunted landmarks, mysterious legends, and ghostly tales that have shaped Milwaukee’s darker side.

Halloween Weekend Itinerary: Best Things to Do

Daytime Fun: Start your Halloween weekend with pumpkin picking or Zoo Boo before heading downtown for the Jack-O-Lantern Jubilee’s music and crafts.

Evening Adventures : Grab dinner at a local haunt before visiting a haunted house or bar crawl. Then, if you’re in the mood for something unique, uncover Milwaukee’s chilling stories on an American Ghost Walks tour.

Late-Night Thrills: For night owls, end your night with a haunted history tour or a screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. It is the perfect blend of fright and fun.

Ready to Discover the Ghosts of Milwaukee?

Step into the city’s haunted history with American Ghost Walks . Experience the chilling legends and real-life mysteries that make Milwaukee one of Wisconsin’s most haunted destinations .

Check out our Milwaukee Ghost Tour Reviews to see what others are saying.

Halloween in Lake Geneva 2025: Events, Haunted Fun & Family Activities

Mon, 13 Oct 2025 16:00:04 GMT

Spooky Season Highlights in Lake Geneva

Haunted Hayrides & Haunted Barn at Dan Patch Stables

Experience classic Halloween thrills with haunted hayrides and the haunted barn at Dan Patch Stables.

Joe Diamond’s Spirits of Halloween at Maxwell Mansion

This immersive show blends candlelit storytelling, illusions, and ghostly tales inside one of Lake Geneva’s most historic properties.

Maxwell Mansion’s Old-Fashioned Frights Party

Maxwell Mansion hosts its annual Halloween gala featuring live music, cocktails, and a spirited costume contest.

Destination GN’s Halloween Spooktacular Weekend

Destination Geneva National offers a full weekend of Halloween activities including a biergarten, live music, themed dining, and family-friendly programming.

Shock Illusionist Dan Sperry at Tristan Crist Magic Theatre

Prepare for an intense and edgy Halloween magic show that combines illusions with a dark twist.

Family-Friendly Halloween Activities

Trick-or-Treat in Lake Geneva

Families can enjoy a safe and festive night of costumes, candy, and community spirit with official trick-or-treating on October 31.

Trunk or Treat at Lake City Social

Families can join this community event featuring decorated cars, music, and plenty of treats for kids.

Pumpkin Carving, Painting & Local Festivals

Local pumpkin festivals and creative workshops provide opportunities for carving and painting. Timber Ridge Lodge Family Day and Lake Geneva Ziplines’ popular pumpkin drop are among the highlights.

Halloween Nightlife & Adult Events

Bars, Costume Parties & Haunted Tours

Lake Geneva’s nightlife comes alive with themed parties and entertainment. From masquerade parties to spooky gatherings, adults have plenty of options for celebrating.

Special Dinners & Themed Experiences

Maxwell Mansion and Destination GN offer Halloween-inspired dining and cocktail experiences that blend atmosphere with seasonal flavors.

Where to Stay During Halloween Weekend

Resorts with Halloween Packages

Several resorts, including Destination Geneva National and Grand Geneva Resort, create festive lodging experiences with dining credits and themed programming.

Cozy Inns & Downtown Hotels

Maxwell Mansion provides boutique-style lodging paired with its signature Halloween events. Downtown inns and hotels also keep you close to trick-or-treating and nightlife.

Plan Your Visit: Tips & FAQs

Best Time to Book Your Stay
Book accommodations by mid-September to secure the best options.

Parking & Transportation Advice
Downtown Lake Geneva can be crowded. Arrive early, walk, bike, or use hotel shuttles when available.

Weather Considerations
Evenings can be chilly—layer up for hayrides or outdoor events.

Ghostly Experiences in Geneva

Beyond the costumes and festivals, Lake Geneva is steeped in haunted history . With American Ghost Walks offering unforgettable Ghost Tours in Lake Geneva , visitors can dive into chilling legends and eerie tales of the past. These tours bring history to life in a way that blends storytelling, mystery, and fun.

Ready to Discover the Spooky Side of Geneva?

Join American Ghost Walks for thrilling Ghost Tours that reveal the haunted side of town. Curious about what others have experienced?

Check out our Lake Geneva Ghost Tour reviews and see why so many guests call it the highlight of their Halloween trip.

Halloween in Madison 2025 | Events, Parties & Ghost Tours

Mon, 13 Oct 2025 16:00:04 GMT

Halloween in Madison 2025: Events, Parties & Things to Do

Madison, Wisconsin, knows how to celebrate Halloween. Every October, the city comes alive with family-friendly trick-or-treat nights, spooky haunted houses, and legendary nightlife parties on State Street. Whether you are looking for pumpkin patches and zoo events for the kids or bar crawls and concerts for adults, this guide brings together everything you need to know about Halloween in Madison 2025.

Family-Friendly Halloween Activities in Madison

Trick-or-Treat Times and Neighborhood Guidelines

The City of Madison sets official trick-or-treating hours, usually announced in early October. Best trick-or-treat neighborhoods include:

Maple Bluff : beautifully decorated houses and safe sidewalks
Shorewood Hills : family-focused, great for younger kids
Westmorland : wide streets, friendly neighbors, and plenty of candy

Tips for families:

Add reflective tape or glow sticks to costumes
Check all treats before eating
Stay in groups and use sidewalks

Downtown Madison Family Halloween (State Street and Capitol Square)

Before the nightlife takes over, downtown hosts a family-friendly Halloween afternoon. Local businesses on State Street and Capitol Square hand out candy, and kids can join costume contests and pumpkin-decorating activities.

Zoo Boo at Henry Vilas Zoo

The Henry Vilas Zoo transforms for its annual Zoo Boo event, featuring trick-or-treat stations, themed animal exhibits, and spooky but kid-friendly decorations.

Hilldale-O-Ween and Local Pumpkin Patches

At Hilldale Mall, families can enjoy crafts, a mini-parade, and candy giveaways. For a classic fall experience, visit nearby pumpkin patches and corn mazes such as:

Schuster’s Farm in Deerfield : pumpkin picking and daytime hayrides
Treinen Farm in Lodi : famous for its massive corn maze

Madison Halloween Parties and Nightlife

State Street Halloween Party History and Updates

The State Street Halloween Party has been one of Madison’s most famous traditions since the 1970s. Once known for wild crowds, today it is a more organized event with food vendors, live music, and costume contests.

Official Madison Halloween Bar Crawl

The official Halloween bar crawl takes over downtown in late October with multiple participating venues, wristbands, and prizes for the best costumes.

Themed Parties at The Sylvee, Majestic, and Atwood Hall

Madison’s best music venues host Halloween shows and parties every year:

The Sylvee : national touring DJs and costume contests
Majestic Theatre : annual themed concerts and parties
Atwood Hall : local bands and dance nights

Haunted Houses and Spooky Attractions Near Madison

Schuster’s Haunted Forest

By night, Schuster’s Farm becomes a terrifying haunted forest, complete with actors, fog machines, and eerie trails.

Madison Ghost Tours

If you want a mix of history and hauntings, American Ghost Walks offers unforgettable Ghost Tours in Madison . These guided walks reveal eerie stories about Capitol Square, State Street, and haunted landmarks, making it one of the most unique ways to experience Halloween in the city.

The Hill Has Eyes (Milwaukee Area)

About an hour east of Madison, this massive haunted attraction features multiple themed trails, jump scares, and immersive sets. A good option for thrill-seekers willing to travel.

Where to Buy Costumes and Decorations in Madison

Spirit Halloween Stores : seasonal pop-ups at East Towne and West Towne Malls
Ragstock on State Street : quirky costumes and vintage finds
Goodwill and St. Vincent de Paul : great for DIY looks
Party City : decorations and accessories

DIY options are also popular—from zombies with ripped clothes and makeup to classic witches, ghosts, or thrift-store 1980s rockers.

Halloween Travel Tips and Safety in Madison

Parking and Street Closures : State Street is pedestrian-only on Halloween weekend
Safety Tips : families should stay on well-lit streets; partygoers should use the buddy system and pace themselve
Public Transit : Madison Metro runs extended service; rideshare is available but may surge

FAQs About Halloween in Madison

What time is trick-or-treating in Madison? Most neighborhoods run trick-or-treating from 4–8 PM on October 31, but always check official city announcements.

Is there a Halloween parade or festival? Downtown hosts a family festival in the afternoon; State Street has its iconic party at night.

Are there haunted houses near Madison? Yes—Schuster’s Haunted Forest, Madison Ghost Tours, and The Hill Has Eyes are popular picks.

Experience Madison’s Haunted Side with American Ghost Walks

Halloween in Madison is more than costumes and candy—it’s a chance to dive into the city’s haunted past. Join American Ghost Walks for an evening of spine-tingling tales and eerie adventures through historic streets. Ready to explore the city’s darker side? Check out our Madison Ghost Tour reviews and see why so many people love the experience.

Halloween in Minneapolis 2025 | Events, Haunted Houses & Ghost Tours

Sun, 12 Oct 2025 16:00:19 GMT

Halloween in Minneapolis 202 5: Events, Parties & Haunted Fun

Looking for the best way to celebrate Halloween in Minneapolis in 2025? Whether you’re after family-friendly pumpkin fun, a wild bar crawl in downtown Minneapolis, or a spine-tingling haunted house near the Twin Cities, this guide has you covered.
From Anoka, the Halloween Capital of the World, to chilling Ghost Tours in Minneapolis led by American Ghost Walks , here’s your ultimate list of Halloween events, parties, and spooky experiences.

Family-Friendly Halloween in Minneapolis

Halloween in Minneapolis is packed with kid-friendly activities and seasonal magic.

Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular at the Minnesota Zoo
Every October, the Minnesota Zoo transforms into a glowing wonderland filled with thousands of illuminated pumpkins. It is a must-see before exploring the city’s nighttime haunted attractions and ghost tours .

Howl-O-Ween at Great Wolf Lodge
Families love this indoor waterpark Halloween celebration. Kids can join trick-or-treat trails, costume contests, and themed crafts while enjoying the resort’s pools.

Free Kids’ Halloween Events in Minneapolis
If you’re on a budget, Minneapolis offers plenty of free community events, including:

Neighborhood pumpkin carving nights
Costume swaps at local libraries
Outdoor trick-or-treat festivals at local parks

After sunset, older kids and parents looking for something different can join American Ghost Walks for a light introduction to Minneapolis’ haunted history .

Minneapolis Halloween Parties and Bar Crawls

Minneapolis nightlife comes alive during Halloween with themed bar crawls, drag shows, raves, and brewery parties.

Official Minneapolis Halloween Bar Crawl
Downtown Minneapolis becomes a playground of costumed revelers hopping between top bars. Expect drink specials, DJs, and contests, or pair your night out with a late-night ghost tour to experience the city’s haunted side.

Horror on Hennepin at Skyway Theatre
One of the city’s biggest Halloween EDM parties featuring DJs, light shows, and elaborate costumes.

Drag and Costume Parties
Minneapolis has a thriving drag and brewery scene. Look out for:

Sociable Cider Werks’ Spooky Drag Show
Fulton Beer’s Halloween Bash
Modist Brewing’s Costume Party and DJ Night

Haunted Houses and Spooky Attractions in the Twin Cities

Thrill-seekers have plenty of haunted options near Minneapolis.

Haunted Basement Minneapolis

A local tradition known for its immersive and terrifying performances, best suited for adults.

ValleySCARE at Valleyfair
Minnesota’s biggest Halloween amusement park combines rides with haunted mazes and scare zones.

Dead End Hayride (Pine City)
For the ultimate haunted hayride, head north to Pine City and enjoy movie-level effects and frights.

Mall of America – Onionhead’s Revenge
Mall of America often hosts large-scale indoor haunted attractions. In 2025, Onionhead’s Revenge returns as a fan favorite.

If you prefer real haunted history over jump scares, American Ghost Walks offers authentic ghost tours in Minneapolis that reveal eerie tales tied to local landmarks and true stories.

Cultural Halloween Experiences

For those who love theater, film, and the arts, Halloween in Minneapolis offers cultural events that blend storytelling, history, and atmosphere similar to a ghost tour through the city’s old streets.

Twin Cities Horror Festival
A multi-day showcase of independent horror theater, dance, and film.

Silent Film with Live Orchestra
The classic Phantom of the Opera screens with live orchestra accompaniment, creating a hauntingly beautiful tradition.

Local Theater and Music Specials
Watch for venues like the Guthrie Theater and First Avenue, which often feature Halloween-themed performances inspired by gothic tales and ghostly legends.

Nearby Halloween Destinations

Anoka – Halloween Capital of the World

Anoka, just 30 minutes from Minneapolis, has been celebrating Halloween since the 1920s. Events include:

Grand Day Parade
Pumpkin contests
Historic ghost tours

Twin Cities Suburban Festivals and Parades
Suburbs like Bloomington, St. Paul, and Maple Grove host parades, bonfires, and family-friendly festivals. Many visitors combine these daytime celebrations with evening Minneapolis ghost tours for a complete Halloween weekend.

FAQs About Halloween in Minneapolis

What to do on Halloween in Minneapolis?
Attend a bar crawl, haunted house, or family-friendly pumpkin event. If you love real ghost stories, join a local ghost tour with American Ghost Walks .

Are there Halloween bar crawls in Minneapolis?

Yes. The official Minneapolis Halloween Bar Crawl is one of the most popular nightlife events in the city.

What haunted houses are near Minneapolis?
Some top choices include Haunted Basement, ValleySCARE, Dead End Hayride, and Mall of America’s Onionhead’s Revenge.

What is the biggest Halloween event in Minnesota?
ValleySCARE and Anoka’s Halloween Festival draw the largest crowds each year.

Why is Anoka called the Halloween Capital of the World?
In 1920, Anoka hosted the first large-scale Halloween parade to stop local pranks, earning its official title.

Are there free Halloween events in Minneapolis?
Yes. Many neighborhoods, libraries, and parks host free pumpkin carvings, trick-or-treats, and community celebrations.

What Halloween shows or concerts happen in Minneapolis?
You’ll find performances at Skyway Theatre, First Avenue, and drag shows at local breweries. You can also experience live storytelling during a ghost tour downtown.

Discover Haunted History with American Ghost Walks

When you’ve had your fill of parties and parades, explore a side of Minneapolis most people never see with Ghost Tours in Minneapolis by American Ghost Walks . Step into the city’s haunted past, listen to real ghost stories, and walk through historic streets where legends come to life.

See why guests love our tours. Check our Minneapolis Ghost Tour reviews and find out what people are saying!

Halloween in St. Paul 2025: Haunted Fun, Parties & Ghost Tours | American Ghost Walks

Sun, 12 Oct 2025 16:00:19 GMT

Halloween in St. Paul 2025: Events, Parties & Family Fun

Halloween in St. Paul brings together everything from family-friendly trick-or-treat events to late-night bar crawls and haunted attractions. Whether you are looking for safe places to bring the kids, spooky haunted houses outside the city, or lively concerts on Halloween night, St. Paul has something for everyone in 2025.

This guide highlights the best Halloween events across St. Paul, including free neighborhood gatherings, cultural performances, nightlife parties, and nearby destinations worth exploring. If you enjoy a touch of haunted history, American Ghost Walks offers Ghost Tours in St. Paul that bring local legends and chilling stories to life under the night sky.

Family-Friendly Halloween in St. Paul

Families in St. Paul will find plenty of safe and festive events designed for children. From zoo adventures to historic parties, these gatherings mix fun with seasonal tradition.

Como Zoo Halloween Celebration

The Como Zoo is a popular stop for families each October. Visitors can expect themed trick-or-treat stations, animal encounters, and costume contests.

Landmark Center Halloween Party

The Landmark Center in downtown St. Paul transforms into a historic Halloween venue. Families can enjoy arts and crafts, storytelling, and live performances. This event remains a favorite for those looking for affordable fun in a beautiful setting.

Halloween at Harmon Park (West St. Paul)

Harmon Park in West St. Paul is home to community-focused celebrations. Bonfires, carnival-style games, and group activities make this event a welcoming option for families who prefer a local neighborhood feel.

Trick-or-Treating in St. Paul Neighborhoods

St. Paul neighborhoods such as Highland Park, Macalester-Groveland, and Summit Hill are well known for being trick-or-treat friendly. Families can expect decorated homes, generous candy offerings, and neighbors who make safety a priority.

St. Paul Halloween Parties & Bar Crawls

For adults looking to celebrate, St. Paul offers bar crawls, concerts, and brewery costume parties that keep the fun going late into the night.

Official Halloween Bar Crawl – New Bohemia

The official Halloween bar crawl typically includes venues across downtown St. Paul, with New Bohemia as one of the main stops. Participants enjoy themed drinks, contests, and high-energy celebrations.

Concerts & Nightlife in St. Paul

St. Paul’s music venues embrace Halloween with themed concerts and performances.

Minnesota Music Café: Known for local acts and costume parties.
Amsterdam Bar & Hall: A downtown favorite for indie shows and Halloween-themed nightlife.

Costume Contests at Local Breweries

St. Paul’s breweries often host casual but lively Halloween parties. Bad Weather Brewing and BlackStack Brewing have previously run events featuring creative beers, contests, and live entertainment.

Haunted Houses & Spooky Attractions Near St. Paul

Haunted house enthusiasts will find some of the best scares just outside the city. Those looking for real-life haunted stories can join American Ghost Walks for authentic Ghost Tours that reveal the mysterious side of St. Paul’s past.

The Haunting Experience on Highway 61 (Cottage Grove)

Located just outside St. Paul, this long-running haunted attraction features haunted hayrides, mazes, and eerie sets.

Scream Town (Chaska)

Scream Town offers multiple themed haunted attractions in one location. From pitch-black mazes to outdoor horror zones, it is designed for thrill-seekers.

Dehn’s at Dark (Golden Valley)

This suburban farm transforms into a Halloween destination each fall, offering both family-friendly and haunted experiences.

Cultural & Theatrical Halloween Events

Halloween in St. Paul isn’t limited to scares and sweets. The city’s arts community adds a creative flair to the season.

Halloween Concerts in St. Paul

Orchestras and local bands stage Halloween-themed concerts that combine dramatic performances with costumes and spooky atmospheres.

Theater and Dance Events with Spooky Themes

Local theaters produce plays and dance performances inspired by gothic and supernatural stories. Ballet and modern dance productions often appear throughout late October.

Twin Cities Festival Crossovers

Fall festivals with Halloween twists appear across the metro, with cultural events embracing autumn themes and costume nights.

Nearby Halloween Destinations

Some of the region’s best Halloween celebrations are only a short drive away from St. Paul.

Anoka – Halloween Capital of the World

Anoka, located north of St. Paul, holds the title of the Halloween Capital of the World. The city hosts parades, festivals, and community-wide events that celebrate its century-old Halloween tradition.

Minneapolis Nightlife and Haunted Attractions

Across the river, Minneapolis offers large-scale nightlife and haunted experiences that complement what St. Paul has to offer.

FAQs About Halloween in St. Paul

What Halloween events are happening in St. Paul this year?

Events range from the Como Zoo Halloween Celebration and Landmark Center party to bar crawls, concerts, and haunted houses.

Where can families trick-or-treat in St. Paul?

Neighborhoods such as Highland Park, Macalester-Groveland, and Summit Hill are known for being family-friendly during Halloween.

Are there Halloween bar crawls in St. Paul?

Yes, organized bar crawls and nightlife events take place across downtown St. Paul.

What haunted houses are near St. Paul, MN?

The Haunting Experience in Cottage Grove, Scream Town in Chaska, and Dehn’s at Dark in Golden Valley are popular attractions.

Does Como Zoo have a Halloween event?

Yes, Como Zoo typically hosts a Halloween-themed celebration with trick-or-treating and family activities.

What free Halloween events happen in St. Paul?

City parks, community centers, and some neighborhoods host free trick-or-treating and Halloween parties.

Why is Anoka called the Halloween Capital of the World?

Anoka earned the title by being one of the first U.S. cities to organize official Halloween parades and festivals in the 1920s.

Discover St. Paul’s Haunted Side

Step into the shadows of history with American Ghost Walks and experience the city like never before through our Ghost Tours in St. Paul . Each tour brings real stories and eerie legends to life in a fun and unforgettable way. See why so many visitors recommend it and check out what others are saying in our St. Paul ghost tour reviews .

Halloween in Hollywood 2025: Carnaval, Horror Nights & Events

Sun, 12 Oct 2025 16:00:19 GMT

Hollywood transforms into one of the world’s most iconic Halloween destinations each October. With the legendary West Hollywood Halloween Carnaval, Universal Studios’ Halloween Horror Nights, and countless parties, parades, and spooky attractions, Halloween in Hollywood is more than just a night. It is an unforgettable experience.
In this guide, you’ll discover the biggest events, insider tips, and everything you need to plan the ultimate Halloween in Hollywood 2025.

Why Hollywood Is a Top Halloween Destination

The Legacy of Hollywood Horror

Hollywood is the birthplace of horror cinema, from Dracula and Frankenstein to today’s blockbusters. It is only fitting that the entertainment capital of the world throws one of the largest Halloween celebrations anywhere.

Costumes, Nightlife, and Parades

In Hollywood, costumes go all out, from Hollywood-inspired looks to jaw-dropping cosplay. Streets fill with parades, parties, and nightlife, drawing visitors from across the globe.

West Hollywood Halloween Carnaval 2025

The West Hollywood Halloween Carnaval is the largest Halloween street party in the world, attracting hundreds of thousands of people to Santa Monica Boulevard.

What to Expect

Massive crowds filling the streets
Incredible costumes ranging from movie characters to outrageous creations
Live performances, DJs, and drag shows adding flair to the night

Travel Tips and Safety Notes

Arrive early, as streets close for the event
Use rideshare apps or public transit instead of driving
The event is free and open to all, but its atmosphere is more adult-oriented. Families may prefer to enjoy festivities earlier in the evening

Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights 2025

For a thrill-packed Halloween, Universal Studios Hollywood is unmatched. Every fall, the park transforms into a horror lover’s paradise.

Haunted Houses and Scare Zones

Expect new haunted houses inspired by blockbuster films and cult classics, plus scare zones throughout the park that keep the terror going all night.

Food, Drinks, and Themed Experiences

Spooky cocktails and themed snacks across the park
Exclusive merchandise and collectibles
Photo opportunities with monsters and scare actors roaming the grounds

Other Halloween Events in Hollywood

Hollywood nightlife doesn’t stop at Carnaval and Horror Nights. Here are other events to add to your list:

Rooftop Parties and Bar Crawls

Rooftop bars along Hollywood Blvd host parties with skyline views. Crawls like the Monster Crawl bring themed drinks and costume contests.

Family-Friendly Events Nearby

The Hollywood Halloween Parade with floats and bands
Trick-or-treating at Universal’s CityWalk and nearby neighborhoods
Pumpkin patches and daytime attractions for kids

Haunted Tours and Attractions

Looking to experience the chilling side of the city? Join Ghost Tours in Hollywood guided by American Ghost Walks , where you’ll explore famous haunted landmarks, hear eerie stories, and discover real-life paranormal history woven into Hollywood’s glitz and glamour.

Plan Your Trip and Experience Halloween in Hollywood 2025

Where to Stay

West Hollywood – Best for Carnaval access and nightlife
Universal/Studio City – Convenient for Horror Nights
Hollywood Blvd – Central location for parades and bars

Costume Ideas and Hollywood Shopping

Shops like Hollywood Toys & Costumes or Aahs! Party & Costumes are great for last-minute looks. Go bold and creative because Hollywood loves outrageous style.

Getting Around

Parking is limited. Rideshares and public transit are the easiest ways to get around, especially with street closures near Carnaval.

Ready for a Spooky Side of Hollywood?

Halloween in Hollywood is legendary, but nothing captures the city’s haunted spirit like the stories behind its landmarks. Book your Ghost Tours with American Ghost Walks today and see why so many visitors rave about the experience. Check out our Hollywood Ghost Tour reviews to hear what others are saying.

Ed Gein and the Dark Heart of Wisconsin: Why the Plainfield Ghoul Still Haunts Us

Fri, 10 Oct 2025 21:41:04 GMT

With a new streaming series reigniting fascination with one of America's most notorious killers, Ed Gein's story has once again emerged from the shadows of central Wisconsin. But for those who know the state's darker history, Gein never really left. His legacy haunts Plainfield's quiet streets, influences our understanding of horror in popular culture, and draws curious visitors to Wisconsin's most macabre landmarks.

The question isn't whether Ed Gein still matters... it's why his story continues to grip our collective imagination more than six decades after his crimes came to light.

The Butcher of Plainfield: A Wisconsin Horror Story

Edward Theodore Gein wasn't supposed to become a household name. Born in La Crosse in 1906, he spent most of his life as what locals called "the village idiot"... a quiet, odd bachelor who babysat children, took odd jobs around Plainfield, and seemed harmless enough. That perception shattered on November 16, 1957, when police investigating the disappearance of hardware store owner Bernice Worden made a discovery that would horrify the nation.

According to the news reports on that fateful day, when the police entered the farmhouse of Gein, the horrifying discoveries caused Sheriff immediately to rush outside and regurgitate. What officers found in that isolated farmhouse defied comprehension: human remains fashioned into household items, masks made from preserved human skin, and evidence of grave robbing that had gone undetected for years.

The most chilling detail? One room in the squalid, cluttered house remained immaculate... his deceased mother's bedroom, preserved as a shrine to the woman who had dominated his entire existence.

The Making of a Monster: Augusta Gein's Shadow

To understand Ed Gein, you must understand Augusta. A domineering, deeply religious woman with extreme views about sexuality and sin, she raised her sons in isolation on their Wisconsin farm, convinced that the outside world, particularly women, represented corruption and temptation.

To young Eddie, Augusta's influence was absolute. Her views on sexuality were, as one historical account describes, "characteristically extreme." She saw most women as harlots and raised Ed to fear and revile them while simultaneously making herself the center of his world. When Augusta died in 1945, Ed was devastated beyond measure.

It was only a span of about six years, Gein lost his entire family. First his father in 1940, then his brother Henry in 1944 under suspicious circumstances, and finally Augusta in 1945. At that point, he was completely alone. There was no one in the world that he is close to or he loves or loves him left anymore.

What followed was a descent into madness shaped by religious delusion and desperate grief. Ed believed he could resurrect his mother through sheer willpower... a warped interpretation of the biblical story of Lazarus that his mother had drilled into him. When that failed, he found another way to keep her close.

From Grave Robber to Killer: The House of Horrors

Beginning around 1947, Gein started visiting local cemeteries at night, exhuming recently buried remains of middle-aged women who reminded him of his mother. He would later confess to robbing nine graves, though the true number may never be known.

His fascinations fed his compulsions. He devoured stories about headhunters, cannibals, and Nazi atrocities, particularly tales of Ilse Koch, the "Witch of Buchenwald," who allegedly created lampshades from human skin. These sensationalized accounts from pulp magazines and adventure stories seemed to provide a blueprint for his own grotesque craft.

But Gein didn't stop at grave robbing. On December 8, 1954, tavern owner Mary Hogan disappeared from her bar in nearby Bancroft. Three years later, Bernice Worden vanished from her Plainfield hardware store on opening day of deer hunting season. Both women fit a profile: substantial, middle-aged German women who bore a resemblance to Augusta.

When police found Worden's body "strung out like a deer, beheaded" in Gein's shed, they knew they'd found their killer. The subsequent search of the property revealed the full extent of his crimes... human skin crafted into furniture, bowls made from skulls, and other items too disturbing to detail.

The Cultural Legacy: How Ed Gein Shaped Horror

Perhaps nothing illustrates Gein's enduring impact better than his influence on popular culture. Within three years of his arrest, author Robert Bloch, who lived just 40 minutes from Plainfield in Wautoma, published Psycho , featuring Norman Bates, a character clearly inspired by Gein's crimes and his relationship with his mother.

Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 film adaptation of Psycho became a watershed moment in cinema, essentially creating the modern slasher genre. It is the first slasher film and ends up changing the face of horror movies and influences everything after. It's Ed Gein who gave us the modern slasher film.

The influence didn't stop there. Tobe Hooper's The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" (1974) featured Leatherface wearing masks of human skin and a house decorated with human remains, direct echoes of Gein's farmhouse. However, the TV show takes great liberties with Ed and the chainsaw, having him fling it wildly like Leatherface at the end of the movie, which is a fun homage, but never happened in real life.

Thomas Harris also drew on Gein's story for Buffalo Bill in The Silence of the Lambs , the antagonist who killed women to create a "suit" from their skin.

Even heavy metal found inspiration in the Plainfield ghoul. Tom Araya, lyricist and vocalist for Slayer told Metal Hammer , that "It’s just fascinating to me how people can do such things to each other... I came across a book called Deviant: The Shocking True Story Of Ed Gein – and I think it was the first printing of the book, because it had all these gruesome photos in it of what Gein had done to his victims that they omitted from the later editions. I read it and I thought it was really interesting.”

Interesting enough to pen one of Slayer's most distinctive and disturbing tracks. Slayer's 1990 song "Dead Skin Mask" explicitly references Gein, featuring a child's voice asking eerily, "Hello, Mr. Gein... This isn't fun anymore." Ed never attacked any children that we know of, but obviously the subject matter of the song's title, a mask made of human skin, is based on Gein.

Ghost Stories and Dark Tourism: Gein's Plainfield Today

While Gein's farmhouse burned down mysteriously in 1958, many suspect it was arson intended to end the macabre spectacle, his presence lingers in Plainfield. The town has struggled with its dark legacy, caught between wanting to move past the horror and acknowledging the morbid curiosity that draws visitors from around the world.

My friend Jeff Finup from Badgerland Legends shared in a podcast we did about Ed Gein that he "grew up about 20 minutes outside of Plainfield, so it was my old stomping grounds, and there was some Gein lore abound." He recounts stories of locals who knew Ed, including his friend's grandmother who allegedly roller-skated with the future killer, and families for whom Gein babysat.

Indeed on ghost tours I have done myself, I've met people whose family members were babysat by "Uncle Eddie" and enraptured by his stories of shrunken heads in the Pacific and Holocaust concentration camp atrocities that were often exploitatively written about in adventure and men's magazines of the day. The kids enjoyed his wild stories, not knowing that Ed was making his own horror stories at the farm a few miles away.

My sister Allison had a psychology professor at the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee who used to volunteer for dances at Mendota Mental Institute in Madison, Wisconsin where Ed spent his final years. She says that one time she was dancing with this very polite older gentleman and she really liked him... it was only afterwards that another volunteer told her who the gentleman was, the Butcher of Plainfield himself, Ed Gein.

A 2021 Discovery Plus documentary featured investigators who claimed to make contact with Gein's spirit, allegedly hearing him say "put on the suit" through ghost detection equipment. Psychic Cindy Kaza reportedly sensed that Augusta's malevolent spirit may have influenced Ed's crimes from beyond the grave.

Even Gein's grave became part of the legend. His headstone was stolen in 2000, recovered in Seattle in 2001, and now resides in evidence storage at the Waushara County Sheriff's Department, itself a testament to the enduring fascination with one of Wisconsin's most infamous son.

Experience Wisconsin's Haunted History

The story of Ed Gein represents the darkest chapter in Wisconsin's history, but it's also a reminder that real horror often surpasses fiction. His crimes influenced generations of filmmakers, writers, and artists while forever changing how we understand the human capacity for darkness.

Today, visitors to central Wisconsin can explore the broader context of these events through ghost tours and historical experiences that examine not just Gein's crimes, but the psychological, social, and supernatural dimensions of the story. From La Crosse, where the Gein family began, to Plainfield, where the horror unfolded, Wisconsin's landscape holds the echoes of this tragic tale.

Understanding Ed Gein isn't about glorifying violence... it's about confronting the uncomfortable realities that exist beneath seemingly ordinary surfaces, in small towns that look like they could never harbor such darkness.

Ready to explore Wisconsin's darker side?

Join us for a ghost tour that delves into the state's most haunting true crime stories and supernatural legends. From Milwaukee to the backroads of central Wisconsin, discover the real stories behind the horror on one of our Wisconsin ghost tours.

Halloween in Boothbay Harbor: Parades, Parties & Spooky Fun

Fri, 10 Oct 2025 15:17:50 GMT

As autumn settles over Maine’s coast, Boothbay Harbor transforms into a seaside town filled with pumpkins, costumes, and just the right amount of spooky fun. From the beloved community Halloween parade to haunted Ghost Tours and family-friendly trunk-or-treat events, there is something for every kind of visitor. Whether you are planning a fall getaway or you live right here in town, Boothbay Harbor is the perfect place to celebrate the magic of Halloween.

In this guide, you will find details on the parades, ghost trains, and local festivities, along with insider tips on where to eat, stay, and explore during October.

Boothbay Harbor’s Halloween Highlights

Every October, Boothbay Harbor comes alive with festive events that blend small-town community charm with coastal character. The heart of Halloween here is its community-driven celebrations, where families, friends, and visitors gather downtown for seasonal fun.

Annual Boothbay Harbor Halloween Parade

The Halloween Parade is the centerpiece of Boothbay’s spooky season. Each year, locals and visitors line Townsend Avenue to cheer on costumed kids, floats, and community groups. Expect everything from classic witches and ghosts to creative lobster and lighthouse-themed costumes that nod to Boothbay’s maritime roots.
Insider Tip: Arrive early to grab a spot near the Memorial Library, one of the best viewing areas. After the parade, many downtown shops hand out candy, making it easy to keep the celebration going.

Railway SPOOK-tacular and Ghost Train Rides

Step back in time at the Boothbay Railway Village Museum, which transforms into a haunted wonderland during its SPOOK-tacular Ghost Train weekend. Families can ride the vintage steam train past glowing pumpkins, spooky displays, and costumed volunteers who bring the event to life.
This event is especially popular with families thanks to its safe, festive atmosphere. In addition to the train ride, visitors can explore trick-or-treat stations, games, and seasonal treats around the historic village grounds.
Tickets sell fast, so booking in advance is recommended.

Trunk or Treat at Local Churches and Businesses

For younger kids, Boothbay Harbor offers Trunk or Treat events hosted by local churches and businesses. These gatherings feature decorated cars, themed candy stations, and interactive games, all in a safe and family-friendly environment.
Parents love this option for its walkable setup and community feel, while kids get to enjoy plenty of candy without the worry of busy streets.

Spooky Tours and Haunted History

Beyond pumpkins and parades, Boothbay Harbor has a darker, more mysterious side. With its maritime past, historic buildings, and centuries of coastal legends, it is the perfect place for a ghostly adventure.

Ghost Walks Through Historic Downtown

Join a guided Ghost Tours in Boothbay Harbor with American Ghost Walks , and explore the haunted corners of downtown. Storytellers share eerie tales of shipwrecks, sea captains, and unexplained happenings that linger in this historic fishing village. These tours are equal parts history and haunting, making them a must for curious travelers.
Travel Tip: Most ghost walks take place at night. Bring a jacket, as October evenings by the water can get chilly.

Opera House Events and Spooky Readings

The Boothbay Harbor Opera House, a landmark in the community, often hosts concerts and special seasonal events around Halloween. From candlelit storytelling nights to concerts with a spooky twist, it is an atmospheric way to spend an October evening.
The Opera House’s historic charm adds to the setting, making it feel like you have stepped back into another era, perfect for Halloween week.

Family-Friendly Halloween Fun

Boothbay Harbor is one of Maine’s best destinations for a kid-friendly Halloween, with safe trick-or-treating and plenty of activities for all ages.

Kids’ Trick-or-Treating at Downtown Shops

Downtown businesses get into the spirit by decorating storefronts and passing out candy to trick-or-treaters. Families can stroll safely through the heart of Boothbay Harbor, with costumed shop owners joining in the fun.
Tip: Bring a bag big enough. Between the parade, library, and downtown shops, kids will collect plenty of treats.

Library Activities and Storytime

The Boothbay Harbor Memorial Library is a hub for children’s activities each October. Families can expect costume contests, pumpkin crafts, and special Halloween storytime events. It is a perfect stop for little ones before or after the parade.

Halloween for Adults

Halloween in Boothbay Harbor is not just for kids. It is also a time for nightlife, live music, and costume parties.

Costume Parties and Spook-araoke at Brady’s

Local pubs and restaurants host lively Halloween nights, with Brady’s often featuring Spook-araoke and costume contests. Expect live music, seasonal drinks, and prizes for the most creative costumes.

Seasonal Food and Drink Specials

October is the perfect month to enjoy seasonal menus. Local restaurants highlight pumpkin ales, clam chowders, and Halloween-themed desserts. Seafood lovers can enjoy seasonal lobster specials, often paired with fall harvest flavors.
Combine your evening out with a sunset harbor walk. Fall foliage and ocean views make Boothbay Harbor just as magical as the events themselves.

Planning Your Visit

Thinking of making Boothbay Harbor your Halloween getaway? Here is how to make the most of your trip.

Where to Stay in Boothbay Harbor for Halloween

Boothbay Harbor’s inns, bed and breakfasts, and boutique hotels provide a cozy fall stay. Many offer seasonal packages in October, complete with pumpkin coffee or cider by the fire.
Book early: Halloween weekend and Pumpkinfest in nearby towns can fill rooms quickly.

Nearby Events (Pumpkinfest in Damariscotta, Fall Foliage Festival)

Pumpkinfest in Damariscotta: Just 20 minutes away, this festival features giant pumpkins, creative pumpkin boats, and parades.
Fall Foliage Festival at Boothbay Railway Village: Celebrate autumn with crafts, food, and family fun alongside the Halloween SPOOK-tacular.

These nearby events make Boothbay Harbor a perfect base for exploring Maine’s coastal autumn celebrations.

FAQs about Halloween in Boothbay Harbor

Book Your Ghost Tour in Boothbay Harbor

Halloween in Boothbay Harbor blends community traditions, spooky stories, and coastal beauty into one unforgettable celebration. Whether you are bringing kids for parades and trunk-or-treating, joining a Ghost Tour with American Ghost Walks , or enjoying a festive night out with friends, Boothbay Harbor offers a little something for everyone.

Don’t just hear the legends and experience them firsthand. Book your Ghost Tours in Boothbay Harbor today with American Ghost Walks and make this Halloween one you’ll never forget.

Halloween in Bar Harbor: Events, Ghost Tours & Fall Fun

Fri, 10 Oct 2025 14:52:10 GMT

There’s no better place to experience Halloween in Maine than the coastal village of Bar Harbor. Every October, this charming town transforms into a mix of autumn colors, haunted legends, and family traditions that have captivated visitors for generations.

Whether you’re planning a weekend getaway or a spooky fall escape, Bar Harbor’s Halloween season offers it all, from family-friendly crafts to eerie encounters through American Ghost Walks.

Bar Harbor Halloween Events 2025

Bar Harbor’s Halloween celebrations combine small-town warmth with supernatural charm. Locals and visitors come together to enjoy a range of activities throughout the season.

Trick-or-Treating on Ledgelawn Avenue

Ledgelawn Avenue becomes a storybook street on Halloween night. Historic homes are decorated with pumpkins and lights, and families from across Mount Desert Island come to enjoy the town’s most beloved trick-or-treating tradition.

Family-Friendly Halloween Crafts and Parades

At Jesup Memorial Library, children can participate in creative Halloween crafts and pumpkin-themed projects. The annual community parade brings out costumed families, colorful floats, and a true sense of New England festivity.

Halloween Parties and Nightlife in Bar Harbor

When night falls, local bars and venues host themed parties, live music, and costume contests, creating a lively atmosphere for adults who want to celebrate Halloween in style.

Haunted History of Bar Harbor

Bar Harbor’s past is filled with mystery, and its ghost stories are part of what make it such an intriguing destination.

Ghost Tours and Haunted Pub Crawls

For those who want to uncover the hidden side of the town, American Ghost Walks offers the most immersive Ghost Tours in Bar Harbor. Listen to stories of haunted inns, lost sailors, and local legends that bring the town’s history to life. Each walk reveals a side of Bar Harbor that few get to experience.

The Legends of the Bar Harbor Inn

The Bar Harbor Inn is more than a historic hotel; it is a landmark surrounded by stories of unexplained happenings. Guests have often mentioned strange sounds and flickering lights that add an air of mystery to their stay, especially around Halloween.

Halloween in Acadia National Park

Just beyond the town, Acadia National Park provides the perfect backdrop for fall adventures and spooky exploration.

Haunted Hikes and Fall Foliage Trails

Explore Acadia’s quiet trails and you might feel the whispers of the past among the rustling leaves. Some say certain paths near the old carriage roads carry a haunting energy that makes every hike unforgettable.

Scenic Drives and Spooky Photo Spots

From Ocean Drive to Cadillac Mountain, October’s mist and golden light offer dramatic photo opportunities. It’s an ideal time to capture both the beauty and the mystery of coastal Maine.

Planning Your Trip to Bar Harbor in October

Visiting Bar Harbor in October means cozy inns, crisp ocean air, and a town alive with the colors and charm of fall.

Where to Stay During Halloween Weekend

Bar Harbor offers a variety of accommodations, from historic inns to modern waterfront hotels. Staying close to downtown makes it easy to join the festivities and explore haunted locations on foot.

Seasonal Dining and Pumpkin-Themed Treats

Local restaurants embrace the season with hearty dishes, autumn cocktails, and pumpkin-inspired desserts. Many establishments feature special menus that celebrate the flavors of fall in Maine.

FAQs About Halloween in Bar Harbor

Ready to Experience the Haunted Side of Bar Harbor?

Make this Halloween unforgettable with American Ghost Walks . Step into the shadows, uncover local legends, and experience the stories that give Bar Harbor its haunting charm.

Check out what others are saying by reading our Bar Harbor Ghost Tour Reviews and see why visitors can’t stop talking about their unforgettable experiences on our Ghost Tours in Bar Harbor.

Halloween in Bayfield 2025: Ghost Tours, Events & Family Fun

Fri, 10 Oct 2025 14:02:44 GMT

Nestled on the shores of Lake Superior, Bayfield, Wisconsin is best known for its apple orchards and vibrant fall colors. Come October, this little town transforms into a hub of spooky fun. From ghost tours through historic streets to family-friendly pumpkin carving and lively Halloween parties, Bayfield offers something for everyone.

Whether you’re looking for trick-or-treating with the kids, a night out on the town, or a haunted getaway in a historic inn, this is your ultimate guide to celebrating Halloween in Bayfield 2025 with American Ghost Walks leading the way in spine-chilling adventures.

Family-Friendly Halloween in Bayfield

Bayfield is a perfect small-town destination for families during Halloween. Its mix of community events, creative contests, and nearby attractions makes it a safe and festive spot for kids.

Washburn Halloween Town (Oct 1–31)

Just down the road from Bayfield, Washburn transforms into “Halloween Town” for the entire month of October. Expect decorated storefronts, themed activities, and kid-friendly entertainment that runs all season long. It is one of the region’s favorite fall traditions.

Pumpkin Carving & Kids’ Activities

Local schools, community centers, and businesses host pumpkin carving contests and craft nights throughout October. Families can also find pumpkins and gourds at nearby orchards, perfect for decorating your doorstep before Halloween night.

Trick-or-Treat Times in Bayfield County

Each town in Bayfield County sets its own trick-or-treat schedule, typically held on Halloween evening. Families can check the Bayfield County event calendar for official times. Popular neighborhoods in Bayfield’s historic downtown always welcome kids in costume with plenty of candy.

Haunted Bayfield: Ghost Tours & Spooky Attractions

Behind Bayfield’s charming shops and inns lies a haunted past filled with maritime legends, shipwreck tales, and ghostly encounters.

Bayfield Ghost Walk (American Ghost Walks)

The Bayfield Ghost Walk, hosted by American Ghost Walks , takes visitors through historic downtown after dark. Guides share chilling stories of haunted houses, mysterious figures along the shoreline, and paranormal sightings. Tickets sell out quickly in October, so book early if you want to experience the most popular Ghost Tours in Bayfield .

Haunted Bayfield Walking Tour with Wendy Webb

Local author Wendy Webb, known for her gothic novels, occasionally leads themed walks that mix storytelling with Bayfield history. These tours are limited and intimate, perfect for fans of ghostly literature.

Haunted Wisconsin Attractions Near Bayfield

Beyond Bayfield, Wisconsin , is home to classic Halloween attractions like haunted houses, corn mazes, and eerie forests. While not all are in town, they make for great day trips if you’re looking to extend the spooky fun.

Halloween Parties & Nightlife in Bayfield

When the sun sets on Halloween weekend, Bayfield’s nightlife comes alive with live music, costumes, and community gatherings.

Loon Saloon Halloween Party
Located just outside Bayfield, the Loon Saloon throws one of the most popular Halloween parties in the area. Expect live bands, costume contests, and a packed dance floor.
Liquor in the Woods Costume Party
This legendary local party combines music, costumes, and plenty of spirited fun. It is not family-friendly, but for adults, it is one of the biggest Halloween nights in Bayfield County.
Local Pubs & Music Events
Bayfield’s pubs and taverns often host Halloween-themed nights with live bands and costume specials. Check local event boards for the latest lineups.

Halloween Getaways in Bayfield

For those who want to make a weekend of it, Bayfield offers some of the most charming lodging in the Midwest, many with a touch of spooky history.

Old Rittenhouse Inn Spooky Stays

The Old Rittenhouse Inn, Bayfield’s most famous historic inn, embraces Halloween with themed stays, candlelit dinners, and ghostly legends about the property. Some even say it is haunted, making it the perfect spot for a Halloween getaway.

Bayfield Inns & Lodges with Fall Packages

Many Bayfield bed-and-breakfasts, cabins, and lodges offer autumn packages that include local cider, pumpkin treats, and discounted ghost tour tickets. Booking early is highly recommended for Halloween weekend.

Lake Superior Autumn Views & Ghost Stories

Few places feel as magical or as mysterious as Lake Superior in late October. A walk along the shoreline at dusk, with waves crashing against the cliffs, feels like stepping into a ghost story.

Nearby Events Worth Visiting

If you’re staying for the weekend, there are plenty of nearby events to round out your Halloween adventure.

Ashland Halloween Festivals
The city of Ashland, just 20 minutes away, hosts community parades, trick-or-treating, and downtown events that draw families from across the region.
Apple Festival Seasonal Overlap
Although held earlier in October, Bayfield’s famous Apple Festival often sets the stage for the Halloween season, with orchards still full of cider, caramel apples, and pumpkins.

Big Top Bayfield Events
The Big Top Chautauqua occasionally schedules Halloween-themed concerts and performances. Check their fall lineup for details.

FAQs About Halloween in Bayfield

Plan Your Halloween in Bayfield 2025

Whether you’re coming for a family day of pumpkin carving, a night of ghost tours , or a spooky weekend getaway, Bayfield offers a unique mix of charm and chills. With Lake Superior as its backdrop, Halloween here feels like stepping into a storybook filled with cozy inns, friendly neighbors, and just enough mystery to keep things spooky for the ultimate haunted experience.

D on’t miss American Ghost Walks and their unforgettable Ghost Tours in Bayfield .

Ghosts of Waukesha Book Launching at Milwaukee Paranormal Conference 2025

Wed, 24 Sep 2025 21:30:45 GMT

Wisconsin’s haunted history has a brand-new spotlight this fall. Ghosts of Waukesha , written by paranormal investigator Josh Hughes with R. Michael Huberty of American Ghost Walks , will officially launch on Saturday, October 18, 2025 at the Milwaukee Paranormal Conference .

This spine-tingling new book uncovers the most haunted places in Waukesha, Wisconsin , blending historical research, chilling local legends, and first-hand paranormal encounters. It’s the first dedicated volume to capture Waukesha’s supernatural past and present... perfect for fans of Wisconsin ghost stories , paranormal investigators, or anyone curious about the spirits said to still walk the streets of “Spring City.”

A Local Guide to Haunted Waukesha

Since 2021, Hughes has been the guide of the popular Waukesha Ghost Walks , introducing visitors to the city’s strangest tales. In the introdu ction, he writes:

“Whether spirits remain and choose to engage with us or not, their stories still live on. Knowing the story gives us more focus on interacting with a potentially haunted location.”

Haunted Highlights from Ghosts of Waukesha

Here are just a few of the eerie stories you’ll discover in the book:

Club 400 — Once owned by Les Paul’s family, this historic ta vern still echoes with music. A psychic investigator even claimed to see “a man in the basement with a guitar.”
Little Lord Fauntleroy — The city’s most famous cold case, the mysterious 1921 death of a young boy found in a quarry pond, remains unsolved. His grave is still visited every March.
Cutler Park — Early settler Morris Cutler swore he was awakened by “phantom Native American voices… arguing with their wives in the middle of the night.”
The Hille Family Curse — A farmhouse plagued with generations of tragedy, where witnesses still report dark shadow figures on the land.

About the Authors

Josh Hughes is a lifelong Waukesha resident and paranormal investigator whose storytelling has captivated thousands on the Waukesha Ghost Walks .
R. Michael Huberty is the founder of American Ghost Walks , which runs ghost tours in over a dozen U.S. cities, and is also the frontman of the paranormal rock band Sunspot .

Meet the Authors at Milwaukee Paracon

The official book launch will take place at Milwaukee Paracon 2025 on October 18 . Conference attendees can grab a signed copy of Ghosts o f Waukesha and hear directly from the authors about their research and ghostly encounters.

Whether you’re planning your next Wisconsin haunted road trip , looking for ghost stories tied to Waukesha history , or simply love a spooky read, Ghosts of Waukesha is sure to be a must-have for your bookshelf.

Happy Days, Jumping the Shark, and the Paranormal Bronze Fonz in Milwaukee

Sat, 20 Sep 2025 19:04:35 GMT

This week marks the anniversary of one of television’s most talked-about moments: the episode of Happy Days when the Fonz literally jumped a shark. Filmed in 1977, the stunt gave birth to the phrase “jumping the shark,” now used to describe the moment a show (or trend) goes too far. And since Happy Days was set in Milwaukee , it’s only fitting to celebrate this quirky anniversary with a stop at one of the city’s most beloved landmarks... the Bronze Fonz .

But there’s more to Henry Winkler, the actor who brought Arthur Fonzarelli to life, than leather jackets and cool one-liners. Few fans realize that Winkler also has deep ties to the paranormal world .

Henry Winkler and the Paranormal Side of Happy Days

In the early 1990s, Henry Winkler co-created the groundbreaking series Sightings with producer Ann Daniel. Unlike typical tabloid TV, Sightings investigated UFOs, psychic abilities, ghost stories, and healers with a serious and open-minded approach. The show ran for five seasons, inspired companion books, and became a cult classic among fans of the supernatural.

But Winkler’s interest in the unexplained wasn’t just professional... it was personal.

Henry Winkler’s Paranormal Experience

At age 14, Winkler received a silver ID bracelet for his birthday. He treasured it, but not long after, he lost it during soccer practice. By the time he realized, he was already walking home. The thought of admitting the loss to his parents was devastating.

The odds of finding it again seemed impossible. The bracelet could have fallen anywhere on the huge athletic field, and the sun was already setting. Searching blindly would have taken hours.

Instead of giving up, Winkler relied on intuition. He concentrated, visualized the bracelet, and trusted his instincts to guide him. When he returned to the field, he walked just a few steps before stopping, and there it was, lying in the grass exactly where he had “seen” it in his mind.

For Winkler, this moment was life-changing. It convinced him that psychic ability was real, and that those uncanny experiences , thinking of someone right before meeting them, or anticipating a phone call moments before it arrived, weren’t just coincidences. They were evidence that the world holds hidden mysteries.

This belief carried over into his work on Sightings , where he insisted that paranormal stories be investigated with respect rather than ridicule. As Winkler later wrote:

“Everyday psychic experiences and other paranormal encounters are evidence of the mysterious and unexplained phenomena that permeate our world.”

It’s a philosophy we share at American Ghost Walks , where we explore Milwaukee’s haunted history with the same open-minded curiosity.

Visit the Bronze Fonz on the Shadow of City Hall Ghost Tour

Today, Henry Winkler’s iconic role is immortalized on the Milwaukee Riverwalk with the Bronze Fonz statue — a must-see for any Happy Days fan. Visitors from all over the world stop to snap a photo with the city’s coolest character, and you can too on our Shadow of City Hall Ghost Tour .

This guided walking tour dives into Milwaukee’s haunted history, mysterious stories, and eerie legends, all while leading you to some of downtown’s most famous landmarks. Along the way, you’ll learn about paranormal encounters tied to the city... and get the chance to take your own photo with the Bronze Fonz.

It’s the perfect way to connect pop culture, history, and the supernatural. After all, what better way to honor the Happy Days “jumping the shark” anniversary than by posing with the Bronze Fonz and exploring the haunted side of Milwaukee ?

Book Your Milwaukee Ghost Tour

Ready to experience Milwaukee like never before? Join us for the Shadow of City Hall Ghost Tour , where history meets hauntings... and yes, where you can strike a pose with the Bronze Fonz.

Check our Milwaukee, WI ghost tour reviews on Google to see what others are saying about their experiences!.

�� Book your Milwaukee ghost tour today with American Ghost Walks

The Mary Tyler Moore Show: Paranormal Stories, Haunted Minneapolis, and Tragedy Behind the Laughter

Fri, 19 Sep 2025 16:05:33 GMT

On September 19, 1970, The Mary Tyler Moore Show debuted on CBS, forever changing the landscape of television. With Mary Richards as a single, independent career woman in Minneapolis, the show captured the optimism and challenges of the 1970s. It wasn’t just comedy, it was cultural revolution.

But behind the laughter, several members of the cast lived lives touched by tragedy, paranormal mysteries, and even brushes with UFOs. Add to that the haunted history of real Minneapolis landmarks featured in the show, and the story of The Mary Tyler Moore Show becomes as much about ghosts and mysteries as it is about groundbreaking television.

Here’s the paranormal and haunted side of The Mary Tyler Moore Show.

Mary Tyler Moore’s Personal Tragedy

Mary Tyler Moore’s life seemed charmed on screen. But off-screen, she endured profound heartbreak. In 1980, Moore’s only child, Richie Meeker, died in a freak accident at just 24 years old. While handling a small shotgun in his apartment, the weapon accidentally discharged, killing him instantly.

The tragedy left Moore devastated. Friends recalled that she threw herself into activism and her career to cope. The heartbreak also resonated in her film work... her role in Ordinary People (1980), playing a grieving mother, carried echoes of her own unimaginable loss.

Ed Asner and the UFO Cover-Up

Ed Asner, who played Lou Grant, was famous for his gravelly voice and brusque charm. But he was also outspoken about politics, social issues... and the paranormal.

In a tweet, Asner revealed a story from his Army days in the 1950s, when he and his fellow servicemen witnessed something extraordinary in the skies over New Jersey.

“When I was with the army in New Jersey in the 50s, we had an incident on the base where many people saw a UFO. The next day we were ALL told: ‘Many of you went home last night and told your loved ones that you saw a UFO.’ They then gave the order: ‘You will go home tonight and tell them that you were mistaken and that what you saw was not a UFO.’”

Asner admitted he remained agnostic about extraterrestrials but always wondered why the government seemed so eager to silence witnesses.

Betty White: Hollywood’s UFO Enthusiast

Betty White, who joined The Mary Tyler Moore Show in season four as Sue Ann Nivens, had an unlikely fascination: UFOs. Long before “aliens” became a tabloid punchline, she openly discussed the phenomenon on The Betty White Show in the 1950s.

On one episode, she interviewed Major Donald Keyhoe, director of the National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena. Keyhoe told White and her audience that “flying saucers do exist” and accused the Air Force of withholding evidence from the public .

In another broadcast, White spoke with a young boy named Ralph Richardson who claimed to have seen a flying saucer in Los Angeles.

“I heard that that you saw a flying saucer... I'd like to hear about it I'm very interested in it, what did you see? ” she asked.

"When I used to live in Los Angeles... just rounded and white, I heard the next day in the papers that other people saw it too."the boy replied.

"Were you scared?" she inquired.

"Why should I be scared?" he quickly answered.

"Well, that’s the best answer I’ve ever heard,” White responded. “I'll buy that answer right this minute. Maybe somebody’s trying to get acquainted with us. You shouldn’t be scared of that, should you?”

Her openness to the topic continued into the 1980s, when UFOs were even joked about in The Golden Girls .

Cloris Leachman and The Demon Murder Case

Cloris Leachman, who played Phyllis Lindstrom, ventured into paranormal storytelling with the NBC film The Demon Murder Case (1983). The film dramatized the infamous “Devil Made Me Do It” case from Brookfield, Connecticut.

In 1981, Arne Johnson murdered his landlord, claiming he had been possessed after attending an exorcism of 11-year-old David Glatzel. Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren backed up the story, and the case went down in history as the first U.S. trial to attempt a defense of “not guilty by reason of demonic possession.”

Leachman starred alongside Kevin Bacon, Andy Griffith, and Eddie Albert in the chilling production, which later inspired The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021) .

She also appeared in The Fields (2011), a suspense film based on the true story of a Pennsylvania boy terrorized by unknown intruders in the 1970s. The project was written from real-life experiences, and Leachman’s performance added eerie weight to the true-crime inspired tale.

Valerie Harper’s Ghostly Encounter

Valerie Harper, beloved as Rhoda Morgenstern, once shared a story of her own ghost sighting. During a segment with medium Theresa Caputo, Ha rper described seeing an apparition of a woman dressed in late 19th-century clothing... a long dress with lace and puffy sleeves.

Caputo confirmed the presence, saying she felt overwhelming dread and even heard what she believed was the echo of a gunshot while inside the building. She suggested the spirit had been an actress who performed there and still rehearsed her lines in death .

Harper’s experience showed her belief that old theaters, with their layers of history, often carry the energies of those who lived and died within their walls.

Haunted Minneapolis: Exploring Mary’s City

For fans of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Minneapolis is as much a character as Mary herself. The opening credits immortalized its stre ets, lakes, and skyscrapers. Many of those locations are not only real—they’re rumored to be haunted or marked by tragedy.

Mary Tyler Moore House (2104 Kenwood Parkway)
The exterior of Mary’s apartment still stands. Though not haunted, it remains a fan pilgrimage site, attracting visitors from around the world.
Lake of the Isles
Mary’s famous stroll was filmed here. While not directly connected to ghost stories, its winter fog and icy stillness have long made it a place of whispered legends.
IDS Center and Crystal Court
The IDS Center, featured in the show’s opening sequence, has been the site of tragic deaths. In 1999, a man jumped to his death inside the Crystal Court atrium, shocking shoppers and workers below. Other suicides have also been reported at the skyscraper, leaving the building with a reputation for heaviness and sorrow .
Minneapolis City Hall
This 19th-century landmark, also seen in Mary Tyler Moore footage, is one of the city’s most haunted sites. The ghost of John Moshik, executed there in 1898 after a botched hanging, is said to wander the fifth floor in his boxer shorts and can sometimes even be seen hanging from the ceiling.
Mary Tyler Moore Statue on Nicollet Mall
In 2002, TV Land unveiled a bronze statue of Mary tossing her hat into the air at 7th and Nicollet. While not paranormal, it has become a shrine where fans leave flowers, notes, and even hats in tribute.

TV Nostalgia Meets Haunted Tourism

The anniversary of The Mary Tyler Moore Show isn’t just about remembering a sitcom... it’s about connecting cultural history with lived memory, tragedy, and the supernatural. From Ed Asner’s UFO testimony to Betty White’s cosmic curiosity, from Cloris Leachman’s demonic courtroom drama to Valerie Harper’s ghostly encounter, the cast’s stories blur the line between television fantasy and life’s darker mysteries.

And in Minneapolis, fans can walk the very streets Mary Richards walked, past lakes, skyscrapers, and city halls that hold their own haunted secrets on our Minneapolis Ghost Walk , the Twin Cities' original haunted tour since 2015.

Ready to uncover Minnesota’s ghostly past? Book your Minnesota Ghost Tour if you’re bold enough!

Jimi Hendrix Ghost Stories: Paranormal Encounters, Death Mysteries, and Haunted Places to Visit

Thu, 18 Sep 2025 19:53:28 GMT

The Eternal Mystery of Jimi Hendrix

On September 18, 1970, the world lost one of its greatest musical innovators: Jimi Hendrix. At just 27 years old , the left-handed guitar genius left behind not only groundbreaking music but also a legacy wrapped in mystery, conspiracy, and even ghost stories.

From UFO encounters in Woodstock, New York to ghostly sightings at his studio and strange details surrounding his death, Hendrix’s story is as supernatural as it is musical. Today, fans and paranormal enthusiasts alike still explore the haunted places tied to his life and legacy.

Jimi Hendrix and the Paranormal

Hendrix’s UFO Encounter in Woodstock

One of the most bizarre Jimi Hendrix paranormal stories comes from 1965, when Hendrix and his band were stranded in a blizzard near Woodstock, New York. According to bandmate Curtis Knight, a glowing cone-shaped UFO landed nearby.

A tall, yellow-skinned being emerged, radiating heat that melted the snow and freed their van. Hendrix allegedly communicated with the entity telepathically, thanking it for saving their lives .

Whether true or not, the tale reinforced Hendrix’s reputation as a “cosmic” artist connected to other realms.

Premonitions of Death

Hendrix seemed to carry a sense of doom. He often told friends he didn’t expect to live past 28, even using the alias “Jinx Hendrix” at hotels . His lyrics in songs like "I Don’t Live Today" and "Manic Depression" suggest a man who felt haunted by forces beyond the ordinary.

Ghost Stories of Jimi Hendrix

The Haunted Amulet and a Televised Séance

One of the strangest attempts to reach Hendrix beyond the grave happened on live television in 1993. Guitar World magazine and ABC’s Good Morning America staged a séance on the 23rd anniversary of his death. Using an amulet made from Hendrix’s hair and one of his Flying V guitars, a medium tried to contact his spirit at New York’s Electric Lady Studios.

Despite the dramatic setting and cameras rolling, Hendrix declined to answer. The stunt may have been tongue-in-cheek, but it demonstrated just how much people believed Hendrix’s spirit lingered close to the places he loved .

Electric Lady Studios: Haunted by Hendrix?

Electric Lady Studios in Greenwich Village, which Hendrix designed and opened just weeks before his death, is one of rock’s holiest sites... and allegedly one of its most haunted. Engineers and assistants have long whispered about strange occurrences late at night.

Michael Brauer, a Grammy-winning mixer, recalled seeing what he thought was his assistant walk into a room, only to find the space empty. Others have reported televisions turning to static on their own, shimmering figures in silver dresses, and even ghostly faces appearing as they slept in the studio.

Producer Eddie Kramer insists that Hendrix’s spirit lives on in the space, describing a powerful energy embedded in the walls. Nearly every artist who records there—from David Bowie to Taylor Swift—claims to feel Jimi’s “sweet presence” guiding them .

Handel’s Ghost in Hendrix’s Apartment

Another ghost story tied to Hendrix comes not from after his death, but during his life. In 1968–69, he lived at 23 Brook Street in London, in the same building where composer George Frideric Handel once resided. Hendrix considered the apartment his first true home, filling it with records, guitars, and psychedelic décor.

Legend has it that while brushing his teeth one night, Hendrix saw Handel’s ghost in the mirror. Instead of being frightened, he found the encounter inspiring.

Today, the flat is restored as the Handel & Hendrix in London Museum , where visitors can step inside Hendrix’s world and perhaps feel a similar spark of creative energy .

Greenwood Memorial Park in Renton

Hendrix is buried at Greenwood Memorial Park in Renton, Washington, beneath a towering marble dome. The site has become a pilgrimage for fans and paranormal investigators alike. Offerings of flowers, guitar picks, and incense regularly decorate the memorial.

Local ghost hunters have at tempted to contact Hendrix’s spirit there, using EMF detectors and spirit boxes. While results have been inconclusive, many visitors describe an unusual stillness around the tomb, a hush that feels charged with unseen energy

The Mystery of Jimi Hendrix’s Death

The Official Story

The official story is that Hendrix died from complications of barbiturate use, having taken sleeping pills and choked on his own vomit. But nearly every aspect of his final hours has been debated.

Conflicting Accounts

On September 17, 1970, Hendrix stayed with German artist Monica Dannemann in her London flat. He returned from a party in the early morning hours, exhausted and unable to sleep. Dannemann later claimed he took nine (or ten) Vesparax sleeping pills, an amount far beyond the safe dosage.

But Dannemann’s story changed multiple times. Paramedics reported she wasn’t present when they arrived, despite her claims to the contrary. The timeline of her calls and actions never quite added up.

Was Hendrix Murdered?

Brad Schreiber, co-author of Becoming Jimi Hendrix, argues that Hendrix was murdered, not overdosed. Evidence suggests large amounts of red wine were forced down his throat, filling his lungs but leaving little in his stomach... a forensic sign of foul play .

Suspicion falls on his manager, Mike Jeffrey, who allegedly had ties to British intelligence and the mafia. Facing financial ruin and owing money to mobsters, Jeffrey reportedly confessed to a roadie, James “Tappy” Wright, that he arranged Hendrix’s death to cash in on a life insurance policy. Jeffrey himself died in a mysterious plane crash in 1973, never facing justice .

The lack of a thorough investigation and the contradictions in witness statements mean Hendrix’s death remains one of rock’s enduring mysteries... part tragic accident, part possible conspiracy.

Haunted Places to Visit for Hendrix Fans

For fans who want to connect with Hendrix’s life and lingering spirit, several sites are open to visitors:

Electric Lady Studios (New York City) – While still an active recording studio, it sometimes opens for special tours. Visitors describe a palpable energy, as if Hendrix’s ghost still jams within the curved walls he designed.
23 Brook Street (London) – Now restored as a museum, Hendrix’s flat offers a time capsule of late-1960s counterculture. The story of Handel’s ghost appearing to him adds a layer of supernatural intrigue.
Greenwood Memorial Park (Renton, Washington) – Hendrix’s elaborate memorial attracts thousands of visitors each year. Paranormal groups occasionally investigate the site, seeking signs of his presence.
Woodstock and Upstate New York – The region forever tied to Hendrix’s legendary festival performance also hosts the UFO encounter tale told by Curtis Knight. Fans sometimes travel here hoping to retrace his mystical experiences.
The Cumberland Hotel / Samarkand Hotel (London) – Though not open as shrines, these were Hendrix’s last lodgings, sites where the mystery of his final days still lingers in the imagination.

Why Jimi Hendrix’s Ghost S tories Endure

Jimi Hendrix’s influence was never confined to the physical world. His sound was cosmic, experimental, and transcendent, music that seemed to reach beyond human boundaries. Small wonder, then, that stories of his ghost, his visions, and the supernatural mysteries surrounding him have only grown since his death.

For some, these tales are simply colorful folklore. For others, they’re proof that Hendrix’s energy was too powerful to vanish entirely. Whether in a haunted studio, a London flat, or a quiet Washington cemetery, fans continue to feel his presence.

Conclusion

Jimi Hendrix was more than a musician, he was a cultural phenomenon whose sound seemed to come from another dimension. His ghost stories and paranormal connections feel like natural extensions of his creative genius.

As producer Eddie Kramer from Electric Ladyland puts it: “There is a spirit of Jimi Hendrix in the studio, somewhere, whether it’s in the walls or the ceilings … it’s embedded in there, somehow. His spirit is very strong.”

For fans, that spirit is alive every time his guitar wails, every time someone visits his memorial, and every time a new generation discovers his music.

Chicago Ghosts and Pizza Tour 2025 | Haunted Halloween Nights in the Loop

Wed, 17 Sep 2025 22:17:20 GMT

Looking for the best Halloween event in Chicago for 2025 ? Nothing combines the city’s spooky history and famous food like the Chicago Ghosts and Pizza Tour . This October, join us for a one-of-a-kind night of deep-dish pizza and haunted Chicago stories .

On two nights only, Thursday October 23 and Thursday October 30 at 6:00 PM , we will gather at The Exchequer Restaurant & Pub , a Loop landmark known for its award-winning pizza and eerie ghostly past.

What You’ll Experience

The Chicago Ghosts and Pizza Tour is a three-hour walking experience that blends history, food, and the supernatural. Guests will:

Enjoy some of the best pizza in Chicago , served hot and ready at reserved tables.
Hear ghost stories about haunted theaters, hotels, and back alleys that make the Loop one of the most paranormally active areas in the Midwest.
Use real ghost-hunting tools to explore Chicago’s haunted hotspots.
Be guided by experts: Jonathan Porter , Chicago’s pizza authority featured on Thrillist and NPR, and Anthony Szabelski , veteran ghost hunter seen on My Ghost Story and Fox News.

Why Start at The Exchequer?

The Exchequer Restaurant & Pub is more than a pizzeria. Voted one of Chicago’s best spots for deep-dish, it also sits in the heart of the Loop, an area filled with Prohibition history, mob connections, and lingering spirits. It is the perfect launch point for a Halloween night filled with flavor and fright.

What’s Included

Pizza tastings, dessert, and soft drinks at multiple stops
Ghost-hunting gear for your use during the tour
Gratuities for guides and restaurant staff included in the ticket price

Alcohol is available for purchase at each stop.

Event Details

�� Meeting Point: The Exchequer Restaurant & Pub, 226 S Wabash Ave, Chicago, IL

�� Dates: Thursday October 23 and Thursday October 30, 2025

⏰ Time: 6:00 PM

��️ Tickets: Limited availability. Reserve early to secure your spot.

Why You Should Go

If you are searching for the most unique Chicago Halloween activity in 2025 , this tour delivers. You will get a taste of authentic Chicago pizza, step into haunted locations where spirits are said to linger, and hear chilling tales that bring the city’s past to life.

Whether you are a local looking for a new Halloween tradition or a visitor hoping to experience the best haunted Chicago has to offer, the Chicago Ghosts and Pizza Tour is the event you will not want to miss.

Haunted New Orleans: Book Launch & Ghost Tour with Rory and Rosary O’Neill

Sat, 13 Sep 2025 19:40:08 GMT

New Orleans is a city like no other... alive with music, mystery, and spirits that never rest. From haunted hotels to vampire legends and the power of Voodoo, the Crescent City is steeped in supernatural history.

This October, you’re invited to step inside that world with authors Rory O’Neill Schmitt, PhD, and Rosary O’Neill, PhD as they celebrate the release of their brand-new book, The Haunted Guide to New Orleans: Ghosts, Vampires & Voodoo Protection.

In partnership with Arcadia Publishing’s The History Press , this unique launch event includes a guided Haunted Ghost Tour on October 3rd through the French Quarter featuring American Ghost Walks haunted history expert ghost hosts... with your ticket price including a signed copy of the book .

�� Event Details: Haunted Book Launch & Tour

Date: Friday, October 3, 2025 7pm
Location: Pirates Alley in the French Quarter, New Orleans
Includes: Haunted Ghost Tour + signed copy of The Haunted Guide to New Orleans

About The Haunted Guide to New Orleans

New Orleans thrums with ghosts, some so strong they terrify even holy Voodoo priests. This guidebook for the truly intrepid takes readers and tour-goers to:

�� Ancient ghosts patrolling the French Quarter
�� Spirits lingering at Antoine’s and Commander’s Palace
�� Hotel Monteleone’s eternal residents
⚔️ Duels that echo beneath the city’s oaks
�� Vampires rising from caskets
��️ Madame LaLaurie’s tortured mansion

It also explores how Voodoo rituals connect the living with their ancestors, offering protection and guidance in a city where the line between past and present is forever blurred.

Meet the Authors

Rory O’Neill Schmitt, PhD

Faculty development manager at USC’s Bovard College
Filmmaker of Garden District (winner of 20+ international awards)
Executive Producer of Duplass Brothers’ series: The Long Long Night
Visiting Fulbright Scholar
Co-author of Navajo and Hopi Art in Arizona (2016), New Orleans Voodoo: A Cultural History (2019), Edgar Degas in New Orleans (2023), Kate Chopin in New Orleans (2024)

Rosary O’Neill, PhD

Senior Fulbright Drama Specialist and nine-time Fulbright Award winner
Playwright of 19 published works and founder of Southern Rep, New Orleans’ first repertory theater
Author of multiple play anthologies and cultural histories

Together, the O’Neills bring a unique blend of scholarship, artistry, and local knowledge to uncovering the supernatural side of New Orleans.

Why Attend the Haunted Ghost Tour & Launch Event?

Exclusive Experience: Walk the haunted streets of New Orleans with the book’s authors and American Ghost Walks ghost hosts as your guides
Great Value: Ticket includes admission + signed book
Authentic Stories: Learn folklore, history, and firsthand encounters directly from New Orleans natives
Halloween Kickoff: Start October with a supernatural celebration in America’s most haunted city

✨ Join the mother-daughter writing team for a night of ghosts, vampires, and Voodoo protection... and take home a signed copy of The Haunted Guide to New Orleans .

�� [Book Your Ticket Today] — Space is limited for this one-night-only event!

Custom Ghost Tours with American Ghost Walks

If you can’t make the October 3rd launch event... or if you’d like to design a haunted experience tailored to your group... American Gho st Walks also offers custom New Orleans ghost tours . From private French Quarter walks to specialized themes like haunted restaurants, cemeteries, or vampire lore, our tours can be crafted to fit your schedule and interests. Whether it’s for a family gathering, corporate event, or just a night of spooky fun with friends, we’ll bring the legends of New Orleans to life. Click here to learn more.

Milwaukee's Most Haunted Brunch Spots

Sat, 13 Sep 2025 04:38:10 GMT

Haunted Brunch Restaurants in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

In addition to having lots of ghosts, the Third Ward has become a destination in more recent years for its food. Below is a list of five great spots to get brunch, and they’re all within a block of two of our tour starting point in front of the Milwaukee Public Market. Check out their websites for a full menu. 

The Wicked Hop ( thewickedhop.com )

The building the Wicked Hop is located in is the oldest building in the Third Ward, built in 1875. You’ll hear about some frightening paranormal encounters people have had in the building on the tour. Besides ghosts, the building is also now known for The Wicked Hop’s killer bloody marys, which they claim are “Milwaukee’s best.” Their menu is filled with brunch classics– egg benedict, Belgian waffles, biscuits and gravy, French toast, and breakfast burritos, just to name a few.

�� Brunch served 9am–3pm | Patio & indoor seating available

2 . Milwaukee Public Market ( milwaukeepublicmarket.org )

We start our tour right outside the front (Water St.) doors of the market and it’s a great place to grab lunch because there’s so many options. These include the St. Paul Fish Market , Thief Wine Shop & Bar, Foltz Family Market , Anodyne Coffee Company, C . Adam’s Bakery , Margarita Paradise , The Green Kitchen , Thai-namite (their sister restaurant is a haunted Brady Street location!), Aladdin , the new Pat’s Rib Place , and West Allis Cheese & Sausage Shoppe . On the Bus is a great option if you are looking for vegan food, Kehr’s Candies will satisfy your sweet tooth, and the outdoor Draft Patio sells beer in summer. They have indoor seating and bathrooms on the second floor as well as patio seating, or take it to the nice little riverside park across the street.

�� Open Sundays 10am–6pm | Patio & indoor seating available

3. Blue Bat Kitchen & Tequilaria ( bluebatkitchen.com )

Definitely the place to go if you like tequila- they have 160 different kinds, so you can get a

really good bloody maria or margarita here. Their “global brunch” includes churro pancakes,

chilaquiles, and banana fritters. Right off of Water Street, their patio is right on the Milwaukee

River, the perfect place to drink tequila and reflect on mysteries like the Lake Monster sightings

that occurred in this river in 1890.

�� Opens at 11am Sunday, patio and indoor seating.

4. Tre Rivali ( trerivalirestaurant.com )

This place is also on the Third Ward’s former “Commission Row,” which was a bustling outdoor market place (and where a lot of bootlegging took place during Prohibition) that we talk about on the tour. Tre Rivali describes themselves as “modern Mediterranean,” and their brunch menu includes Greek yogurt, avocado toast, pancakes, and the classic brunch casserole known as hoppel poppel.

�� Brunch served 9am-2pm on Sunday, patio and indoor seating.

5. Cafe Benelux ( cafebenelux.com )

We also talk about this corner on the tour because it was a notorious mafia hang out tavern run

by August Palmisano aka “Palmy.” You’ll hear about Palmy’s loud last day in 1978. Nowadays,

Cafe Benelux offers food in the BElgium- NEtherlands-LUXembourg style. Their brunch

speciality are omelets and a nice variety of different flavored mimosas. Their frites cone with

dipping sauce is recommended. Their vegetarian options are marked with a circled letter V.

�� Brunch served 8am-3pm on Sunday, patio and indoor seating

Uncover Milwaukee’s Haunted Secrets – Book Your Ghost Tour Now!

Step into the shadows of Milwaukee and discover the city’s chilling past. From restless spirits in historic nei ghborhoods to eerie legends passed down for generations, American Ghost Walks takes you on an unforgettable journey through the city’s most haunted locations.

Whether you’re a history lover, a paranormal enthusiast, or just searching for a thrilling night out, our guided ghost tours deliver spine-tingling stories and unforgettable experiences.

�� Don’t just hear the legends—walk where they happened. Book your Milwaukee ghost tour today and see why guests are raving about us in their Google reviews. Are you ready to meet the city’s ghosts?

The Devil's Sentry Box and The Vanished Soldier

Thu, 11 Sep 2025 11:31:54 GMT

Standing at the edge of the Atlantic, battered by salt spray and howling wind, a lone stone sentry box juts out from the cliffs beneath Castillo San Cristóbal in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. It's called La Garita del Diablo — the Devil's Sentry Box — and for nearly four centuries, it has been the subject of one of the Caribbean's most enduring and unsettling legends.

Soldiers stationed there vanished without explanation. Strange sounds echoed through the stone corridors long after the missing were gone. And to this day, visitors report a creeping, oppressive presence near this isolated outpost, as if something ancient and malevolent still stands guard.

The History of Castillo San Cristóbal

To understand the legend, you have to understand the fortress itself. Castillo San Cristóbal wasn't built out of ambition, it was built out of desperation.

In 1625, the Dutch fleet under Boudewijn Hendricksz sailed into San Juan Harbor. The Spanish held Castillo San Felipe del Morro, and the Dutch couldn't take it, but they didn't need to. They simply went around it. Landing troops on the eastern approach, the Dutch burned the entire city of San Juan to the ground before withdrawing. The message was clear: El Morro could protect the harbor, but nothing protected the city from a land assault.

The Spanish response began in 1634 with a modest fortification on the eastern hill overlooking the city, the first incarnation of San Cristóbal, along with a small defensive position that would become known as the Garita del Diablo. But this early construction was shoddy. Within two years, reports sent back to Spain described walls already crumbling.

It wasn't until 1765 that the Crown authorized a complete overhaul. Under the direction of Irish-born military engineer Tomás O'Daly and his colleague Juan Francisco Mestre, San Cristóbal was rebuilt between 1766 and 1783 into the massive fortification that stands today. Influenced by the Vauban style of French military engineering, with layered defenses, angled bastions, and interlocking fields of fire, the completed fortress sprawled across 27 acres, making it the largest fortification the Spanish ever built in the Americas.

The fort featured underground tunnels for troop movement and supply transport, five enormous cisterns beneath the parade ground capable of holding 716,000 gallons of rainwater (enough to sustain the garrison for a full year), and a network of sentry boxes, garitas , placed at strategic points along the walls and cliffs. Sentries stood watch day and night, calling out to one another in a chain: "¡Centinela alerta!" one would shout. "¡Alerta está!" would come the answer, passed from box to box until the last sentry confirmed all was well.

But one garita was different from the rest.

The Loneliest Post or La Garita del Diablo

The sentry box known as the Garita del Diablo, officially the Fortín del Espigón, sat farther from the main fort than any other. Perched on a rocky promontory jutting out over the crashing Atlantic, it could only be reached by descending a long, narrow stone corridor that grew darker and more claustrophobic with every step.

The isolation was unnerving. The wind screamed off the ocean. Waves exploded against the rocks below with enough force to shake the stone underfoot. And the distance was great enough that the sentries' nightly call-and-response had to be shouted at full volume to be heard over the roar of the sea.

Soldiers dreaded being assigned to this post. The sounds that came off the water at night, groaning, whistling, what some described as unearthly laughter, were enough to keep even the bravest men on edge. But the Spanish military didn't concern itself with the fears of common soldiers. The post had to be manned. Orders were orders.

Until the night that changed everything.

The Vanishing Soldier of San Cristóbal

The most well-known version of the legend centers on a soldier known only as Sánchez, stationed at the Garita del Diablo sometime in the late 1600s. Sánchez was known among his comrades as a guitar player — a young man who passed the long, dark hours of his watch strumming quietly and singing softly to himself, his music drifting up the stone corridor like a lifeline connecting him to the world of the living.

One night, during the routine call, a soldier shouted down the dark hallway toward the sentry box. No answer came. He called again. Nothing... only the wind and the ceaseless pounding of waves. No voice. No guitar. Just silence where silence shouldn't have been.

The soldier raised the alarm. But in the rigid discipline of a Spanish colonial garrison, no one could abandon their own post until dawn. The men waited through the longest hours of the night, listening, straining to hear anything from the direction of the Garita del Diablo.

When the sun finally rose and a detail of soldiers made the long walk down the corridor, they found the sentry box empty. Sánchez's rifle leaned against the wall. His uniform was neatly folded. But the man himself was gone, completely, impossibly gone. No signs of struggle. No blood. No footprints leading away. No body on the rocks below. It was as if the soldier had simply ceased to exist.

The men crossed themselves and whispered what they all believed: the devil had taken him.

History of Castillo San Cristóbal & Its Sentry Boxes

While the ghostly legend draws visitors, Castillo San Cristóbal itself is a marvel of military engineering.

Built by the Spanish in the 1600s to defend San Juan from land attacks.
Largest fortress built in the Americas, overshadowing even El Morro with its vast walls.
T he garitas (sentry boxes) were essential lookout posts, giving soldiers a panoramic view of incoming enemies.

The Garita del Diablo, however, was positioned farthest along the walls... isolated, battered by ocean winds, and cloaked in darkness. No wonder sold iers feared being assigned there.

The Haunting That Followed

The disappearance of Sánchez would have been disturbing enough on its own. What came afterward was worse.

In the nights that followed, soldiers stationed near the corridor reported hearing something drifting up from the direction of the empty sentry box: the faint sound of guitar strings being plucked. The melody was unmistakable, it was Sánchez's music, the songs he'd played during his long watches. But it was coming from a post that everyone knew was empty.

Brave men were sent to investigate. They guarded the corridor through the night, torches guttering in the wind. When dawn came and they descended to the garita, it was as empty as before. No guitar. No presence. Nothing but cold stone and the smell of the sea.

On other nights, the guitar was replaced by something else entirely: a low, demonic laugh that echoed through the stone halls, rising and falling with the wind. Some soldiers swore they caught the smell of sulfur, the ancient signature of the devil himself.

And then more soldiers began to vanish.

According to some versions of the legend, another guard volunteered, or was ordered, to take the post after Sánchez's disappearance. He, too, vanished by morning. Then another. Over the years, the stories accumulated: scores of soldiers, one after another, swallowed by the night at the Devil's Sentry Box, each leaving behind nothing but their weapons and the growing certainty that something unholy haunted that lonely promontory.

A Love Story, or a Ghost Story?

Not everyone believes the devil was responsible. A more romantic version of the legend offers a different explanation for Sánchez's disappearance, one that trades brimstone for heartbreak.

In this telling, Sánchez wasn't just passing time with his guitar. He was sending messages. His songs were coded love letters to a young woman named Diana, who would slip close to the fort walls at night to listen. Neither Sánchez's commanding officers nor Diana's disapproving stepmother approved of the relationship.

One night, Diana came not just to listen, but to act. She brought civilian clothes, and together the two lovers fled, down the cliffs, away from the fort, and into the mountains of Luquillo, where they built a life far from the rigid world of the colonial garrison.

According to this version, the songs that still seem to echo from the sentry box on moonless nights aren't the work of the devil at all, they're the ghost of a love so powerful it left an imprint on the very stone.

It's a beautiful story. But it doesn't explain the sulfur. It doesn't explain the other disappearances. And it doesn't explain why, centuries later, people who visit the site still feel something watching them from the shadows.

The Fort After Spain

The legend of La Garita del Diablo belongs to the Spanish colonial era, but the fortress itself continued to play a role in history long after the last Spanish soldier left.

In 1797, San Cristóbal helped repel a British invasion force of some 7,000 troops under Sir Ralph Abercromby, one of the most significant military engagements in Caribbean history. The British were stopped roughly a mile from the fort at the Escambrón defenses and eventually withdrew.

A century later, on May 10, 1898, Captain Ángel Rivero Méndez ordered the first shot of the Spanish-American War in Puerto Rico to be fired from San Cristóbal's cannon batteries against the USS Yale. The fort's gunners traded fire with U.S. Navy warships in a day-long bombardment. Six months later, the Treaty of Paris transferred Puerto Rico to the United States.

During World War II, the U.S. military added concrete pillboxes and an underground bunker control center to the ancient walls. The cisterns were designated as potential fallout shelters. It wasn't until 1961 that the Army moved out and the National Park Service took over.

In 1983, Castillo San Cristóbal and its neighbor El Morro were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a recognition of the forts' extraordinary historical and architectural significance.

Fort San Cristóbal vs. El Morro

Many visitors recognize El Morro’s iconic garitas from postcards. But San Cristóbal holds the darker stories. Unlike El Morro, which defended against sea invasions, San Cristóbal was built to withstand land assaults. Its sentry boxes — especially the Devil’s Garita — became the setting for whispered tales of betrayal, love, and supernatural punishment.

The Devil's Sentry Box Today

Today, the Garita del Diablo remains inaccessible to the general public unless you want to jump over a couple fences (not recommended). You can see it from the fort's upper walls or from the street, a small stone dome clinging to the cliff edge, isolated and exposed, looking much the same as it did when terrified soldiers peered down the corridor and found it empty.

Park Rangers actively discourage visitors from trying to reach it. Whether that's for safety reasons or something else, they don't always say.

But the stories haven't stopped. Visitors to San Cristóbal, even those who arrive as skeptics... still report an unsettling feeling near the old sentry box. A heaviness in the air. A sense of being watched. Some describe it as a dark, foreboding presence, almost as if something ancient were standing just behind them, just out of sight.

Locals still call it the Devil's Box, Puerto del Diablo, and many warn that lingering too long near it after dark is an invitation you don't want to extend.

Ghost Stories of San Juan: More Than Just Legends

Puerto Rico is a land where history and myth intertwine. From Capilla del Cristo (said to be blessed by miracles) to the oldest ghost box in the Caribbean, Old San Juan is filled with places where the past lingers.

The Devil’s Box is just one of many haunted sites. Others include:

The tunnels beneath San Cristóbal, where soldiers claimed to hear chains rattling.
El Morro’s dungeons, where prisoners swore they were visited by shadows.
Abandoned colonial homes in Old San Juan, still whispered about by locals.

Visit the Haunted Sentry Box Yourself ��

Reading the legend is one thing, but seeing the Garita del Diablo at night is something else entirely.

By day, it looks like just another turret on San Juan’s historic walls. But at dusk, when the ocean roars and shadows lengthen, you can almost feel the fear of the soldiers who once stood guard.

There are many theories behind the Devil's Sentry Box, yet there remain visitors to the Castillo San Cristobal who believe the hauntings are nothing more than a figment of the imagination. Whether there’s any truth to the tales is up for debate, but many people who spend time there still report feeling a dark or foreboding presence, almost as if the Devil himself were watching on.

Myths and legends play a huge part in Puerto Rico’s culture and society, and you can read the sorry tale of La Llorona here .

Book Your San Juan Ghost Tour Today

If you’re ready to walk in the footsteps of the vanished soldier, join us on our San Juan Ghost Tour .

✅ Hear chilling stories of La Garita del Diablo under the stars.
✅ Explore the haunted corners of Castillo San Cristóbal and El Morro .
✅ Discover the dark legends of Old San Juan that most tourists never hear.

If you want to hear firsthand what our guests have experienced, check out our Google Business Profile Reviews and see why our tours leave a lasting impression!

�� Reserve Your Spot on the San Juan Ghost Tour !

Find Your Next Paranormal Experience

The Great Dane on Doty Street, Madison, Wisconsin

Wed, 10 Sep 2025 22:19:08 GMT

When it comes to haunted bars in America, you’ll find no shortage of chilling tales, but few establishments blend history and hauntings quite like the Great Dane Pub & Brewing Co. in downtown Madison, Wisconsin. Housed in the former Fess Hotel , this nationally registered historic building at 123 E. Doty Street isn’t just a local favorite for craft beer and pub food, it’s also a hotbed for supernatural encounters that have made it a staple on ghost tours and a must-visit for paranormal enthusiasts.

A Storied Past: From “Hotel for the Common Man” to Haunted Brewpub

The building’s roots stretch back to 1858, when George Fess constructed what became known as the Fess Hotel, a “hotel for the common man” that welcomed travelers and their horses for more than a century. With its stables, boarding rooms, and later, office and restaurant spaces, the Fess Hotel was a bustling hub for Madison’s early residents and visitors.

Its service to “all classes of travelers and diners” continued under the Fess family until 1972, making it one of Madison’s longest-running establishments. The building’s historic significance was officially recognized in 1978, when it was added to the National Register of Historic Places , and its 19th-century architecture remains remarkably intact to this day.

Ghostly Encounters and Paranormal Activity

With thousands of people passing through its doors over the decades, it’s no surprise that the Great Dane’s walls are said to echo with more than just laughter and clinking glasses. Reports of paranormal activity are as varied as they are unsettling.

The Switchboard That Wouldn’t Die

During the building’s transition from hotel to restaurant, the old switchboard reportedly lit up and called for service in rooms that no longer existed—phantom calls from guests who never checked out.

The Psychic’s Visit

In 2005, a medium claimed to see multiple spirits inside the pool hall’s bar. In the basement break room, she encountered the spirit of an elderly man who simply asked her the time. But in a small stone-walled storage space, known to employees as the Spooky Room, she sensed a much darker, angrier presence that left staff uneasy to this day.

With thousands of people passing through its doors over the decades, it is no surprise that the Great Dane’s walls are said to echo with more than just laughter and clinking glasses. Reports of paranormal activity are as varied as they are unsettling.

The Spooky Basement and Attic

The downstairs bar was once part of the horse stables and is widely considered the spookiest part of the building. Staff are very generous about sharing their experiences. One time, two hostesses casually mentioned seeing a floating torso of a man in the basement under the pool hall. Staff also reported strange activity above the pool hall in what they call the attic. This space is only used for storage and is accessed by a tall, wobbly pull-down ladder.

During a routine inspection, the “bug lady” who handles vermin control stepped off the ladder in the attic and immediately fell to her knees, saying, “My God, something horrible happened here.” This is someone who chases vermin for a living, which makes the account all the more chilling.

The Pool Hall Poltergeist

Toward the back wall of the pool hall are racks for the pool sticks, and the bar is toward the front. After closing, two bartenders were cleaning up when they heard a noise. They looked up and saw the pool sticks jumping off the wall one by one, as if invisible hands were flicking them.

The Manager’s Sharpie Encounter

The manager had the scariest story of all. One night around 3:00 a.m., she was working alone in the office basement. A Sharpie hanging from the ceiling on a string began to sway for no reason. She tried to ignore it, but then the marker started spinning violently in a circle, as if grabbed by an unseen hand. She immediately left but returned the next day because she needed her job.

First-Person Ghost Accounts

Local writer Kathy Gritton-Eich , a shamanistic practitioner, once investigated the Great Dane with staff and found the building teeming with psychic energy.

In the basement break room , she sensed the ghost of an old man who politely asked if she had the time. Staff described him as a benign presence.
On the second floor , she reported an “imbalance of energy” that employees confirmed made door checks at night especially unnerving.
In the Spooky Room , she encountered an angry spirit so oppressive that one employee refused to return. Kathy recommended the spirit be cleared, though staff still refer to it in hushed tones.

As Kathy put it, “Apparently Fess Hotel patrons enjoy the Fess’ service even in the afterlife.”

How I Discovered the Great Dane’s Ghosts

Back in 2010, I had just moved to Madison and was looking for a way to make rent after my band stopped touring. I’d always loved ghost stories, so I started wondering if Madison had the same kind of haunted history tours I’d seen in Chicago or New Orleans.

One afternoon, I walked into the Great Dane Pub on Doty Street and asked a waitress a question that probably sounded ridiculous:

“Hey, is this place haunted?”

Without hesitation, she said, “Well, I’ve seen at least two ghosts, but you should probably talk to my manager—she’s seen four.”

That was the moment I knew I was onto something. I started digging into the building’s history as the old Fess Hotel , interviewing staff about their strange experiences, and connecting the dots between their stories and Madison’s past. By that September, I had written and launched the very first King Street Spirits Ghost Walk , with the Great Dane as one of its cornerstone stops.

That tour paid my rent, but it also started something much bigger, what eventually became American Ghost Walks , the company my sister Allison and I built to share haunted history across the country. To this day, the Great Dane remains one of my favorite stops, not just because of its atmosphere, but because it’s where I first realized how deep Madison’s ghost stories run.

Ghost Host Lisa Van Buskirk

Today, those same stories are carried forward by Ghost Host Lisa Van Buskirk . After 25 years serving the city as a Madison firefighter, Lisa brings her courage, wit, and passion for storytelling to our tours.

Lisa made headlines as one of the first women hired by the Saginaw Fire Department before joining Madison Fire in 1995. Over her career she fought dangerous blazes, survived a battle with breast cancer, and even became known for her colorful hair and creative “meatloaf art.”

When she retired in 2020, Lisa traded her turnout gear for a vampire cloak and dove into her other calling—sharing the haunted history of Madison. As she says, “At the fire department, we usually meet people on their worst day. Now I get to meet people on their best day and make it even better.”

Lisa delivers the Great Dane’s ghost stories with the same authenticity and bravery that defined her firefighting career.

American Ghost Walks: From Madison to Shark Tank

What began with a single haunted walk in Milwaukee in 2008 has grown into American Ghost Walks , now offering tours in 25 locations across eight states, the US Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. My sister Allison Jornlin and I started the company to connect people with local folklore, hidden history, and real ghost stories gathered from bartenders, waiters, and longtime residents.

In 2023, we even pitched American Ghost Walks on ABC’s Shark Tank during the show’s first “Shark-O-Ween” episode. It was surreal to stand in front of the Sharks and share a business that started with me asking a Great Dane waitress if she’d ever seen a ghost.

If You Go

Beyond the spirits (both liquid and spectral), the Great Dane is beloved for its craft beer, hearty pub fare, and one of the best beer gardens in Madison. But if you find yourself in the basement near the Spooky Room, don’t be surprised if you feel a sudden chill... or catch a glimpse of something from the other side.

The ghosts of the Fess Hotel may be here to stay.

See it in person

Whether you believe in ghosts or not, the Great Dane offers something rare, a place where great beer and spectral legends intertwine. You can come for a drink and leave with a story you’ll tell for years. We go there on the King Street Spirits tour in Madison, Wisconsin every weekend from May to October and who knows what you'll see?

Puerto Rico’s La Llorona: Bereaved Mother or Vengeful Spirit?

Wed, 10 Sep 2025 06:53:38 GMT

Few legends are as chilling and enduring as the tale of La Llorona , also known as the Weeping Woman. Told for centuries across Mexico, the American Southwest, and Latin America, this ghostly figure is said to wander riversides and lakes, forever weeping for the children she lost. The legend of La Llorona is more than just a folktale—it is a story of grief, betrayal, and eternal punishment.

Who Is La Llorona The Weeping Woman?

The word llorona in Spanish comes from llorar, meaning to cry. So, La Llorona translates directly to the crying woman or the weeping woman. According to the most common version of the story, La Llorona was once a beautiful woman who drowned her children in a river out of jealousy or despair. Overcome with guilt, she then took her own life. Condemned by fate, her spirit roams the earth, crying out for her children and searching for them near bodies of water.

The Story of La Llorona: The Real Story

Although countless variations exist, the story of La Llorona usually begins with a woman betrayed by her husband or lover. Some versions say she killed her children to punish him. Others claim it was an accident. In all versions, her endless wailing, “¡Ay, mis hijos!” (Oh, my children!), still echoes in the night.

The legend of La Llorona has been passed down through oral tradition for centuries, with early records dating back to colonial Mexico. Some historians connect the story to Aztec mythology, suggesting that La Llorona may be linked to Cihuacóatl, an Aztec goddess associated with motherhood and mourning.

Variations and Urban Legends of La Llorona

La Llorona has become a part of folklore across Mexico, the United States, and the Caribbean. Her tale is told with regional differences:

In Mexico: She is a tragic mother cursed to roam rivers forever.
In New Mexico and Texas: Parents tell the story of La Llorona to keep children from wandering near dangerous waters.
In Puerto Rico and the Caribbean: The story intertwines with local ghost lore, blending the crying woman with tales of spirits who guard rivers and coastlines.

Some even claim to have seen La Llorona’s face near rivers at night, pale and sorrowful, her cries chilling enough to freeze anyone in their tracks.

Facts and Theories About La Llorona

While many dismiss La Llorona as myth, the legend continues to raise haunting questions:

What does La Llorona mean? It means “the weeping woman.”
Is La Llorona real? No proof exists, but countless people insist they have heard her cries or seen her ghostly figure.
What does La Llorona do? According to folklore, she lures wanderers to rivers and lakes, sometimes pulling them into the water to share her fate.

This makes La Llorona not only a tragic figure but also a warning about the dangers of ignoring cautionary tales.

The History and Cultural Impact of La Llorona

The history of La Llorona stretches back hundreds of years. The story has been retold in songs, books, films, and even Hollywood horror movies. It remains one of Mexico’s most famous ghost stories, standing alongside myths like El Cucuy and El Chupacabra.

La Llorona is both myth and morality tale , a reminder of betrayal, regret, and the consequences of one’s actions. For many, she is more than folklore; she is a cultural symbol of mourning and justice.

From La Llorona to San Juan Ghost Tours

The tale of La Llorona reaches beyond Mexico. Her legend has crossed oceans, making her part of the wider tradition of ghost stories across the Americas. In San Juan, Puerto Rico , the echoes of La Llorona’s wails intertwine with local haunted legends, mysterious apparitions, and centuries-old stories of restless spirits.

If the legend of La Llorona gives you chills, imagine walking through the shadowy streets of Old San Juan, where ghostly tales come alive. Our San Juan Ghost Tour takes you through eerie plazas, haunted forts, and colonial alleys where spirits are said to linger.

Experience the Mystery Yourself

The weeping woman may be Mexico’s most famous ghost, but her story resonates throughout Latin America. From riversides to Caribbean shores, her sorrowful cries remind us of the thin line between myth and reality.

Check out our Chicago ghost tour reviews on Google to see why this tour is a must-experience. Ready to embrace the eerie? Reserve your spot today!

�� Book your San Juan Ghost Tour today and immerse yourself in centuries of haunted history, legends, and the echoes of La Llorona herself.

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The Sinking of the Lady Elgin: Milwaukee and Chicago’s Most Haunted Shipwreck

Tue, 09 Sep 2025 21:51:18 GMT

On September 8, 1860, the luxury steamship Lady Elgin sank in the dark waters of Lake Michigan, becoming one of the deadliest maritime disasters in American history. More than 300 lives were lost, and the tragedy devastated communities in Milwaukee and Chicago. Today, the ghost stories connected to the Lady Elgin still echo across the North Shore beaches and cemeteries of Illinois, as well as in Milwaukee, where the passengers began their fateful journey. For those who love haunted history, the story of the Lady Elgin is one of the most chilling on the Great Lakes.

A Floating Palace of the Great Lakes

The Lady Elgin was launched in 1851 in Buffalo, New York. At nearly 300 feet long, with side wheels and graceful lines, she was considered one of the most beautiful steamers on the Great Lakes. The ship was known for its elegant woodwork, spacious cabins, and ability to carry hundreds of passengers in style.

She quickly became a familiar sight between Chicago and Milwaukee, ferrying not only wealthy travelers but also immigrants, politicians, and social groups. In the 1850s and early 1860s, the ship became a symbol of progress and modernity. Boarding the Lady Elgin meant comfort, safety, and the thrill of fast travel across the lake.

But her final voyage would end in horror.

A Political Voyage Turns to Tragedy

On September 7, 1860, the Lady Elgin departed Milwaukee with nearly 400 passengers on board. Most of them were Irish immigrants and members of Milwaukee’s Irish Union Guard. They were traveling to Chicago to attend a political rally in support of Senator Stephen Douglas, who was running for president against Abraham Lincoln. For many, it was a festive journey filled with music, conversation, and anticipation.

In the early hours of September 8, the weather turned violent. Just after midnight, the lumber schooner Augusta of Oswego crashed into the Lady Elgin. The schooner, made of sturdy wood and carrying a heavy cargo, survived the collision. The Lady Elgin was not so fortunate. The impact tore open her side, and within 30 minutes, the once-proud vessel broke apart and sank into the stormy waters of Lake Michigan.

Chaos On The Lake

Passengers awoke in panic as water rushed into the ship. Some clung to floating debris, doors, and sections of the upper deck. Others were pulled under almost immediately. The waves were relentless, and the storm showed no mercy.

Of the nearly 400 people aboard, more than 300 died. Only about 100 survivors made it to shore. The disaster was so severe that bodies washed ashore for days, sometimes even weeks afterward. Residents of Evanston, Winnetka, and Highland Park along Illinois’s North Shore witnessed grim scenes of drowned passengers washing up on their beaches.

The loss was particularly devastating for Milwaukee’s Irish community. Entire families were torn apart, and the city’s working-class neighborhoods mourned for years.

The Aftermath and the Haunting Legacy

The wreck of the Lady Elgin left a lasting mark on both Milwaukee and Chicago. It became a rallying cry for better safety standards on passenger ships. It also inspired the creation of lifesaving stations along Lake Michigan, including the famous student-run lifesaving station at Northwestern University in Evanston.

But beyond the historical impact, the Lady Elgin also left behind a trail of ghost stories. With so many lives lost in such a violent way, it is no surprise that tales of hauntings quickly spread.

Hauntings Along Lake Michigan

Evanston and Winnetka Beaches

Many who walk the beaches near Evanston and Winnetka report eerie sounds at night. Phantom splashes, distant cries for help, and the sensation of being watched are common claims. Some say they have seen ghostly figures in period clothing struggling in the surf before vanishing into the waves. On stormy nights, the atmosphere is especially heavy, and locals whisper that the victims of the Lady Elgin are still trying to reach shore.

Rosehill Cemetery in Chicago

Many of the victims were buried at Rosehill Cemetery, one of Chicago’s largest and most historic burial grounds. A memorial to the Lady Elgin stands there today. Visitors often describe feeling sudden chills near the marker. Others have reported hearing muffled sobs or the rustling of skirts behind them, only to find no one there. Rosehill has long been considered one of Chicago’s most haunted cemeteries, and the Lady Elgin tragedy is one reason why.

The Forgotten Burial Ground at Highwood

Not all of the victims were buried in Chicago. A number of bodies were interred in a cemetery near Highwood, Illinois. By the late 19th century, the site was neglected and overgrown, but locals told stories of a woman in a black silk dress who haunted the grounds. She was said to appear near the graves and vanish when approached. Train passengers riding past the cemetery sometimes claimed to see her standing among the stones.

Whihala Beach in Indiana

Wreckage from the Lady Elgin washed as far south as Indiana. Some modern visitors to Whihala Beach in Whiting have described strange experiences, including shadowy figures near the waterline and the sound of voices carried on the wind. Whether these are echoes of the wreck or simply the power of suggestion, they add to the mystery of the disaster.

Discovery of the Wreck

For decades, the final resting place of the Lady Elgin remained uncertain. In 1989, divers discovered the wreck site in 60 feet of water off Highland Park, Illinois. The wreckage was later added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1999. Today, it is considered one of the most significant shipwrecks in Great Lakes history. While the site is protected and not open to casual diving, its discovery reignited interest in the tragedy and its ghostly legends.

Why the Lady Elgin Still Matters

For Milwaukee and Chicago, the Lady Elgin is more than just a shipwreck. It is a story of loss, survival, and memory. It is also a reminder of the dangers of Lake Michigan, a body of water that has claimed thousands of lives.

For those interested in haunted history, the Lady Elgin provides a chilling connection between past and present. Standing on the beaches of Evanston or walking through Rosehill Cemetery, it is easy to feel the weight of what happened in 1860. The combination of historical fact and paranormal folklore makes this story one of the most compelling in the Midwest.

Experience the Haunted History for Yourself

Visit the Lady Elgin Memorial Marker on our Third Ward Milwaukee Ghost Walk and see in person where the doomed ship launched its cursed last voyage before sinking. We visit every Friday and Saturday night at 7:30pm May through Halloween.

Key Dates in the Lady Elgin Tragedy

1851 – Lady Elgin launched in Buffalo, New York. Nearly 300 feet long, she quickly became one of the most luxurious steamships on the Great Lakes.

September 7, 1860 – The steamer departs Milwaukee with nearly 400 passengers, mostly members of Wisconsin’s Irish Union Guard, heading to a Stephen Douglas rally in Chicago.

Early hours of September 8, 1860 – In a violent storm, the schooner Augusta of Oswego collides with the Lady Elgin off the Illinois shore near Evanston. The steamer sinks within 30 minutes.

September 8–12, 1860 – Bodies wash ashore across Evanston, Winnetka, Highland Park, and even as far as Whiting, Indiana. Local homes, train depots, and churches are converted into makeshift hospitals and morgues.

1876 – Northwestern University students, inspired by rescues during the Lady Elgin disaster, establish the first student-run U.S. Life-Saving Station on the Great Lakes.

1999 – The wreck site of the Lady Elgin, located in 60 feet of water off Highland Park, Illinois, is placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Today – Divers, historians, and paranormal investigators continue to explore the story of the Lady Elgin. Reports of hauntings along the North Shore, Rosehill Cemetery, and Indiana’s Whihala Beach keep her legend alive.

The Bermuda Triangle: The World’s Deadliest Stretch of Sea

Mon, 08 Sep 2025 03:31:49 GMT

Few places on Earth inspire as much mystery, fear, and fascination as the Bermuda Triangle . Known as the Devil’s Triangle, this vast stretch of the Atlantic Ocean has been the site of countless disappearances, strange tales, and theories that blur the line between science and legend. But where is the Bermuda Triangle located, and why has it captured the imagination of so many for centuries?

Where Is the Bermuda Triangle Located?

The Bermuda Triangle isn’t officially marked on any map, yet everyone seems to know its name. This legendary region forms a triangle connecting three points:

Miami, Florida
Bermuda
San Juan, Puerto Rico

Covering roughly 500,000 square miles in the North Atlantic Ocean , the triangle has become infamous for its reputation as a “danger zone” for ships and planes.

Map of the Bermuda Triangle & Its Three Points

Looking at a map of the Bermuda Triangle, Puerto Rico sits firmly at one corner. This point is especially important—it connects directly to the island’s own history of maritime legends and ghost stories, making Puerto Rico a gateway to experiencing the mysteries of the Bermuda Triangle firsthand.

The History & Origin of the Bermuda Triangle

The origin of the Bermuda Triangle myth can be traced back to stories of ships disappearing in the 1800s, but it was in the 20th century that the legend truly exploded. In 1964, Vincent Gaddis published an article coining the term “Bermuda Triangle,” and since then, the area has become a permanent fixture in popular culture.

Sailors once called it the “graveyard of the Atlantic” , and legends of compass malfunctions, violent storms, and ghost ships have made it one of the most infamous regions on Earth.

Famous Bermuda Triangle Disappearances & Stories

Over the years, hundreds of ships and planes have been reported missing inside the triangle. While some cases were likely due to human error or weather conditions, others remain unexplained.

The Mystery of Flight 19

On December 5, 1945, five TBM Avenger torpedo bombers on Flight 19, a training flight, disappeared over the Atlantic. The planned circular flight path would have taken the squadron east from Fort Lauderdale before looping north and back to base. But when the aircraft left the ground and flew out of view, they and their pilots and crew were never seen or heard of again.

Events took a turn for the worse when the search and rescue aircraft sent to seek out the Flight 19 aircraft, a PBM Mariner with a 13-man crew, also disappeared. To this day, no trace of them has ever been recovered. The Naval Air Station Museum in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, holds a remembrance service for Flight 19 every year on December 5 .

Theories and Explanations: What Happens in the Bermuda Triangle?

The Bermuda Triangle has inspired countless theories from the scientific to the supernatural.

Scientific Explanations

Rogue Waves: Towering waves up to 100 feet high can appear without warning in the Atlantic, capable of sinking even the largest ships.
Magnetic Anomalies: Some believe compasses malfunction due to unusual magnetic fields in the area.
Methane Gas: Massive methane hydrate deposits under the ocean floor could erupt, reducing water density and causing ships to sink.

Supernatural and Mythical Beliefs

Alien abductions
Time warps
The lost city of Atlantis pulling vessels beneath the waves

Is the Bermuda Triangle Real or Just a Myth?

Skeptics argue the Bermuda Triangle is no more dangerous than any other heavily traveled part of the ocean. Many disappearances can be explained by storms, hurricanes, or human error. Still, the allure of the mystery of the Bermuda Triangle persists, perhaps because humans are drawn to the unexplained.

Puerto Rico’s Mysterious Connection to the Bermuda Triangle

Puerto Rico forms one of the three defining points of the Bermuda Triangle. San Juan has long been associated with ghost stories, maritime legends, and unexplained phenomena. This connection makes Puerto Rico the perfect destination for those who want to immerse themselves in the Bermuda Triangle’s mystery not just in history books, but in real life.

From Legends to Ghost Tours

If you are fascinated by tales of disappearances in the Bermuda Triangle, why not experience the thrill firsthand? On our Puerto Rico Ghost Tour , you will explore haunted streets, chilling legends, and mysterious sites connected to centuries of paranormal history. It is the perfect way to continue your journey into the unknown.

Discover the Mystery Yourself: Join Our Puerto Rico Ghost Tour

The Bermuda Triangle may never give up all of its secrets, but in Puerto Rico, you can walk straight into its shadows. From the myths of the Devil’s Triangle to the haunted tales of Old San Juan, the mystery is waiting for you.

Check out our San Juan ghost tour reviews on Google to see why this tour is a must-experience. Ready to embrace the eerie? Reserve your spot today!

�� Book your San Juan Ghost Tour today and uncover the legends for yourself.

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Resurrection Mary: the Queen of Chicago's Haunted Archer Avenue

Thu, 04 Sep 2025 22:08:32 GMT

Few ghost stories are as famous — or as chilling — as the tale of Resurrection Mary , the mysterious hitchhiker who haunts Archer Avenue in Chicago . Known as the Queen of Chicago’s haunted roads, her legend has terrified drivers and fascinated ghost hunters for nearly a century.

The Story of Resurrection Mary

The tale begins on a cold Chicago night in the 1930s. A young woman, dressed in white, left the Willowbrook Ballroom after a night of dancing. She walked along Archer Avenue, attempting to hitch a ride home.

Since then, countless drivers have reported picking up a pale young woman on the roadside — only for her to vanish into thin air near the gates of Resurrection Cemetery in Justice, Illinois .

The Real Mary – Was It Mary Bregovy?

Some believe Resurrection Mary was inspired by Mary Bregovy , a 20-year-old Polish-American girl killed in a tragic 1934 car accident. While her grave is at St. Casimir Cemetery in Chicago , many think her spirit took on a new identity as the ghost of Archer Avenue.

Others argue the legend represents more than one victim of roadside accidents, blending tragedy into Chicago’s greatest urban legend .

Archer Avenue – Chicago’s Most Haunted Road

Stretching through the southwest side of Chicago, Archer Avenue has a reputation for being one of the city’s most haunted streets.

Notable landmarks include:

Willowbrook Ballroom – where Mary was last seen alive
Local taverns and roadside stops where drivers claim to have seen her
The gates of Resurrection Cemetery, whe re her ghost often disappears

Resurrection Cemetery in Justice, Illinois

The heart of the l egend is Resurrection Cemetery, a Catholic burial ground in the village of Justice, IL.

Here, visitors have reported seeing:

A young woman in white walking among the gravestones
Glowing apparitions near the cemetery gates
Burn marks on the iron bars where Mary’s hands supposedly gripped before vanishing

Today, Resurrection Cemetery is not only a place of mourning but one of t he most haunted cemeteries in Chicago.

Ghost Sightings and Chicago Urban Legends

For decades, locals have shared stories of:

Dancing with Mary at the Willowbrook Ballroom
Picking her up on Archer Avenue late at night
Watching her disappear at the cemetery gates

These tales place her alongside legends like Bloody Mary and other Chicago ghost stories, cementing her status as the city’s most famous phantom.

Resurrection Mary in Pop Culture and Unsolved Mysteries

The ghost’s fame grew nationwide after being featured on Unsolved Mysteries and other paranormal shows. She has been called America’s most famous hitchhiking ghost, inspiring books, films, and countless ghost-hunting tours.

Experience Resurrection Mary on a Chicago Ghost Tour

Want to encounter Mary yourself?

Join one of our Chicago Ghost Tours and:

Drive along Archer Avenue, Chicago’s most haunted road
Visit Resurrection Cemetery in Justice, IL
Hear chilling retellings of Chicago’s most famous ghost stories

�� Book your tour today and walk in the footsteps of Resurrection Mary.

Ana’s Deadly Night at the Oh Henry Ballroom

By the time she neared her teenage years, Anna had grown into a vivacious girl. Blonde and slim, she loved to dance, and it was her relentless begging that convinced her father, August, Sr., to take her to a dancehall for her 13th birthday. On the evening of July 20, 1927, father and daughter set out from their Chicago home at 5421 S. Neva for the famous Oh Henry Ballroom, accompanied by August's friend, William Weisner, and Weisner's date. On their drive home, at approximately 1:30 a.m., the travelers passed Resurrection Cemetery via Archer Avenue, turning east on 71st Street and then north on Harlem to 67th Street. There, the car careened and dropped into an unseen, 25-foot-deep railroad cut.

Ana was killed instantly.

After the accident, her father, August Norkus, was subject to devastating verbal abuse, even being told that Anna's death had been God's punishment for allowing the girl to go dancing at such a young age. In reality, the blame rested with the Chicago Streets Department, which had failed to post warning signs at the site of the cut. Another death, that of Adam Levinsky, occurred at the same site the night after Anna's demise.

Between July 28th and September 29th, an inquest was held at Sobiesk's Mortuary in adjacent Argo. Heading up the five sessions was Deputy Coroner Dedrich, the case reviewed by six jurors. The DesPlaines Valley News carried the story of the inquest. Mary Nagode described the sad procession that left the Norkus home on a certain Friday morning.

First in line was Ana's older sister Sophie, followed by her older brother August, Jr. The pastor, altar boys, and a four-piece brass band preceded the casket, borne on a flatbed wagon with pallbearers on each side. Relatives and friends followed the grim parade for three blocks to the doors of St. Joseph's in Summit, where Anna had made her first communion only a year before. Between the band and the priest walked a terrified Mary Nagode, a friend of Ana's who had been pressed into service as a wreathbearer.

On summer vacation, Nagode was weeding on an asparagus farm in Willow Springs when she had a visitor. It was Gus Norkus, Ana's father or brother, asking her to participate in the funeral since Mary had made her first communion with Anna and owned a white dress. When Mary returned home that evening, her mother informed her that she had accepted the request on her behalf. The girl was deeply dismayed at the proposition. Mrs. Nagode reminded her daughter that refusal of such a request would be a sin against Roman Catholic moral living, which dictates that one must attend to the burial of the dead.

Anna was scheduled for burial in one of three newly-purchased family lots at St. Casimir Cemetery, and it is here where Andrejasich, Nagode’s cousin, found the "if' that may have led to an infamous afterlife for Ana as Resurrection Mary, or as Anna called herself, Marija.

Andrejasich Connecting Resurrection Mary to Anna

Andrejasich discovered that at the time of Ana's death, a man named Al Churas Jr., brother-in-law to Mary Nagode, lived across the road from the gates of Resurrection Cemetery in a large brick bungalow that still stands today. Al's father was in charge of the gravediggers and was given the house to live in as part of his pay. In the mid-1920s, gravedigging was hard, manual labor, rewarded with low pay. Strikes were common. As Resurrection was one of the main Chicago cemeteries, the elder Churas was often sent to the cemeteries of striking gravediggers to secure the bodies of the unburied.

Returning to Resurrection with a corpse in a wooden box, Churas' duty was to bury it temporarily until the strike ended and the body could be permanently interred in the proper lot. Because of poor coffin construction and the lack of refrigeration, a body could not be kept long, except in the ground.

If the strike dragged on, identification at the time of relocation could be gruesomely difficult. Thus, reasons Andrejasich, if the workers at St. Casimir were striking on that July morning in 1927, it is quite possible that young Ana Norkus was silently whisked to a temporary interment at Resurrection and that a rapid decomposition rendered her unidentifiable at the time of exhumation. The result? A mislaid corpse and a most restless eternity, if only one is willing to believe.

Those not quite convinced may be persuaded otherwise by a further bit of Frank's musing, this time connecting the otherworldly Anna to the sneering specter seen on the road outside of her alleged resting place. The elder August Norkus followed his youngest child to St. Casimir 30 years after her death, a broken man besieged by alcohol and blamed to his grave for his daughter's demise. As Andrejasich reasons, it wouldn't take much else to make a ghost out of this ill-fated character. And yet, how much more there is (again, if only one believes in ghosts) if Ana was mistakenly buried away from her family?

For here, the stories merge almost too easily. The resulting image is classically and completely appealing: Resurrection Marija combing the southwest suburbs for her kin, her father wandering the road outside her unknown destination, watching and waiting for his lost beloved.

Research & Opinions on Resurrection Mary

Despite widespread belief in such scenarios and the untiring work of devoted researchers like Frank Andrejasich, specialists in modern folk tales have utterly disregarded local attempts to trace Resurrection Mary to any earthly counterpart. Instead, many scholars explain Mary as merely a localized version of the widespread vanishing hitchhiker legends.

These legends have passed from generation to generation throughout history, but the 20th-century versions always follow a strikingly similar pattern. A hitchhiker, usually a young woman, is either picked up along a dark road or met at a dance, from where she is given a ride home. In the latter situation, her would-be suitor may report having danced with the young woman, finding her somewhat cold.

In both situations, she gives her escort vague directions to her house, but along the way she suddenly vanishes from the car. Sometimes, the driver will have procured her address and proceed to the house to ask whether the girl has returned safely home. Upon his arrival, he is told that the girl, whom he recognizes in a photograph displayed in the home, was previously killed in a car accident on the road or near the dance hall where she met her unfortunate escort.

The Resurrection Mary stories bear an uncanny resemblance to these widespread tales. Accounts of Mary by eyewitnesses have conformed to the universal model even more perfectly than do most second-hand legends. However, the existence of so many first-hand reports raises questions about the assertions that Mary is mere folklore.

Mary’s Increased Restlessness in the Mid-1970s

Reports of Resurrection Mary increased significantly during renovations of the cemetery in the mid- 1970s. It was also around this time that the phantom began to become more animated . . . and adventuresome.

In 1973, Mary is believed to have shown up at least twice in one month at a far Southwest-side dance club called Harlow's, 8058 S. Cicero Avenue, wearing a dress that looked like a faded wedding gown. A Harlow's manager described her as having "big spooly curls coming down from a high forehead. She was really pale like she had powdered her face and body." Dancing alone in off-the-wall fashion, she was as obvious as could be, yet, despite bouncers at the door who carded all guests, no one ever saw her come in or leave.

That same year, at Chet's Melody Lounge, an annoyed cab driver bounded in asking about his fare, a young blonde woman. The manager gave him the only answer he had: "A blonde woman never came in here."A number of years later, a driver happened to be passing the cemetery when he glimpsed a young woman standing on the other side of the gates, clutching the bars. Worried that someone had been locked inside after closing, he hurried to report the incident to the local police, who hastened to rescue the reluctant prisoner.Upon their arrival, they found the cemetery deserted, but their inspection of the gates revealed a chilling spectacle: not only had two of the bars been pried apart, but the impressions of a pair of delicate hands remained, bearing witness to the feminine touch that had accomplished the task.

When cemetery management saw the state of the bars, they reportedly called in officials from the Archdiocese of Chicago, who allegedly removed the imprinted bars and whisked them away. Akin to stories of aliens in warehouses are local whisperings about the mysterious bars sitting today in some secret Archdiocesan storehouse. Not long after the removal of the damaged bars, embarrassed cemetery officials installed what they called "repaired" bars, insisting that the bent bars had been welded back to normal and not, as many asserted, replaced with new ones.

Still, some cemetery workers maintain that the bars were bent by a crew member's truck backing into the gate; the handprints were left by a worker's glove when he attempted to heat the bars with a blowtorch and bend them back into shape. In response to that claim, local believers say: Yes, the cemetery tried to blowtorch and restore the bars, to eradicate evidence of the spectral handprints, which witnesses continue to describe as the well-defined fingers of a frail female.

Whatever the claims, the tale's undeniable fascination lies in viewing the cemetery gates even to this day, as two strips of discolored metal remain in the exact spot which once bore the mysterious handprints. In fact, and there seems to be no reason to doubt the rumor, it is said that this part of the gate refuses to "take" either primer or paint.

The result? An embarrassing but ineradicable scar on the face of the cemetery and its management. (Note, in the late summer of 2019, the two bars disappeared from the gate of Resurrection Cemetery. It is unknown at this time if they were removed by the Archdiocese or if they were stolen.)

As if this carnival weren't enough for the cemetery to bear, it was also around this time that Resurrection Mary began to experiment with new methods. Folklorists have described a certain model of the phantom hitchhiker which is best termed the "spectral jaywalker," that is, the ghostly vision that walks or simply appears in front of a moving vehicle.

One such story tells of a Justice police officer who called an ambulance after hitting a woman in a bloody white dress who was wandering the road in front of the cemetery. When the paramedics arrived on the scene, there was no trace of the distressed woman. According to some stories, the officer in question went on the nationally syndicated television show, "That's Incredible!" and told of his experience. Before doing so, he was warned that he would be fired if he did. Notwithstanding the alleged threats, the officer told his story to network audiences and was at least by local accounts relieved of his duties.

Paranormal Accounts Stabilizing in the mid-1980s

After a bizarre decade that seemed to mark the climax of her restlessness, Mary was back to her old tricks. Yet she didn't seem quite her old self. In 1989, on a blustery January night, a cab driver picked up a desolate young woman outside the Old Willow Shopping Center. Despite the inclement weather, she wore a beautiful white party dress and patent leather dancing shoes.

Climbing in the front seat, she made it clear that she needed to get home, motioning the driver up old Archer Avenue. But this time she behaved differently. She seemed confused, unable to give lucid answers to the cabby's polite questions. Finally, with all the clarity she could muster, the girl remarked, "The snow came early this year." Then, in front of a time-worn shack across the road from Resurrection, the disoriented passenger ordered, "Here!" disappearing without another sound.

Account of a Dancing Resurrection Mary at Christmastime

Also in the late 1980s, two teen-aged boys were driving along Archer Avenue at Christmastime when they saw a strange woman dancing down the road outside the cemetery fence. They noted that other passers-by seemed totally unaware of her antics; in fact, they didn't seem to see her at all. The teens reported the bizarre scene to their parents, who at once related the famous tale of Resurrection Mary. Never having heard the story before, the boys must have questioned whether the off-the-wall vision they had seen was the same as the legendary hitchhiker, whose aloof sophistication seemed wholly unbefitting the wacky wayfarer of their own experience.

Who Has Resurrection Mary Become

What has happened to Resurrection Mary in these past decades? A ghosthunter's classic summation would point to the disruption of the Bregovy grave during cemetery renovations. Investigators might theorize that this disruption could have caused Mary's apparent disorientation. Possibly. For, although the site of the grave was finally disclosed to the public after many years of secrecy, the plot turned out to be unmarked.

Mary Bregovy's was a "term grave," a plot that was sold on 25-year terms during the '20s and '30s, in a section of Resurrection that was renovated during the '60s and '70s. It is, therefore, possible that the girl's family either did not repurchase the grave, resulting in the filling-in of the plot or that they or the cemetery administration moved the grave to discourage the curious.

There is one other peculiarity worth noting. Resurrection Mary has traditionally been connected with the former Oh Henry (Willowbrook) Ballroom, where she is alleged to have danced during her lifetime, and where she is guessed to have danced her last.

Some accounts, however, specify that on the night of her death, Mary was at a dance for Christmas or even Advent, the Christian season preceding Christmas. The fact that so many Resurrection Mary encounters occur in December might seem to render this obscure lore somewhat more credible, although the timing would also undermine the connection to the Mary Bregovy who was killed on March 10th. Dealing only with conjecture about the behavior of ghosts, researchers continue to seek the Bregovy grave at Resurrection Cemetery in hopes of finding some end to a grueling but engaging search.

Resurrection Mary’s Evolving “Personality”

Whoever Resurrection Mary is, and whenever she may materialize, the apparent changes in this legend's "personality" continue to present a nagging appeal to the folklorists who have denied that Mary has any psychic reality, and who have accordingly classified her with other bizarre by-products of the oral tradition. With good reason.

One "lost" haunting, which is supposed to have occurred in the late 19th century at St. James-Sag Cemetery at the southern end of Archer Avenue, curiously parallels the Resurrection Mary story. In fact, the two legends share a great number of specific elements, including the singular image of a woman in white waiting for a ride in front of a dance hall on Archer Avenue.

Ultimately, regardless of the temptation to give in to folkloric categorization of Mary, the primary difficulty remains: a good number of first-hand accounts of these encounters have been recorded. In the case of urban legends like that of the vanishing hitchhiker, the incidents are supposed to have occurred to "a friend of a friend" or someone's "boyfriend's mother's friend" and so on. If we accept the first-hand accounts of this hitchhiker at face value, the phenomenon of Resurrection Mary continues to challenge the most skeptical observers and to lure the most hopeful believers to her stomping grounds.

Susan Stursberg was one of the latter who decided to try her luck at spotting the famed and filmy form. Her account is unique in this author's experience, and deserves retelling:

I was out with a friend one night who had just bought a new car. I had not been to Archer Avenue and was itching to go, so we decided to take a drive. First we stopped to see her boyfriend who was playing in a band at a nearby suburban bar. We said hi, told him we were going for a drive but did not tell him where. So we proceeded to Chet's Melody Lounge, talked to the regulars, played "The Ballad of Resurrection Mary" on the jukebox and some pool. We left in a couple of hours when 2 a.m. rolled around, drove to the cemetery gates, parked and peered in, seeing the repaired gates and getting a good case of the creeps. On the way home we joked about giving Mary a ride in the new car. Later that night my friend, Kristin, dropped me off at my apartment and went home to hers.

As her boyfriend, Mike, heard the car pull up he peeked out the window, then not wanting to appear worried and waiting up he dropped the shade. Kristin let herself in and closed the door. Mike asked, "Where's Susan?" Kristen told him that she dropped me off first. He asked, "Well, who was in the car with you?" To this day he swears that when he looked out the window he saw a pale face look back at him from the passenger's side of the front seat.

Despite such compelling accounts as this and those others detailed in these pages, the doubters stand fast. Among them are those extreme locals like Gail Ziemba, who lives across the road from Resurrection Cemetery. Easily summing up her 20 years of experience with the legendary ghost, Ziemba maintains: "I've never seen anything." In response, believers would remind her that only men are privileged to see Resurrection Mary, although there have been cases in which a man and a woman traveling together have both reported a glimpse or two of something.

And while neighbors like Ziemba continue to shake their heads at the legend, other neighbors of the cemetery have been pushed to reconsider their doubt. Early one morning in late summer of 1996, Chet Prusinski himself, owner of Chet's Melody Lounge, was backing out of his driveway when a man came rushing across the road, yelling that he needed a phone.

He had hit a woman on Archer Avenue and couldn't find the body. Attesting to his claim was a truck driver who had been driving behind him. He, too, had witnessed the grisly incident and remained at the scene to testify on the woman's behalf. Prusinski agreed to call the police, but hastened to disengage himself from the whole affair, fearing that he would be accused of staging a publicity stunt for his bar. The "accident" was quietly resolved and little was made of the event. However, those who always take note, took note. And, of course, those who always laugh, laughed.

Yet, even those Southwest-siders who discredit Resurrection Mary know that much of what makes their culture special is wrapped up in the folds of her legendary white dress. And because of this, she is, even to nonbelievers, a priceless treasure, just as she was to a fictionalized witness in Kenan Heise's novel, " ... something precious, whoever or whatever she is. . .. To her, I say, 'God bless you.'"

The Fortean Times’ Vanishing Hitchhiker

In a 1997 article for Fortean Times, a magazine devoted to the probing of baffling occurrences and related theories, Sean Tudor offered some further insights into the phenomenon of the so-called "road ghost" as he explored the phenomenon of the infamous phantom of Blue Bell Hill in Kent, England. As Tudor states at the outset of his analysis, "(I)t is to folklore that we must tum to gain any kind of understanding of what is really happening" in such cases. Indeed,

(t)he same PHH (Phantom Hitch-Hiker) script is repeated around the country and indeed the world with an identical pattern of events being reported over and again by reliable witnesses: of figures rushing into the paths of vehicles, and/or of disappearing hitch-hikers ... which suggests that it has less to do with any specific case and its accepted explanation ... but, at the same time, more than purely 'human' factors such as imagination and hoaxing.

In the case of Blue Bell Hill, one of the spirit's manifestations is that of a young woman in white, who has been known to appear in front of moving cars, staring calmly at their drivers while she is run over. Like Chicago researchers who trace their Resurrection Mary to any of a half dozen 1920s and '30s accident victims fitting her description, residents of the Kent region almost always tie their road ghost to a 1965 incident in which three young women were killed in a car crash on Blue Bell Hill just hours before one of the girls was to be married.

Highly skeptical of the connection, Tudor has his own theories concerning the "haunting" of Blue Bell Hill. One of the most intriguing is the relation of the story to that of the Cailleach of pre-Celtic mythology, an Earth mother or goddess who variously took the form of an old crone or a beautiful young woman. The Cailleach is known as a guardian of a particular sacred place, and it was Tudor's awareness of this mythology that allowed him to notice in his own research that great increases in road ghost sightings, including those at Blue Bell Hill, have occurred during times of environmental upheaval, especially during the construction of roads and highways.

With this in mind, Chicagoans might ponder the fact that the building of Archer Avenue over an old Indian road, not to mention the digging of the Illinois and Michigan Canal which it preceded, seemed to coincide with the beginning of that road's extraordinary supernatural history, a history which features one of the most famous of all road ghosts, the blonde-haired and beautiful young woman known as Resurrection Mary.

Another of Tudor's compelling explanations for the sighting of road ghosts goes back to the subjectivity of the witness himself. Referring to Carl Jung's Man and His Symbols, Tudor reminds us of Jung's theory that the unconscious typically manifests itself in the dream state, and often symbolically, as a figure of a woman or man.

The specific form taken depends on the gender of the dreamer. A woman's unconscious, then, usually resembles a man (animus); accordingly, in the dreams of men, the unconscious generally takes the shape of a woman or (anima). In light of the fact that the overwhelming majority of sightings of young and beautiful phantom females, including those of Resurrection Mary, are reported by men, it is almost easy to believe that the dreamlike state imposed by lonely late-night driving could be the culprit in so many of these cases.

Why Archer Avenue?

Still, despite the temptation to dismiss the complex paranormality of Archer Avenue as simply a jumble of various renditions of some ancient and unfounded ghost stories, the continuing reports of eyewitnesses defy attempts to dismantle this road's reputation. And so, some, trusting in more than a century of experiential accounts, have tried to find an explanation for the seeming concentration of paranormal activity along Route 171.

Archer Avenue: an Old Indian Trail

Theories abound, most based on the area's geography. Archer Avenue was originally one of a number of the Chicago area's old Indian trails; accordingly, I’ve long wondered if the road may be an American example of a “ley” line. The concept of ley lines originated in Britain when Alfred Watkins, a retired brewer, noticed that the English countryside was covered by long tracks, which he termed leys ("lea," meaning "meadow"), which intersected at various points.

Watkins' 1925 book on ley lines, The Old Straight Track, drew quite a following upon its release, creating a breed of researchers ("ley hunters") who began to locate and map these leys. The points at which two or more ley lines meet were later termed nodal points. Observation of these nodal points led some researchers to believe that such crossroads were, in fact, ancient sacred sites. Many ley hunters came to assert that these nodal points/sacred sites often host extraordinary phenomena and that equally mystifying events also can occur along the lines that connect them.

Archer Avenue: Derived Energy from Underground Springs’ Nodal Points

Later, Guy Underwood, a dowser, claimed to have discovered that these points contained underground springs, which seemed to create patterns of spiral lines of "force" around them. He also found straight lines of this same force, which he termed holy lines, passing through these sites. Occult investigator Stephen Jenkins speculated that poltergeist activity and other haunting phenomena may actually take their energy from nodal points. Like-minded observers have wondered if ancient cultures—including Native Americans—hoard an awareness of these energies and utilized them as sacred paths and sites for their ritual activity.

Covering similar ground is ET. Stringer's concept of Tellurianism, set forth in his 1974 volume, Secrets of the Gods. According to Stringer's philosophy, there is a Telluric, or "earth," force that exists and "holds people together in a particular place." Besides encouraging tight-knit communities, such places are often hotbeds of purported paranormal activity.

Author Joe Cooper, who studied Stringer's philosophy, speculated that Cottingley, an English settlement noted for unusual apparitional phenomena, especially so-called "fairy sightings," was one such place. Incidentally, ley hunters have pointed out that in many English areas ley lines are called "fairy paths" by locals, suggesting that there may actually be some sort of energy running along these paths, which, magnified at their intersections, promotes the occurrence of unusual events, especially apparitional sightings.

The Running Waterways Nurturing Paranormal Activity

One final theory that may explain the Archer Avenue phenomenon holds that running water nurtures psychic activity. It is worth noting that St. James-Sag is nearly surrounded by waterways, bounded by the Cal-Sag Channel to the south and the DesPlaines River, the Illinois and Michigan Canal, and the Chicago Sanitary and Shipping Canal, which all run parallel to each other along Archer Avenue.

These waterways follow Archer all the way southwest to Joliet and northeast to Summit, just north of Resurrection Cemetery. This whole area is also covered with lakes, sloughs, and other minor bodies of water. Nearby Maple Lake, as already mentioned. has been the site of dozens of ghost light sightings over the years. If paranormal activity really does feed off of water, the dank passage of the Archer A venue would certainly provide plenty of nourishment.

From these descriptions of ley systems and Tellurianism, one is tempted to peg Archer Avenue as a ley line, or the area it covers as some center of Telluric force. Working from such premises, we might appropriately credit the sighting of the road's myriad specters to the "magic" of an ancient sacred path, just as we might credit the complex folklore of the Archer Avenue area to a kind of "force" that keeps its populace utterly enmeshed in the physical and cultural worlds of Chicago's far Southwest Side.

Whatever the explanation, the stretch of road mapped as Route I 71 has long been associated with many unseen forces—forces that create inexplicable lights and eerily frequent car crashes, spectral chants, and full-fledged apparitions. The nature of these events—recurrent, sobering, ever-elusive—has long convinced South Siders that Archer Avenue is one place, is any, where the living in the dead pass in the road with great regularity. . . before continuing on their own lonely ways.

Exploring Deeper into Resurrection Mary & Archer Avenue

Resurrection Mary is one of Chicago’s legendary ghosts that has made a lasting impression on many of the visitors and residents of Chicago till this day. On our Original Chicago Hauntings Bus Tour , we discuss more about her story and dive into some of the other actively paranormal places. Our Resurrection Mary and Archer Avenue Ghost Tour takes you to Archer Avenue to dive deeper into the sighting of Resurrection Mary and other paranormal phenomena.

Get a special video preview of this tour with this special video created by WYCC Public Television and our Chicago Hauntings founder, Ursula Bielski.

FAQs About Resurrection Mary

Witness the Dancing Ghost of Chicago's Archer Avenue

Journey through the haunting legend of Resurrection Mary, Chicago's most famous phantom who has captivated locals and visitors for over 80 years. Experience the chilling tale of the young woman in white who vanishes into thin air along Archer Avenue, leaving bewildered drivers with unforgettable encounters.

Walk the very path where countless witnesses have reported dancing with a beautiful but eerily cold young woman at the Oh Henry Ballroom, only to watch her disappear at Resurrection Cemetery's gates. From mysterious handprints on bent cemetery bars to police encounters that cost careers, discover why this legendary spirit continues to fascinate ghost hunters and skeptics alike.

Whether you're a paranormal enthusiast or simply curious about Chicago's supernatural history, our Resurrection Mary tour brings you face to face with the city's most enduring ghost story. Check out our Chicago ghost tour reviews on Google to see why this tour is a must-experience. Ready to embrace the eerie? Reserve your spot today!

Don't miss your chance to explore the dance halls and dark roads where Mary still roams. Experience the famous Resurrection Mary Ghost Tour in Chicago, IL , and perhaps catch a glimpse of the Windy City's most elegant specter—if you're brave enough!

Dive deeper into the mysterious world of hauntings with our curated collection of paranormal investigations and ghostly encounters. Read more stories like this in “Ghosts of Lincoln Park: A Chicago Hauntings Companion” by Ursula Bielski, a book of downtown Chicago ghost stories written by our own American Ghost Walks team. Click here for more.

Dive deeper into the mysterious world of hauntings with our curated collection of paranormal investigations and ghostly encounters. Read more stories like this in “The Original Chicago Hauntings Companion” by Ursula Bielski, a book of Chicago ghost stories written by our own American Ghost Walks team. Click here for more.

Are you fascinated by the supernatural and craving more spine-tingling tales? Whether you're a skeptic seeking evidence or a believer looking for your next supernatural fix; "American Ghost Books" offers everything from historical haunted locations to firsthand accounts of paranormal experiences. Each book has been carefully selected to provide authentic, well-researched stories that will keep you turning pages well into the night. Don't let your curiosity about the supernatural remain unsatisfied – explore our collection and find your next ghostly adventure today!

Find Your Next Paranormal Experience

Milwaukee Paracon 2025: Brew City’s Ultimate Paranormal Conference Returns October 18th

Wed, 03 Sep 2025 22:42:25 GMT

Are you ready for a day packed with chilling ghost stories, mysterious urban legends, and all things paranormal right in the heart of Milwaukee? Mark your calendars for the Milwaukee Paranormal Conference (Milwaukee Paracon) 2025, taking place on Saturday, October 18th at the historic Irish Cultural and Heritage Center in downtown Milwaukee. This all-day event is a must-attend for fans of the supernatural, local folklore, UFO sightings, and anyone curious about the unexplained phenomena that have shaped Brew City’s haunted reputation.

What is Milwaukee Paracon?

Milwaukee Paracon is an annual celebration of the city’s rich tradition of ghost stories, urban legends, Wisconsin folklore, and paranormal happenings. Since its founding in 2015 by author and journalist Tea Krulos, the conference has grown into a welcoming hub for believers, skeptics, and the simply curious to explore the unknown together. Each year, the event features panels, live podcasts, expert speakers, and a vibrant vendor marketplace, all centered on the weird and wonderful phenomena unique to Milwaukee and the greater Wisconsin area⁠.

We have a very few vendor spots left, if you are interested in vending, please fill out the online application here .

Event Details: Date, Time, and Location

Date: Saturday, October 18, 2025

Time: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Location: Irish Cultural and Heritage Center, 2133 W Wisconsin Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53233⁠

Admission: FREE (registration required)

Located in a beautiful historic (and haunted!) venue just west of downtown, the Irish Cultural and Heritage Center offers easy access and a unique atmosphere for a day of supernatural exploration. Parking is available nearby, with several lots and garages within a short walk.

How to Register for Free Tickets

Admission to Milwaukee Paracon 2025 is free, but you must register in advance to secure your spot. Registration details and the official sign-up link are available on the event’s website. Be sure to reserve your tickets early, as space is limited and this event fills up fast⁠ .

Who Should Attend Milwaukee Paracon?

Whether you’re a die-hard paranormal enthusiast, a local history buff, or just looking for a unique and fun way to spend a Saturday in Milwaukee, Milwaukee Paracon is for you. The event is family-friendly, welcoming to all ages, and designed to foster curiosity, community, and open-minded exploration of the unexplained.

Schedule Highlights: Speakers, Panels, and Live Podcasts

The 2025 lineup features some of the biggest names in Midwest paranormal research, folklore, and ghost storytelling. Here’s a sneak peek at the day’s programming:

10:00 AM – American Ghost Walks Panel: Hauntings of Southeastern Wisconsin

Kick off the day with the team from American Ghost Walks, Milwaukee’s original haunted history tour company. Learn about the region’s most famous haunts, including stories from Lake Geneva, Milwaukee, Madison, and much more!

11:00 AM – Wisconsin Legends Podcast LIVE: Ghosts of Waukesha with Josh Hughes

Join Josh Hughes, Waukesha Ghost Walks guide and author of the first book about hauntings in Waukesha, as he dives into the chilling case of “Little Lord Fauntleroy” and other mysterious hauntings from Waukesha’s past⁠.

12:00 PM – Vendor Hour and Lunchtime

Time to go check out the books, jewelry, clothing, artifacts, rare talismans, psychic readers, tarot, and so much more - a treasure trove of Weird Wisconsin vendors - while you're eating enjoy a special spooky violin performance by Wendy Lynn Markus in the Hallomor!

1:00 PM Ian Steven: UFO Wisconsin

Filmmaker and Fortean researcher Ian Steven brings a brand new sighting from Southeastern Wisconsin into focus.

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2:00 PM – Tea Krulos: Morris Pratt & Arthur Roberts – Two Wild and Psychic Wisconsin Guys

Milwaukee author and Paracon founder Tea Krulos presents a fascinating look at the history of the Morris Pratt Institute, a legendary school for Spiritualism established in Whitewater, Wisconsin, in 1889. Discover the stories of Morris Pratt and Arthur Roberts, two colorful figures in the state’s psychic and spiritualist history, and their lasting impact on Wisconsin’s paranormal legacy⁠.

3:00 PM – Scott Markus: The Hidden Truth? The Mississippi River Drownings

Paranormal investigator Scott Markus examines the mysterious drownings of college students along the Mississippi River near La Crosse, Wisconsin. Are these tragic deaths mere accidents, or is there a deeper, more sinister force at work? Markus brings years of research and investigative experience to this controversial topic⁠.

4:00 PM – Allison Jornlin: Saints and Sinners of Brady Street

Folklore researcher and ghost tour pioneer Allison Jornlin shares the haunted history of Brady Street, one of Milwaukee’s oldest and most storied neighborhoods. Discover tales of saints, sinners, poltergeists, and the secret cemeteries that lie beneath the city’s bustling streets⁠.

Become a Vendor at Milwaukee Paracon 2025

Are you a paranormal enthusiast with products or services to share? Milwaukee Paracon 2025 is now accepting vendor applications for our marketplace and we have a few spots remaining. This is a perfect opportunity for:

Local authors and publishers of paranormal, occult, or Wisconsin folklore books
Artists and craftspeople creating paranormal-themed artwork, jewelry, or clothing
Spiritual practitioners offering tarot readings, psychic services, or metaphysical guidance
Paranormal investigation teams and tour companies
Collectors and sellers of unusual artifacts, curiosities, or paranormal equipment

Vendor Details:

Table Fee: $75 for a standard 6' table
Setup: 7:00 AM on event day
Marketplace Hours: 9:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Limited spaces available - early registration recommended

How to Apply:

Visit our vendor application page and submit your info and Paypal payment.

Exploring the downstairs vendor room at Milwaukee Paracon 2023.

Plan Your Visit

Venue Address:

Irish Cultural and Heritage Center

2133 W Wisconsin Ave

Milwaukee, WI 53233⁠

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Parking:

Multiple lots and garages are available nearby as well as street parking.

⁠.

Registration:

Tickets are FREE, but registration is required. CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP

Contact:

For questions or more information, visit the event website or contact the organizers through American Ghost Walks.

Don’t Miss Milwaukee Paracon 2025!

Join the celebration of Milwaukee’s haunted history, meet the experts, shop the vendor marketplace, and immerse yourself in the weirdest, wildest, and most wonderful paranormal conference in the Midwest. Secure your free tickets today, and prepare to discover why Milwaukee is truly Brew City’s paranormal capital.

Julia Buccola - Ghost of Innocence

Wed, 03 Sep 2025 10:59:56 GMT

In the quiet grounds of Mount Carmel Cemetery in Hillside, Illinois, stands one of Chicago’s most haunting legends, the story of Julia Buccola Petta, known worldwide as The Italian Bride. Her grave is not only a place of mourning but also a destination for ghost hunters, historians, and those fascinated by Italian ghost stories.

Who Was Julia Buccola Petta?

Julia Buccola, often remembered as Julia Petta, was a young Italian immigrant who grew up in Chicago in the early 20th century. She married early, earning the nickname "The Bride," and soon became pregnant.

Tragically, in 1921, Julia died during childbirth at just 29 years old. Locals began calling her burial site the “First Bride’s Grave.” She was laid to rest in her wedding dress at Mount Carmel Cemetery, surrounded by family and the strong Italian Catholic community that settled in Chicago.

The Legend of the Italian Bride

Julia’s story took a chilling turn years after her burial. According to family accounts, Julia’s mother began having disturbing dreams in which Julia pleaded that she was still alive. Unable to shake the visions, her mother pushed for Julia’s body to be exhumed.

When the coffin was opened, something extraordinary was discovered — Julia’s body appeared perfectly preserved, despite being buried for years. She was described as a “beautiful dead woman in her casket,” her features untouched by time, while her clothing had begun to decay.

This eerie phenomenon gave rise to Julia’s legend as the Corpse Bride in real life. A statue of Julia in her wedding gown was erected above her grave, ensuring her story would never be forgotten.

Ghost Sightings and Italian Ghost Stories

Over the decades, visitors have claimed to see Julia’s ghost wandering Mount Carmel Cemetery. Dressed in a white gown, she has been spotted at night near her grave and along the cemetery’s pathways.

Her story is often told alongside other Italian urban legends, blending themes of faith, loss, and supernatural mystery. Some say Julia’s spirit remains restless, still tied to the tragedy of her young death.

Mount Carmel Cemetery in Hillside, Illinois

Mount Carmel Cemetery is one of Chicago’s most famous burial grounds. Located in Hillside, Illinois, it has long been a resting place for the city’s Catholic families, clergy, and infamous historical figures.

Visitors often come to see Julia Buccola Petta’s grave, but the cemetery is also well-known for other notable burials, including Chicago’s most notorious gangster, Al Capone .

Other Famous Burials at Mount Carmel Cemetery

Al Capone’s Grave

The most visited grave at Mount Carmel belongs to Al Capone, the infamous mobster whose life shaped Prohibition-era Chicago. His casket draws thousands of curious visitors each year, making the cemetery a destination for both history buffs and ghost hunters.

Gangsters and Notorious Figures

Alongside Capone, Mount Carmel is the final resting place for many of Chicago’s organized crime figures. These gangsters buried at Mount Carmel Cemetery add another layer of intrigue to the grounds.

Clergy and Local Families

Beyond the legends, Mount Carmel is also home to bishops, priests, and generations of Chicago’s Italian-American families, reflecting the city’s Catholic heritage.

Queen of Heaven Cemetery is A Neighboring Resting Place

Just across the street lies Queen of Heaven Cemetery in Hillside, Illinois, another vast Catholic cemetery that often draws comparisons to Mount Carmel. While Queen of Heaven lacks the same ghostly legends, it is still an important part of Chicago’s burial history.

Together, the two cemeteries form one of the largest Catholic burial sites in the region.

The Lasting Mystery of Julia Buccola Petta

To this day, Julia Buccola Petta remains one of Chicago’s most enduring ghost stories. Known as The Italian Bride, she has become a symbol of innocence lost, of faith in the afterlife, and of the eerie mysteries that cemeteries hold.

Whether her preservation was a miracle, a scientific anomaly, or a supernatural sign, Julia’s story continues to fascinate generations. Visitors leave flowers at her grave, touch the base of her statue for luck, and whisper prayers — as if she were both saint and specter.

FAQs About the Italian Bride

Jeffrey Dahmer: True Crime and Paranormal Legends in Wisconsin

Tue, 02 Sep 2025 20:00:14 GMT

Few criminals have captured the world’s morbid curiosity like Jeffrey Dahmer , the infamous “Milwaukee Cannibal.” Between 1978 and 1991, Dahmer murdered 17 men and boys in Ohio and Wisconsin, committing acts of necrophilia, dismemberment, and cannibalism. His story has become one of the most chilling chapters in American true crime history.

In the waning days of July in 1991, I remember my mother telling me when I woke up that they had found "something shocking" in Milwaukee. And those were the first reports of the bodies in the tubs and the heads in the refrigerator.

But beyond the grisly details of his crimes, Dahmer’s legacy has also taken on a paranormal dimension . Sites connected to him, from hotels to apartments to rumored graffiti in Madison, have become haunted hotspots where people claim the energy of his violence still lingers..

Cannibalism: Breaking Humanity’s Deepest Taboo

As I talk about in our Wisconsin Legends Podcast episode , Dahmer’s notoriety goes beyond being “just another serial killer.” What made him stand out was his cannibalism:

“That taboo is really what makes Jeffrey Dahmer different. He breaks it, not just the necrophilia thing, which is gross to people enough. It’s that he breaks the taboo of eating human flesh, and people end up focusing on that as the thing that he did.”

Cannibalism has been feared and reviled across cultures for millennia, but it's never about "being hungry". And the biggest movie of the year Dahmer was discovered was Silence of the Lambs, cannibalism and serial killers were already in the zeitgeist (Anthony Hopkins won a Best Actor Academy Award for a mere 16 minutes.

The Bible describes it as a curse in Deuteronomy 28 . Native American folklore warns that those who eat human flesh become possessed by the evil spirit of the Wendigo , cursed to hunt endlessly. Even Christianity contains echoes of symbolic cannibalism through communion, in another quote from our podcast:

“In communion at the end of Mass… the bread actually is supposed to become the flesh of Christ and the wine is supposed to become the blood. And so that idea of the human sacrifice, how do you get the spirit of Jesus inside you? How do you be one with God? You eat his flesh and drink his blood.”

This taboo, both horrifying and strangely familiar, is one reason Dahmer remains lodged in public memory.

The First Murder: A Haunted Ohio House

Dahmer’s first victim was Stephen Hicks , a hitchhiker he killed in 1978 at his parents’ Ohio home. Dahmer later admitted he struck Hicks with a barbell when the young man tried to leave.

Years later, when a new owner moved into the house, paranormal activity was reported. According to NPR:

“All the gear that was in the vicinity of the crawl space had malfunctioned… batteries went dead, and my computer system showed a two-gigabyte sound file, a huge file, but it refused to open. The ghost hunters didn’t find anything conclusive… but I know the house is haunted. Maybe not by ghosts, but by something much, much scarier. It’s haunted by reality.”

Here, the line between paranormal and psychological horror blurs. The house is haunted not by spirits, but by the memory of unspeakable violence.

The Ambassador Hotel: First Wisconsin Murder

Dahmer’s first Wisconsin killing occurred at the Ambassador Hotel in downtown Milwaukee in 1987. He met 25-year-old Steven Tuomi at a bar, took him to the hotel, and later claimed he blacked out, waking up to find Tuomi dead.

Paranormal researcher Chad Lewis later told Milwaukee Magazine :

“Ever since then, people have seen what appears to be Dahmer himself or a man covered in blood walk through the rooms and disappear into a wall.”

Today, the hotel embraces its Art Deco elegance, but ghost hunters still whisper about the “murder room.”

The Oxford Apartments: Milwaukee’s House of Horrors

In 1990, Dahmer moved into Apartment 213 of the Oxford Apartments at 924 North 25th Street, Milwaukee. What police found there in July 1991 shocked the world:

Skulls and bones, some spray-painted or bleached
Polaroids of dismembered bodies
Preserved body parts in the refrigerator and freezer
A 55-gallon drum filled with decomposing remains

When police finally arrested Dahmer, they opened his fridge and found a severed head. Dahmer reportedly muttered:

“For what I did, I should be dead.”

The Oxford Apartments were demolished in 1992, but the lot remains a macabre pilgrimage site. Visitors report phantom screams, cold spots, and an overwhelming sense of dread.

Weird Graffiti in Madison

In Madison, Wisconsin, another Dahmer legend persists. At the former Gardner Bakery , strange graffiti was discovered in the elevator and basement, allegedly signed by Dahmer in March 1987.

As Badgerland Legends ' Jeff Finup explained on our podcast:

“There is Dahmer’s signature in the elevator and also graffiti in the basement. The graffiti has the date… it coincides with after he was let off for the second indecent exposure incident.”

Though never verified, photos of the graffiti circulate on social media. Paranormal enthusiasts believe the site carries a heavy, oppressive energy, a psychic residue of Dahmer’s presence. But he did come to Madison for a psychiatric evaluation (where the doctor warned that his behavior might eventually turn violent), so he was here during that time, it could be him... or tasteless prank.

True Crime Meets Paranormal

Part of Dahmer’s ongoing cultural impact comes from how his crimes overlap with the supernatural imagination. His story reads like horror fiction:

Watching The Exorcist III and Return of the Jedi before murders, identifying with villains like the Gemini Killer and Emperor Palpatine
Planning to build an altar of skulls in his apartment, complete with black drapes and eerie lighting
His fascination with preserving body parts, as if trying to trap souls inside his apartment

Was he a lunatic? He fantasized about creating a lobotomized sex slave, but that was as his alcoholism increased in the final months of his rampage where he started killing more regularly, contributing to the behavior that got him arrested and caught. But before then:

“He lucidly and rationally managed himself to obtain what he desired… He did not need more than a body without a soul, deprived of any human emotion and will.”

These elements blur the line between true crime and occult horror, which is why Dahmer remains a figure of both history and legend.

Haunting Themes That Endure

Why does Dahmer’s story still fascinate us, decades later?

The Cannibal Taboo – His acts violated a universal human boundary.
The “Monster Next Door” – He looked ordinary, which made his crimes more chilling.
Paranormal Echoes – Haunted hotels, cursed graffiti, and phantom activity tie his crimes to folklore.
Pop Culture Parallels – His rise coincided with the popularity of fictional cannibals like Hannibal Lecter.

As one investigator put it:

“It may not be haunted by ghosts, but by something much scarier... reality.”

Jeffrey Dahmer’s crimes shook Milwaukee and horrified the world. But beyond the headlines, his legacy also bleeds into Wisconsin’s haunted history. From the Ambassador Hotel’s ghostly sightings to the cursed Oxford Apartments lot, from paranormal graffiti in Madison to the haunted Ohio house where his murders began, Dahmer’s presence lingers like a shadow.

For true crime enthusiasts, Dahmer represents the darkest corners of human psychology. For paranormal seekers, he proves that some places remain forever marked by evil. Together, these threads weave his story into both criminal history and supernatural folklore.

The 1903 Iroquois Theater Fire in Chicago: Death Alley and Its Haunted Past

Mon, 01 Sep 2025 08:56:34 GMT

On December 30, 1903, Chicago witnessed the deadliest theater fire in U.S. history. The Iroquois Theater Fire Chicago 1903 claimed more than 600 lives during a matinee performance, forever branding the building and its back alley with tragedy. Today, the site of the Iroquois Theater Chicago is better known as Death Alley, one of the most haunted places in the city and a key stop on our Chicago Ghost Tours.

The Iroquois Theater: Chicago’s “Fireproof” Palace

When the Iroquois Theatre Chicago IL opened in November 1903, it was celebrated as a marvel of architecture. Built to be a safe, “absolutely fireproof” playhouse, it rivaled the grandeur of Broadway. The Iroquois Theater boasted velvet curtains, polished wood, and sparkling lights—but safety shortcuts lurked behind the glamour.

At the time, Chicago was still rebuilding its reputation after the Chicago Fire disaster of 1871. Citizens wanted a cultural escape, and the Iroquois Theater Chicago delivered—until its promise of safety went up in flames.

December 30, 1903: The Fire Breaks Out

During a holiday performance of Mr. Bluebeard, an electrical fault sparked flames in the stage rigging. The so-called Kilfyre extinguishers on hand were no match for the growing blaze.

Within minutes, smoke and fire spread across the packed auditorium. Many victims were trapped by locked exits and poorly designed fire escapes, leading to chaos and horror inside the “fireproof” palace.

Witnesses later recalled the unimaginable panic—a true theater tragedy in every sense.

Panic, Tragedy, and Aftermath

That afternoon, hundreds perished—men, women, and children who came for a holiday show but never returned home. The official death toll made the Iroquois Theater Fire of 1903 the deadliest theater fire in Chicago and one of the worst Chicago fire incidents ever recorded.

Standing here today, you might wonder: how many years has it been since 1903? Over 120 years later, the scars of that day still echo.

The haunting images—archival Iroquois Theater Fire photos—show the devastation that forced the nation to rethink theater safety. Exit doors, fireproof curtains, and emergency lighting standards all trace back to the reforms that followed this disaster.

Death Alley: Chicago’s Haunted Landmark

Behind the theater, bodies were laid in neat rows along a narrow passage now infamous as Death Alley Chicago—also called the Alley of Death Chicago. Locals claim the spirits of victims never left.

Visitors report cold spots, whispers, and even ghostly apparitions near this stretch of pavement. For paranormal enthusiasts, the Iroquois Theater today remains one of Chicago’s most chilling historic landmarks.

It’s no surprise that Death Alley has become a highlight of our Chicago Ghost Tours, where true crime, tragedy, and restless spirits intersect.

Legacy of the Iroquois Theater Fire

The Chicago Iroquois Theater Fire changed building codes nationwide. Architects and lawmakers finally understood that beauty without safety was a recipe for disaster.

Still, the echoes of the Iroquois fire remain. While no flames burn in downtown Chicago today, the memory of the 1903 Iroquois Theater Fire lingers—and some believe the ghosts do too.

Living and Breathing Ghost Tours

While it is one thing to read stories in a book, magazine, or blog, it is more powerful when these stories are lived. The impact stays with you. Experiencing these sites on a walking, living, breathing tour reinforces the story. Even though the facts of the story remain relatively unchanged, new information is continually uncovered. Furthermore, experiences from these sites and the hauntings that occur serve to grow and evolve the tour, as evidenced by the humble beginnings of the first and original Chicago Hauntings Tour .

Chicago has a rich history that often brushes with tragedy. These tragedies are the source of many paranormal activities. In addition to the tragedies, there are times when even more sinister and evil hands are at play. The history of rapid growth and expansion at times comes with a very dark side. The dark history of Chicago brought forth actors ranging from H.H. Holmes to the Iroquois Theater Fire. Come explore this history with us.

Check out our Chicago ghost tour reviews on Google to see why this tour is a must-experience.

Find Your Next Paranormal Experience

Marilyn Monroe: Her Mysterious Death, Ghostly Hauntings, and a UFO Conspiracy?

Thu, 28 Aug 2025 22:11:28 GMT

Few figures in American pop culture are as enduringly iconic or as enigmatic as Marilyn Monroe . With her platinum blonde hair, glamorous presence, and unforgettable roles in Some Like It Hot and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes , Monroe embodied Hollywood’s golden era. But beyond her beauty and star power lies a darker legacy: her untimely death at age 36, a death that remains one of the most debated mysteries in celebrity history.

From whispered tales of government cover-ups to reports of her spirit haunting Los Angeles landmarks, Marilyn Monroe’s story blends Hollywood tragedy with supernatural lore and even brushes against UFO conspiracy theories.

The Official Story of Marilyn Monroe’s Death

On August 5, 1962 , Marilyn Monroe was found dead in her Brentwood, Los Angeles home. The official cause: “acute barbiturate poisoning” and a ruling of probable suicide. Empty pill bottles were discovered by her bedside, and her personal struggles with depression, anxiety, and insomnia were well-documented.

Yet almost immediately, doubts began to swirl. Friends described her as optimistic about upcoming projects. Others noted irregularities in the way her body was discovered, including conflicting reports about whether her bedroom light was on, who found her first, and whether the scene had been altered before police arrived.

The coroner’s office concluded that it was “probable suicide,” but left the door open to other interpretations. For many, it was too convenient and too neatly packaged.

Was Marilyn Monroe Silenced? The Kennedy Connection

Perhaps the most infamous conspiracy theory surrounding Monroe’s death involves her alleged affairs with both President Joh n F. Kennedy and his brother, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy .

According to numerous biographers and Hollywood insiders, Monroe had become entangled in a dangerous web of power, romance, and politics. Some speculate that she was preparing to go public with secrets she had learned during pillow talk, secrets that could embarrass the Kennedy family or even threaten national security.

That speculation fueled the idea that Marilyn’s death was not suicide at all but a carefully orchestrated silencing .

Marilyn Monroe and UFO Conspiracies

The strangest twist in the Marilyn Monroe mystery comes from declassified documents and the lore surrounding Majestic 12 , the alleged secret committee investigating UFOs in the 1940s and 50s.

In the 1990s, UFO researchers circulated a document dubbed the “Marilyn Monroe UFO Memo.” Purportedly a CIA transcript, it referenced phone conversations suggesting Monroe knew about the government’s cover-up of UFOs, including a supposed crash in New Mexico, widely interpreted as Roswell.

According to this theory, Monroe had been briefed about UFO secrets during her time with JFK. The memo implies she was threatening to hold a press conference to reveal what she knew, not only about her affair with the President but about the government hiding evidence of extraterrestrial life.

Skeptics argue the document is a hoax, pointing to formatting inconsistencies and lack of verifiable sourcing. But for UFO enthusiasts, the connection is tantalizing. Could Monroe’s death have been tied not just to political scandal, but to one of the biggest cover-ups in human history?

Nick Redfern’s Perspective on Marilyn’s “Diary of Secrets”

According to Redfern, Marilyn Monroe once kept what she called her “diary of secrets”—a personal journal reportedly encouraged by her then-husband, Joe DiMaggio. This began as a normal diary describing daily Hollywood encounters, but over time, Monroe apparently transformed it into something far more sensitive. It allegedly included intimate details she learned from powerful friends, including the Kennedy brothers—such as discussions about an impending assassination of Castro or covert Mafia–CIA collusion.
Redfern claims that when Monroe’s body was brought to the morgue, this thick diary was present among her possessions and stayed there for a few days. Then, according to eyewitnesses, a group of men in suits retrieved it. and it disappeared.
This alleged disappearance has fueled speculation that the diary was intentionally taken, or suppressed, by people aiming to protect sensitive information, potentially connected to national security.
Redfern’s book ties this diary directly to some of the most controversial theories: that Marilyn was pushed into suicide... or even assassinated... after she learned about UFOs, alien bodies, and other government cover-ups (some rumors say this knowledge came from her ties to JFK).

Here's a song my band Sunspot wrote based on Nick's book, called "Dear Diary"...

Where Marilyn Monroe’s Ghost is Seen

Whether her death was suicide, murder, or something stranger, Marilyn Monroe has never really left Los Angeles. Over the decades, countles s reports have surfaced of her ghostly presence , making her one of Hollywood’s most famous lingering spirits.

1. The Roosevelt Hotel – Hollywood

The Roosevelt Hotel, where Monroe often stayed during her early career, is perhaps the most famous site of her ghostly activity. Guests and staff have claimed to see her reflection in a full-length mirror once located in her favorite suite, now displayed in the lobby. Others report sudden cold spots, the faint scent of her perfume, and the eerie sensation of being watched.

2. Her Brentwood Home

Monroe’s final residence at 12305 Fifth Helena Drive has long been a magnet for fans and paranormal investigators. Visitors describe feeling overwhelming sadness, hearing whispers, or even glimpsing a figure resembling Marilyn walking through the halls.

3. Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery

Marilyn’s crypt at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery has become a pilgrimage site. Visitors sometimes report hearing soft crying, catching flashes of light, or feeling as if someone is brushing past them. Fellow celebrities interred nearby including Dean Martin and Natalie Wood only deepen the sense that this cemetery hums with Hollywood’s restless spirits.

4. Other Reports

Some psychics claim Marilyn’s spirit occasionally appears on film sets, wandering through Los Angeles as if still searching for the limelight. Whether wishful thinking or genuine supernatural phenomena, her ghost’s legend endures almost as strongly as her films.

Why Marilyn Monroe’s Story Still Haunts Us

What makes Monroe’s death and her ghost so captivating? Perhaps it is because she represents a collision of contradictions: public glamour versus private despair, innocence versus power, fame versus exploitation. Her life was larger than life, so it is no wonder her afterlife feels equally mythic.

The UFO connection adds yet another layer, transforming her from tragic Hollywood icon into a figure caught in the crosshairs of cosmic secrecy. Even if the “Marilyn UFO Memo” is nothing more than an elaborate fabrication, it reflects our enduring fascination with both her and the mysteries of the universe.

Conclusion

More than sixty years after her death, Marilyn Monroe remains both a symbol and a question mark. Was her death the result of depression and drugs, or was it a silencing orchestrated by the powerful? Did she know government secrets about UFOs, or is that theory simply another way we project our fascination with mystery onto her story?

And what about those ghostly encounters... are they lingering traces of her restless spirit, or echoes of a cultural obsession we cannot let go of?

Marilyn Monroe’s presence endures on our Hollywood Boulevard Ghost Walk , launching from the Dolby Theater nightly at 7pm. Experience the glamor and the mystery for yourself on a haunted history ghost tour right through the Dream Factory.

The Ghost of John Dillinger at Chicago’s Biograph Theater

Wed, 27 Aug 2025 18:08:53 GMT

Few names in American crime history carry the weight of John Dillinger , the notorious outlaw once crowned Public Enemy Number One. In the early 1930s, during the height of the Great Depression, Dillinger’s daring bank robberies and dramatic escapes captured headlines across the nation. To some, he was a ruthless killer. To others, he was a modern-day Robin Hood sticking it to the banks that had ruined countless lives.

But Dillinger’s story ended violently in Chicago on a hot July evening in 1934. His death at the Biograph Theater not only shocked the world but also left behind one of the city’s most famous ghost stories. To this day, visitors whisper of eerie encounters in the alley where Dillinger drew his last breath.

Dillinger’s Rise as America’s Most Wanted

John Herbert Dillinger was born in Indianapolis in 1903. His early life was unremarkable, though he quickly fell into trouble with the law. At just 20 years old, he attempted to rob a local grocery store and was sentenced to 10 to 20 years in prison. While his accomplice received just two years, Dillinger paid a far steeper price. Those years behind bars hardened him and gave him time to learn from seasoned criminals. By the time he was paroled in 1933, he was determined never to go straight again.

Within months, Dillinger was leading one of the most feared gangs in the Midwest. His crew robbed banks with military precision, often outsmarting the police and humiliating the FBI. He became famous for his charm and swagger as much as for his violence. Newspapers called him “the Jackrabbit” because of his ability to make quick getaways.

In just over a year, Dillinger robbed at least six major banks, killed police officers, escaped prison twice, and eluded law enforcement in shootouts across multiple states. His legend only grew with each narrow escape, making him both a national villain and a folk hero.

The Final Manhunt

By 1934, the FBI had made Dillinger its top priority. J. Edgar Hoover, eager to prove the Bureau’s effectiveness, put relentless pressure on his Chicago field office, led by Melvin Purvis. The chase became a high-stakes cat-and-mouse game that played out across the Midwest.

Dillinger narrowly escaped a police trap at a St. Paul apartment, survived a violent confrontation at Little Bohemia Lodge in Wisconsin, and even underwent plastic surgery in an attempt to alter his appearance and remove his fingerprints. Despite these efforts, the FBI never stopped closing in.

The end came on July 22, 1934 , when Dillinger went to see the gangster film Manhattan Melodrama at the Biograph Theater on North Lincoln Avenue. He was accompanied by Anna Sage, the infamous “Lady in Red,” and his girlfriend Polly Hamilton. Unbeknownst to him, Sage had struck a deal with the FBI, hoping her cooperation might prevent her deportation.

The Death of Public Enemy Number One

As Dillinger exited the Biograph Theater around 10:30 p.m., FBI agents waited in the shadows. Melvin Purvis gave the signal by lighting a cigar, and agents closed in. Dillinger stepped into a narrow alley off Lincoln Avenue. Realizing what was happening, he reached for his gun, but it was too late. Three bullets struck him, including a fatal shot to the back of the neck.

Chaos erupted. Hundreds of moviegoers poured into the street, crowding around Dillinger’s lifeless body. Some witnesses dipped handkerchiefs in his blood as gruesome souvenirs. Newspapers ran sensational headlines the next morning, and the FBI celebrated its first major public victory.

At the Cook County morgue, crowds lined up around the block to see Dillinger’s body. The coroner even put his corpse on public display behind a glass panel, allowing thousands of Chicagoans to gawk at the fallen gangster. The spectacle blurred the line between tragedy, justice, and macabre entertainment.

From Crime Legend to Chicago Ghost Story

For decades after his death, no paranormal reports surfaced at the Biograph Theater. But in the 1970s, stories began to circulate abou t strange sightings in the alley where Dillinger fell. Witnesses described a ghostly blue figure running down the passage, stumbling, and collapsing before vanishing into thin air. Some people reported sudden chills or an overwhelming feeling of dread while walking through the alley at night.

This alley, still remembered by longtime residents as Dillinger’s Alley , has become a place of both history and haunting. Even skeptics admit that the atmosphere shifts as you walk the same path Dillinger took in his final moments. The neon glow of the Biograph marquee only adds to the surreal feeling that history and the supernatural overlap here.

The Mystery of Dillinger’s Death

Despite the overwhelming evidence of his death, rumors and conspiracy theories soon surfaced. Some claimed the FBI had killed the wrong man. O thers believed Dillinger staged his own death and escaped to live quietly under a new identity.

Adding to the mystery, Dillinger himself had feared his luck was running out. Only weeks before his death, he had considered plastic surgery and fingerprint removal to evade capture. His paranoia and the extraordinary lengths he went to in order to hide have fueled speculation ever since.

Even close friends doubted the truth. Mary Kinder, a confidante of Dillinger’s, famously asked after his death: “Is it true? Is he dead?” Her words echo through time, blending fact, folklore, and ghostly legend into the story we know today.

The Biograph Theater Today

The Biograph Theater still stands on North Lincoln Avenue, though today it operates as a live performance venue. Visitors can still see the theater’s historic marquee, sit in the seat where Dillinger once watched his final movie, and step into the alley where his life came to an end. A plaque commemorates the site, but for many, the real memorial is the lingering sense of his presence.

Whether you believe in ghosts or not, the story of John Dillinger’s violent death and the haunted reputation of the Biograph Theater remain some of the most chilling tales in Chicago history.

Dillinger on the Big Screen

Dillinger’s legend has lived on not only through history and ghost stories but also through film and television. His dramatic death at the Biograph Theater has been reimagined several times for the screen.

In 1991, a made-for-TV movie simply titled Dillinger was filmed largely in Milwaukee , using the city’s historic architecture to recreate the gritty streets of Depression-era Chicago. It starred Mark Harmon of Summer School fame whose star was burning hot enough that he was even named People magazine's "Sexiest Man Alive" in 1986. One of our fantastic Waukesha guides (as well as the drummer in my band and podcast co-host ) Wendy Lynn Markus was even there for the filming in Milwaukee and you can see her and her family in the background in one of the shots. She even mentioned how nice Mark Harmon was when they were signing autographs, so not only was he sexy, he was also sweet!

More recently, Michael Mann’s 2009 blockbuster Public Enemies, starring Johnny Depp as Dillinger, filmed several key scenes in Wisconsin as well. One of the most iconic sequences was shot inside the haunted Wisconsin State Capitol in Madison , where its grand interiors stood in for period-appropriate federal buildings. And also another site you can visit on our Madison Ghost Walk!

These productions helped cement Dillinger’s enduring image in American culture, reminding audiences that his story is as much folklore as it is history.

Walk in Dillinger’s Footsteps

The legend of John Dillinger is more than just a gangster’s tale. It is a story where history, crime, and the paranormal collide. Standing outside the Biograph Theater, it is easy to imagine the tension of that July night in 1934. In the shadow of the marquee, many visitors still wonder if the restless spirit of Public Enemy Number One lingers.

If you want to experience this haunting story firsthand, join us on the Original Chicago Hauntings Ghost Bus Tour . You will visit the Biograph Theater, hear the full chilling account of Dillinger’s last night, and explore other infamous sites that make Chicago one of the most haunted cities in America. Step aboard and discover the ghostly side of the Windy City for yourself.

Why Ghost Tours Are the Perfect Bachelorette Party Idea

Sat, 23 Aug 2025 13:29:48 GMT

Ghost Tours for Bachelorette Parties: The Ultimate Unique Experience

When you think of planning the ultimate bachelorette party, a few classics come to mind: cocktails downtown, a spa retreat, maybe even a weekend getaway to Vegas. But what if you want something that blends laughter, adventure, history, and just the right touch of spooky fun? That is where ghost tours for bachelorette parties come in.

A ghost tour is not your average night out. It is a mix of eerie legends, haunted landmarks, and atmospheric nighttime walks, all wrapped up in an experience that feels tailor-made for a group celebrating love and friendship. And while the bride’s future might be unknown, so are the fates of the restless spirits you will meet along the way.

Here is why ghost tours are not just good for bachelorette parties, they might actually be the best activity you can plan for one.

1. Fun and Inclusive for Every Personality

One of the biggest challenges of organizing a bachelorette party is choosing something that works for everyone. Bridesmaids and friends often come from different chapters of the bride’s life, and not everyone wants to spend the evening in a nightclub or on a bar crawl.

Ghost tours solve that problem. They are accessible, fun, and do not require anyone to drink, dance, or stay out until sunrise unless they want to. Instead, the group gets a shared experience filled with stories, laughs, and maybe a few chills.

For the history buff: Ghost tours often highlight the rich past of a city, with tales of early settlers, historic tragedies, and local legends.
For the thrill-seeker : The suspense of eerie locations and whispered ghostly encounters is just the right amount of adrenaline.
For the skeptic : Even if you do not believe in ghosts, the theatrical storytelling and fun group dynamic make it entertaining.
For the true believer : This is their dream come true.

No matter the mix of personalities in your group, ghost tours have a way of meeting everyone in the middle.

2. An Instant Icebreaker for Mixed Groups

Let’s face it. Not everyone at a bachelorette party knows each other. You might have college friends, work friends, childhood friends, and even family all coming together for the first time. That can sometimes make the first few hours a little awkward.

Enter the ghost tour.

There is something about gathering in the dark, hearing eerie tales, and nervously glancing over your shoulder that breaks down barriers fast. Before long, people are laughing together, pointing out creaks and shadows, and sharing reactions. It is the kind of built-in bonding activity that instantly unites a group, no matter how different their backgrounds.

By the time you are halfway through the tour, everyone feels like part of the same crew, which is exactly what you want for a bachelorette celebration.

3. Insta-Worthy Photos and Unforgettable Memories

Bachelorette parties are all about making memories, and documenting them, of course. Ghost tours provide the perfect backdrop for unforgettable photos.

Imagine the bridal party in matching sashes, feather boas, or coordinated outfits, standing in front of a centuries-old haunted mansion or silhouetted against a flickering streetlamp. Add the thrill of knowing the spot is rumored to be haunted, and you have photos that are both beautiful and unique.

Plus, ghost tours often take you into hidden corners of the city that most visitors never see. These atmospheric streets and historic landmarks make your night feel cinematic, like you are in your own spooky rom-com adventure.

4. Thrills Without Exhaustion

A ghost tour is the perfect balance of exciting and relaxing. You will get the thrill of creepy stories and maybe even a few jump scares, but without the intensity of a bar crawl or high-energy dance floor.

Most ghost tours involve a leisurely stroll, with plenty of pauses for storytelling. That means you will not burn out the bride before her big day, and everyone will feel comfortable keeping up.

The best part is that you can easily pair a ghost tour with other activities. Have dinner before the tour, enjoy the haunted walk as the main event, and then wrap up with cocktails at a nearby bar. It works as both a standalone experience and part of a bigger night out.

5. Celebrate with Spirits, Both Supernatural and Otherwise

What is a bachelorette party without a toast or two? Many ghost tours are located in vibrant nightlife districts, so transitioning from spooky stories to celebratory drinks is seamless.

Some ghost tours even include haunted pub crawls, where you stop at historic taverns and bars rumored to host both guests and ghosts. It is a chance to raise a glass to the bride, share a laugh, and maybe wonder if the chill down your spine came from the draft or something else entirely.

This blend of the paranormal with the party atmosphere is what makes ghost tours such a versatile bachelorette option.

6. A Story That Stays With You Forever

Every bride deserves a bachelorette story that stands out. While anyone can say they danced until dawn or hit up the city’s best cocktail lounge, not every group can say:

“Remember when we went ghost hunting on my bachelorette weekend?”

That is the beauty of ghost tours. They create stories that live on long after the night is over. Whether it is a strange photo that caught a mysterious orb, a nervous scream that turned into group laughter, or just the eerie feeling of standing in a place with a haunted past, these moments become part of the bride’s wedding story.

And unlike a wild night out, you will not wake up wondering what you missed. You will wake up with stories you will want to retell forever.

Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Boo

At its heart, a bachelorette party is about celebrating love, friendship, and the future. A ghost tour weaves all of that together with a dose of history, mystery, and adventure. It is a unique, fun, and inclusive option that guarantees laughter, bonding, and unforgettable memories.

If you are searching for a bachelorette activity that is outside the box but still delivers all the fun, ghost tours for bachelorette parties are the way to go. With a perfect mix of spooky chills and celebratory thrills, you will give the bride a send-off into married life that she will never forget.

So grab your bride squad, slip on those sashes, and get ready for a night of something old, something new, and something boo.

Ready to Plan Your Haunted Bachelorette Party?

Make your bachelorette party unforgettable with a ghost tour that blends history, mystery, and celebration. Whether you are looking for a spooky night in the city, a haunted pub crawl, or a fun way to bond with the bride squad, we have you covered.

Plan your custom ghost tour bachelorette party today and give the bride a night of spirits she will never forget.

Why I Believe in Magic: Science, Consciousness, and the Secret Power of the Universe

Tue, 19 Aug 2025 16:28:17 GMT

When you hear the word magic, what comes to mind? Stage illusions with card tricks and rabbits in hats? Wizards casting fireballs in fantasy novels? Or maybe New Age spirituality with crystals, candles, and incense?

For many, magic is entertainment, fantasy, or superstition. But Dr. Dean Radin , chief scientist at the Institute of Noetic Sciences and author of Real Magic: Ancient Wisdom, Modern Science, and a Guide to the Secret Power of the Universe, argues that real magic is neither stagecraft nor fairy tale. Instead, it is part of human history, human experience, and something science can actually test in the laboratory.

After studying Radin’s work, reading Real Magic , and interviewing him about his decades of research, I’ve come to believe that magic is real. Not the lightning bolts from wands kind of magic, but something subtler and more profound: the ability of consciousness to reach across time and space, to influence the world, and to connect us to something greater.

The Three Forms of Magic

Radin distills millennia of esoteric traditions into three categories that consistently describe magical practice across cultures:

Divination – perceiving through time and space. This includes clairvoyance, precognition, and remote viewing. In simpler terms: knowing things you should not be able to know.
Force of Will – using intention to shape reality. Modern parapsychology calls this psychokinesis, or influencing matter with the mind.
Theurgy – invoking or communicating with spirits, ancestors, or intelligences beyond the ordinary world.

Whether you look at shamanism, the Hermetic tradition, or modern occult practices, these three elements appear again and again. And interestingly, they map directly onto what parapsychologists like Radin have been studying for more than 150 years.

Telepathy in the Lab: Beyond Coincidence

Let’s start with divination and telepathy. Most of us have had moments when we thought of someone right before they called, or dreamed about an event that later came true. Skeptics dismiss these as coincidence, pointing out that with billions of people having trillions of thoughts, some are bound to line up.

But what happens when you bring those “coincidences” into the lab? In the late 90s when I was in college at the University of Wisconsin, I did my Experimental Psychology project with a classic psi experiment like the kind that Radin describes in his book:

Two people are separated so they cannot communicate.
Putting the sender and receiver in sensory deprivation (they call this the ganzfeld , German for "whole field")
One, the “sender,” is shown a random image from a pool of four.
The other, the “receiver,” is asked to pick which image was being sent.

By chance alone, the receiver should pick correctly 25 percent of the time. But after more than 4,000 such trials, involving college students, family members, and even self-proclaimed psychics, the hit rate averaged 32 percent. That difference may seem small, but statistically it is enormous. The odds of it happening by chance are astronomically low.

What is more, even skeptics who ran the same experiment achieved the same results. This is not a one-off anomaly. It is repeatable across decades, labs, and participants.

In other words: telepathy, at least in this subtle form, seems real.

Psychokinesis: Mind Over Matter

If telepathy is about perceiving, force of will is about influencing. Pop culture gives us images of levitating objects, Jedi mind tricks, or bending spoons with sheer concentration. While the lab has not produced anything quite that cinematic, Radin and colleagues have shown again and again that the human mind can subtly affect matter.

The most famous experiments use random number generators (RNGs) , electronic circuits that produce unpredictable streams of 1s and 0s, the digital equivalent of coin flips. Under normal conditions, the output should be random, with no patterns. But when participants focus their intention on the RNG, willing it toward more 1s or more 0s, small but statistically significant deviations occur.

Over decades and hundreds of studies, these deviations add up. At a certain point, the probability that they are “just chance” becomes effectively zero. This is what scientists call a Six Sigma effect : a result so far beyond random expectation that, in fields like physics, it would be Nobel Prize worthy.

Beyond RNGs, Radin cites experiments where intention appears to influence the behavior of photons, the growth of bacteria, even the health of small animals. The effects are not large, but they are consistent, measurable, and real.

Ritual, Gnosis, and Why Belief Matters

If magic is real, why the robes, chants, candles, and symbols? Why not just think hard and make things happen?

Radin explains that rituals serve a psychological and neurological function. They help us enter a state of gnosis . Gnosis, sometimes called a non-ordinary or mystical state, is where the boundaries of ordinary awareness dissolve. In gnosis, the mind quiets, distinctions fade, and consciousness becomes unified and focused.

It is from this state, Radin argues, that magic works best. The ritual is not inherently powerful. It is a tool to shift awareness into the right mode. That is why ancient traditions insisted on facing north, or using particular symbols. These elements were not arbitrary. They helped align body and mind with deeper layers of reality.

One practical method Radin describes is “writing magic.” The practice is simple:

Write down your goal in the present tense, as if it has already happened: I have my dream job.
Treat the writing as sacred. Use a special pen, keep it private, or burn it in a ritual.
Focus deeply as you write, then release it. Do not obsess or share it casually.

Why does this matter? Because belief is crucial. Studies show that when participants believed in a blessing or intention, the effect was measurably stronger. In cultures where magic is deeply ingrained, like voodoo, its effects can even be life-or-death. Belief, in other words, amplifies the signal.

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The Hypnagogic Doorway and Altered States

Magic also thrives in altered states of consciousness: dreaming, trance, hypnosis, psychedelics, or the twilight state between waking and sleeping. Radin cites research where people in deep hypnotic trance demonstrated extraordinary clairvoyant accuracy, sometimes described as “traveling clairvoyance” or remote viewing.

He also notes that hypnagogic (falling asleep) and hypnopompic (waking) states are especially fertile for magical practice. In those moments, when the rational mind loosens its grip, intention seems to sink deeper. A simple bedtime affirmation or visualization can be more powerful than hours of daytime wishing.

Even common practices like prayer, drumming, chanting, or meditation work for similar reasons: they bypass analytical thought and open the door to gnosis.

Consciousness as the Secret Power of the Universe

At the heart of Real Magic is a bold claim: consciousness is fundamental.

In the prevailing scientific worldview, consciousness is an accident of evolution, a byproduct of brain tissue. But Radin argues, drawing on both ancient wisdom and modern evidence, that consciousness is not secondary but primary: the fabric of reality itself.

If consciousness is fundamental, then divination, telepathy, psychokinesis, and other “paranormal” effects are not paranormal at all. They are natural expressions of consciousness reaching beyond the limits of matter, space, and time.

This shift in worldview mirrors past scientific revolutions. Just as quantum physics shattered classical certainty, the recognition of consciousness as fundamental may expand our understanding of reality and with it, what we call magic.

I even wrote a song called "Hypnogogic" check the video out below!

Why I Believe in Magic

So why do I believe in magic?

Because telepathy experiments, replicated thousands of times, show results beyond chance.
Because RNGs and micro-PK studies reveal that intention can influence matter.
Because rituals, writing, and altered states have demonstrable psychological and measurable effects.
Because cultures worldwide, from shamans to yogis to mystics, describe the same three forms of magic.
And because the idea that consciousness is fundamental makes sense of it all.

Magic is not about fireballs or fantasy. It is about the subtle ways our minds shape reality, the unseen threads that connect us, and the possibility that we are far more powerful and interconnected than we have been taught.

As Radin himself says, the taboo against studying magic is not scientific. It is cultural. And like all taboos, it is time to question it.

The Call to Wonder

In a world obsessed with materialism, efficiency, and skepticism, believing in magic might sound naïve. But I see it differently. Magic is a reminder that mystery is real. That our intentions matter. That we are part of something greater than ourselves.

You do not have to wear robes or chant in Latin. You do not have to deny science. You just have to stay open to the possibility that consciousness, your consciousness, can ripple through the universe in ways we are only beginning to understand.

That, to me, is real magic. I believe. If you would like to hear an interview I conducted with Dr. Radin, please check out our podcast!

Remembering Roberto Clemente: The Great One’s Birthday, Legacy, and the Mystery of His Premonition

Mon, 18 Aug 2025 21:47:30 GMT

Every August 18th, Puerto Rico and the baseball world pause to honor the birthday of Roberto Clemente , born in Carolina, Puerto Rico, in 1934. Known simply as The Great One, Clemente wasn’t just a Hall of Fame right fielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates, he was a cultural icon whose impact stretched far beyond the diamond.

Clemente’s Baseball Greatness

Over 18 seasons with the Pirates, Clemente built a résumé that would make him one of the most complete players in Major League history. A .317 career batting average , 3,000 hits , 15 All-Star selections , 12 Gold Gloves , an MVP award , and two World Series championships barely scratch the surface of his brilliance.

But Clemente was more than numbers. He brought a new style of play to Major League Baseball... powerful throws from right field, electric baserunning, and a hitting approach that confounded pitchers. For Latino and Caribbean players, he opened doors. For Pittsburgh, he became a beloved hero. For Puerto Rico, he was (and remains) a national symbol of excellence and pride.

Roots at Estadio Sixto Escobar

Before Clemente became a legend in Pittsburgh, he made his mark in Puerto Rico’s most storied ballpark: Estadio Sixto Escobar in San Juan. Nicknamed “The Madison Square Garden of Puerto Rico,” Escobar was home to the island’s fiercest baseball rivalries and its most passionate fans ( as well as being across the street from the haunted Normandie Hotel !) Built in 1932 along the coast near Old San Juan, the stadium was famous for its swirling trade winds, electric crowds, and a playing surface built on coral reef that drained so well games could be played just hours after rainstorms.

It was at Escobar, during a 1952 tryout organized by the Brooklyn Dodgers and Santurce Crabbers’ owner Pedrín Zorrilla, that Clemente first caught the eye of major-league scouts. He soon signed with Santurce, playing alongside stars like Willie Mays, and began building the reputation that would carry him to the majors. Fans packed the stands, sometimes overflowing into trees outside the park, to watch Clemente’s arm and bat in action. It's abandoned now, but Escobar was more than a stadium, it was a crucible where Puerto Rican baseball dreams, politics, and culture collided, and Clemente’s rise from its field symbolized the island’s growing place in the world game.

A Humanitarian First

Clemente believed that athletic greatness came with responsibility. He spent offseasons running clinics for underprivileged youth and delivering aid throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. When a devastating earthquake struck Nicaragua in December 1972, Clemente personally organized relief flights from Puerto Rico. After hearing reports that earlier shipments were being stolen by corrupt officials, he insisted on going himself to make sure the aid reached those in need.

The Assassination Threat

Just months before his death, Clemente’s life was the subject of a chilling threat. In late September 1972, a typewritten letter in red ink arrived at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh. Addressed to the Pirates organization, it warned that on September 29th , during the second inning of a game, Clemente would be shot while playing right field . The note closed with the eerie line: “a present from a Mets fan.”

The letter, postmarked from Clifton, New Jersey, wasn’t even opened until November 1, more than a month after the targeted game had passed without incident. By then, the FBI was involved, but since nothing had occurred, the investigation was quietly dropped. No suspect was ever identified, and the heavily redacted file was eventually declassified in 1982.

What makes this so haunting is the timing. The threat came just three months before Clemente’s fatal plane crash on December 31, 1972. Fans can’t help but see a chilling symmetry: first a promise of death in the outfield, then the shocking loss of Clemente in the skies.

The Night of the Flight

On December 31, 1972 , Clemente boarded a Douglas DC-7 cargo plane in San Juan bound for Managua. The aircraft was old, overloaded, and mechanically suspect. Minutes after takeoff, it crashed into the Atlantic Ocean. Only debris was recovered. Clemente was just 38 years old .

Did Clemente Predict His Own Death?

According to the book Haunted Baseball: Ghosts, Curses, Legends, And Eerie Events by Mickey Bradley and Dan Gordon, o ne of the most haunting parts of Clemente’s story is the belief that he foresaw his tragic fate.

Recurring dreams : Teammates recalled Clemente waking from flights shaken, saying he dreamt of crashes where only he died.
Worries about old planes : He often warned friends that unused or outdated planes were unsafe, ironically, the exact kind that went down.
Family premonitions : On the morning of the crash, his seven-year-old son, Roberto, Jr. told him, “Don’t get on the plane. I think it’s going to crash,” despite not knowing his father was flying.
Acceptance of fate : Days before the crash, Clemente told a friend, “Nobody dies the day before his time. You die when you are meant to die.”

Whether these were true prophecies, anxieties, or simply tragic coincidences, the effect is chilling. For many fans, Clemente’s death takes on the aura of destiny... an athlete who knew and still chose to serve.

You can listen to an interview I did with Dan Gordon, the author of Haunted Baseball right here:

Clemente’s Enduring Legacy

First Latino player inducted into the Hall of Fame (1973, by special election).
Number 21 retired by the Pirates.
Roberto Clemente Award , given annually to MLB players who embody service and sportsmanship.
Revered in Puerto Rico as a prócer , a national hero.
Honored across the United States with schools, parks, statues, and even a U.S. postage stamp.

Every August 18th, Roberto Clemente’s birthday is not just a celebration of a ballplayer, it’s a reminder of a man who seemed to glimpse his own end, yet charged forward anyway, driven by compassion. His legend lives on not only in Cooperstown or in the retired number 21, but in the way his spirit still seems to hover over the game, whispering of sacrifice, destiny, and the mysteries that even baseball cannot explain.

If you love ghost stories and Puerto Rican culture, our San Juan Ghost Walk explores Old San Juan nightly at 7:30pm. Enjoy mysteries, legends, and history of this amazing city with Puerto Rico 's original ghost tour!

Tempest Oyster Bar in Madison, Wisconsin

Fri, 15 Aug 2025 00:00:45 GMT

A Seafood Spot With a Side of Spirits

In downtown Madison, Wisconsin, just a short walk from Lake Monona’s breezy shoreline, you’ll find a seafood restaurant that looks like it belongs in New Orleans’ French Quarter. The Tempest Oyster Bar is celebrated for its fresh oysters, prime steaks, and craft cocktails. But behind the clink of martini glasses and the shuck of oysters lies a story steeped in death, mystery, and the supernatural.

The building’s past is as layered as its menu, and for those with a taste for ghost stories, Tempest offers far more than dinner... it offers a haunting.

From Funeral Parlor to Fine Dining

The building at 120 East Wilson Street opened its doors in 1929 as the Frautschi Funeral Parlor . The Frautschi family were well-known in Madison, both for their funeral business and their deep ties to the local arts scene. Decades later, Jerry Frautschi would help fund the Overture Center for the Arts, but for much of the mid-20th century, the family business was preparing Madison’s dead for burial.

Inside these walls, countless bodies were embalmed, dressed, and readied for viewings. The embalming room, complete with a drainage grate for bodily fluids, was in the basement, right where some employees now store extra chairs, cleaning supplies, and cases of wine. While the business closed in the late 1970s, that heavy history never truly left.

It’s not hard to imagine why locals whisper that some of the spirits prepared here might still be wandering.

The Heaven’s Gate Connection: Fact or Folklore?

If the building’s funeral home past weren’t enough to give you chills, one of its most enduring legends ties it to one of America’s most infamous cults... Heaven’s Gate .

In March of 1997, 39 members of Heaven’s Gate committed mass suicide in Rancho Santa Fe, California, believing they would ascend to an alien spacecraft trailing the Hale-Bopp comet. But local lore says there was a “missing 40th member,” a man who failed to make it to the California rendezvous. Months later, he supposedly took his own life in the basement of this very building.

The story goes that the man was staying here during renovations. Workers noticed his strange behavior—rambling about cosmic salvation and muttering to himself. Then one day, he was found hanged in the basement.

There’s no official record to confirm the claim, and historians generally regard it as an urban legend. But whether it’s true or not, the story has cemented itself in Madison ghost lore, repeated on walking tours, in podcasts, and around bar tables late at night.

Paranormal Activity at Tempest Oyster Bar

Legends aside, the Tempest Oyster Bar has a steady stream of paranormal reports, many from people who had no idea about the building’s history until after their encounter.

Common claims include:

Unexplained cold spots... even in summer, certain areas feel icy.
Phantom whispers in empty rooms, often heard by closing staff.
Dishes breaking or sliding across counters without anyone touching them.
Fire extinguishers falling off the wall with no apparent cause.
Doors slamming despite the absence of a breeze.
A basement so oppressively cold and heavy that some employees refuse to go there alone.

One bartender swears she saw a shadowy figure move past the kitchen door, only to find the kitchen completely empty. Another former server recalled hearing footsteps on the upper floor long after the apartments above had been vacated.

A Personal Encounter: My Favorite Murder Visits Tempest

As the owner of American Ghost Walks , I’ve been in my fair share of haunted spaces, but Tempest is one I always return to. In fact, when Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark, hosts of the hit true crime comedy podcast My Favorite Murder , visited Madison in October 2017, I made sure to bring them here.

We sat down for dinner, surrounded by the restaurant’s low lighting and vintage charm, and I shared Tempest’s most chilling stories... funeral home origins, Heaven’s Gate rumors, and all. By dessert, even these seasoned storytellers of murder and mayhem were visibly intrigued. They didn’t have any ghostly encounters that night (at least none they admitted to), but they agreed: Tempest has a presence.

Ghost Tourism in Madison

The Tempest is now a fixture on Madison ghost tours. Guests often come in skeptical but leave with a new respect for the unexplained. Some even claim to capture anomalies on their phones... shadows in mirrors, strange light streaks, or the feeling that something moved just out of frame.

It’s a prime example of how haunted history and modern hospitality can coexist. Locals come for happy hour oysters; tourists come for the ghost stories. Some come for both.

Why Tempest Earns Its Place on America’s Most Haunted Bars List

Check out this podcast featuring our very own Madison Ghost Host With The Most Lisa Van Buskirk as they tell stories at The Tempest and do a paranormal investigation!

When we think of haunted bars, many are in old hotels or historic saloons, but Tempest stands out. Its haunted reputation isn’t built on one event, but on layers of history :

Half a century as a funeral parlor where countless people made their last stop before the grave.
A persistent urban legend connecting it to one of the strangest mass suicides in U.S. history.
Firsthand paranormal reports from staff, residents, and investigators over decades.

Add in a dim, vintage atmosphere and a basement that feels straight out of a horror movie, and you’ve got a recipe for one of the most compelling haunted dining experiences in the Midwest.

Visiting Tempest Oyster Bar

If you’re planning to experience Tempest for yourself, here’s what to know:

�� Location: 120 E. Wilson Street, Madison, WI

�� Specialties: Fresh oysters, seafood, steaks, cocktails

�� Best time to visit for ghost vibes: Late evening, especially on a quiet night

�� Ghost-hunting tip: Politely ask your server if they’ve had any experiences, they might just share something off-menu.

See it in person

Whether you believe in ghosts or not, the Tempest Oyster Bar offers something rare, a place where fine dining and spectral legends intertwine. You can come for the oysters and leave with a story you’ll tell for years. We go there on the King Street Spirits tour in Madison, Wisconsin every weekend from May to October and who knows what you'll see?

And if you do head downstairs, take a deep breath and watch your step. You never know who, or what, might be keeping you company.

The Sunset Strip Killers: How Doug Clark and Carol Bundy Turned Hollywood Dreams into Nightmares

Mon, 11 Aug 2025 16:38:46 GMT

The Sunset Strip in the summer of 1980 was alive with energy. Neon lights glowed over the legendary clubs of West Hollywood. Bands fought for fame at the Whisky a Go Go and The Roxy. Tourists snapped photos under billboards for the next big movie. And on warm nights, the sidewalks filled with a mix of dreamers, drifters, and the desperate — including sex workers and runaway teens chasing survival in the city of stars.

But amid the music and bright lights, something far darker prowled those streets. That year, Los Angeles would fall under the shadow of a killing spree so depraved it would shock even seasoned detectives. And unlike many serial murder cases, this one didn’t involve a lone predator.

The killers were a couple, Doug Clark and Carol Bundy, whose twisted relationship turned into a partnership in torture and murder. Their crimes would earn them the name The Sunset Strip Killers , and their legacy still haunts the city more than four decades later.

A Match Made in Hell

Doug Clark’s life began in privilege. Born in 1948, the son of a Naval Intelligence officer, he grew up as what’s known as a “military brat,” moving frequently between countries, including Switzerland, India, and the Marshall Islands . He attended elite schools, lived in comfortable homes, and never wanted for material things. But beneath the respectable exterior was a disturbing streak.

As a teenager, Clark secretly recorded his sexual encounters without consent. Over time, his fantasies escalated, first to power games, then sadomasochism, and eventually to the darkest desires imaginable: mutilation, murder, and necrophilia.

By the late 1970s, Clark was drifting through life in Los Angeles, taking short-term jobs in factories and steam plants, spending his nights in country bars and nightclubs. He was a practiced manipulator, targeting lonely older women who could provide him with money, housing, or both.

On Christmas Day 1979, Clark walked into a North Hollywood bar and met the woman who would become his partner in crime: Carol Bundy.

Bundy was 37, a vocational nurse, and newly divorced. Her life had been shaped by trauma, an abusive father, multiple failed and violent marriages, and a desperate need for affection and security. She was at the bar that night to see an old flame, country singer John Murray, perform. But once she met Clark, her life took a grim new path.

Within weeks, Clark had moved into Bundy’s apartment, bringing not just his charm but his dark fantasies.

From Dark Desires to Deadly Acts

Bundy was soon immersed in Clark’s sexual appetites. He introduced her to sadomasochistic practices, pushed her boundaries, and conditioned he r to accept, and even enjoy, what once might have repelled her.

Their relationship quickly turned predatory. Clark began bringing sex workers home for threesomes. Then he set his sights on the couple’s 11-year-old neighbor. Rather than stopping him, Bundy helped lure the girl inside, where she posed for pornographic photos. This horrifying abuse erased any remaining moral line.

Clark confided his ultimate fantasy: killing a woman during intercourse, so he could feel her body tighten as she died. Instead of leaving, Bundy bought him two pistols.

The Summer of 1980: A Trail of Death

The murders began in June 1980. Clark picked up two teenage runaways, 15-year-old Gina Marano and 16-year-old Cynthia Chandler, from the Sunset Strip. At gunpoint, he forced them to perform sex acts, then shot them both in the head. Their bodies were found near the freeway, and evidence suggested Clark had violated them postmortem.

A week later, Clark murdered two sex workers, 24-year-old Karen Jones and 20-year-old Exxie Wilson. This time, the horror deepened. Clark decapitated Wilson and kept her head in a refrigerator. Bundy applied makeup to the severed head, treating it like a grotesque doll, before Clark used it for sexual gratification. When they were finished, they placed the head in a wooden box and abandoned it in an alley.

Another victim, 17-year-old runaway Marnette Comer, was found mummified in a ravine weeks later. Clark is also suspected in the murders of multiple unidentified women, including the “Newhall Jane Doe” and “Valencia Jane Does.” In each case, the victims had been shot in the head, often during or immediately after sexual activity, and sometimes mutilated after death.

Bundy’s Solo Kill

While Clark committed most of the murders, Bundy proved she could kill without him. In August 1980, she reconnected with her former lover, John “Jack” Murray, the same man performing the night she first met Clark. Accounts differ on her motives. Some say she feared Murray would go to police after she told him about the murders. Others believe she killed to prove her devotion to Clark.

Whatever the reason, Bundy lured Murray to his van, shot him in the head, stabbed him repeatedly, and decapitated him. Murray’s head was never recovered.

The Confession That Broke the Case

Two days after killing Murray, Bundy broke down at work and confessed to her fellow nurses. They alerted authorities, and on August 11, 1980 , both she and Clark were arrested.

In custody, Bundy detailed their crimes, implicating Clark in multiple murders. Clark chose to represent himself in court, using his allotted time in the prison law library to craft motions and delay the trial. But when it came time for the verdict, the jury wasn’t swayed.

Sentencing and Aftermath

Doug Clark was convicted of six murders, one attempted murder, and sexual contact with human remains. He was sentenced to death in 1983 and sent to Sa n Quentin’s death row, where he remained until dying of natural causes in 2023 at the age of 75.

Carol Bundy struck a plea deal, admitting to two murders in exchange for testifying against Clark. She was sentenced to 52 years to life and died in prison in 2003 from heart failure.

Why This Case Still Horrifies

The Sunset Strip Killers’ crimes stand out not just for their brutality, but for the psychological dynamic between Clark and Bundy. Experts note that Clark exploited Bundy’s history of abuse and vulnerability, isolating her from others and reshaping her moral boundaries until she would do anything for him.

Former FBI profiler Robert Hazelwood described such relationships as a cycle of dominance and submission: the dominant partner manipulates, seduces, isolates, and punishes until the submissive partner’s identity becomes entwined with the relationship, no matter how destructive.

The Shadow Over the Strip

Today, the Sunset Strip is once again a destination for music, nightlife, and celebrity sightings. But for those who remember the summer of 1980, the neon lights also recall the darkness that once hunted here.

The story of Doug Clark and Carol Bundy is a reminder that sometimes the most dangerous predators don’t work alone, and that the wrong partnership can magnify evil to its deadliest extremes.

Remembering Jim Lovell: Wisconsin’s Astronaut Hero and His Mysterious Gemini 7 UFO Sighting

Sat, 09 Aug 2025 05:19:33 GMT

Captain James A. Lovell Jr. (1928–2025) will forever be remembered as a NASA legend, Apollo 13 commander, and one of America’s most respected astronauts. But for Wisconsinites, Jim Lovell was also a hometown hero, a Milwaukee native who carried Dairyland grit all the way to the Moon.

Lovell passed away on August 7, 2025 , at age 97, leaving behind a legacy that spans four spaceflights, countless hours of historic mission footage, and even one of the most famous astronaut UFO sightings ever recorded.

Jim Lovell’s Wisconsin Roots

Though born in Cleveland, Lovell grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin , graduating from Juneau High School and attending the University of Wisconsin–Madison before joining the U.S. Navy as a test pilot.

His Midwestern work ethic, quiet confidence, and sharp problem-solving skills would later make him one of NASA’s most trusted astronauts. In his hometown, he became a symbol of what Wisconsin determination could achieve.

Gemini 7: Record-Breaking Mission and a UFO Encounter

In December 1965 , Lovell and fellow astronaut Frank Borman launched aboard Gemini 7 for a then-unprecedented 14-day mission in Earth orbit . The flight was designed to test human endurance and practice spacecraft rendezvous, but something unexpected happened.

Halfway through the mission, Lovell made a now-famous transmission to Mission Control:

“BOGEY AT 10 O’CLOCK HIGH… We have several… actual sightings.”

When asked if the object was their booster rocket, Lovell confirmed they could also see the booster. Whatever these were, they were something else entirely.

The Gemini 7 UFO sighting remains one of NASA’s most intriguing space mysteries, and it’s often cited in discussions of astronaut-reported unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP).

A Hero’s Welcome in Milwaukee

After Gemini 7, Milwaukee honored Lovell with a downtown parade in February 1966 . Despite snow and freezing temperatures, thousands lined Wisconsin Avenue to cheer for their hometown astronaut. Seven marching bands played, confetti fell from office buildings, and Lovell waved from the parade route, a Wisconsin hero in every sense.

Apollo 8 and Apollo 13: Legendary Space Missions

Lovell went on to pilot Apollo 8 , the first mission to orbit the Moon, in December 1968. The crew’s live Christmas Eve broadcast, reading from the Book of Genesis, became one of the most-watched television events of its time.

In April 1970 , Lovell commanded Apollo 13 . When an oxygen tank exploded en route to the Moon, he led his crew through one of NASA’s most harrowing emergencies. The mission’s safe return remains one of the greatest rescues in space history and inspired the film Apollo 13 starring Tom Hanks.

“Look Beyond Z”: Lovell’s Advice to the Next Generation

Speaking at the University of Wisconsin–Madison commencement decades later, Lovell urged graduates to “look beyond Z” — to venture into unknown territory and pursue possibilities beyond the obvious.

It was the perfect message from a man who had navigated the far side of the Moon, faced down life-threatening challenges in deep space, and even seen unexplained phenomena with his own eyes.

Jim Lovell’s Legacy

From Wisconsin roots to lunar orbit, from Gemini 7’s UFO mystery to Apollo 13’s triumph over disaster, Jim Lovell’s career reminds us that exploration is about courage, curiosity, and perseverance.

As we remember Captain Lovell, we honor not just an astronaut, but a man who inspired generations to dream bigger — and to never stop reaching for the stars.

Rest in peace, Captain Lovell. Your journey has truly gone beyond Z.

Jim Lovell was a proud Badger and you can walk the same routes he did when he went to class at the University of Wisconsin on our UW Madison Campus Ghost Walk, a route that covers the legends and mysteries of Wisconsin's flagship college campus!

Possessed in the Heartland: True Midwest Exorcisms and the Secret School Training Priests to Fight Evil

Thu, 07 Aug 2025 20:55:34 GMT

The Midwest: America's Unexpected Exorcism Epicenter

Exorcism isn't just a relic of medieval superstition or horror films. It's real, it's active, and it's surprisingly rooted in the American Midwest. From terrifying tales of demonic possession in Wisconsin and Indiana to the real-life inspiration for The Exorcist in Missouri, the Heartland holds a haunting history few realize. And at the center of today’s spiritual battle against evil? The Milwaukee-based Pope Leo XIII Institute , training priests to confront the darkness.

Carl Seige: Wisconsin's Forgotten Demonic Case

Long before The Exorcist terrified moviegoers or the Vatican formalized the modern Rite of Exorcism, a chilling case unfolded in the small town of Watertown, Wisconsin . In the mid-1800s, a teenager named Carl Seige , the son of German immigrants, began exhibiting bizarre and frightening symptoms that would become a foundational case in American Catholic exorcism history.

Carl's ordeal began with a seemingly mundane event: his family discovered a duck egg with a mysterious pinhole. Carl's sister believed the egg had been cursed by a local witch . After the family dog consumed the egg and went mad, tragedy followed. Carl's sister died suddenly of unexplained causes, and Carl himself began suffering physical and psychological afflictions, including seizures, paralysis, and deep stupors.

Terrified, the Seige family turned to the Catholic Church , and Bishop John Martin Henni of Milwaukee approved a formal investigation. Father John Gmeiner , a priest with a strong academic and theological background, was assigned to the case. Gmeiner would conduct multiple exorcism rituals on Carl throughout his life and later wrote a detailed account in his 1886 book Spirits of Darkness .

The rituals were lengthy, often lasting for hours, and would leave both Carl and the attending priests physically and spiritually exhausted. Between episodes, Carl would return to a calm demeanor, only to relapse weeks or months later. His condition appeared cyclical and chronic , defying the tidy resolution often seen in films.

The case of Carl Seige is notable not only for its intensity but for its early timing—predating most other documented American exorcisms. It set the precedent for how the American Catholic Church would respond to suspected possessions, combining ritual, counseling, and careful observation. While Carl’s ultimate fate remains somewhat obscure, his story continues to echo through Wisconsin’s haunted history as one of the first exorcisms on American soil recognized by Church authorities.

The Convent Hill Demonic Infestation: Milwaukee, 1854

In 1854, eerie events plagued the Motherhouse Convent of the Sisters of Notre Dame in Milwaukee. Located near Knapp and Jefferson streets, this convent became the scene of one of the Midwest's most unsettling hauntings.

On December 8th, Mother Caroline Friess heard clawed feet in the hallway and knocking outside the chapel. The chapel windows rattled, and when she tried to investigate strange activity in the dormitory, candles and oil lamps refused to light — inexplicably extinguishing themselves.

Inside the dormitory, she found no intruder but instead a bizarre, waterless "slush" on pillows and inside nightcaps. One of the caps reportedly began to move on its own. Over the following nights, supernatural disturbances escalated:

A locked room's call bell rang loudly and was seen flying across the room.
Loaves of bread vanished and reappeared floating in the cistern.
Friday fish transformed into meat in the oven.
Hidden beasts shredded clothing in closets.
Candles disappeared during mass and reappeared burning in a broom closet.
Pots and pans clanged and were found red-hot with no one near the kitchen.

Sisters were slapped by invisible hands, bonnets knocked off, and the convent dog vanished after yowling in pain. One candidate experienced uncontrollable laughter upon entering the chapel and was suspected of possession. After she was dismissed from the convent and returned to her suitor, the disturbances ceased.

A year later to the day, the sisters were awoken by celestial singing and light in the chapel. They believed they had witnessed a choir of angels . In response, Mother Caroline established a chapel of perpetual adoration, where nuns prayed around the clock for decades.

Roland Doe and the Real Exorcist Story

The most famous exorcism story ever told has deep Midwestern ties. In 1949, a 14-year-old boy pseudonymously known as Roland Doe was moved from Maryland to St. Louis, Missouri , after his family sought help for what they believed was a demonic possession. There, Jesuit priests performed a series of intense exorcisms at Saint Louis University and Alexian Brothers Hospital.

The inspiration for William Peter Blatty's The Exorcist came from an August 1949 article in The Washington Post titled, "Priest Frees Mt. Rainier Boy Reported Held in Devil’s Grip," about a 14-year-old boy referred to as "Roland Doe" (later revealed to be Ronald Hunkeler). Strange events reportedly began after Roland attempted to contact his deceased Aunt Tillie, herself a spiritualist, via Ouija board. Soon, rapping noises echoed through the walls, objects flew across rooms, and his bed moved by itself: classic poltergeist activity.

Initially, the family sought help from Protestant minister Luther Schulze. When that failed, they turned to the Catholic Church. Jesuit priest Father William Bowdern , along with Father Walter Halloran and Father Raymond Bishop , performed more than twenty exorcisms over two months in both Washington, D.C., and St. Louis, Missouri . Much of what we know comes from Father Bishop’s diary, which William Peter Blatty would later use as the basis for his novel. Ronald was a student at Gonzaga High School and reportedly went on to live a quiet, successful life.

The Gary, Indiana Demon House

One of the most chilling and widely publicized exorcism cases of the 21st century occurred in Gary, Indiana in 2011–2012, at a modest rental home on Carolina Street. Known today as the “Demon House,” this case involved terrifying claims of supernatural activity affecting an entire family and shocking multiple government officials, medical personnel, and members of the clergy.

Latoya Ammons , her mother Rosa Campbell, and her three children moved into the house in November 2011. Almost immediately, they began experiencing bizarre phenomena: swarms of flies that refused to die, shadowy figures pacing the rooms, and footsteps echoing through empty hallways. Then things escalated, allegedly into full-blown possession.

The children began behaving violently and erratically. One boy growled in a deep voice and spoke in strange tongues. Another child was reported to have levitated. During one hospital visit, a child allegedly walked backward up a wall in front of a nurse and a Department of Child Services caseworker. Both witnesses later gave sworn affidavits verifying what they had seen. Psychological evaluations could not explain the behavior, and the family remained convinced that they were under demonic attack.

The family sought help from local churches, but many refused to get involved. Eventually, Father Michael Maginot , a Catholic priest from the nearby St. Stephen Martyr Parish , agreed to investigate. He performed a blessing on the home and ultimately concluded that an exorcism was necessary. After receiving permission from the Diocese of Gary, Father Maginot conducted three exorcisms on Ammons... two in English and one in Latin.

The story gained national attention, appearing in the Indianapolis Star and attracting media from around the world. The official police report included statements from officers who claimed they witnessed blinds dripping oil with no source, and electronic

equipment malfunctioning in impossible ways. One officer even refused to return to the property.

In 2015, I met Father Magniot at the Chicago Hauntings Ghost Convention after he told a story of looking up a particular demon's name on his computer and it caused the computer to crash and a printer to malfunction when he tried to print up information about it. He refused to speak his name, I asked Dave Schrader from Darkness Radio as well, who conducted the interview if he would tell me the name, and he declined as well.

In 2014, paranormal investigator and filmmaker Zak Bagans purchased the house for $35,000. He spent months documenting his experience inside, reporting extreme psychological and physical effects on himself and his crew. He later demolished the home in 2016, citing its dangerous spiritual energy, and produced the documentary Demon House in 2018 to share his findings.

Signs of Demonic Possession (According to the Church)

Knowing unknowable information (e.g., predicting events or secrets)
Speaking or understanding unknown languages
Supernatural strength
Aversion to sacred objects

The Church typically requires at least two signs, along with psychological evaluations, before approving an exorcism.

The Pope Leo XIII Institute: Training America’s Exorcists

Founded in Milwaukee in 2010 , the Pope Leo XIII Institute is a Catholic organization dedicated to training priests in the Rite of Exorcism . Partnering with Mundelein Seminary near Chicago, it offers courses in spiritual warfare, demonology, and pastoral counseling.

The institute exists to ensure every Catholic diocese has a trained exorcist, a response to rising global reports of possession. Priests are trained to distinguish between mental illness and true demonic activity, combining faith with clinical awareness.

Pope Leo XIII, who served as pontiff from 1878 to 1903, is remembered not only for his lengthy and influential papacy but also for his profound spiritual insights, particularly a vision he reportedly had concerning the future of the Church and the world. This vision is often linked to his deep devotion to St. Michael the Archangel. According to accounts, Pope Leo XIII experienced a mystical moment after celebrating Mass, during which he was shown a terrifying glimpse of demonic forces unleashing chaos on humanity and the Church. This intense spiritual experience moved him to compose the famous Prayer to St. Michael, asking for protection against evil and spiritual attacks. His vision underscored his awareness of a spiritual battle underlying worldly events, reinforcing his belief that the Church must remain vigilant and rely on divine protection.

The Heartland's Haunted Legacy

Whether you're a believer or a skeptic, the Midwest holds a uniquely rich and eerie legacy of real-life exorcisms . From historical accounts in Wisconsin to modern horror in Indiana and Missouri, the region is more than just farmland, it's a spiritual battleground . And with the Pope Leo XIII Institute leading the charge, the fight against darkness continues today with an annual conference dedicated to training exorcists .

If you're fascinated by exorcism history, haunted places, or the intersection of faith and fear, the Midwest offers an unforgettable journey into the supernatural.

Haunted History of the Wisconsin State Capitol in Madison

Wed, 06 Aug 2025 18:51:19 GMT

The Wisconsin State Capitol is one of Madison’s most iconic landmarks. Standing tall over the city since 1917, it’s not just the home of state government, it’s a building steeped in history, tragedy, and spine-tingling ghost stories. As the owner of American Ghost Walks , this was one of the first buildings I researched when developing our Madison route and the Capitol’s haunted past is one of my favorite tales that we tell on our Madison ghost tours .

A Brief History of the Capitol

Wisconsin’s first territorial legislature met in Belmont back in 1836, but Madison was soon chosen as the permanent capital. The first Capitol building went up in 1837 right where today’s structure stands. That first building was drafty, poorly built, and quickly outgrown.

By 1859, a second, more elaborate Capitol replaced it. Unfortunately, in 1904, a devastating fire destroyed the third version of the building, wiping out priceless historical documents and even the preserved remains of Old Abe, Wisconsin’s famous Civil War eagle. Construction on the current Capitol began in 1906, and the grand Beaux-Arts-style building we know today was completed in 1917. Its dome is still the largest by volume in the U.S., dominating Madison’s skyline.

Ghost Stories of the Wisconsin State Capitol

Like many old buildings with a tragic past, the Wisconsin State Capitol has its fair share of ghostly legends. Over the years, visitors, staff, and even security guards have reported eerie happenings—cold spots, strange noises, and unexplained apparitions. Here are some of the stories we share on our Madison haunted history tours :

The Ghost Soldier in the Assembly Chamber

One of the most famous Capitol legends centers on a mural in the Assembly chamber. The painting, done by Edwin Blashfield, originally depicted a Civil War soldier. Later, the soldier was painted over with a badger to better fit Wisconsin’s state symbol. Over time, the faint image of the soldier seemed to reappear, giving rise to the legend of the “Ghost of the Assembly.” Not a real ghost story but a little fun piece of trivia.

The Friendly Ghost of Frank Smith

Local lore tells the story of Frank Smith, a steelworker who died during the construction of the current Capitol after falling in the rotunda. His spirit is said to be a friendly presence, occasionally spotted near the spiral staircase that leads up to the dome. Whether or not Frank ever truly existed, his story has become one of Madison’s best-known Capitol ghost legends.

When I was walking through the Capitol and taking pictures I jokingly talked to the worker standing by the stairs to the observation deck that that's where they see the ghost and he just says "Yep." And then I immediately asked him if he'd ever seen him and he just says "Yep" nonchalantly. He says that Frank mostly appears at the top of the stairs above the entrance to the deck, but you can't get to the top without a key since that area is fenced off. He says that you'll see what looks like a person walking around at the top and they'll hear him when there's nobody there.

Deadly Tragedies in the Capitol’s Past

Long before the 1904 fire destroyed the old Capitol, Madison witnessed an even deadlier disaster that left a dark mark on the building’s history. On November 8, 1883, during the construction of a new south wing on the third Capitol building, defective materials and shoddy workmanship caused the nearly finished structure to collapse without warning. The deafening crash killed six workers and injured twenty more, sending a massive cloud of dust over downtown Madison. A young schoolboy named Frank Lloyd Wright, years before he became a world-famous architect, was among the horrified witnesses who later recalled the scene in his autobiography. With no hospitals in the city at the time, the wounded were carried to government offices or their own homes. The gruesome sight of crushed timbers, twisted beams, and trapped men crying out for help haunted Madisonians for years afterward. The tragedy sparked a public investigation that revealed dangerous construction shortcuts, and some say the spirits of the men who died that day never truly left the grounds of the Capitol. Particularly on the 4th floor of the South Wing is where unexplained footsteps and voices are often attributed to these lost workers

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The Wisconsin State Capitol isn’t just a political landmark, it’s a place where history and hauntings intertwine. On our Madison Ghost Walks , we bring these stories to life, sharing both the fascinating history of the building and the eerie tales that make it one of the most haunted locations in the city.

If you’re a fan of haunted history, true ghost stories, or just want to experience a different side of Madison, join us for a night of spine-chilling storytelling. The Capitol’s ghostly legends are just the beginning.

The Science of Hauntings: Exploring Ghost Encounters Through Research and Real-Life Cases

Fri, 01 Aug 2025 16:46:18 GMT

For related reading, check out our Haunted History Tours Blog and other posts on real-life ghost stories . You can also learn more from external resources such as the Society for Psychical Research and the University of Edinburgh Parapsychology Unit .

Introduction

Hauntings have long fascinated humanity, existing at the intersection of folklore, spirituality, and scientific curiosity. Over the centuries, people have told countless stories of ghostly encounters, apparitions, and mysterious events that defy logical explanation. In modern times, researchers like Brandon Massullo have sought to apply scientific methodology to these phenomena, moving beyond superstition and speculation to uncover potential mechanisms behind hauntings. Drawing on his presentation, The Science of Ghosts at the Milwaukee Paranormal Conference in 2020 , his book The Ghost Studies , published in 2017 , and other research in parapsychology, this article takes a deeper look at what hauntings are, how they have been studied, and why they continue to capture our collective imagination.

The Question of Life After Death

At the heart of most ghost stories lies a profound question: do we survive death in some form? This is known as the survival hypothesis, the belief that some part of us, whether it is our consciousness, soul, or spirit, continues on after our physical body ceases to function. Many religious and spiritual traditions have embraced this idea for millennia, while mainstream neuroscience views the brain as a biological machine that shuts down permanently at death. According to Brandon Massullo in his book The Ghost Studies, millions of people worldwide report ghostly encounters each year. These experiences often feel profoundly real to those who have them, sometimes changing their entire perspective on life and death. This tension between spirituality and material science creates fertile ground for research, as scientists attempt to determine whether these experiences point to genuine survival or are purely psychological phenomena.

Case Study: A Soldier's Ghost in Williamsburg

At Fort Magruder in Williamsburg, Virginia, a witness reported seeing a young Civil War soldier with half his face missing, silently standing by their bed for three consecutive nights. Author Chris Woodyard, in her Haunted Ohio series , documents this chilling encounter, noting that it left the witness convinced they had come face to face with something beyond the physical world. Stories like this challenge our understanding of reality and open the door to considering whether consciousness might persist beyond death.

The Emotional Spectrum of Ghost Encounters

Paranormal experiences are deeply personal and can evoke vastly different emotions, from sheer terror to profound comfort. According to Massullo’s 2020 talk, one woman described a comforting encounter with her deceased father, who appeared briefly to reassure her after his passing. These experiences often leave lasting emotional imprints. Some encounters help people process grief or trauma, while others are unsettling and leave witnesses feeling haunted for years afterward. Hauntings, therefore, represent a wide spectrum of human experiences that touch on deep psychological and spiritual needs.

Case Study: A Father's Loving Goodbye

After her father's sudden passing, a woman felt an overwhelming sense of comfort while lying on her couch. She saw her father approach, whispering, "Don't be sad," and rubbing her shoulders before fading away. As Massullo explained during his presentation, this fleeting moment brought her solace that no rational explanation could offer. Stories like this suggest that hauntings can sometimes serve as emotional bridges between the living and the dead.

Scientific Challenges in Studying Hauntings

Despite countless reports of ghostly encounters, science faces major obstacles when trying to study hauntings. These events are episodic, often occurring unexpectedly and rarely under controlled conditions. Witnesses typically provide anecdotal evidence rather than measurable data, and experiences vary greatly from one person to another. Massullo emphasizes that while mainstream science tends to dismiss hauntings as hallucinations, environmental factors, sensory sensitivities, and psychological conditions might all play roles in these experiences. This makes hauntings difficult to replicate in laboratory settings, yet their frequency suggests they are worth serious investigation.

A History of Ghost Research

Efforts to understand ghosts scientifically date back centuries. Ancient writings by Pliny the Younger in AD 100 describe apparitions haunting homes. In the 17th century, scientist Robert Boyle documented mysterious hauntings, hinting that natural laws might not explain every phenomenon. According to records from the Society for Psychical Research, founded in 1882, researchers in the 19th and early 20th centuries attempted to examine mediums, séances, and apparitional experiences using rigorous methodology. Today, universities such as Edinburgh and Virginia conduct research into consciousness, near-death experiences, and apparitional phenomena, continuing this long tradition of scientific curiosity about ghosts.

Attempts to Measure and Communicate with Spirits

One of the earliest attempts to study the soul scientifically came in 1907, when Dr. Duncan McDougall hypothesized that the soul might have weight. According to his published article in the American Medicine Journal, he claimed to observe a 21-gram loss in patients at the moment of death. Though his methods were flawed, the idea sparked enduring fascination. Later, inventors like Thomas Edison theorized that if spirits existed, technology could detect them. Today, Dr. Gary Schwartz at the University of Arizona continues this pursuit with his Soul Phone Project, using light-based systems in experimental attempts to communicate with what he calls "post-material persons," as he describes in his book The Sacred Promise .

Case Study: The Soul Phone Project

Researchers involved in this project claim that early prototypes can register yes or no responses from spirits via manipulated light signals. While unproven and highly controversial, Schwartz argues that these experiments demonstrate humanity’s ongoing desire to bridge the gap between life and death using scientific tools.

Creating Apparitions and the Role of Consciousness

Psychologist Dr. Raymond Moody explored how certain conditions can produce ghost-like visions. In his book Reunions , Moody explains how his “psychomantium” experiments placed participants in darkened rooms with mirrors and encouraged them to focus on deceased loved ones. Many reported vivid apparitions, sometimes even feeling physical touch. These studies raise questions about whether hauntings are external phenomena or manifestations of human consciousness under altered conditions.

Case Study: Into the Mirror

One participant described seeing three deceased friends emerge from a mirror, vividly alive. She reached out to touch them, only to feel curtains instead. Moody noted that despite this discrepancy, she insisted the vision was more real than any dream she had experienced. This blurring of psychological and paranormal boundaries shows how complex hauntings can be.

Sensitivity to the Paranormal

Brandon Massullo’s research suggests that certain people are more prone to experiencing hauntings due to heightened environmental sensitivity. These individuals react strongly to subtle stimuli, from changes in light to atmospheric shifts, and report significantly more paranormal encounters than others. In studies conducted at places like Mary King's Close in Edinburgh, a famously haunted underground city, Massullo found that “sensitives” experienced more phenomena than non-sensitives, pointing to a possible biological or neurological factor behind hauntings.

Toward a Unified Understanding of Hauntings

Modern research increasingly views hauntings as a product of overlapping factors: biology, psychology, and social context. This biopsychosocial approach acknowledges that while some hauntings might have natural explanations, others remain anomalies that challenge scientific understanding. According to Massullo, regardless of their origin, these experiences are real to those who have them and deserve careful study rather than outright dismissal.

The Future of Ghost Science

With advancements in neuroscience, consciousness research, and environmental monitoring tools, science may one day uncover mechanisms behind ghostly encounters. Whether ghosts are independent entities, projections of the mind, or something entirely unknown, they continue to push the boundaries of what we know about life, death, and the mysteries in between.

Conclusion

Hauntings remain one of the most profound and enduring mysteries of human existence. Brandon Massullo and other researchers urge us to move past binary debates of belief versus skepticism and focus on understanding the experiences themselves. Through science, documented case studies, and open-minded exploration, we may one day uncover the truths behind these unexplained encounters.

The Amityville Horror, The Warrens, and The Conjuring: Fact vs. Fiction

Thu, 31 Jul 2025 21:46:41 GMT

Few paranormal stories have gripped the public imagination like The Amityville Horror. A mix of true crime, alleged supernatural terror, and Hollywood storytelling has made this case a cultural phenomenon. At its center are Ed and Lorraine Warren, the most famous paranormal investigators of the 20th century, whose involvement has been both sensationalized and scrutinized. Let's take a look at the Amityville case, the Warrens' role, and how fact and fiction blur in this haunting legend.

The DeFeo Murders: A House of Tragedy

On November 13, 1974, Ronald "Butch" DeFeo Jr. shot and killed his parents and four siblings while they slept in their home at 112 Ocean Avenue, Amityville, New York. The gruesome murders shocked the community. DeFeo initially claimed unknown assailants had killed his family, but he later confessed, stating he was driven by voices in his head. Despite an insanity plea, he was convicted on six counts of second-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison, where he remained until his death in 2021.

The DeFeo murders laid the foundation for what would become one of the most infamous haunting stories in American history. The tragedy was undeniable, but it was the events that followed that transformed the house into a paranormal legend.

The Lutz Haunting: 28 Days of Terror

In December 1975, George and Kathy Lutz purchased the DeFeo home at a bargain price, knowing its bloody past. They moved in with their three children, hoping to start fresh. Within days, they reported terrifying phenomena:

Doors and windows slamming on their own.
Cold spots appearing without explanation.
Strange odors filling rooms.
Green slime oozing from walls.
A demonic, pig-like creature with glowing red eyes stalking the family.
George waking up at 3:15 a.m.—the time of the DeFeo murders—every night.

After just 28 days, the Lutzes fled, abandoning their possessions. They later claimed the house was possessed by evil forces connected to the DeFeo murders. Author Jay Anson turned their experiences into The Amityville Horror: A True Story (1977), which sold over 10 million copies and inspired a 1979 blockbuster movie. The story skyrocketed into pop culture, forever tying Amityville to the supernatural.

But skeptics soon questioned the Lutzes' account. Ronald DeFeo’s lawyer, William Weber, admitted he had discussed concocting a haunting story with the Lutzes "over many bottles of wine" to support a possible possession defense for his client and profit from book deals. Over the years, contradictions in the Lutz family's stories and lawsuits over rights to the tale cast doubt on its authenticity.

The Warrens Arrive: Paranormal Celebrity Meets Media Spectacle

Ed and Lorraine Warren were already well-known in New England’s paranormal circles. Ed carried a business card that read simply "Demonologist," while Lorraine claimed clairvoyant abilities. Together, they founded the New England Society for Psychic Research in 1952, traveling college circuits to lecture on hauntings and exorcisms. They built a reputation as America’s foremost demonologists, and by the mid-70s, their stories were already inspiring books and films.

The Warrens’ connection to Amityville came after the Lutzes fled the house. A local TV crew, seeking sensational coverage, invited the Warrens to a televised séance in March 1976. Other investigators present reported nothing unusual. Marvin Scott, a journalist who attended, later said the only excitement was his crew wondering when they could eat their sandwiches. Lorraine Warren, however, claimed overwhelming evil, telling Scott, "I hope this is as close to hell as I'll ever get."

The Warrens never met the Lutz family during their investigation. Yet over time, their presence at the séance allowed them to claim involvement in the case, using it as a cornerstone of their public persona. Their account of Amityville, dramatic and terrifying, added fuel to the legend—even as skeptics dismissed it as fabricated.

The Ghost Boy Photo Mystery

One of the most enduring pieces of supposed evidence from the Amityville house is the infamous "ghost boy" photo. Taken in 1976 during the Warrens’ televised investigation, the image shows what appears to be a small boy with glowing eyes peeking out from a bedroom doorway on the second floor of the house. The photograph was captured using an automatic camera with infrared film, set to shoot continuously overnight while the team conducted séances and experiments.

The photo quickly became legendary, often cited as undeniable proof that spirits haunted the Amityville home. Some believers speculated that the boy was the ghost of one of the DeFeo children murdered in the house. Others suggested it was the spirit of a demonic entity, watching the investigators as they worked.

Skeptics, however, argue that the "ghost boy" was likely a member of the investigation team, a cameraman or assistant caught in motion, with the infrared light causing the glowing eyes effect. Theories suggest it could have been Paul Bartz, an investigator present that night, inadvertently photographed while checking the equipment.

Despite decades of debate, no definitive explanation has ever been confirmed. The ghost boy photo remains one of the most talked-about and controversial images in paranormal history, perfectly encapsulating the Amityville saga: a blend of tragedy, fear, mystery, and possible misinterpretation that continues to fuel fascination worldwide.

Hollywood’s Version: The Conjuring Connection

James Wan’s The Conjuring (2013) revitalized interest in the Warrens’ cases. Portraying Ed and Lorraine as heroic demon-fighters (played by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga), the film claimed to be "based on a true story," dramatizing their investigation of the Perron family haunting in Rhode Island. Its success spawned an entire franchise, including Annabelle, The Nun, and sequels.

The Conjuring 2 opens with a scene depicting the Amityville house and a séance, visually tying the Warrens to that infamous case. For many moviegoers, this cemented the connection between Amityville and the Warrens, despite their real-life involvement being minimal and largely post-event. The franchise blurred lines between reality and fiction, presenting the Warrens as noble warriors against evil, a far cry from the disputed and controversial accounts of their true investigations.

Fact vs. Fiction: Sorting Through the Amityville Legend

The Amityville Horror remains one of the most debated supernatural cases ever:

Fact: The DeFeo murders happened. Six people were brutally killed in their sleep.
Fact: The Lutzes lived in the house for 28 days before fleeing.
Contested: Paranormal events claimed by the Lutzes lack verifiable evidence and have been called a hoax by key participants, including Weber.
Contested: The Warrens’ role was minor and primarily media-driven; no scientific evidence supported their claims of demonic presence.

Yet, the story persists because it resonates on multiple levels: real tragedy, mysterious experiences, and the possibility of forces beyond our understanding. Hollywood amplified the legend, turning disputed events into global horror icons.

Why Amityville Endures

Horror stories are scariest when they claim to be true. There's no question that the marketing of The Conjuring used the "based on a true story," to tap into a primal fear and alter people's perceptions in the movie theater. The Amityville saga is a perfect storm of true crime, alleged haunting, media frenzy, and movie magic. Whether fact or fiction, it terrifies because it might be real, and because the Warrens and Hollywood made sure it would never be forgotten.

Alice Cooper’s Haunted House Connection

Shock rocker Alice Cooper himself has shared an eerie story from the mid-1980s while working on a horror movie soundtrack with Joe Perry. They were staying in a house in Copake, New York, owned by Cooper’s legendary manager, Shep Gordon. Both rock stars were fresh out of rehab and focusing on music when strange occurrences began disrupting their stay. In a Rolling Stone interview, Cooper recalled, “Every time I would put something down – I’d go in the other room, I’d come back – it was in some other place.”

What began as playful pranks turned unsettling when they heard unexplained loud noises. According to Alice, “There’s a basement right under us and it sounds like somebody’s moving furniture down there. It’s not just a bump or a little thing: It sounds like 20 people are moving furniture.” The duo bolted for the night, spooked by the strange sounds.

Alice claims that Shep later told him The Amityville Horror was written in that very house, adding that Shep’s mother once witnessed a table move a foot during a dinner party. While it’s a great rock-and-roll ghost story, and Alice did star in the Italian horror flick Monster Dog in 1984, there’s no evidence that Jay Anson, author of The Amityville Horror, ever wrote there. A 1979 Writer’s Digest article notes that most of the book was written in Anson’s New York City office, with some pages drafted at his sister’s home in Roslyn, Long Island, where he stayed while recovering from a heart attack. Roslyn is over two hours away from Copake, making the claim unlikely.

Anson did say that strange things happened to people who handled the manuscript... critics fell mysteriously ill, and he himself suffered a heart attack and died shortly after the book’s success. But he never asserted that the haunting was factually true, only that he believed the Lutz family believed their story, and his job was to report, not judge.

Alice Cooper only began tying this haunted house tale to The Amityville Horror in recent years. In his episode of Celebrity Ghost Stories , he mentioned that Shep told him a young boy had drowned in a nearby lake and speculated that the prankster ghost could have been the boy’s spirit. While this seems more plausible, Cooper and Perry have repeatedly shared their ghost story over the years, often using it to promote Alice’s aptly titled Paranormal album.

Final Thoughts

Amityville is more than just a haunted house story. It’s a cultural phenomenon born from murder, molded by storytellers, and immortalized by Hollywood. Ed and Lorraine Warren played a pivotal role in its rise, intentionally or not, bridging reality and legend. Decades later, the question remains: was the house truly haunted, or is it the greatest ghost story ever sold?

Listen to a whole podcast about this that I recorded in 2016 right here:

What is 99 Steps in St. Thomas? (The Real Story Behind the City’s Famous Staircases)

Thu, 31 Jul 2025 20:14:25 GMT

St. Thomas tours often spotlight the island’s stunning beaches and pirate history, but there’s one iconic landmark that’s easy to overlook: the 99 Steps. These historic Danish-built stairs in Charlotte Amalie are more than just a photo op. They are a portal to the past and a favorite stop for history lovers and curious travelers alike.

But why are they called “99 Steps”? And how did these unique staircases become one of the most talked-about features on the island?

Let’s explore the surprising origins of the 99 Steps, what makes them special, and how to experience them for yourself.

What Are the 99 Steps in St. Thomas?

The 99 Steps are one of several historic staircases built in the 1700s by Danish colonists to help people navigate the steep hills of Charlotte Amalie, the capital of St. Thomas. While the most famous staircase is known as the “99 Steps,” it actually contains about 103 steps, depending on how you count them.

These bricks were brought over from Denmark as ship ballast, giving the stairs both structural and historical value. Surrounded by flowering bougainvillea and pastel colonial buildings, the 99 Steps are a perfect blend of Caribbean beauty and European design.

They are also one of the most photographed landmarks on the island and a highlight on many St. Thomas tours .

The Danish Colonial Era and the Birth of the 99 Steps

From 1671 until 1917, the Virgin Islands, including St. Thomas, were governed by Denmark. Charlotte Amalie, the capital city, was named after Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Kassel, queen consort to King Christian V of Denmark. During this period, the island became an important hub for trade, shipping, and sugar production.

The city’s geography posed significant challenges. Built on a series of hills and cliffs, Charlotte Amalie had few roads, and those that existed were often difficult to traverse, especially for transporting goods like sugar, rum, and spices.

To address this, the Danish colonists engineered a series of step streets, constructed primarily from red bricks brought over from Denmark. These steps allowed workers, merchants, and residents to move more efficiently between the harbor area and elevated neighborhoods. The design was practical but also demonstrated European architectural influence adapted to Caribbean terrain.

Over time, these staircases became integral to daily life in Charlotte Amalie and remain some of the best-preserved examples of Danish colonial infrastructure in the Americas.

The Architecture and Construction of the 99 Steps

The 99 Steps were built using bricks imported from Denmark, which were used as ballast in ships traveling to the Caribbean. These bricks were laid on top of coral stone foundations, creating durable and weather-resistant staircases that have withstood centuries of tropical climate.

The stairs climb sharply up Government Hill, rising approximately 60 feet in elevation. The stairway’s narrow width and steep incline reflect the practical constraints of building on steep terrain with limited space.

What makes the 99 Steps particularly charming today is the combination of historic materials with tropical flora. Bougainvillea vines and other flowering plants often cascade alongside the bricks, giving visitors a vivid contrast of color and texture.

Nearby historic buildings and views of the harbor add to the immersive experience, making the 99 Steps a natural intersection of history, nature, and architecture.

Why Are They All Called “99 Steps”?

Although there are multiple staircases throughout Charlotte Amalie, many are often referred to as “99 Steps,” regardless of their actual step count.

So why the number 99?

There are a few reasons:

Ease of Reference: The number 99 was likely chosen for its simplicity. It was easier to remember and say, especially during a time when literacy rates were low.
Symbolic Naming: Rather than recount each staircase exactly, early residents and visitors used “99” as a general term for the distinctive brick staircases found across the city.
Tourism Influence: Over time, the name “99 Steps” became a catch-all term that stuck, especially as tourism grew and guidebooks began referring to the landmark in simplified terms.

Although the most famous 99 Steps has more than 99 actual steps, the name has remained unchanged for centuries and has become part of the city’s cultural identity.

Common Misconceptions About the 99 Steps

With so much history and local lore surrounding the 99 Steps, it is no surprise that a few misconceptions have developed over the years. Here are the most common myths—and the facts behind them:

“There is only one set of 99 Steps.”

There are actually several historic staircases in Charlotte Amalie, though the one near Government Hill is the most famous and widely photographed.

“There are exactly 99 steps.”

The famous staircase usually has more than 99 steps, typically counted at around 103. The number 99 was used more as a nickname than a precise measurement.

“They were built just for tourists.”

These steps were constructed in the 18th century, long before tourism was a consideration. They were essential for moving through the city’s steep hills.

Exploring Local Folklore and Legends

Like many places with a deep colonial past, St. Thomas has a rich tradition of stories and legends. While the 99 Steps are rooted in history, local folklore adds another layer of intrigue.

Some storytellers describe the staircases as boundaries between the earthly world and the spirit realm. During nighttime ghost tours, guides often share tales of shadowy figures and whispered voices echoing in the narrow alleys around the steps.

It’s important to note these stories are part of the island’s cultural storytelling tradition and not historical fact. They provide visitors with a colorful glimpse into the imagination and beliefs of the local community.

American Ghost Walks incorporates these legends into their tours, mixing history and folklore for an engaging visitor experience.

Expert Tips for Visiting the 99 Steps

Want to experience the 99 Steps like a seasoned traveler? Here are some helpful tips to make the most of your visit:

Go Early or Late in the Day

The steps are most crowded during midday, especially when cruise ships are in port. Visit in the morning or just before sunset for fewer crowds and better lighting.

Start at the Bottom

Begin your walk at the base of the steps near Government Hill. Climbing up gives you the most scenic view and leads you toward Blackbeard’s Castle.

Wear Comfortable Shoes

The bricks can be uneven and slippery, especially after rain. Opt for sneakers or walking sandals with good traction.

Bring Water and Sunscreen

The sun can be intense on the hill, and there is little shade along the steps.

Take Your Time

The stairs are steep, so stop often to rest and take photos. The tropical flowers and surrounding architecture offer excellent photo opportunities.

How to Add the 99 Steps to Your St. Thomas Tour

Many St. Thomas walking tours include the 99 Steps as a featured stop, often paired with visits to other historic sites like:

Blackbeard’s Castle
Fort Christian
Emancipation Garden
Frederick Lutheran Church

For a unique experience, consider joining a St. Thomas ghost tour . These evening tours explore the legends and ghost stories surrounding the island’s colonial past, including eerie tales connected to the step streets. American Ghost Walks offers one of the top-rated ghost tours in the Virgin Islands, blending real history with expertly told local legends.

Additional Resources

Wrapping Up Your Journey Through the 99 Steps

The 99 Steps in St. Thomas are more than just a pretty photo op. They are a lasting reminder of the island’s Danish colonial history, a clever engineering solution, and one of the most iconic landmarks in the Virgin Islands.

Whether you are interested in architecture, local history, or just a great view of Charlotte Amalie, the 99 Steps belong on your travel list.

Ready to explore the hidden history of St. Thomas?

Join American Ghost Walks for a guided tour that brings the city’s past to life with unforgettable stories and expert guides.

Maxwell Mansion – Lake Geneva’s Haunted Original

Wed, 30 Jul 2025 19:06:06 GMT

Lake Geneva, Wisconsin is known for its idyllic lakeside charm, upscale resorts, and historic mansions that tell the tale of Chicago’s wealthy elite escaping the city heat in the 19th century. But there’s one mansion that stands above the rest, not just for its rich history, but for the ghosts that reportedly never checked out. Welcome to Maxwell Mansion , home to two acclaimed bars and some of the most chilling hauntings in the Midwest.

A Mansion Built on Big Personality and Bigger Stories

Maxwell Mansion, originally named "The Oaks," was built in 1856 by Dr. Philip Maxwell, a towering figure in Chicago history, literally and figuratively. Standing over six feet tall and weighing 280 pounds, Maxwell was larger than life. A field surgeon for the U.S. Army, a key figure in Chicago’s early development, and a man known for hosting lavish soirées, he embodied the spirit of his age. He is even the namesake of Chicago’s famed Maxwell Street.

After retiring from medicine and politics, Maxwell settled in Lake Geneva to raise horses and enjoy country life. But the good doctor’s reputation for hard drinking and wild antics was legendary. Locals say he would ride his horse through the streets at night, drink in hand, yelling with joy after a long evening of entertaining guests.

The mansion saw some of the Midwest's most notable figures pass through its doors, including Ulysses S. Grant and a young Nancy Davis before she became Nancy Reagan. Yet, after Maxwell’s death in 1859 and his wife Jerusha’s passing years later, the house changed hands many times, eventually transforming into a boutique hotel and event space. Its original charm remains, but so does something else, a lingering presence from the past.

Ghosts in the Halls: Stories from Staff and Guests

Maxwell Mansion’s history is undeniably rich, but what makes it one of America’s Most Haunted Bars are the countless reports of paranormal activity. Guests, staff, and owners alike have had experiences that defy explanation.

Staff and guests alike have reported strange occurrences: doors opening and closing on their own, cold spots, and the inexplicable movement of objects. While many chalk it up to old pipes or creaky floors, others aren’t so sure.

The Butler’s Encounter with the Shadow Figure

The former head butler at Maxwell Mansion has one of the most gripping ghost stories from the property. He recalls staying overnight in what was then a small apartment above the kitchen while the mansion was under renovation:

“I was lying in bed watching TV when I saw the shadow of two feet stop right outside my door,” he said. “I got up, opened it, nothing. A few minutes later, I saw the feet again, plain as day, coming right up to the door. This time, I didn’t wait. I jumped up, threw the door open, still nothing there. That’s when I knew I had to get out.”

Panicked, he left the room, but what he saw next made his blood run cold.

“At the end of the hallway near the kitchen, there was a full-body shadow figure, completely black, darker than dark. I froze for a second, but the energy was so intense I just bolted out the side door and waited for a friend to come over. Even when she stayed the night, we kept hearing footsteps and movement, but no one was there.”

Since that night, the butler admitted he avoided spending time alone in the mansion whenever possible.

The Bartender’s Story: A Locked Room Mystery

While guests often report eerie happenings, the staff has no shortage of their own ghostly encounters. A bartender at the Apothecary Bar shared a particularly unsettling story about an unoccupied guest suite:

“One night, we heard a commotion upstairs, like someone was throwing furniture around. We thought a drunk guest had trashed the room, but when we checked, no one had booked it that night,” he recalled. “We went up, heard loud crashes and bangs, like the room was being torn apart. Then the key broke clean off in the lock while we tried to open it. When we finally got in, the place was spotless. No sign anything had happened.”

It wasn’t the last time the bartender would experience unexplainable events.

“There’s just a weird energy here, especially in the basement Speakeasy. Women sometimes say they feel dizzy or sick down there, and I’ve seen the heavy bookcase door swing open and closed on its own. Once, a cabinet full of glassware crashed down like it had been pushed. Stuff happens here you can’t explain.”

The Ghost Child of Maxwell Mansion

Among the mansion’s many spirits, one of the most talked about is a little boy known as Danny or sometimes Eddie. Staff say they’ve heard the sound of a ball rolling across the attic floor when no one is up there. Police officers responding to calls at the mansion have even felt small tugs on their pants as they walked the stairs.

One of the most chilling pieces of evidence came from a group of paranormal investigators:

“They were leaving around five in the morning,” a staff member recalled. “As they packed up, one said, ‘Goodnight, we’re leaving.’ On the recording, you hear a little boy’s voice cry out, ‘Don’t go.’”

Danny’s presence is felt throughout the mansion, from fleeting shadows to unexplained movements of objects in guest rooms. Some believe he died of scarlet fever in the house long ago, and now wanders its halls seeking companionship.

The Speakeasy: Drinks, Jazz, and Ghostly Encounters

Maxwell Mansion’s basement houses its most atmospheric bar, a 1920s-style Speakeasy hidden behind a secret bookcase door. Guests knock, give the password, and step into another era. But the glamour is sometimes overshadowed by strange happenings.

The butler recalls an incident that shook him:

“I was setting up the Speakeasy for a private party when a heavy glassware cabinet toppled toward me. The thing was solid, no reason it should have fallen. It felt like it had been shoved.”

Other guests have seen the bookcase door swing violently on its own or heard footsteps and whispers in the otherwise empty bar. Many believe this is connected to rumors of “unauthorized surgeries” Dr. Maxwell allegedly performed in the basement during the Victorian era, treating patients discreetly in an age when medical procedures were often gruesome and secretive.

Women, in particular, report feeling oppressive energy or sudden nausea while in the Speakeasy, as though they are tapping into the pain and fear of those who once underwent desperate treatments within these stone walls.

Phantom Figures, Faces in Mirrors, and Static on Cameras

The hauntings aren’t confined to specific rooms. Across the mansion, reports include:

Furniture dragging noises in empty rooms.
Faces appearing in the mirrors of the Apothecary Bar and basement.
Cameras in the Cognac Room that constantly distort or fail to capture a clear image, as if something interferes with the feed.
Apparitions of a woman and her child on the main staircase, vanishing when approached.

One staff member summed it up best:

“This house is alive. It’s like it remembers everything that’s ever happened here and sometimes it wants you to remember it, too.”

Music, Ghosts, and Modern Legends

I’ve been to the Maxwell Mansion many times and we even used reputation for paranormal activity is so strong that it even inspired a music video. In 2020, my rock band Sunspot shot their video for “I Don’t Wanna Be A Ghost” on location at the mansion, capturing its eerie ambiance and historic beauty on film. We thought the song’s themes of restless spirits and lingering energy found the perfect backdrop in the haunted halls of Lake Geneva’s original mansion.

Maxwell Mansion’s unique mix of history, hospitality, and hauntings has captured the attention of visitors far and wide. It was even featured in an episode of Discover Wisconsin (also featuring our Lake Geneva Ghost Walk) , showcasing its vintage charm, luxurious guest rooms, and of course, its two legendary bars where guests can sip handcrafted cocktails while soaking in centuries of stories and supernatural whispers.

Why It’s One of America’s Most Haunted Bars

Maxwell Mansion stands as a testament to Lake Geneva’s opulent past, a place where Chicago’s elite once came to play and relax. But it’s also a portal to something beyond, a mansion layered with memories, tragedies, and perhaps unfinished business.

Today, guests can stay overnight, sip handcrafted cocktails in the Apothecary Bar , and descend into the Speakeasy for a true Prohibition-era experience. But be warned, not all the spirits at Maxwell Mansion come in a glass.

As the former butler put it:

“You can believe or not believe, but spend a night here alone, and you’ll feel it. This place has eyes. It’s watching, waiting. And sometimes, it lets you know you’re not the only one in the room.”

Would you dare to visit Maxwell Mansion for a drink or even stay the night? The cocktails are exquisite, the history is rich, and the ghosts are waiting.

Visit If You Dare

For those who want to dive deeper into these stories, you can hear all about Maxwell Mansion’s haunted history on our Lake Geneva Ghost Walk or read more in the Ghosts of Lake Geneva book that our amazing ghost hostess Rita Mae Moore wrote. Both offer even more chilling details and firsthand accounts that bring the mansion’s supernatural side to life.

Forepaugh's Restaurant in St. Paul, Minnesota

Tue, 29 Jul 2025 20:54:58 GMT

Forepaugh’s Restaurant, located in the historic Irvine Park neighborhood of St. Paul, Minnesota, is more than just a dining establishment. This Victorian mansion, built in 1870 by businessman Joseph Lybrandt Forepaugh, has a chilling past filled with scandal, tragedy, and paranormal activity. Today, it is regarded as one of Minnesota’s most haunted restaurants, drawing both diners and ghost hunters eager to experience its eerie history.

The Legend of Molly and Joseph

Joseph Forepaugh, born in 1837 in Pennsylvania, built his fortune in dry goods, wholesale boots and shoes, and later in real estate.

According to local legend, Joseph Forepaugh began an affair with Molly, a young Irish maid working in the mansion. When his wife Mary discovered the romance, Molly was dismissed from her position. Heartbroken and allegedly pregnant, Molly ended her life by hanging herself from a third-floor chandelier before falling from a window.

Whether or not the affair was real, Joseph was plagued by financial worries and, in early July 1892, he shot himself in a nearby woods after leaving the city by streetcar, a disappearance first pieced together from his young granddaughter’s recollection. Though the feared crash of 1893 never cost his family their wealth, Joseph’s untimely death left a mark on St. Paul’s history

The house changed hands many times before eventually being transformed into a restaurant in 1976. Despite renovations and changes in ownership, stories of Molly and Joseph’s lingering spirits have persisted for over a century.

Ghostly Encounters at Forepaugh’s

Over the decades, employees, diners, and paranormal investigators have reported chilling experiences inside the mansion:

Molly’s Presence: Lights mysteriously turn back on after being switched off, glasses shake or shatter, and cold spots linger on the third floor. Some guests report the faint scent of lavender perfume, believed to be Molly’s. Her apparition is most often seen near wedding parties, as if longing for the future she never had.
Joseph’s Spirit: Joseph’s ghost is occasionally spotted in period attire, often descending toward the basement or wandering the dining rooms. Witnesses describe flickering lights and the sound of footsteps accompanying his appearances.
The Ghost Bride Photo: During a wedding reception in the 1990s, a photograph captured what appeared to be a disembodied arm on the mansion’s staircase, a sight unexplained by anyone present at the time.
Unexplained Phenomena: From trembling water glasses to shadowy figures, countless unexplained events have occurred inside Forepaugh’s, making it a staple for ghost tours in St. Paul.

Local Testimonies and News Coverage

In a 2015 CBS Minnesota feature, former general manager Mimi Doran shared chilling details about the paranormal activity staff experienced on a regular basis. "We feel or see or hear things every single day here at Forepaugh's," Doran said. She recalled how lights on the third floor would mysteriously turn back on after closing, often leaving only one light shining late into the night. "Just one light on the third floor, and that's Molly's light," she explained. Doran also recounted a moment when a guest joked about the hauntings during a tour, causing glasses at the nearby waiter’s station to rattle violently without explanation. John Ramsey, the restaurant’s maître d', added that he too had his own ghostly encounter, suggesting that the spirits of Molly and Joseph are never far from the dining room.

A Million-Dollar Renovation and a New Chapter

In October 2024, WCCO reported on the much-anticipated reopening of Forepaugh’s after a million-dollar renovation that breathed new life into the 1870 mansion while preserving its historic charm. One of the owners explained, "True to the home. That was the whole mission. Stay true to the home. Don't do major changes." The redesign aimed to make the dining rooms bright, clean, and current while maintaining beloved features like the original chandeliers and wall paneling that have charmed diners for decades.

The renovated space includes a new patio offering sweeping views of the storied neighborhood, including the governor’s mansion across the street. Longtime residents recalled celebrating family milestones here, while staff acknowledged that ghost stories remain a major draw. The third floor, home to Molly’s table, continues to be the most requested spot for reservations. Paranormal investigators claim to have identified multiple spirits throughout the house, including a playful child named Michael in the lower level. Despite the facelift, the mansion retains its layered history of intrigue, hauntings, and community memories, making it one of St. Paul’s most iconic dining destinations.

Visit One of Minnesota’s Most Haunted Restaurants

Forepaugh’s Restaurant is located at 276 Exchange Street South , right in the heart of the Irvine Park Historic District in St. Paul, Minnesota. The charming Victorian home sits just a few minutes from the Mississippi River and within walking distance of Irvine Park’s picturesque gazebo and fountain. Its proximity to Summit Avenue and downtown St. Paul makes it a convenient stop for both locals and visitors exploring the city’s history and haunted landmarks.

The restaurant is typically open Tuesday through Sunday , offering lunch, dinner, and a popular happy hour. Reservations are highly recommended, especially for those hoping to dine on the third floor at the legendary Molly’s table, which is often booked far in advance during the Halloween season. Whether you’re stopping in for fine dining, cocktails on the patio, or a glimpse into St. Paul’s haunted past, Forepaugh’s is a must-visit year-round.

See Forepaugh's Restaurant In Person

Does Molly really haunt the site of her Join the Spirits of Summit Avenue Ghost Walk , a chilling journey through one of St. Paul’s most historic and haunted neighborhoods. This guided walking tour takes you past opulent Victorian mansions and storied landmarks, including the famously haunted Forepaugh’s Restaurant. Along the way, you’ll hear spine-tingling tales of tragic love, restless spirits, and eerie encounters that have left locals and visitors alike wondering what lingers in the shadows of this grand avenue. Perfect for ghost enthusiasts, history buffs, and curious travelers, the Spirits of Summit Avenue Ghost Walk lets you experience the darker side of St. Paul’s past beneath the glow of the city’s historic gas lamps.

The Ghosts of the Omni Royal Orleans: Luxury, Legends, and One of New Orleans’ Most Horrific Crimes

Mon, 28 Jul 2025 00:45:18 GMT

The Omni Royal Orleans, a grand French Quarter hotel known for its timeless elegance and 14,000 square feet of meeting space, has long held a reputation that transcends luxury. Beneath the opulent chandeliers and polished brass lies a far more chilling legacy. Among New Orleans’ many haunted landmarks, few possess a paranormal pedigree as unsettling or as tragic as this iconic hotel.

A Hotel Full of Haunts

Guests of the Omni have reported an impressive array of spectral visitors. The most well-known is the ghost of a 19th-century maid, said to be both helpful and maternal. She’s reportedly tucked guests into bed, arranged their toiletries, and even attempted to change linens while people were still in them. Playful and persistent, she’s also been blamed for mysterious toilet flushes and impromptu baths.

But the hotel’s ghost stories don’t end there. Apparitions of children have been seen tugging at guests’ arms in the middle of the night. A ghostly Confederate soldier is often spotted on the seventh floor. Women have described receiving phantom kisses from a flirtatious spirit believed to be a young man from the hotel’s “quadroon ball” era, when the ballroom once hosted events that paired mixed-race women with wealthy white men.

Other guests speak of lights turning on by themselves, the feeling of being watched, or even being followed by a presence they can’t quite explain. And while many of the Omni’s ghosts are considered friendly or residual, mere echoes of the past, not all spirits here are so benign.

A Crime That Stained The Quarter

The hotel’s most haunting chapter began not in the 1800s but in the fall of 2006, when a man named Zackery Bowen took a final drink at the hotel’s rooftop bar, then stepped off the edge and plummeted to his death.

The story that unfolded afterward shocked the city and made national headlines.

Zack and his girlfriend, Addie Hall, were local celebrities in the post-Katrina French Quarter. When the storm hit in 2005, the pair chose to stay behind. They became media darlings, profiled as defiant lovers holding down their corner of the Quarter while much of the city drowned and fled. They gave interviews, danced in the streets, made cocktails by candlelight. They were New Orleans’ Romeo and Juliet of the storm.

But their relationship, like the city, cracked under the weight of survival.

Zack, a bartender and Iraq War veteran, was struggling with PTSD. Addie, an artist and dancer, had her own demons. They argued often, and by October 2006, Addie was trying to kick Zack out of the apartment they rented above a voodoo temple on Rampart Street.

On October 5th, she vanished.

Twelve days later, Zack jumped to his death from the Omni Royal Orleans. In his pocket was a note: a full confession and directions to the apartment, where police would find Addie’s dismembered remains. Her head was in a pot, limbs in the oven, and torso stored in the refrigerator. The thermostat had been set to 60 degrees. Words of remorse were scrawled across the walls.

Zack’s suicide stunned everyone who knew the couple. In a second note allegedly found in the apartment, Zack detailed his last days: food, friends, drugs, and strip clubs. “Good food, good drugs, good strippers, good friends,” he reportedly wrote. “I had to take my own life to pay for the one I took.”

The horror of the act and its setting, just steps from Bourbon Street in a building above a voodoo temple, by a man who once symbolized post-Katrina resilience, quickly turned the crime into legend. Locals dubbed him the Katrina Cannibal, though reports of cannibalism were later debunked.

Haunted by More Than Ghosts

In the years since the murder-suicide, both the Omni rooftop and the Rampart Street apartment have become known for more than just tragedy. Guests claim to see a tall, lanky man on the balcony where Zack took his final steps. Others report an oppressive energy near the hotel bar or a sensation of being watched from corners where no one stands.

At the apartment, now a private residence, reports persist of disembodied voices, cold spots, and lights turning on by themselves. Visitors have spoken of a breath on the back of the neck or eyes watching from the darkness.

Theories abound. Did Zack’s PTSD and untreated trauma drive him to the edge? Did the psychological aftermath of Katrina warp their already fragile relationship? Or was it something else, something darker, tied to the voodoo temple below their home?

The truth remains as elusive as any ghost.

Echoes of Tragedy in a City of Spirits

This story, though steeped in legend and whispered through ghost tours and barroom tales, is ultimately a deeply human tragedy. It’s important to remember that Zack and Addie were not just figures in a chilling narrative... they were real people, struggling with trauma, addiction, and mental health in a city still reeling from disaster. While their story has taken on a life of its own in New Orleans folklore, we must approach it with empathy and care, honoring the lives affected rather than sensationalizing their suffering.

The Omni Royal Orleans is still a place of Southern charm and polished grandeur, but it also bears the weight of a modern tragedy that rivals even the darkest chapters in the city’s long, haunted history.

Whether you believe in ghosts or not, the energy of the place is undeniable. Perhaps it’s the lingering grief of a community that loved two lost souls. Or maybe it’s something else, a spirit, a shadow, or a memory that refuses to fade.

Visiting the Omni Royal Orleans

�� 621 St. Louis Street, New Orleans

�� 345 Rooms

�� Haunted Reputation

�� Rooftop Bar (Site of Zack Bowen’s final moments)

Despite its ghosts, or perhaps because of them, the Omni Royal Orleans remains one of the most iconic places to stay in the French Quarter, where history, heartbreak, and hauntings go hand in hand.

From eerie alleyways to haunted hotels, we’ll curate a private haunted history adventure that brings New Orleans’ ghost stories to life... just for you. Click here to get in touch today.

Sleep Paralysis and The Paranormal: When Nightmares Feel Real

Fri, 25 Jul 2025 20:05:14 GMT

You’re awake, or at least you think you are. You can see your room in perfect detail, the outline of the door, the clock’s glow, the weight of your blanket. But something’s wrong. You can’t move. You can’t scream. And then, you see it. A figure in the doorway. A shadow on your chest. Something inhuman, watching you.

This is sleep paralysis, and for centuries, people have believed it’s a gateway to the paranormal.

The Universal Terror

Every culture has a name for it:

The Old Hag in Newfoundland
The Popobawa in Zanzibar
Kanashibari in Japan
Pisadeira in Brazil
The Hmong dab tsog , an evil night spirit that suffocates its victims

The earliest term “nightmare” didn’t mean a bad dream. It referred to a mare , a supernatural being who sat on your chest and made it impossible to breathe. The German Alp and Scandinavian Mara share similar traits, paralyzing you during the night, inducing fear and suffocation. Some even believed these creatures caused sleepwalking or sudden death.

When Nightmares Kill: The Hmong Deaths and Freddy Krueger

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, over 100 healthy young men, mostly Hmong refugees who had fled war-torn Laos, died mysteriously in their sleep. There were no signs of trauma, no medical explanation. Just sudden death, often after reports of terrifying dreams and sleep paralysis episodes. The CDC labeled it Sudden Unexpected Nocturnal Death Syndrome (SUNDS).

The Hmong believed they were being attacked by a spirit called dab tsog, a crushing night demon. Many refused to sleep, terrified they’d be next.

One specific case reported by the Los Angeles Times featured a boy who told his parents that something was chasing him in his dreams. He stayed awake for days, sneaking coffee and avoiding sleep. When he finally did drift off, he died in the middle of the night.

This real-life horror inspired filmmaker Wes Craven to create Freddy Krueger in A Nightmare on Elm Street , a dream-stalking demon who could kill you while you slept. If you died in the dream, you died in real life.

The line between sleep and death had never been thinner.

Personal Encounters with the Paranormal

My own brush with sleep paralysis wasn’t just frightening. It shaped how I view the paranormal today.

It was the summer of 1989. I was about to start junior high and had just read Whitley Strieber’s Communion , with its haunting image of a gray alien staring out from the cover. That face embedded itself in my subconscious, following me to bed.

Then one night, I woke up. I could see my room, the desk, the dresser, the hall light barely peeking under the door. But I couldn’t move. I couldn’t even scream. My chest felt heavy, like something was sitting on me.

And that’s when I saw them.

A ring of pale, gray faces hovered above me, those familiar almond-shaped black eyes staring silently. I was paralyzed but fully conscious. It wasn’t like a dream, it felt hyper-real. Time stretched. My panic grew. Then they vanished.

When I snapped out of it, I sat up gasping for air, heart pounding. It was my first experience with sleep paralysis, and it wouldn’t be my last.

Only later would I learn what I’d experienced was a hypnopompic hallucination, common in sleep paralysis. But at the time, it felt like they had come for me.

The Popobawa: Fear That Spreads

In Zanzibar and nearby islands, the Popobawa , a shape-shifting bat demon, has terrorized communities for decades. During outbreaks of Popobawa panic, men sleep outdoors in groups, some armed with weapons, convinced the creature is real.

Victims of Popobawa attacks often report feeling paralyzed, unable to scream, with a heavy presence in the room. Some describe being sexually assaulted by the entity, echoing folklore from other cultures about demonic nighttime visitors.

Anthropologist Dr. Martin Walsh studied the phenomenon and noted how Popobawa stories often spike in times of social upheaval. Whether it’s collective trauma, repressed anxiety, or a supernatural predator, the Popobawa is a chilling reminder of how culturally specific yet globally recognizable sleep paralysis can be.

The Nightmare: A Shared Experience

Filmmakers Adam and Drew Gray captured this terror in their chilling documentary-horror hybrid The Nightmare . Inspired by their own experiences and hundreds of stories they found online, the film explores sleep paralysis through interviews and dramatizations.

One of the brothers recalled waking up to a shadow figure watching him silently from the corner of his room, a classic sleep paralysis experience. The film’s subjects described identical phenomena: frozen limbs, electric buzzing, a shadowy intruder creeping closer. Many had never told anyone, thinking they were alone.

But the scariest part? After the film aired, new viewers began reporting their own episodes, suggesting the experience might be contagious.

The Incubus and Succubus: Demons in the Dark

In medieval Christian Europe, sleep paralysis was interpreted as a visit from demons:

The incubus , a male demon, would climb on top of women, holding them down and violating them.
The succubus , his female counterpart, seduced and drained men, sometimes to death.

Victims awoke feeling exhausted, ashamed, and terrified to go back to sleep. These experiences were often cited in religious texts as proof of spiritual warfare.

What’s remarkable is how often modern sleep paralysis includes sexual or invasive elements. One woman described a rough, sandpaper-like tongue licking her face before the entity climbed on top of her. Others report feeling hands around their neck or whispers in their ear.

It’s as though the ancient incubus still finds ways to crawl out of our unconscious.

The Virgin Islands Nightmare

One of the most chilling modern accounts comes from a woman in the Virgin Islands who told her story to the Caribbean Mystics podcast.

Her partner woke to find her sitting up in bed, eyes open, unblinking. She was unresponsive and rigid. When she finally snapped out of it, she gasped and said only, “They were trying to take me.”

She described translucent, long-limbed beings with glowing auras surrounding her. One pressed on her chest. Another whispered in an unintelligible language. She could see everything around her, the room exactly as it was, but couldn’t move.

Locals whispered about jumbies, Caribbean spirits known to roam at night, sometimes s natching souls or draining energy. Whether it was a jumbie or something else, she never slept without a light on again.

Alien Abductions and Shadow People

Sleep paralysis overlaps eerily with alien abduction stories:

Bright lights
Missing time
Being lifted from bed
Cold, surgical beings standing by the bedside

And Shadow People, faceless figures in trench coats or hats, have become a pop culture phenomenon. People see them hovering in doorways, peeking from corners, or straddling their chest. Their movements are unnatural, like bad stop-motion animation. And they often appear just before the paralysis sets in.

What Science Says

Sleep researchers blame REM atonia , a normal body paralysis during dream sleep. Occasionally, the brain “wakes up” while the body is still locked. You’re caught between dreaming and consciousness, creating vivid hallucinations that feel indistinguishable from reality.

But science doesn’t make it any less terrifying in the moment.

Can You Stop It?

You’re more likely to experience sleep paralysis if you:

Sleep on your back
Have high stress or anxiety
Maintain irregular sleep patterns
Have PTSD, trauma, or narcolepsy

To cope, Dr. Baland Jalal recommends Meditation-Relaxation Therapy :

Reframe the attack. It’s neurological, not paranormal.
Emotionally detach. Fear fuels the hallucination.
Meditate inwardly. Focus on positive imagery or mantras.
Relax the body. Fighting makes it worse. Let it pass.

Some sufferers also report relief through spiritual practices, prayer, protective symbols, or mentally confronting the entity.

Between Sleep and the Supernatural

Whether a brain glitch, a cultural artifact, or a real brush with something beyond, sleep paralysis is a portal. To fear, to folklore, and possibly to something we don’t yet understand.

So next time you wake frozen in bed and feel something moving in the dark, just know:

You’re not alone.

You never were.

10 Questions to Ask Before Booking a Private Ghost Tour for Your Team

Thu, 24 Jul 2025 16:57:17 GMT

Looking to break out of the same old team-building rut? If your group has already done the escape rooms, brewery nights, and trust falls, it might be time to explore something… stranger.

Haunted history tours offer a one-of-a-kind blend of storytelling, mystery, and adrenaline that helps teams bond in unexpected ways. But before you book, there are a few key questions you should ask to make sure the experience fits your group’s goals, comfort levels, and logistics.

Whether you’re planning a corporate retreat, milestone celebration, or just want to show your team a good time, this is the kind of event they’ll remember. Here are 10 questions to help you choose the right haunted experience.

1. Is this tour appropriate for corporate or professional groups?

Not all haunted tours are created equal. Some lean into campy horror or adult themes, while others focus more on historical storytelling and atmosphere. Ask about tone, content, and whether it can be tailored to your group’s vibe.

2. Can the tour be customized for our team?

The best experiences aren’t one-size-fits-all. Ask if the operator can include locations that matter to your business, such as haunted offices or landmarks. Personalizing the pacing, stops, or even the type of stories can elevate the entire experience.

3. What’s the maximum group size? Is there a minimum?

Some tours cap at 12, while others can handle 50 or more. Know your headcount and make sure it fits within the tour’s ideal size for engagement and logistics. Bonus points if they offer headsets or audio equipment for large groups.

4. Is the route walkable and accessible?

Make sure the physical route works for everyone in your group. Ask about total distance, terrain (stairs, hills, uneven ground), and whether the tour is wheelchair-accessible or suitable for all fitness levels and ages.

5. What happens in bad weather?

Is the tour rain or shine? Ask if there are indoor alternatives, flexible routes, or clear cancellation and rescheduling policies in case the weather takes a turn.

6. Can we bring food or drinks, or make it a progressive event?

Some groups like to add pub stops, others want to start or end with dinner or a reception. Ask if the tour can coordinate with local venues or build in time for socializing before or after the walk.

7. What kind of stories do you tell, and are they based on history?

Great haunted tours combine chills with curiosity. Find out whether the stories are rooted in local legend, verified history, or folklore, and whether guides are trained historians or performers.

8. What are the guides like, and can we request a specific one?

Guides can make or break the experience. Ask if they’ve worked with professional groups before and whether their style fits your team. If a particular guide has great reviews, see if you can request them directly.

9. Can we add interactive or team-building elements?

Some operators offer ghost-hunting tools, scavenger hunts, trivia, or custom challenges. Adding interactive moments helps spark conversation and deeper engagement among your team.

10. How do we actually book, and how far in advance should we plan?

Private bookings often need more lead time. Ask about availability, deposits, cancellation policies, and what’s included in the rate. If you’re aiming for a fall or Halloween-season event, the earlier you book, the better.

Final Thoughts

A haunted history tour isn’t just entertainment. It’s a shared experience your team will remember for years. These kinds of events create connection, curiosity, and that rare moment when someone says, “That was actually amazing.”

If you’re looking to make your next team outing unforgettable, we’d love to help.

�� Have questions or want to check availability?

Click here to book your private tour or corporate event.

Annabelle's at The Gilmore Hotel in Ketchikan, Alaska

Wed, 23 Jul 2025 19:12:09 GMT

Nestled in the heart of Ketchikan’s historic waterfront, Annabelle’s Famous Keg and Chowder House is more than just a beloved seafood restaurant and bar. Housed within the storied walls of the Gilmore Hotel, Annabelle’s is a cornerstone of local lore... a place where the echoes of Alaska’s gold rush past and whispers of the supernatural mingle over pints and chowder. For those seeking a taste of America’s haunted hospitality, Annabelle’s offers both culinary delights and a side of spectral intrigue.

The Gilmore Hotel: A Legacy of Resilience and Community

The Gilmore Hotel first opened in 1927, the vision of Irish immigrant and Ketchikan community leader Pat Gilmore. After arriving in Alaska in the early 1900s, Gilmore quickly became a civic fixture, serving as mayor, city councilman, and judge. Following a devastating fire that leveled much of Front Street, he commissioned a fireproof concrete structure—the building that would become the Gilmore Hotel.

Built in a classic Early Commercial style, the hotel was considered one of the finest establishments in town, catering to businessmen, miners, and seafarers. The hotel has hosted countless visitors over the decades, from salmon cannery workers to cruise ship passengers. In 1989, a careful restoration project preserved the hotel’s original 1920s character, and today, it stands proudly on the National Register of Historic Places. Annabelle’s opened shortly after the restoration, serving up fresh Alaskan seafood and classic cocktails in a vintage, wood-paneled setting.

Annabelle’s: A Gathering Place for Locals, Tourists, and Ghosts

Annabelle’s has long been a popular destination for both locals and visitors. With its antique bar, warm lighting, and historic details, it offers a welcoming environment for weary travelers and curious diners. But beneath the laughter and the clinking of glasses, a quieter energy has long been felt by those who work in and frequent the restaurant.

Ghost Stories from the Gilmore

I’ve visited Annabelle's twice. If you like seafood, it's a highlight of Ketchikan and if you're in the mood for beer, they've got a great selection of Alaskan local brews plus your favorites from the mainland.

A local bartender shared that although she had never personally experienced anything paranormal, her parents, who worked at Annabelle’s for years, had passed down eerie stories like chandeliers swinging without a breeze and mysterious singing coming from behind the walls, particularly near Room 303, where a former long-term resident once claimed to hear voices nightly.

Annabelle’s is not just haunted by vague feelings or bumps in the night. Multiple staff members and guests have reported seeing two distinct figures: a man in a top hat who frequently appears in Room 208, and a silent woman seen sitting peacefully in a chair. These sightings have been repeated often enough to form a consistent local legend.

One particularly unsettling story involves a Coast Guard officer who stayed at the hotel and was asked by the front desk clerk if he had heard anything unusual during the night. The question seemed odd until the clerk showed him the room next door. Though it was supposedly unoccupied, the bed was mysteriously soaked in what appeared to be blood. No explanation was ever offered.

Tragedies Beyond the Hotel Walls

While there are no known records of violent deaths within the Gilmore itself, Ketchikan has its share of regional tragedy. Disasters like the 1908 wreck of the Star of Bengal, which claimed over 100 lives, and the 1950 fire that destroyed the S.S. Prince George, are etched into the local consciousness. During Prohibition, the waterfront saw its fair share of bootlegging, betrayal, and shady dealings. These events may not have taken place within the Gilmore, but their ghostly echoes still seem to ripple through the town.

Visit If You Dare

Whether you’re a ghost hunter or just hungry for a bowl of chowder, Annabelle’s at the Gilmore Hotel offers a rich taste of Alaskan history. The restaurant’s charming 1920s atmosphere, coupled with lingering whispers of the unexplained, makes it a must-stop on any haunted itinerary.

The Gilmore stands as a monument to resilience, community, and possibly something otherworldly. Pull up a stool, order a craft beer, and ask your bartender if they’ve ever seen anything strange. In a town like Ketchikan, you just might get a story that stays with you long after the last spoonful of chowder is gone.

Why It’s One of America’s Most Haunted Bars

Annabelle’s Famous Keg and Chowder House at the Gilmore Hotel earns its place among America’s most haunted bars thanks to a unique combination of historic atmosphere, compelling local legends, and persistent reports of unexplained phenomena.

If you’re planning a haunted adventure through southeast Alaska, Annabelle’s is open for lunch and dinner year-round. With a menu full of hearty seafood and a dining room steeped in legend, it offers a truly spirited experience... one that might come with a chill down your spine.

Join the Ketchikan Ghost Walk , a spine-tingling walking tour through Alaska’s most haunted waterfront town. This guided experience takes you deep into Ketchikan’s paranormal past, including the historic Gilmore Hotel and Annabelle’s Famous Keg and Chowder House, widely known as one of America’s most haunted bars . Hear chilling stories of ghostly figures like the mysterious man in the top hat and the woman in the chair, and learn about real reports of unexplained activity inside this National Register-listed hotel. Perfect for ghost hunters, history lovers, and adventurous travelers, the Ketchikan Ghost Walk is your chance to explore the haunted side of Alaska under the glow of the city’s flickering lamplight.

Pirate Symbols and Their Meanings: Secrets of the Sea in the Virgin Islands

Wed, 23 Jul 2025 12:23:51 GMT

Discover the hidden meanings behind pirate flags, tattoos, and legends. Learn how to explore their ghostly echoes in the Virgin Islands.

A Skull, a Cutlass, and a Warning from the Deep…

You're sailing into the warm turquoise waters of the Virgin Islands when a black flag appears on the horizon. A grinning skull stares down from it, menacing, cryptic, and unforgettable. But what does it really mean?

Pirate symbols weren’t just spooky designs; they were coded messages, psychological warfare, signs of rebellion, and warnings from those who lived (and often died) by the sea. In the Virgin Islands, their legacy lingers not only in museums but in haunted ruins, windswept fortresses, and ghost stories that still echo through St. Thomas today.

Introduction: The Language of Pirates Lives On

Whether you're a thrill-seeker chasing ghost stories or a history buff digging into maritime legends, understanding pirate symbols is your gateway into a darker side of Caribbean history. From cryptic carvings to fearsome flags, these emblems tell tales of power, fear, and freedom.

In this post, we’ll dive into:

The most common pirate symbols and their hidden meanings.
How these signs show up in Virgin Islands legends and haunted history.
Where to explore pirate lore in St. Thomas today, including real haunted locations tied to infamous buccaneers like Blackbeard.
Tips for making your visit unforgettable (and maybe a little spooky).

Is This Blog for You?

This guide is perfect for:

First-time visitors to the Virgin Islands with a love for legends.
History lovers, families, and curious travelers looking for a unique cultural angle.
Ghost hunters and paranormal fans following pirate spirits through haunted ruins.
Guests booked or considering our St. Thomas Ghost Walk , which includes tales of pirate hauntings at Fort Christian and Bluebeard’s Castle.

Jolly Roger: The Pirate Flag with a Purpose

The Jolly Roger wasn’t just about style. It was psychological warfare. Pirates wanted their victims to surrender without a fight. A black flag with skulls and swords meant danger. A red flag? No mercy.

Common Jolly Roger Variations:

Skull and Crossbones: Universal death symbol.
Hourglass: Time is running out for you.
Dagger or Cutlass: We’re armed and ready.
Skeleton with a Spear: We kill without hesitation.

Many pirates had custom versions. Blackbeard reportedly added flaming fuses to his beard for maximum fear factor. His flag showed a skeleton stabbing a heart with a spear.

Symbols of Death, Power, and Warning

Pirate crews were often made up of the desperate and the daring. They used symbols to:

Mark loyalty with tattoos of daggers or skulls.
Instill fear with skull carvings on cannonballs or ship bows.
Send messages by leaving items like a dead chicken or black spot.

These weren’t random. They drew from folklore, religion, and superstition.

Common Pirate Symbolism:

Skull (Memento Mori): Remember, you will die.
Crossed Bones: Brotherhood in death.
Serpents: Treachery or vengeance.
Eyes or Third Eye: Supernatural awareness.
Ships aflame: Burning bridges in every sense.

Pirate Symbols You Can Still Find in the Virgin Islands

The Virgin Islands were a pirate playground. Their hidden bays and trade-rich routes made them perfect for plundering and disappearing.

Today, the symbols remain:

In the fort walls of St. Thomas, carved by convicts and sailors.
On graves near Charlotte Amalie, etched with skull-and-crossbones motifs.
In local festivals, such as the Moko Jumbie dancers, spirit guardians said to evolve from pirate-era myth.

Where Did Pirate Symbols Originate?

The roots of pirate symbolism stretch far beyond the Caribbean. Many emblems pirates adopted had long histories in European naval and cultural traditions. The skull and crossbones, for example, was used on tombstones and military flags as a memento mori—a reminder of mortality. Pirates co-opted these images not only to terrify but to project a kind of mystical power.

Some symbols may have evolved from maritime guild signs or were inspired by the secret languages of outlaws and rebels. Over time, these became codified within pirate culture, passed between crews from West Africa to the Caribbean.

The Pirates Treasure Museum: Where Legends Come to Life

Located near Havensight Mall in St. Thomas, the Pirates Treasure Museum is a must-visit for anyone fascinated by seafaring lore. This interactive, family-friendly museum features genuine shipwreck artifacts recovered by Odyssey Marine Exploration.

Highlights Include:

Real gold and silver coins from sunken ships
Pirate weapons and navigation tools
A recreated shipwreck dive chamber
Stories and artifacts linked to Blackbeard and other infamous Caribbean pirates

It’s one of the best places to separate fact from fiction and to view firsthand the kinds of treasure these notorious seafarers risked their lives for.

Bluebeard, Blackbeard, and the Ghosts of St. Thomas

Yes, pirates like Blackbeard and Bluebeard actually walked the shores of the Virgin Islands.

Bluebeard’s Castle

Originally a Danish fort, this now-haunted hotel is tied to the infamous Bluebeard. Some say he murdered his lovers here. Others say he buried treasure beneath the tower.

Fort Christian

This 17th-century fort held pirates, prisoners, and colonial secrets. Its red walls have seen bloodshed, and many guests report cold spots and whispers inside.

Bonus Legend: Ghost of the Pirate Priest

Local lore tells of a pirate-turned-priest who built a secret chapel on Hassel Island, just off the coast of St. Thomas. Some say he used the chapel to hide stolen relics. Visitors to the ruins at night have reported chanting in Latin and glowing lights in the trees.

While there’s little written record of the man, locals claim that storms never hit the island directly—perhaps thanks to his lingering spirit.

Sample Itinerary for Pirate Explorers

Morning: Start with a tour of the Pirates Treasure Museum to ground your day in real relics and maritime history.

Afternoon: Walk through Charlotte Amalie and explore Fort Christian. Grab a bite at a local restaurant like Gladys’ Café.

Evening: Take the St. Thomas Ghost Walk for chilling tales of pirate hauntings under the stars.

FAQ: Pirates in the Virgin Islands

Conclusion: The Symbols Still Speak

Pirate symbols weren’t just spooky stories. They were real tools used by real people who sailed the Virgin Islands and shaped its haunted history. Today, their legacy lingers in ruins, flags, and folklore throughout St. Thomas.

If you’re fascinated by pirate lore and haunted legends, don’t just read about them. Experience them for yourself. Join us on the St. Thomas Ghost Walk and walk where pirates once ruled and maybe still linger.

Revisiting the Sharon Tate Murder Anniversary: Charles Manson, Hollywood’s Darkest Night, and the Haunted Oman House

mike@americanghostwalks.com (Mike Huberty) — Tue, 22 Jul 2025 21:20:53 GMT

Each August, the anniversary of the Sharon Tate murders casts a long shadow over Hollywood, evoking memories of one of the most infamous crimes in American history. The events of August 8 and 9, 1969, not only claimed the lives of five innocent people, including a rising movie star and her unborn child, but also marked an abrupt and brutal end to the hopeful spirit of the 1960s. Today, the legacy of the Manson Family murders endures not only in history books and documentaries but also in persistent rumors and reports of paranormal activity at the nearby Oman House, a modern landmark that has become synonymous with Hollywood’s haunted past.

The Sharon Tate Murders: A Night That Changed Hollywood

On the night of August 8, 1969, actress Sharon Tate, eight-and-a-half months pregnant and married to director Roman Polanski, was hosting friends at her rented home at 10050 Cielo Drive in Benedict Canyon, Los Angeles. Among her guests were celebrity hairstylist Jay Sebring, coffee heiress Abigail Folger, and aspiring screenwriter Wojciech Frykowski. Eighteen-year-old Steven Parent, visiting the property’s caretaker, was also present, though only briefly.

That night, four members of Charles Manson’s cult—known as the Manson Family—broke into the house under direct orders to kill everyone inside, "as gruesomely as you can." The attackers, led by Charles "Tex" Watson, brutally murdered all five occupants, leaving behind a scene that horrified the nation. The word "PIG" was found scrawled in Sharon Tate’s blood on the front door, a chilling symbol of the group’s apocalyptic beliefs and their leader’s deranged vision of "Helter Skelter," a race war he claimed was foretold by The Beatles.

The following night, Manson’s followers killed Leno and Rosemary LaBianca in a similarly brutal fashion. These two nights of violence, collectively known as the Tate-LaBianca murders, shocked the world and brought a devastating end to the era’s sense of innocence and optimism.

Charles Manson: The "Helter Skelter" Cult and Its Legacy

Charles Manson was a career criminal who reinvented himself as a messianic cult leader in the late 1960s, attracting a devoted following of young runaways and outcasts. The so-called Manson Family lived communally at Spahn Ranch, supporting themselves through theft and petty crime while absorbing Manson’s apocalyptic teachings.

Manson’s obsession with fame, music, and a coming race war led him to target the Cielo Drive residence, a house he associated with music producer Terry Melcher (son of famous actress Doris Day), who had previously rejected Manson’s ambitions of a recording career. Although Melcher no longer lived there, Manson’s followers carried out his orders, forever linking the address, and Sharon Tate’s name, to one of the darkest chapters in Hollywood history.

The subsequent trial, featuring the bizarre antics of Manson and his followers, became a media spectacle. The case was immortalized in Vincent Bugliosi’s bestselling book Helter Skelter , and the murders remain a touchstone in true crime and American cultural history.

The Haunting of Cielo Drive: The Oman House Connection

The original Tate-Polanski house at 10050 Cielo Drive was demolished in the 1990s, but the land and surrounding properties have retained an air of tragedy and mystery. In 1999, David Oman and his father purchased a lot just 200 feet from the original murder site and began construction on what would become the Oman House.

Almost immediately, stories of paranormal activity began to circulate. Construction workers reported unexplained footsteps, cold spots, and the feeling of being touched by unseen hands. After moving in, David Oman himself experienced a series of chilling encounters, including the apparition of Jay Sebring, one of the Tate murder victims, who appeared at the foot of Oman’s bed, silently gesturing toward the site of the murders.

Over the years, the Oman House has become a focal point for paranormal investigators and enthusiasts. The property has been featured on television shows like Ghost Hunters , Ghost Adventures , and Famously Haunted: Hollywood , earning a reputation as "the Mount Everest of haunted houses." Visitors and experts have reported electromagnetic anomalies, disembodied voices, flying objects, and apparitions believed to be the restless spirits of the Manson murder victims, including Sharon Tate herself.

Parapsychologist Dr. Barry Taff, known for his work on the famous "Entity" case in the 1970s, once called the Oman House "Disneyland for the dead." Taff described the site as having some of the highest EMF readings he had ever recorded and claimed it was the only location he had ever investigated that he would never return to.

Paranormal Encounters Inside the Oman House

Guests on paranormal investigations at the Oman House have described everything from malfunctioning electronics to physical sensations like dizziness, nausea, and sudden temperature changes. On one occasion, an investigator described feeling haunted even before reaching the location . Her phone GPS failed mysteriously until she left the area.

Inside, strange events unfold frequently. Lights turn on and off without explanation. Music boxes with motion sensors play when no one is near. Cold spots appear on thermal cameras. In one case, a skeptic was physically pushed into a chair in front of a group of witnesses and refused to discuss the incident afterward. Another guest reported pressure in her skull as if underwater, a sensation not felt before or since.

Many believe the powerful activity is amplified by geological forces. The region is known by the US Geological Survey as a magnetic anomaly zone, believed to sit atop dormant volcanic rock that emits heightened electromagnetic fields. Combined with decades of traumatic energy, this may explain why the Oman House remains one of the most active paranormal hotspots in Los Angeles.

Trent Reznor and the House at 10050 Cielo Drive

In the early 1990s, Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor rented the former Tate-Polanski residence at 10050 Cielo Drive, converting the infamous site into a recording studio he named Le Pig, a reference to the word "PIG" scrawled in blood during the murders. It was there that Reznor recorded parts of the band’s landmark album, The Downward Spiral .

In 2024, Terminator 2 star, Robert Patrick told the story in a TikTok that his brother Richard Patrick was the guitarist in Nine Inch Nails at the time and was living in the 10050 Cielo Drive house but he decided to quit the band. Robert Patrick said that he went up there to pick up his brother and move him into his own place. Richard Patrick said he quit Nine Inch Nails because Trent Reznor was unwilling to record "Hey Man, Nice Shot" for The Downward Spiral, but the song would eventually become a huge hit for Patrick's own band, Filter .

In the 1990s, Reznor claimed he was unaware of the home's full history, but the weight of its past eventually caught up with him. After a chance encounter with Debra Tate, Sharon Tate’s sister, who asked if he was exploiting her sister’s death, Reznor later reflected,

"When she said, ‘Are you exploiting my sister’s death by living in her house?’ I said, ‘No, it’s just sort of my own interest in American folklore.’ But then I realized for the first time, ‘What if it was my sister?’ I’d been living in a full-on Charles Manson fantasy."

The house was demolished shortly after Reznor moved out in 1993, and a new mansion now stands in its place.

Sharon Tate’s Legacy and Memorial

Despite the enduring fascination with the Manson murders, Sharon Tate’s memory is honored by friends, family, and fans. She is buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California, in St. Ann’s Section, Lot 152, Grave 6. Her grave has become a site of quiet pilgrimage for those wishing to pay respects to a life and talent cut short.

Tate reportedly had her own supernatural experiences in the home before her death. She once described seeing a ghostly figure and a disturbing vision of herself bound and gagged in the house, echoing the circumstances of her eventual murder. Was it a premonition, a haunting, or something else?

The 56th Anniversary: Commemoration and Reflection

To mark the 56th anniversary of the Sharon Tate murders, a special 5 hour paranormal investigation will be held at the Oman House on August 8th and 9th at 8 PM . This immersive experience invites guests to explore one of Los Angeles’ most haunted homes using professional ghost hunting equipment in a guided investigation of its most active areas. Known for its intense energy and frequent apparitions, the Oman House becomes even more charged on the anniversary of the tragic events that took place just steps away. Whether you’re a seasoned investigator or a curious first-timer, this is a rare opportunity to meet the lingering spirits of Cielo Drive firsthand.

Extra Bonus: We're Bringing In Manson Family and Hollywood Expert Scott Michaels!

Scott Michaels from Dearly Departed Tours is a longtime Hollywood hauntings and tragedy expert whose particular specialty is the Tate-LaBianca Murders and we're excited to have him there to begin the evening with history and lore surrounding the events which may have led to the hauntings people experience at the Oman House. We'll kick off the night with a conversation from this fascinating character and one of the originators of haunted history tourism in Hollywood!

Click on the dates below to book your tickets to the next Oman House paranormal investigation!

Can't make it in person? Grab a pay-per-view livestream to the event for only $4.99!

Bigfoot in Ketchikan: Alaska’s Haunted Forest Legends

Mon, 21 Jul 2025 15:45:29 GMT

Bigfoot in the Timber: Sasquatch Sightings and Lumberjack Lore in Ketchikan, Alaska

Ketchikan, Alaska is a place where the mountains meet the sea and the dense, mist-draped Tongass National Forest stretches for millions of acres. This vast wilderness, once bustling with logging camps and timber crews, has long been fertile ground for stories of the strange and unexplained, especially when it comes to Bigfoot .

In the logging heyday of Southeast Alaska, workers shared eerie campfire tales of bizarre creatures and terrifying encounters in the woods. Many were just tall tales to spook the greenhorns. But others were recounted with a seriousness that suggested something real. Among the most persistent and chilling legends was that of Sasquatch , the elusive, bipedal giant said to roam the remote forests of the Pacific Northwest, especially the rainforests around Ketchikan.

Modern-Day Bigfoot Video Evidence

In recent years, one of the most talked-about pieces of evidence emerged right from Ketchikan itself.

Known as the Ketchikan Bigfoot footage , this mysterious video was uploaded to YouTube on May 10, 2011 by a user named putua76 . The grainy clip begins with the camera operator filming the quiet forest. But within the first eight seconds , a dark, upright figure can briefly be seen moving deeper into the trees. It reappears again around 0:23 and 0:24 , just long enough for viewers to catch a glimpse of what appears to be a hairy face peering through the foliage .

Then, at the end of the video, the air is pierced by a loud, guttural scream , an animalistic sound that doesn’t resemble anything known to inhabit the region. The camera shakes, the person yells “Run!” , and the footage abruptly ends as the videographer flees.

While skeptics have questioned the video’s authenticity, it remains one of the more intriguing modern pieces of supposed Bigfoot evidence. For believers and curious locals alike, the Ketchikan footage adds fuel to a fire that’s been burning for generations.

Logging Camps and the Fear in the Forest

Even before this video surfaced, the woods around Ketchikan and its neighboring islands were notorious for unnerving encounters. In nearby Prince of Wales Island , loggers have shared firsthand accounts of strange phenomena at isolated camps. One veteran timber worker described how tools would go missing, only to be later found neatly arranged at the edge of the tree line, as if something intelligent was watching and toying with them.

More disturbing were the screams , piercing and inhuman sounds coming from the forest at night. “It was like an animal we’ve never heard before,” one logger reported. The events rattled the crew so badly that some refused to return to the site. Others abandoned the job entirely.

Locals warned them about the area. Certain parts of the island were considered off-limits, not for safety reasons, but out of fear. These mountains were believed to be home to the Sasquatch , and people who ventured too far sometimes never came back .

Sightings in Town and Close to Home

The encounters haven’t just happened in remote outposts. Some of the most startling sightings have occurred within Ketchikan city limits .

According to Raincoast Sasquatch , a book by former Ketchikan resident J. Robert Alley , many credible reports have come from places like Ward Lake , Signal Creek Campground , and Last Chance Campground , all popular recreation spots for locals.

But perhaps the most unnerving report took place in the Bear Valley neighborhood , a wooded residential area just above downtown. A longtime Ketchikan resident witnessed a large, upright, ape-like creature moving near homes on Bear Valley Drive. The figure, estimated at six to seven feet tall , was covered in dark brown hair , and walked erect on two legs . According to the witness, the creature stopped, appeared to look in their direction , and then silently slipped back into the trees.

By the time neighbors were alerted, it had vanished into the forest.

The Legend Walks On

For many in Ketchikan, Sasquatch isn’t just a legend or YouTube oddity. It’s a part of local culture and memory. Generations of loggers, hunters, and residents have had experiences they can’t explain. Whether it’s the screams in the woods, the massive footprints, or the fleeting glimpses of something too large to be human, the message is clear. Something is out there in the rainforest shadows.

And if the stories are true, Bigfoot doesn’t just live in the wilderness. Sometimes, he comes right up to the edge of town .

Ready to Explore Ketchikan's Haunted Side?

Ready to uncover the haunted secrets of Alaska’s First City? Ketchikan may be known for its breathtaking scenery and logging history, but beneath the surface lies a shadowy world of ghost stories, strange creatures, and unexplained encounters in the rainforest.

Join us for a Ketchikan Ghost Tour and explore the city’s most chilling sites. From eerie alleyways to haunted harbors and Bigfoot sightings deep in the Tongass, our guides will share the spine-tingling legends that locals whisper about after dark. Discover the supernatural side of Ketchikan—if you dare.

Seaweed Charlie: The Drowned Aviator of Calvary Cemetery

mike@americanghostwalks.com (Mike Huberty) — Thu, 17 Jul 2025 04:13:26 GMT

n Evanston, Illinois, tucked between the timeless gravestones of Calvary Cemetery and the choppy waves of Lake Michigan, a ghost story has persisted for decades. Locals know him as Seaweed Charlie, a spectral figure said to emerge from the lake, soaked and solemn, and stagger across Sheridan Road in search of rest among the dead.

This is no ordinary ghost. This is a haunting steeped in sorrow, sacrifice, and perhaps, peace.

A Tranquil Cemetery with a Troubled Visitor

Calvary Cemetery is one of the most scenic burial grounds in Chicagoland. With over 200,000 interments across 92 lakefront acres, it’s the final resting place for former mayors, Civil War heroes, baseball legend Charles Comiskey , and other influential Chicagoans.

But the cemetery’s most famous resident may be someone who was never officially buried there at all.

From the late 1950s through the 1990s, countless reports emerged of a strange and chilling sight. A man was seen struggling in the icy waters of Lake Michigan near the east gates of Calvary Cemetery. Witnesses described him as a young man with a faint green glow, wearing a heavy coat or a military flight suit. Some said he was tangled in lakeweed. Others claimed he still wore a parachute pack as he climbed ashore.

What happened next was always the same.

He would crawl from the lake, scale the massive white shoreline boulders, and walk across Sheridan Road. Drivers often swerved to avoid him. Then he would disappear at the locked gates of the cemetery.

From Ghost Story to Grounded History

Although the story sounds like urban legend, Chicago ghost hunter Richard T. Crowe believed it had a historical origin. He linked the haunting to a real-life tragedy that occurred on May 4, 1951.

That day, Lt. Laverne F. Nabours, a World War II veteran and flight instructor at Glenview Naval Air Station, experienced engine failure while piloting an FH-1 Phantom jet. He crashed into Lake Michigan just off the coast near Northwestern University. He was last seen alive, waving for help while clinging to the wing of his sinking aircraft. His body washed ashore days later, just yards from the gates of Calvary Cemetery.

Many believe Lt. Nabours is the man behind the legend of Seaweed Charlie, a spirit who was never properly laid to rest and who returned again and again, seeking peace.

Some say the sightings continued for over 20 years. Then came one extraordinary night, when the gates of Calvary Cemetery were accidentally left open.

According to legend, Charlie finally walked through. After that, no one ever saw him again.

A Ghost’s Peaceful Ending?

In ghost stories, most spirits linger because something holds them back. It could be unfinished business, an untimely death, or a denial of proper burial. Seaweed Charlie’s tale is unique because it offers a conclusion. He haunted the shoreline and the gate until someone opened the way.

And then he was gone.

Today, visitors can stand across from Calvary Cemetery and look out over the water where he was said to drown. The waves still crash against the rocks. Some nights, the air still carries a heaviness that’s hard to explain.

But Charlie hasn’t crossed Sheridan Road in years.

The Man in the Water

The story of Seaweed Charlie has lasted for generations because it offers more than just a scare. It is a haunting filled with dignity and humanity. Whether he was a restless soul or a collective memory made manifest, Charlie reminded us that ghosts are often people we’ve simply forgotten how to mourn.

So if you’re driving along the lakeshore near Calvary Cemetery late at night, maybe glance toward the water.

And if you see someone in a flight suit, waving from the rocks, maybe it’s just your imagination.

Or maybe it’s Charlie, coming home again.

Why Ghost Tours Might Be the Best Thing You Do for Team Building This Year

Wed, 16 Jul 2025 04:11:56 GMT

When most people think of corporate team building, images of trust falls or conference room workshops come to mind. But what if your team could bond over candlelit walks, whispered legends, and shared goosebumps instead?

Welcome to the eerie but effective world of ghost tours as a team building tool. Backed by research in experiential learning, neuroscience, and dark tourism, these spine-tingling outings offer more than just entertainment. They’re immersive experiences that engage multiple senses, create lasting memories, and, most importantly, bring your team closer together.

The Science Behind Why It Works

1. Experiential Learning Creates Stronger Bonds

Traditional lectures and slide decks just don’t stick. Studies show experiential learning methods, where people learn by doing , can yield retention rates of 75 to 90% , compared to just 5 to 10% for passive formats like lectures (Unrulr, 2024; Kiwi LMS, 2019). Ghost tours, with their hands-on storytelling and interactive history, are a prime example of this approach in action.

Instead of absorbing information passively, team members actively engage with stories, surroundings, and each other. According to a 2014 Yale study, “shared experiences are amplified, leading to stronger interpersonal connections and increased trust” (Boothby et al., 2014).

That trust carries over to the workplace, improving communication and collaboration long after the ghost stories are told.

2. Dark Tourism Helps Process Stress

While it may sound surprising, dark tourism, which involves visiting places associated with death, tragedy, or the supernatural, can actu ally help reduce stress. A review by Smith & Diekmann (2017) found that such experiences provide emotional catharsis, detachment from daily worries, and opportunities for reflection. These moments of vulnerability can create powerful bonds between coworkers.

A 2023 systematic review added that these experiences often lead to “self-transformation and deeper understanding,” making them not just spooky diversions but meaningful psychological resets.

3. Neuroscience Explains the Teamwork Benefits

There’s hard science behind why your team feels more connected after a shared thrill.

Oxytocin , the so-called “trust hormone,” is released during group bonding moments (Kosfeld et al., 2005).
Dopamine , associated with motivation and reward, spikes when goals are achieved or challenges, even spooky ones, are overcome together.
The mirror neuron system , which helps us empathize and sync with others, activates when people experience emotionally charged events side by side (Wells, 2025).

These neurological effects help explain why groups emerge from ghost tours more aligned, more connected, and better equipped to collaborate.

4. Happier Teams Are More Productive

It’s not just about fuzzy feelings. Emotional intelligence research has shown that teams with strong interpersonal bonds can be up to 20% more productive (Goleman, 1998). Teams that laugh, gasp, and even jump at shadows together are more engaged, more motivated, and more likely to support each other back at the office.

Ghost tours give employees a unique opportunity to connect outside the typical corporate structure without requiring anyone to overshare at a retreat or embarrass themselves at karaoke.

How to Know It’s Working

Not every team will react the same way, and that’s okay. The key is to measure impact . Use anonymous surveys or post-event feedback forms to track imp rovements in:

Team cohesion
Stress levels
Communication
Overall engagement

You don’t need a full research lab. Just a few thoughtful questions before and after the experience can offer insights into what’s working and what isn’t.

Final Thoughts: Beyond the Gimmick

Ghost tours may sound like a novelty, but they tap into something deeper, including shared storytelling, emotional resonance, and the thrill of the unknown. By drawing on proven methods from experiential learning and neuroscience, they offer a powerful and unexpected avenue for building stronger, more resilient teams.

So, the next time you’re planning a company outing, skip the ropes courses. Take your team somewhere with a little mystery and maybe even a ghost or two.

Ready to plan a memorable corporate event with American Ghost Walks ? Book a quick 15-minute consultation with me today and let us take care of everything. From booking venues to coordinating menus, we handle all the details and provide you with a clear, all-inclusive price: tax, tip, and everything else included.

Click here to get started.

The Cannon Club at The Gallery Inn, Old San Juan

Tue, 15 Jul 2025 02:24:16 GMT

Some haunted bars draw you in with a shiver. Others charm you with candlelight, classical music, and a ghost who just wants to keep an eye on things. Tucked into the 18th-century walls of Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, the Cannon Club at The Gallery Inn isn’t just one of America’s most haunted bars. It’s also one of the most enchanting.

With sweeping ocean views, historic Spanish architecture, and nightly piano concerts, the Cannon Club offers an elegant, slightly eccentric cocktail of fine art, live music, and paranormal activity. And its story begins not with death, but with love.

An Artistic Haunt Built on Centuries of History

The Gallery Inn isn’t your average boutique hotel. Behind a nondescript facade overlooking San Juan’s north wall is a 23,000-square-foot maze of patios, gardens, studios, and staircases. The inn is made up of six 18th-century townhouses, originally built as Spanish military residences. One of these belonged to the artillery captain who once defended nearby Castillo San Felipe del Morro, a fortress guarding the city from pirates and foreign navies for nearly 500 years.

The transformation of this historic ruin into the Gallery Inn began in 1961 when Jan D’Esopo, a Yale-trained artist born in New York City, bought the derelict property with her husband, Manuco. Over the next 30 years, they restored and expanded the buildings into a vibrant hotel and gallery that hosted musicians, artists, and even Barack and Michelle Obama.

Even as the walls filled with art and music, some residents never left.

The Friendly Ghost of the Cannon Club

While you might expect a haunted San Juan hotel to be filled with tales of Spanish soldiers or colonial intrigue, the most frequent spirit at the Gallery Inn is someone far more recent and far more beloved.

Manuco Gandia, Jan’s husband and co-restorer of the property, passed away years ago. But according to multiple staff members at the Cannon Club, he still checks in regularly. His ashes are kept in his old office, and bartenders often see him sitting in his familiar chair. When they walk over to say hello or investigate, he vanishes.

Guests have reported hearing piano music drifting from the club when no one is playing, seeing shadows flitting through the corridors, and even feeling a light, watchful presence while enjoying a drink. One bartender told me, “It’s like he’s still just keeping an eye on the place. No one’s scared. He was a good man, and he still is.”

A Bar Where Spirits Flow, Literal and Otherwise

I’ve visited the Cannon Club multiple times. It’s the kind of bar where ghost stories and rum cocktails mix naturally. On my first visit, I sipped a local craft beer while enjoying a jazz performance. While the only spirits I saw that night were in bottles, the staff stories had me constantly peeking toward the office.

I spoke with other guests and even a former resident of the Inn who added fuel to the folklore. One patron told me, “This place is beautiful and bizarre, and no, you’re not the only one who’s had ghost visitors in the middle of the night.”

And then there was the time I got scared by a parrot.

At The Gallery Inn, the resident birds have full run of the place, like living mascots of the building’s layered weirdness. During one quiet moment between sets, I was standing alone near the grand piano when I suddenly heard a loud, gravelly voice bark “HELLO!” directly behind me. I jumped so hard I nearly knocked over my drink. I turned around to see Paulie a brightly colored bird, perched calmly and blinking at me like I was the weird one.

Turns out, the ghost wasn’t reaching out after all. It was just a talking bird with perfect comedic timing.

Haunted Hospitality, Guests Weigh In

Don’t just take our word for it. Guest reviews tell the same tale:

“My bed in the Ocean Suite was insanely soft and lovely, but I kept getting awakened by ‘visitors.’ The first one startled the heck out of me… it was like Grand Central Station for ghosts up there!” – TripAdvisor Review

While some reviews are skeptical or even critical of the hotel’s quirks and vintage rooms, others fully embrace the Gallery Inn’s strange charm:

“If you’re looking for generic luxury like a Hilton, move on. But if you’re an adventurer, this is where you want to stay. I ended up spending more time wandering the inn than seeing the rest of Old San Juan!”

More Than Just a Ghost Story

The Cannon Club isn’t just a haunted bar. It’s a working musical venue tied to the Steinway Society of Puerto Rico , hosting world-class pianists n early every night. It’s a restaurant, a conversation hub, and a cultural salon, home to live music and wandering parrots like Campeche and Rembrandt.

Best of all, a portion of the proceeds supports the Puerto Rico Charitable Trust for the Education of Young Musicians , proving that even haunted places can nurture the future.

Why It’s One of America’s Most Haunted Bars

The Cannon Club earns its place on our list not just because it’s haunted, but because it embodies what we love about haunted bars: character, atmosphere, and a palpable connection between the past and the present.

Where else can you enjoy world-class piano music while sipping a cocktail in a colonial ruin, surrounded by art, parrots, and maybe the occasional friendly ghost?

So if you ever find yourself in Old San Juan, wander through the winding halls of The Gallery Inn, order a drink at the Cannon Club, and raise a glass to Manuco. He poured his soul into this place, and maybe he never quite left.

From the Busboy to the Boardroom (and the Basement): How a Lifetime of Ghost Stories Built a Haunted Business

Sun, 13 Jul 2025 14:07:15 GMT

Haunted Beginnings: My First Job and a Ghostly Orientation

When you’re 18 and starting your first job, you expect a rundown on the dress code, maybe a tour of the break room. You don’t expect to be warned that you might get pushed in the basement by a ghost or hear your name whispered by a disembodied voice.

But that was my introduction to the working world.

It was the 1990s, and I had just graduated from Mukwonago High School in southeast Wisconsin. I needed a summer job and found one at a restaurant called Heaven City. It had a wild past that included rumored gangster connections and a stint as a hippie commune. I thought the manager was joking when she told me the building was haunted. Turns out, nearly everyone who worked there had a story. And for me, that was less of a warning and more of a calling.

Because I’ve always been into ghosts.

How a Childhood Love of Ghost Stories Sparked a Paranormal Career

It started when my sister Allison and I were kids. Our mom would turn on WGN radio every Halloween to listen to Richard Crowe, Chicago’s original ghost historian. He’d tell tales about Resurrection Mary and other legends that made our local world feel much stranger and more exciting. We didn’t have TikTok mediums or Netflix paranormal docs. If a real ghost story popped up on a show like That’s Incredible or Unsolved Mysteries, it was a major event in our house.

Richard Crowe on Arthur C. Clarke's World of Strange Powers

Those stories made the world feel deeper and more mysterious. They helped us see the Midwest not as flyover country, but as the center of something strange and magical.

By the time I got to college, I was a psychology major running ESP experiments in the dorms. My sister and I were devouring issues of Strange Magazine and Fortean Times , watching The X-Files , and keeping up with regional legends like the Beast of Bray Road and the Tallman House haunting. It wasn’t a phase. It was a shared fascination that kept growing.

Launching a Ghost Tour Business in Wisconsin

In 2008, Allison decided to take that fascination further. As a teacher with summers off, she launched a ghost tour in Milwaukee to explore haunted history and teach others about it. Her idea was to do for Milwaukee what Richard Crowe had done for Chicago. I thought it was a great idea, but I was still on the road with my band at the time.

Then one summer, I came home from tour broke and unemployed. Allison said, “You should start a ghost tour in Madison.” Within a few weeks, I had researched enough stories, mapped out a route, and launched the first Madison Ghost Walk by October 2010.

It worked. People showed up. They were hungry for local legends, true history, and a little bit of spine-tingling fun. I discovered that I loved the performance of it. I loved digging into stories that were real, uncanny, and unforgettable.

Growing American Ghost Walks Across the Country

Here's the TV news report from when the tour launched.

Since then, American Ghost Walks has grown into a multi-state, multi-city operation. We’ve led tours in places like New Orleans, Minneapolis, Puerto Rico, Los Angeles, and all across Wisconsin and Illinois. We’ve brought legacy operations like Chicago Hauntings under our umbrella. And we’ve shared haunted history with tens of thousands of guests.

But it hasn’t been easy.

Some challenges are expected, like finding qualified guides in small tourist towns or dealing with the maze of permits and taxes in cities like New Orleans. Others are more internal, like maintaining the authenticity of the storytelling as the company scales up.

Swimming With The Sharks

Then there was Shark Tank.

They reached out looking for businesses to feature in a Halloween-themed episode. I thought it could be great exposure, so I went through months of applications, auditions, and producing a pitch. Being in the tank itself was surreal. The segment they aired was just five minutes, but I was in there for over thirty. It was intense, but absolutely worth it. It showed me that a weird little business from the Midwest could stand toe-to-toe with major national brands.

What Makes American Ghost Walks Different From Other Ghost Tours

So why choose American Ghost Walks over all the other ghost tours out there?

Because we care about telling stories that matter. We don’t recycle what’s already on Wikipedia. We go into bars, restaurants, hotels, and theaters and talk to the people who live and work in those spaces. We gather new stories and cross-check them with the history. We aren’t chasing shock value. We’re chasing something stranger, more personal, and more profound.

To us, ghosts aren’t just entertainment. They’re memory. They’re connection. They’re how people who built and lived in these cities still leave their mark. If you walk away from one of our tours with chills and a new appreciation for your city, that’s a win.

I used to think being into ghost stories made me weird. Now I think it made me early.

And if a kid from Mukwonago can go from ghost-obsessed busboy to running haunted tours across the country, maybe there’s a lesson in that. Sometimes your strangest interests are the ones most worth following.

The Alaskan Hotel and Bar in Juneau, Alaska

Sat, 12 Jul 2025 16:04:19 GMT

The Haunted Alaskan Hotel: A Century of Ghostly Encounters in Juneau’s Most Notorious Lodging

Standing in the heart of downtown Juneau since 1913, the Alaskan Hotel and Bar has earned a reputation as one of Alaska’s most haunted establishments. This Victorian-era building, constructed during the height of the Gold Rush, has witnessed over a century of tragedy, mystery, and unexplained phenomena that continue to chill visitors and staff alike. From the notorious Room 315 incident involving a Navy sailor’s terrifying encounter to the lingering spirit of Alice, who met her tragic end within these walls, the hotel serves as a portal to Alaska’s darkest paranormal secrets.

Historical Origins and Gold Rush Legacy

The Alaskan Hotel’s haunted reputation stems from its tumultuous origins during one of America’s most chaotic periods. Built by the McCloskey brothers, James and John, along with entrepreneur Jules B. Caro, the hotel opened its doors on September 16, 1913, making it the oldest continuously operating hotel in Alaska. The timing of its construction was significant, just one year after Alaska became a territory, placing it at the crossroads of frontier lawlessness and emerging civilization.

The hotel’s grand opening was a lavish affair, with the owners dramatically tying the front door keys to a helium balloon and releasing it into the sky, declaring that the hotel would “never close”. This symbolic gesture proved prophetic, as the hotel has indeed operated continuously for over 110 years, accumulating layers of tragedy and supernatural activity throughout its existence.

The Gold Rush era brought thousands of desperate prospectors to Juneau, creating a volatile atmosphere of greed, violence, and desperation. The Alaskan Hotel catered to this rough clientele, offering not just lodging but serving as a hub for the region’s more illicit activities. The hotel’s location near the steamship docks made it a natural gathering place for miners, gamblers, and other frontier characters whose stories would become permanently etched into the building’s spiritual fabric.

The Hotel’s Past: Prohibition, Prostitution, and Violence

The Alaskan Hotel’s reputation for paranormal activity is deeply rooted in its colorful and often sordid history. The establishment served multiple purposes throughout its existence, adapting to changing times and legal restrictions while maintaining its role as a gathering place for society’s more questionable elements.

During Prohibition, which began in Alaska in 1918, two years before the national Volstead Act, the hotel’s bar was officially converted into a café serving sodas. However, like many speakeasies of the era, alcoholic beverages remained available to those who knew how to ask. The basement, which now serves as storage space, once housed a thriving illegal bar where patrons could drink and gamble away from the watchful eyes of federal agents.

The hotel operated as a brothel on at least two occasions in its history. The first instance was during the early years when prostitution was legal in Alaska, providing services to the thousands of miners who flocked to the region. The second occurred during the 1960s and 1970s when the hotel operated under the name “The Northlander,” serving as an illegal brothel until it was shut down and condemned by authorities in 1977.

The violence and desperation of the Gold Rush era created an atmosphere of constant tension within the hotel’s walls. Miners, flush with gold one day and broke the next, often turned to drink and violence to cope with their circumstances. The transient nature of the clientele, combined with the availability of alcohol and women, created a volatile environment where conflicts frequently erupted into violence.

Today, the Alaskan Hotel operates as both a functioning lodging establishment and an unofficial museum of paranormal activity. Current owner Bettye Adams, who has owned the hotel for over 40 years, acknowledges the building’s supernatural residents while maintaining its role as a viable business.

The Tragic Tale of Alice: Love, Betrayal, and Eternal Sorrow

Among the most enduring legends haunting the Alaskan Hotel is the story of Alice, a young woman whose tragic fate has bound her spirit to the building for over a century. According to local folklore, Alice arrived at the hotel during the Gold Rush with her husband, a miner seeking his fortune in Alaska’s goldfields. The couple’s story began with hope and dreams of striking it rich, but quickly descended into tragedy and betrayal.

Alice’s husband departed for the mining camps, promising to return within three weeks. However, as weeks turned into months without word, Alice found herself stranded and penniless in the harsh Alaskan wilderness. Desperate for survival in a land where men vastly outnumbered women, Alice made the difficult decision to enter the world’s oldest profession, working as a prostitute within the hotel’s walls.

The tragic irony of Alice’s story reached its climax when her husband unexpectedly returned, discovering what his wife had been forced to do for survival. In a rage fueled by jealousy and wounded pride, he murdered Alice in one of the hotel’s back rooms. Some accounts place her death in Room 219, where her presence is most strongly felt to this day.

Witnesses continue to report encounters with Alice’s spirit throughout the hotel. She appears in a diaphanous gown with arms outstretched, just as she died on the bed in Room 219. Staff members and guests have described seeing her sitting on beds, feeling her touch, and encountering her apparition in mirrors throughout the building. Her presence serves as a haunting reminder of the desperation and tragedy that characterized the Gold Rush era.

Room 315: The Site of Terror and Unexplained Horror

While Alice’s story represents the hotel’s tragic past, Room 315 gained notoriety for a more recent and equally disturbing incident that occurred on May 19, 2007. This small, spartanly furnished room on the third floor became the site of one of the most documented paranormal encounters in the hotel’s history.

The incident began when a sailor from the USS Bunker Hill, which was docked in Juneau, specifically requested to stay in a “haunted room” at the hotel. Hotel owner Bettye Adams accommodated the request, placing the sailor in Room 315, which had already developed a reputation for supernatural activity among staff and guests.

What happened next remains one of the most disturbing paranormal incidents ever recorded at the hotel. According to Juneau police officer Chris Gifford, who responded to the call, officers arrived at the hotel around 11:45 PM to find the door to Room 315 locked from the inside, with screaming coming from within. When police finally gained access to the room, they discovered a horrifying scene: the walls were streaked with blood, and the sailor had jumped from the third-floor window, breaking both his room’s window and the one below.

The sailor had scrawled “Help!” on the wall in his own blood before taking the desperate action of leaping from the window. He survived the fall, but what occurred in that room remains a mystery. The guest in the room below reported hearing glass shatter and witnessing the sailor’s descent past his window. The incident left investigators puzzled about what could have compelled someone to such extreme measures.

Modern Paranormal Investigations and Media Attention

The Alaskan Hotel’s haunted reputation has attracted the attention of paranormal investigators and television producers, bringing its ghostly inhabitants into the modern spotlight. The hotel was featured in the premiere episode of the Travel Channel series Portals to Hell in 2019, starring Jack Osbourne and paranormal investigator Katrina Weidman.

The investigation team spent several days at the hotel, using sophisticated equipment to document paranormal activity. Hotel owner Bettye Adams, who had been skeptical of the supernatural claims, became a believer after seeing the footage captured by the investigators. The video evidence included floating orbs of light in the hotel’s basement, which Adams recognized as similar to phenomena she had witnessed near the bar’s stage area.

The basement, where at least one death has occurred over the years, proved to be particularly active during the investigation. The team documented various forms of paranormal activity, including electronic voice phenomena, temperature fluctuations, and visual anomalies that defied conventional explanation.

So I didn't know that when I booked three nights there in May of 2025. Of course, I love this stuff but I picked it since it was the best deal in downtown Juneau and I was working on hiring guides for our Juneau Ghost Walk . I hadn't read the script yet since my sister Allison is the one that wrote it and she was supposed to make the trip but got injured the week beforehand. So once I booked the room, I found the hotel in our script and I watched the Portals To Hell episode on flight there and of course that freaked me out. Especially because the first night, I thought I was the only person staying on my floor, two doors down from 219.

But to get my courage up, of course, I had to hang out at the bar and have a few local beers.

“Help Me” on 12 Cameras

So, the next day I wanted to get some new stories for the tour and the friendly staff was happy to oblige!

Christina, a housekeeper at the Alaskan, and Sarah, who works the front desk, invited me to take a look around and filled me in on some chilling stories that have happened, some in the last few months before I arrived.

Let’s start with something that happened April 7, 2025, the first day of the Alaska Folk Festival. Sarah was working the front desk when Guillermo, the hotel maintenance man (and part-time drummer at open mic), was walking through with his dog. Out of nowhere, Sarah heard a voice say, “Help me.” That would’ve been eerie enough. But then she checked the cameras.

That same phrase was captured on twelve different security feeds throughout the hotel. Here's the video:

Techno from Beyond

Later that week, something cranked up the volume in the bar long before opening. The stereo system turned itself on, blaring techno music. Not one of the bartenders listens to techno. None of them had touched the system that morning. The entire staff was at a loss.

The Housekeeper and Room 315

Christina took me to Room 219 , where a housekeeper had been living and was actually moving out that day. He never had a supernatural experience there. But interestingly, the staff never told him about the stories associated with it. Why? Because he flat-out refused to clean Room 315 , saying it freaked him out too much.

According to Sarah, the hotel only rents 315 out when it’s specifically requested. Bettye, the owner, says specifically to always rent that room out last.

In my opinion, the creepiest part about the story of the sailor who jumped out the window is that the room’s window doesn’t look out onto the street. It stares straight into a narrow wall gap less than a foot wide. That’s the same window someone reportedly jumped from years ago. He wouldn’t have gone far. The gap’s barely wide enough for a person to fall through.

Spooked Staff and Unseen Faces

That same week in April, one of the bartenders asked Sarah to stick around because she didn’t want to close alone. She couldn’t explain why, she just felt uneasy. She wasn’t the only one. A former employee who worked in the basement once saw a man walking around down there alone. She turned to look at the monitor and his face was suddenly right in front of the security camera.

Unfortunately, the footage was lost before Sarah could retrieve it. But she’s keeping a close eye on the system now to capture anything else that shows up.

A Living Monument to Alaska’s Supernatural Heritage

The Alaskan Hotel and Bar stands as more than just a historic building; it serves as a living repository of Alaska’s supernatural heritage. The tragic stories of Alice and the countless other souls who have passed through its doors continue to resonate within its Victorian walls, creating an atmosphere where the past refuses to remain buried.

The hotel has been restored to its original Victorian elegance, but the spirits of its past remain firmly entrenched within its walls.

The hotel’s enduring reputation for paranormal activity reflects the violent and desperate nature of Alaska’s Gold Rush era, when survival often came at a terrible cost. The building has absorbed the emotions, tragedies, and violent deaths of over a century, creating a spiritual imprint that continues to manifest in unexplained phenomena.

For visitors brave enough to stay overnight, the Alaskan Hotel offers more than just a place to sleep, it provides a direct connection to Alaska’s most tumultuous period. Whether one believes in ghosts or not, the hotel’s atmosphere of unease and the persistent reports of supernatural encounters create an unforgettable experience that lingers long after checkout.

The Alaskan Hotel remains a testament to the idea that some places hold memories too powerful to fade, ensuring that the spirits of Alaska’s past continue to walk among the living, forever bound to the place where their earthly stories came to their tragic ends.

See The Alaskan Hotel In Person

Tucked inside Juneau’s historic heart, the Alaskan Hotel hums with old-world charm and chilling whispers of the past. Guests report flickering lights, phantom footsteps, and a spectral song that drifts down the halls... especially after dark. If you’re craving the thrill of a true frontier haunting, this is the place where legends step out of the shadow on our Juneau Ghost Walk , leaving every night at 7pm.

The Wendigo Legend: Real Stories, Native Folklore, and Hauntings

Fri, 11 Jul 2025 20:30:48 GMT

What Is a Wendigo?

The Wendigo is a terrifying creature from American Indian folklore , especially among the Algonquin-speaking tribes of the Great Lakes region , Canada , and Northeastern U.S. It represents the horror of insatiable greed , selfishness , and cannibalism , born in times of winter famine and spiritual imbalance .

Long before it became a staple of horror movies and video games, the Wendigo haunted the dreams of Indian communities across the north, a monstrous warning about what happens when we lose our humanity.

Wendigo Folklore Origins: A Spirit of Winter and Hunger

The earliest written account of the Wendigo appeared in 1661 in The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents, describing Cree tribesmen who turned cannibal during a brutal winter. Jesuits reported:

“Those poor men were seized with an ailment unknown to us… [which] makes them so ravenous for human flesh… they were slain in order to stay the course of their madness.”

To Ojibwe , Cree , and Wabanaki peoples, the Wendigo was more than a monster—it was the embodiment of gluttony , isolation , and spiritual corruption .

What Does a Wendigo Look Like?

Forget Hollywood’s horned cryptids. In authentic Native American Wendigo legends , the creature is described as:

Emaciated and towering, sometimes 15 feet tall
Gaunt, pale skin stretched tight over bones
Bloody, chewed lips and gnawed fingers
A heart encased in ice
So ravenous it eats its own body

Its terrifying transformation symbolizes the way greed can consume a person—literally and spiritually.

Real Wendigo Story: The Case of Swift Runner

One of the most infamous real-life Wendigo cases is that of Swift Runner. Swift Runner (also spelled Swift-Runner or S’wift Runner) was a Cree trapper, hunter, and former member of the North West Mounted Police. He lived in what is now Alberta, Canada, north of Edmonton. He was known in his community, a respected figure—until the winter of 1878–79.

That year, Swift Runner took his wife, six children, his mother, and his brother into the remote forest to hunt and trap for the season, as was customary for Cree families during the harsh Canadian winters.

In the spring, only Swift Runner returned .

He told authorities that his entire family had died of starvation during the severe winter, and he alone had survived.

But something wasn’t right.

Swift Runner didn’t look like a man who had endured starvation. In fact, he appeared healthy and well-fed . This aroused suspicion.

When investigators traveled to Swift Runner’s winter camp, what they found confirmed their worst fears:

Human bones scattered around the site
Evidence that bodies had been butchered and cooked
A pot full of human fat
Bones broken open , presumably to extract the marrow

Swift Runner confessed to the murder and cannibalism of his entire family, including his youngest son , whom he killed after spring arrived , when game and supplies were once again accessible.

This crucial detail ruled out starvation as the motive. Swift Runner insisted he had been possessed by the spirit of a Wendigo —the monstrous, cannibal spirit from Cree and Algonquin folklore.

Swift Runner was tried and convicted in Fort Saskatchewan in 1879. He confessed openly, not denying any of the charges. Reports say he showed remorse , and even joked with the priest before his execution. Still, his crime shook the region.

He was hanged that same year, the first legal execution in Alberta .

Wendigo Psychosis

Swift Runner’s case became a foundational example in the study of “Wendigo psychosis” , a controversial culture-bound syndrome described in early psychiatric literature.

Symptoms of Wendigo psychosis include:

Depression and withdrawal
Insomnia and paranoia
A growing belief that one must consume human flesh
Cannibalistic urges, even when other food is available

Modern psychiatry no longer recognizes it as a formal disorder, but anthropologists and psychologists still debate whether Swift Runner was:

Suffering from a mental illness interpreted through a cultural lens,
Truly experiencing spiritual possession ,
Or using the Wendigo as a socially comprehensible excuse for acts he was already inclined to commit.

In some Wendigo lore, once someone tastes human flesh , their heart becomes encased in ice , and there’s no way back . Only death can cure the Wendigo.

Swift Runner’s story mirrors that mythology exactly: he crossed the line, and the transformation from man to monster was complete.

The Wendigo on Madeline Island near Bayfield, Wisconsin

Madeline Island , the largest of the Apostle Islands in Lake Superior , is a sacred site for the Ojibwe and steeped in supernatural lore. While modern authors have sensationalized it with tales of cannibalism, traditional stories speak more to spiritual transformation and protection .

In one traditional Ojibwe Wendigo story collected near Madeline Island, a little girl defeats a massive ice giant by transforming into a giant herself and using magical copper staffs to reveal the emaciated human inside.

Even today, island residents speak of ghost sightings , haunted museums, and strange figures spotted after the first snowfall—echoes of Wendigo legends that never fully disappeared.

Wabanaki Wendigo Legends and Bar Harbor’s Chenoo

Near Bar Harbor , Maine, the Wabanaki tell stories of the Chenoo, a localized version of the Wendigo. But here, the monster can be redeemed . One tale tells of a woman who shows compassion to a cannibalistic ice giant, slowly nursing it back to humanity with kindness, warmth, and hot bear fat soup .

This version of the legend doesn’t end in death, but in forgiveness and healing which is a rare twist in an otherwise terrifying canon.

Modern Echoes and Enduring Legends

According to paranormal researcher Chad Lewis , the Wendigo is “perhaps the oldest folklore legend of a monster in North America—and ironically, one of the least known today.” In researching his book Wendigo Lore, Lewis traveled across Canada and the northern U.S., speaking to elders, visiting alleged Wendigo sites, and collecting chilling accounts from both oral tradition and colonial records.

One woman in northern Minnesota recalled her father warning neighborhood kids: “If you ever hear a kettle banging in the woods, run. The Wendigo is coming.” For her, even decades later, the fear was real. You can listen to an interview I conducted with Chad Lewis discussing the Wendigo here or watch his 2020 presentation from the Milwaukee Paracon Online below.

Thanks to pop culture, the Wendigo now appears in:

Movies ( Ravenous , Antlers , Pet Sematary )
TV series ( Supernatural , Hannibal )
Comic books and video games ( Until Dawn , Marvel Comics)

But these portrayals often strip away the cultural meaning. To Indian communities, the Wendigo is a deeply moral story about balance, community, and spiritual health —not just a monster to be hunted.

Conclusion: Is the Wendigo Real?

Whether seen as a metaphor, a spirit, or a psychological phenomenon, the Wendigo legend endures because it speaks to something primal: our fea r of what hunger and isolation can do to the human soul .

And if you ever find yourself walking through the snowy woods of Madeline Island or Bar Harbor , and you hear a kettle clanging in the trees— don’t investigate .

Run.

The Wendigo might be coming.

The Curse of Superman: The Tragedy Behind the Cape

Thu, 10 Jul 2025 16:57:46 GMT

A new Superman movie is flying into theaters this weekend. Fans are lining up to see Truth, Justice, and the American Way on the big screen once again. But behind the red cape and the superpowers lies a long, tragic history. One that begins not with an actor in a cape, but with two young creators and a $130 check.

This is the true story of the Superman Curse. And it starts in Cleveland.

1938: Superman Is Born and the Creators Are Cut Out

Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster were two teenagers from Cleveland, Ohio, when they created Superman. After years of rejection, they finally sold the character to Detective Comics for a one-time payment of $130 .

That contract gave away all rights to Superman. The comic book publisher would own the character in every medium, forever. Siegel and Shuster would receive no royalties, no creative control, and no say in the avalanche of licensing, media, and merchandise that followed.

They had invented one of the most influential characters in the world, but they were already being pushed to the sidelines.

1940s: Superman Grows While His Creators Are Pushed Out

By the 1940s, Superman was a sensation. There were newspaper strips, radio shows, animated serials, and endless merchan dise. Siegel and Shuster were still writing stories but tensions with DC escalated. Siegel sued for the rights to Superboy in 1948 and won a small settlement. But the cost was high.

The company removed their names from Superman stories and ended their creative involvement. They were no longer credited as the creators of their own character.

1950s: Desperation, Letters, and the First Curse

By the 1950s, Joe Shuster was nearly blind and living in poverty. Jerry Siegel was living in a cramped apartment, unemployed, and growing angrier with each passing year.

In 1951, Siegel began writing furious letters to DC executives, including company president Harry Donenfeld and editor Jack Liebowitz. He accused them of destroying his career, ruining his life, and taking everything from him.

In one letter, he wrote:

“As long as I live, and afterwards, I shall haunt you and yours. Before God, I put a curse on you.”

Another letter contained white powder, which alarmed DC executives enough to send it to a lab. It turned out to be cornstarch. But the symbolism was impossible to miss. Siegel felt he had been robbed, and he wanted everyone to know.

He even wrote a bitter poem:

“Because of you
There’s no food in the house
Because of you
My life’s a wreck.”

Superman wasn't just huge in the comic world in the 1950s, there was also a national television show that ran for six seasons. While they were making preparations for the seventh season, the Superman Curse took its first alleged victim, the actor playing The Man of Steel himself.

1959: The Mysterious Death of George Reeves

George Reeves was the first Superman for a generation of postwar American children. Starring in the popular television series Adventures of Superman from 1952 to 1958, Reeves became a household name. To young viewers, he wasn’t just playing Superman, he was Superman. But on June 16, 1959, Reeves was found dead in his Benedict Canyon home from a gunshot wound to the head. He was only 45 years old.

The official ruling was suicide. But from the beginning, the case was surrounded by suspicion. Reeves’ fingerprints were never found on the gun. There were bruises on his body. The bullet hole in the floor and the multiple versions of the events from people in the house that night only deepened the mystery. Rumors swirled that he had been murdered, possibly connected to his affair with the wife of a powerful MGM executive. Others speculated that Reeves, frustrated with being typecast and unable to find work outside of the cape, had taken his own life in despair.

The book Hollywood Kryptonite from 1997 posits that Reeve was a murdered, while the 2006 film , Hollywoodland , a fictionalized account of Reeves' sad demise starring Ben Affleck and Adrien Brody leaves the actor's fate more up in the air. In either case, a popular actor connected to Superman dies tragically.

1959 to 1965: A Brief Return and a Bitter Exit

In 1959, Siegel was rehired by DC. He wrote for Superman titles and Legion of Super-Heroes stories. But he was routinely mocked by editor Mort Weisinger and humiliated in the office. In 1965, Siegel tried to sue again and lost. That ended his relationship with DC permanently.

1975: The Curse Goes Public

When Siegel found out that Warner Bros. was making a blockbuster Superman movie, he issued a manifesto. He mailed it to major newspapers and comic book organizations.

In that document, he declared:

“I, Jerry Siegel, the co-originator of Superman, put a curse on the Superman movie. I hope it super-bombs. I hope loyal Superman fans stay away from it in droves. I hope the whole world, becoming aware of the stench that surrounds Superman, will avoid the movie like a plague.”

He was 61 years old, working as a clerk-typist in California, making $7,000 a year. Joe Shuster, the artist who created Superman's unique look, was legally blind at this point and living destitute with his brother in New York City.

1978: A Blockbuster Success and the Curse Begins to Take Hold

The film was a hit. Superman became a cinematic icon once again. But the bad luck suffered by some of the actors in the years following the production led rumors of Siegel's "curse" coming to fruition.

Christopher Reeve , who played Superman in the films from 1978 to 1987, suffered a tragic horseback riding accident in 1995 that left him paralyzed. He died in 2004 at just 52 years old.

Margot Kidder , who played Lois Lane, publicly struggled with bipolar disorder. She died in 2018.

Lee Quigley , who portrayed baby Kal-El in the 1978 film, died at age 14 from solvent abuse.

Marlon Brando , who played Superman's father, Jor-El, had turmoil in his own life. Christian was convicted of manslaughter after killing his sister Cheyenne’s boyfriend. Cheyenne later died by suicide in 1995 and Brando would withdraw from public life until his death in 2004.

Richard Pryor , who starred in Superman III, battled drug addiction and was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. He died in 2005.

Gene Hackman, the memorable Lex Luthor, had a terrible end in 2025, dying in New Mexico of Alzheimer's and heart disease, passing away alone after his wife suddenly died in the bathroom a few days before and there was no one to find them.

Justice, At Last?

The media outcry surrounding Siegel’s curse, and a campaign led by comic artist Neal Adams, eventually pushed Warner Bros. to act. In 1975, they gave Siegel and Shuster a modest pension of $20,000 per year , medical coverage, and reinstated their byline on Superman comics.

It was a symbolic victory. But it came too late to repair what had been lost.

In a 1981 interview, Siegel said:

“Sometimes I feel like half a corpse rescued from a horrible old age.”

Joe Shuster passed away in 1992. Jerry Siegel died in 1996.

Today: A New Superman Rises, but the Past Still Haunts

As a new Superman movie flies into theaters, the question returns. Will this reboot escape the curse?

Maybe it is all coincidence. Maybe not. But Superman’s legacy will always carry the weight of the injustice at its origin. A character who stood for justice was built on a foundation of exploitation. Two young men created a god and were left behind as others got rich.

Jerry Siegel’s words remain a warning.

“When you eat, and drink, and have shelter, remember that the man you destroyed is faced with poverty. When you celebrate at your Christmas party, remember that I will be there in spirit, walking by your side and asking: Why have you done this to another human being?”

The Real Curse

The Superman Curse is not just about tragedy. It is about the cost of creative theft. It is about the pain of watching your idea become bigger than you could ever imagine, while you are left out of the story. While the tragedies that befell both the Superman actors might not be out of the ordinary, the toll that selling the rights to Superman took on Jerry Sieegel and Joe Shuster certainly were.

The real origin story of the Man of Steel may not be a real curse, but like many ghost stories, it serves as a warning to watch out who you trust. Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel created the most popular superhero in the history of comic books, and while others got wealthy off Superman, it took them years of fighting and "cursing" to get what they deserved.

Haunted Theaters Across America

Wed, 09 Jul 2025 14:54:04 GMT

The stage and screen brim with sensational tales. No wonder then that life begins to imitate art and the drama spills over into the theaters themselves. More than any other place, theaters are haunted. Ghost stories grown from long histories of flamboyant players, dedicated staff, and colorful patrons are almost guaranteed. At American Ghost Walks, with haunted history tours in 8 states, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands, we’ve collected tales from haunted theaters from coast to coast and beyond.

Chicago’s James M. Nederlander Theatre

Today’s Nederlander Theater was originally the site of the infamous Iroquois Theatre , destroyed by fire on December 30th, 1903. Many of the dead burned inside the building. However, the alley is known to be particularly haunted because about 125 of the 602 people who perished, jumped to their deaths in their attempt to free themselves from the flames.

In the aftermath, the paranormal activity began. Witnesses still report seeing apparitions of falling bodies, visions of fire erupting from the back of the current building, and the smell of smoke. Bystanders in the alley sometimes also hear whistling and feel that their hands have been grabbed by something unseen. Others have glimpsed the apparition of a woman in period clothing in the alley near the current theater’s stage door sign. Even a stage manager from the production of Wicked claimed to have seen a female apparition in a hoop skirt and a big hat, who scolded him for smoking in the alley before promptly disappearing.

Go there yourself on our Original Chicago Hauntings Ghost Bus Tou r

Milwaukee’s Riverside Theater

A venue for live musical performances today, the Riverside Theater opened in 1928 as a vaudeville theater. Legend has it that back in the 1930s, a projectionist died in the projection booth from a massive heart attack. Although this may have happened, there is no newspaper evidence to support it.

However, a patron did die of a heart attack while seated in the theater in 1931. Long-time stagehand Robert Scheffing, also collapsed from a heart attack in 1960 while working on the stage and was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital. Perhaps these deaths account for the shadowy figures, strange lights, and whispers often encountered by staff.

See it for yourself on our Milwaukee Shadows of City Hall tour .

Opera House at Boothbay Harbor

Built in 1894 by the Knights of Pythias, a fraternal organization similar to the Masons or Odd Fellows, the Opera House at Boothbay Harbor now serves as a venue for musicians and entertainers.

Ushers have heard their names called, but also felt as if they were physically touched by an unseen presence. Famous musician Richie Havens claimed that he got a fleeting glimpse of a shadowy apparition in the theater's foyer one sunny afternoon. A visitor watched the figure of a man in military uniform floating across the 3rd floor. This may have been a Knight of Pythias, since they wore similar attire and once met where the specter was seen. A professor from Duke University who was helping to build the set for an upcoming production later encountered another male apparition while working alone in the theater one night.

See it for yourself on our Boothbay Harbor Ghost Walk .

Hilo’s Palace Theater

Built in 1925, the Palace was the island of Hawaii’s first theater. Featured on the TV Show Haunted Towns in 2019, Robin Worley, the theater’s former executive director, told the Tennessee Wraith Chasers about a projectionist who repeatedly encountered spirits in the projection booth.

Gina Ross, the former projectionist, often experienced the presence of two distinct male entities while she was busy at work. She and a co-worker frequently felt as if someone was looking over their shoulders and heard the slamming of doors or footsteps in the hallway. Other staff members have also reported shadowy apparitions throughout the building.

Experience it in person on the Hilo Ghost Walk on the Big Island of Hawaii .

San Juan's Teatro Tapia

Built in 1832, Teatro Tapia in Puerto Rico has the oldest operating stage in the Americas. Theater Director Lunna Garcia De Le Noceda reports that witnesses have seen a female apparition in the theater and employees have also heard mysterious footsteps and voices.

The haunting may originate with an actress who fell to her death during a live performance. Witnesses also report hearing ghostly playbacks of performances when the theater is otherwise empty. In 2011, Ghost Hunters International Investigator Scott Tepperman claimed an unseen force shoved him and knocked his MEL meter out of his hand during the paranormal investigation of the third floor.

Ghosts are performing nightly on our San Juan Ghost Walk .

Located in the heart of downtown Madison, the Orpheum Theater has been a local landmark since it opened in 1927. With its ornate French Renaissance architecture and vintage marquee, the theater has long attracted performers, moviegoers, and, according to legend, the occasional ghost. Over the years, staff and patrons have reported a range of paranormal activity, including unexplained footsteps, flickering lights, and the eerie feeling of being watched when no one else is around.

One of the most enduring ghost stories involves the spirit of a former projectionist who is said to still roam the upper levels of the theater. Staff have claimed to hear the clatter of film reels and footsteps coming from the projection booth long after closing time. Some even believe the spirit is protective, making sure the show goes on, even from beyond the grave. Whether it’s the energy of decades of performances or something more supernatural, the Orpheum remains one of Madison’s most haunted hotspots.

We explore it every weekend on our Madison Ghost Walks !

Mickey's Tavern in Madison, Wisconsin

Tue, 08 Jul 2025 19:57:38 GMT

A Madison Classic with a Haunted Past

I’ve spent the last decade digging into haunted history across the country, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that ghosts love a good bar... and so do I. Maybe it’s the layers of human energy soaked into the walls. Maybe it’s the untold stories, the heartbreaks, or the unfinished business left behind after one last drink. Or maybe some spirits just never wanted to leave their favorite watering hole. As the owner of American Ghost Walks, I consider it my mission to find the most fun and interesting haunted bars in America so let's get started in my own backyard, Madison, Wisconsin.

If you’ve ever had a drink at Mickey’s Tavern in Madison’s Willy Street neighborhood, you know it’s not just another dive bar. It’s a place with soul. And for some, that phrase might be taken a little more literally. Because when you step inside this 120-year-old watering hole, you’re not just surrounded by retro furniture and neon-lit glass tubes. You’re stepping into one of the most quietly haunted buildings in the city.

Family Roots and Unfinished Business

On the site of the old Kronenberg home (a German immigrant family from whom came one of Madison's most prolific architects), Mickey’s was founded in 1902 by Henry Niebuhr and originally called the Schubert Hotel before becoming the Yahara Hotel shortly after in 1903. They had to close down for a short time in 1916 ahead of Prohibition, because the city reduced the number of "saloon licenses" to one per 500 people of city population. Which meant 64 licenses in the town of 32,000 at the time.

The building has changed with the times, but much of the original interior remains, especially the bar and back bar, installed in 1942, still glowing with the eerie red neon behind those curious glass tubes etched with hunting dog heads. No one knows why they’re there. Maybe the ghosts do.

And yes, there are ghosts. Ask longtime manager Brian Brech, who describes multiple strange happenings both upstairs and in the basement. Lights flicker. Machines turn on by themselves. Objects move with no one near them. He once saw the ghost of an old man crawling on all fours in the basement, struggling to get up. Brech believes it was the spirit of Mickey Niebuhr himself, the grandson of Henry Niehbur and the bar’s namesake and former owner, who lived in the building until his 90s. Mickey always said if he left the bar, he would die. He moved out. A week later, he was gone.

A Wild West Murder That Was Never Reported

Mickey’s is the kind of place that doesn’t just remember its ghosts. It absorbs them. One of the strangest stories is from 1910, when a performer from Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show was reportedly murdered on the tavern’s steel front steps. According to legend, the carnies dragged the body away, no police report was filed, and the whole thing disappeared into the shadows. Some say the performer never left.

Unsettling Encounters in the Upstairs Apartments

Some of the most chilling tales come from upstairs. One former bartender recalled the early 2000s when she lived in an apartment above the bar with her boyfriend. They witnessed unexplainable activity, like a landline telephone flying off a table with no one near it. One morning, she woke to find a potted plant removed from its container and sitting in the kitchen sink, dirt trailing across the floor like a ghostly fingerprint.

She isn’t the only one who felt a presence there. The energy, she said, seemed to respond to certain people. One former manager, known for his intense personality, experienced frequent disturbances. Some believe certain people act as magnets for paranormal activity, and that might explain why the spirits seemed more active during that period.

Mickey Still Watches Over the Bar

Even now, guests sometimes report a strange feeling, especially near the area that used to be Mickey’s apartment. After his death, it was con verted into a sitting room and pool table area. No one knows if the former owner approves of the changes. But when the bar goes quiet, there’s often the unmistakable sense that you’re not alone.

But even the decorations seem to be haunted, below is a video given to us by one of the employees of a doll that was an ornament at the bar, while they were taking some footage of the place, they noticed that the doll seemed to blink at them.

One of Madison’s Most Character-Driven Bars

Whether it’s the low glow of neon in the back bar, the rich history echoing in the woodwork, or the whisper of footsteps above you, Mickey’s Tavern remains a place where the past lingers just a little closer than usual.

So next time you’re there for drinks or brunch, tip your bartender, enjoy the music, and take a moment to listen. You might hear more than you expect.

And if you ever see a blurry figure at the top of the stairs, maybe just raise your glass and say, “Cheers, Mickey.” He might just raise one back.

The Rise of Paranormal Tourism: From Fringe to Fortune

Tue, 08 Jul 2025 03:25:22 GMT

How haunted hotels, ghost tours, and spooky storytelling became a multi-billion dollar global business

In the dim glow of lantern light, a group huddles outside a decaying Victorian mansion. A guide in period costume whispers tales of lost souls and lingering spirits, pointing to a flickering window on the second floor. Across the country, a tour bus pulls up beside a shadowy penitentiary where Al Capone once claimed to be haunted by a ghost. This isn’t just a seasonal thrill, it’s big business.

Paranormal tourism, once considered fringe entertainment for the eccentrically curious, has emerged as a thriving global industry. From haunted hotels to ghost-themed pub crawls, this niche sector is now part of the broader dark tourism market valued at $31.89 billion in 2023, projected to reach $40.82 billion by 2034. What was once a $100 million industry has evolved into something far more substantial.

From Belief to Business

The foundation for this growth lies in Americans’ enduring fascination with the supernatural. Recent surveys show belief in ghosts remains remarkably high, though measurements vary by methodology. A 2024 RealClear Opinion Research survey found that 61.4% of Americans believe in ghosts , while a 2023 Ipsos poll reported 39% believe in ghosts. Perhaps most tellingly, a 2022 YouGov study revealed that 67% of Americans believe they’ve had at least one paranormal experience .

This widespread belief translates directly into tourism dollars. Individual markets demonstrate the sector’s earning potential—ghost tours and paranormal events now contribute up to 20% of local tourism revenues in haunted hotspots like Salem, Massachusetts, and Savannah, Georgia. Salem alone generates more than 20% of its yearly hotel stays during October.

Haunted tours, once relegated to Halloween, now operate year-round in cities across America. In Missouri, the Jefferson City Penitentiary brought in about $783,000 in 2022, with ghost tours accounting for over 60% of October sales .

“Ghost tours are no longer just entertainment, they’re a major form of economic activation, especially for historic or underutilized spaces,” noted researchers in the foundational Cornell Hospitality Quarterly study that first identified this trend in a 2020 article.

Why We Love the Scare

Part of the appeal lies in what researchers call the “enchantment economy”, an evolution of the experience economy that emphasizes immersive, emotional, and transformative experiences. Ghost tours provide a unique blend of history, myth, performance, and suspense, often customized to the local character and culture of a place.

Recent research from the Pew Research Center adds another dimension: 70% of U.S. adults describe themselves as spiritual in some way , with 38% saying they’ve had a strong feeling that someone who has passed away was communicating with them from beyond. This spiritual openness creates a receptive audience for paranormal tourism experiences.

Meanwhile, in the age of smartphones and social media, ghost tourism offers something even more valuable: shareable moments. The rise of “paranormal TikTok” demonstrates this perfectly: the hashtag #Paranormal has nearly 5 billion views while #HauntedTikTok has roughly 2 billion views . Guests eagerly post their “orb” photos, creepy recordings, or shadowy images to social media, spreading the stories, and the business, virally.

Haunted Spaces, Activated

The economic power of haunted tourism is perhaps best illustrated by sites like Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, which continues to rank among the world’s most haunted destinations. Once a decaying ruin, the former prison now hosts both historic tours and Terror Behind the Walls , a massively popular Halloween attraction that helps fund preservation efforts year-round.

The competitive landscape for haunted destinations has intensified, with formal recognition systems emerging. The 1886 Crescent Hotel & Spa in Arkansas was named the 2024 Best Haunted Hotel by USA TODAY 10Best readers , leading a top-ten list that included:

Fainting Goat Island Inn
The Marshall House
The Queen Mary
Hotel Saranac
Driskill Hotel
Lemp Mansion Restaurant & Inn
Hotel Monteleone
The Stanley Hotel

A 2024 study by Vivint identified Estes Park, Colorado; Gettysburg, Pennsylvania; and Stowe, Vermont as the spookiest cities in the U.S ., while noting that searches for “ghost city near me” increased 86% in the past year.

But even small towns benefit significantly. The business model has proven scalable. Ghost tour operators report that over 60% of operators have seen a 20% increase in bookings by implementing comprehensive marketing approaches.

Technology Transforms The Experience

Perhaps the most significant development since 2021 has been technology’s role in both promoting and enhancing paranormal tourism experiences. Social media has become the primary driver, with 78% of tour operators reporting that social media was their most effective marketing channel, driving over 60% of their bookings .

TikTok has emerged as a particularly powerful platform for paranormal content. The “spooky side of TikTok” features everything from ghost-hunting investigations to urban legend retellings, with major paranormal influencers like @cvnela attracting over 2 million followers . This content creates viral marketing that traditional advertising could never achieve.

Technology is also transforming the actual visitor experience. Ghost hunting apps that use smartphone sensors for EMF detection and spirit communication, have gained popularity. More dramatically, augmented reality experiences like the Rufford Ghost Walk represent the world’s first holographic ghost tour , using 5G technology and AR headsets to let visitors walk among digital ghosts in real historical locations.

Virtual reality has opened entirely new possibilities, allowing people to experience haunted attractions from home. These VR haunted houses use 360-degree sound and high-definition visuals to create immersive horror experiences without the physical limitations of traditional attractions.

Industry Scale and Growth

The numbers demonstrate paranormal tourism’s evolution from niche curiosity to significant economic sector. The broader haunted attractions industry alone is worth $500 million annually , with approximately 2,100 for-profit haunted attractions operating across the U.S. and that's double the number from the 1990s.

Halloween spending provides another lens into the market’s scale. Americans spent $11.6 billion on Halloween in 2024 , with a significant portion going toward haunted attractions and spooky experiences. This represents sustained growth, with Halloween becoming the second-largest retail holiday after Christmas .

Individual success stories illustrate the sector’s potential. My sister and I were featured on Shark Tank in 2023 for their first Halloween episode because the were specifically looking for a ghost tour company.

Cross-Generational Appeal

What makes paranormal tourism particularly resilient is its cross-generational appeal. The 2023 Pew Research study on spirituality found that spiritual experiences, including contact with deceased loved ones, span all age groups. Most American adults (53%) say they have felt a family member who is dead visited them , creating a broad base of potential customers.

Different generations approach paranormal tourism with varying motivations:

Gen Z gravitates toward the spiritual aspects , often discovering paranormal content through TikTok and other social platforms
Millennials seek Instagrammable experiences and shareable moments for social media
Gen X and Boomers appreciate the historical and folklore elements , often viewing ghost tours as educational experiences
Families find common ground in the entertainment value and shared thrill-seeking

Looking Forward

Whether you believe in ghosts or not, one thing is certain: the haunted tourism industry is more alive than ever. As recent market research suggests, this sector may represent a new phase of tourism, where consumers don’t just visit a place—they interact with its myths, emotions, and digital representations through cutting-edge technology.

And as tour companies find more ways to create fascinating experiences, like mixing food tours with ghost stories or joining forces with museums to tell the haunted tales of their artifacts, the sector is just going to keep growing with more and more opportunities to integrate haunted history into the tourism experience.

Ghost stories may start with a shiver, but what keeps us coming back is something deeper, a longing to feel connected across time. Paranormal tourism invites us to walk in the footsteps of those who came before, to hear their stories echo through the walls of forgotten buildings. As the Paranormal Tourism study in the Cornell Hospitality Quarterly observes, “Supernatural specters are merely one set of actors that work ‘everyday’ to voice this story.” Haunted spaces, then, aren’t just eerie... they’re alive with memory, identity, and a sense that we’re all part of a larger, ongoing tale.

Minneapolis Ghosts: The Haunted History of the Foshay Tower

Sun, 06 Jul 2025 14:04:50 GMT

Discovering Minneapolis Ghost Stories

Minneapolis is a city rich in history and ghost stories. Among its most famous haunted landmarks is the iconic Foshay Tower, a skyscraper with a past filled with ambition, tragedy, and tales of restless spirits. If you’re searching for the best Minneapolis ghosts and haunted places, the Foshay Tower is a must-visit destination and it's one of the stops on our Minneapolis Ghost Walk .

The Foshay Tower: A Minneapolis Haunted Landmark

The Vision of Wilbur Foshay

Wilbur Burton Foshay was a man of grand ambitions. Born in 1881 in Ossining, New York, he built a fortune in the early 20th century by buying and consolidating utility companies across the Midwest. By the late 1920s, Foshay had amassed an empire valued at $25 million, spanning 12 states and five countries.

Foshay’s crowning achievement was the construction of the Foshay Tower in downtown Minneapolis. Modeled after the Washington Monument, the 32-story Art Deco skyscraper was completed in August 1929, just weeks before the infamous stock market crash that would bring his empire, and the nation’s economy, to its knees.

The Foshay Tower: A Monument to Ambition

The Foshay Tower was more than just an office building; it was a symbol of Foshay’s meteoric rise. The opening celebration was a lavish, three-day affair attended by dignitaries, celebrities, and even the famous composer John Philip Sousa, who wrote a march specifically for the occasion.

Inside, the tower boasted luxurious details: marble, exotic woods, gold-plated fixtures, and Foshay’s own private offices and apartment on the upper floors. For a brief moment, it was the tallest building in the Midwest, a beacon of modernity and success.

But the good times didn’t last. The 1929 crash wiped out Foshay’s fortune. By 1932, he was convicted of running a pyramid scheme and sentenced to 15 years in prison. He served only three years, thanks to good behavior and a commuted sentence, and was later fully pardoned by President Truman. Foshay died in 1957, destitute and living with his son’s family in Minnesota

Hauntings and Legends: The Ghosts of the Foshay Tower

The Foshay Tower’s dramatic history has made it a magnet for ghost stories and urban legends. Many claim the building is haunted, with tales centering on Wilbur Foshay himself and other tragic figures connected to the tower.

The Ghost of Wilbur Foshay

One of the most persistent legends is that Foshay’s spirit lingers in the tower he built. Some say he took his own life by leaping from the top, but this is pure myth. Foshay died quietly of a stroke in a nursing home. Still, visitors and staff have reported strange occurrences: unexplained electrical malfunctions, elevators stopping at random floors, and sightings of a man in period clothing who vanishes without a trace.

The Tragedy of Genevieve Clark

Another haunting tale involves Genevieve Clark, the sole female juror in Foshay’s fraud trial. Clark was the lone holdout for acquittal, leading to a mistrial. Later, she was convicted of perjury for allegedly concealing her ties to Foshay’s company. In 1933, facing jail time and financial ruin, Clark, her husband, and their two sons died in a tragic murder-suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning. Some believe her restless spirit, burdened by unresolved conflict, also haunts the Foshay Tower.

Modern Encounters

Today, the Foshay Tower is home to a luxury hotel and a museum, but the stories persist. Guests and employees have described:

Sudden chills and feelings of being watched
Apparitions in the hallways and elevators
Unexplained noises and flickering lights

Today, the Foshay Tower houses a hotel and museum, but its haunted reputation remains. Whether you’re a believer in the supernatural or a fan of local history, this Minneapolis landmark offers a unique glimpse into the city’s ghostly side.

For anyone searching for “Minneapolis ghosts” or haunted places in Minnesota, the Foshay Tower is a legendary site. Its blend of history, tragedy, and paranormal tales makes it one of the most intriguing haunted locations in Minneapolis.

Discover the Haunted Side of Minneapolis with American Ghost Walks

Step into the shadows of Minneapolis with American Ghost Walks, where the city’s storied past comes alive after dark. As evening falls, the familiar streets transform, historic buildings cast long, eerie shadows, and the air tingles with anticipation. This is when your guide gathers the group, ready to lead you through the city’s most haunted corners.

Ghosts of the Game: The Haunted Legacy of the Chicago Black Sox

Sat, 05 Jul 2025 13:43:28 GMT

In the world of baseball, few scandals loom as large or as dark as the Chicago Black Sox incident of 1919. But what if the story didn’t end with courtroom drama and lifetime bans? What if the ghosts of that betrayal still linger in the dugouts, the bleachers, and the dusty corridors of old stadiums?

This is more than just a tale of greed and deception. It’s a ghost story dressed in pinstripes and cleats.

The Scandal That Shook Baseball

The Chicago White Sox were a powerhouse team in 1919. But behind the scenes, resentment simmered. Owner Charles Comiskey paid his players poorly, and frustration turned to mutiny when first baseman Chick Gandil hatched a plan to throw the World Series in exchange for a payout from gamblers.

Eight players ultimately stood accused of fixing the series against the Cincinnati Reds. They went to trial in July of 1921 and while they were acquitted in court, newly appointed baseball commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis banned them for life, including the legendary Shoeless Joe Jackson.

That decision marked a turning point in baseball history. But while the official records were sealed, the emotional and spiritual fallout was just beginning.

A Curse in the Shadows?

Unlike the well-known Curse of the Bambino or the Curse of the Billy Goat, the White Sox never got a catchy name for their championship drought. But it was real. From 1917 until 2005, the White Sox failed to win a World Series. That’s 88 years of near-misses, collapses, and disappointment.

Some believe the scandal cursed the team. Others whisper that the betrayal was so deep it stained the very soul of the franchise. Even fans who don’t believe in ghosts recognize that something strange seemed to follow the White Sox through the decades. Why did the Cubs’ curse get all the attention, while the White Sox quietly bore the weight of their own haunted past?

Charles Comiskey believed his ballpark and franchise were cursed from the start because Comiskey Park opened on a Friday, July 1, 1910, violating an old Irish superstition that warned against beginning important ventures on Fridays. Comiskey, deeply tied to his Irish Catholic heritage, tried to avoid this by asking the American League president to move Opening Day, but was denied. He even planted a ceremonial brick with Gaelic soil on St. Patrick’s Day to bring good luck, though it was quickly hidden to prevent theft.

The superstition around Fridays carried into the Black Sox scandal , where the conspirators reportedly agreed that no money should exchange hands on a Friday , seeing it as bad luck. Comiskey came to view the scandal and the team’s long championship drought as the dark consequences of ignoring that ancient warning.

The Ghost of Buck Weaver

Among the eight men banned in the scandal, Buck Weaver remains a tragic figure. Though he was never accused of throwing a game or taking money, he was banned for simply knowing about the plot and saying nothing. He spent the rest of his life trying to clear his name, and according to one remarkable story, he’s still trying .

Dan Gordon, co-author of Haunted Baseball , told The Fantastic Story Society Podcast of a doctor from southern Illinois who claimed to have seen Buck Weaver’s ghost on the grounds of the old Comiskey Park, now just a parking lot. The doctor, a lifelong Sox fan, had chosen to be married on that very site, with the ceremony taking place at what was once home plate.

During the vows, he looked down the third base line, the very place where Buck Weaver once played, and saw a man in an old-style White Sox uniform. He heard just two words: “Clear my name.”

The moment changed him.

Over the next several years, the doctor spent over $300,000 of his own money trying to get Weaver reinstated. He launched legal efforts, studied the scandal’s history, and became the driving force behind a grassroots campaign to redeem a man who died decades earlier. To him, it wasn’t just history, it was personal.

There was even more depth to the story. The doctor had two children from a previous marriage and used to run the bases with them at the old Comiskey site after games. But after his divorce, his relationship with his kids suffered. Gordon noted the eerie connection: a man haunted by family estrangement and injustice, trying to redeem someone else wronged by the game they both loved.

The doctor wasn’t alone. Others working with him reported strange experiences and paranormal encounters, all reinforcing their belief that Buck’s ghost was real... and still pleading for justice.

Was it a haunting? A psychological projection? A spiritual metaphor? Whatever the truth, the message was clear, and it continues to echo over third base.

Shoeless Joe and the American Imagination

Of all the Black Sox players, none has loomed larger in folklore than Shoeless Joe Jackson . Beloved for his natural talent and tragic fate, Jackson became a mythic figure, the heart of Field of Dreams , and the symbol of lost innocence in the American pastime.

Whether or not he threw the series remains debated to this day. What’s undeniable is the emotional pull he has on fans who believe in second chances and ghosts with unfinished business.

A Little Bit of Redemption for the Black Sox After Death?

In a historic decision , MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred removed Shoeless Joe Jackson, Buck Weaver, and the rest of the banned Black Sox players from the permanently ineligible list , ruling that baseball’s harshest punishment would expire upon the individual’s death . Citing the obvious, “a person no longer with us cannot represent a threat to the integrity of the game”, Manfred officially ended a lifetime sentence that had become eternal.

Jackson, who died in 1951, was among those cleared. So was Buck Weaver.

This change doesn’t mean automatic induction into the Hall of Fame. But it finally allows their names to be considered . As of now, they’ll be eligible for election as early as 2028 , when the Historical Overview Committee may submit their names to the Classic Baseball Era Committee for a vote.

It’s a monumental shift, and for some, a spiritual one, too.

The Pitcher Man of Rockport: Maine’s Most Cheerful Ghost Story

Fri, 04 Jul 2025 13:45:11 GMT

Who is the Pitcher Man of Goose Creek Bridge?

When we think of ghosts, we often picture shadowy figures, creaking floorboards, and chilling whispers in the night. But in Rockport, Maine, there’s a haunting that flips the script, a ghost story that’s less about fear and more about festivity. Meet William Richardson, better known as “The Pitcher Man,” a Revolutionary War-era spirit who’s been spotted wandering the Goose River Bridge, not with chains or cries, but with a pitcher of ale and a toast to freedom.

A Patriot's Past

William Richardson lived in the village of Goose Creek, now Rockport, during the turbulent years of the American Revolution. Known for his bravery and deep patriotism, Richardson played a vital role in aiding privateers, those daring seafarers who disrupted British supply lines under government sanction. He helped these local heroes hide their ships and cargo from British forces, earning respect as a local legend.

When word of America’s victory reached the region in 1783, Richardson, like many, was overjoyed. To celebrate, he threw a lively party at his home, then wandered the streets, ale pitcher in hand, inviting others to join him in toasting their newfound freedom.

A Celebration Turns Tragic

But the joy didn’t last. As he made his way across Goose River Bridge, Richardson encountered three men he didn’t realize were British loyalists, Tories, still bitter about the colonists’ win. Mistaking their presence for shared celebration, Richardson approached with his trademark hospitality.

Tragically, the Tories reacted with violence. One of them struck Richardson on the head, leaving him unconscious. He died on the bridge before help could arrive.

The Ghost of Goose River Bridge

Since that fateful night, tales of Richardson’s ghost have lingered along the banks of the Goose River. Locals say that he never stopped celebrating. Dressed in Revolutionary War garb and still clutching his ever-present pitcher, The Pitcher Man has been spotted staggering near the bridge, looking for companions to share in his eternal revelry.

Witnesses describe him as more playful than frightening. He’s been known to tap gently on car windows, wave to late-night strollers, and even offer an invisible drink, always with a hearty cheer for General George Washington. He doesn’t haunt with menace, but with a sense of unfinished festivity.

A Mid-Century Surge in Sightings

Sightings of The Pitcher Man spiked in the 1950s, particularly when the Goose River Bridge became a popular nighttime hangout for teenagers and couples. Many told stories of a translucent man in 18th-century dress appearing out of nowhere, often disappearing just as quickly—leaving only the lingering scent of ale or the sound of laughter.

Eventually, local authorities posted “no trespassing” signs from dusk to dawn, a move aimed at curbing mischief as much as deterring curious ghost hunters. Still, sightings have continued over the years, keeping the legend alive.

In a world of haunted hotels, vengeful spirits, and ghostly apparitions, William Richardson’s story is a refreshing reminder that not all hauntings are grim. Some, like the tale of The Pitcher Man, are about joy, celebration, and the enduring spirit of freedom.

So, if you ever find yourself in Rockport after dark, and hear a faint cheer or feel a tap on your window, don’t be afraid. Raise an imaginary glass... and toast along with Maine’s most spirited ghost.

Happy World UFO Day!

Wed, 02 Jul 2025 21:56:56 GMT

World UFO Day

July 2 is World UFO Day, a time to watch the skies and remember that some of our creepiest encounters come from above, not below. At American Ghost Walks, we tell haunted tales, but many of our most mysterious moments involve unexplained lights and objects. Let’s dive into some of the most compelling aerial phenomena tied to our tour locations:

The Battle of Los Angeles

On February 25, 1942, Los Angeles went dark. Air raid sirens screamed and anti-aircraft guns opened fire on an unidentified object in the sky. For hours, searchlights tracked something above the city, while batteries launched over 15,000 rounds. No wreckage was found. No enemy planes were downed. Official reports later blamed weather balloons and war nerves, but the photographic evidence suggests otherwise. The event happened just weeks after Pearl Harbor, so nerves were already frayed, but many believed they’d witnessed something not of this world. The military never offered a satisfying explanation. Today, it remains one of the most dramatic mass UFO sightings in U.S. history. From the Hollywood Hills to Griffith Park, this incident reminds us that sometimes the strangest things in LA don’t walk among us... they fly overhead.

The Mystery Airship over Milwaukee

Before the term UFO existed, residents of Milwaukee looked skyward and saw something incredible. On April 11, 1897, witnesses described a glowing “airship” flying erratically through the sky. It flashed red, white, and green lights, looked like a cluster of stars, and dipped and bobbed as if under intelligent control. Police officers, reporters, and ordinary citizens all gave accounts. One theory was that pranksters were flying a lighted kite, but that fell apart when the object was seen in Sheboygan later that night, far beyond the reach of any kite string. This was part of a larger nationwide flap of mysterious airship sightings that took place from 1896 to 1897. Skeptics tried to pin it on experimental aircraft or misidentified celestial objects, but those who saw it knew they were witnessing something out of the ordinary. Milwaukee’s skies haven’t been the same since.

The Thunderbirds of the Midwest

In 1948, reports began pouring in across the Midwest about a massive birdlike creature with a wingspan larger than any known species. It was described as black or dark gray, with wings wider than a small aircraft. The sightings came from Illinois, Wisconsin, Missouri, and Indiana, and witnesses included farmers, laborers, and even a retired Air Force base commander. In 1977, the sightings returned. A 10-year-old Illinois boy named Marlon Lowe was nearly carried away by one of the creatures, only to be dropped after struggling. The incident was witnessed by his parents and neighbors, and police took the report seriously. Days later, the same beast was seen flying over Lincoln, Illinois. Although many chalk these tales up to folklore or misidentified animals, the credibility of the witnesses and consistency of the stories keep the legend of the Thunderbird alive in the heartland.

The Mysterious Orange Object in Woodstock, Illinois

On the night of January 9, 1969, multiple witnesses in the Algonquin, Illinois area reported seeing a strange glowing object in the sky. It was described as orange, pulsating, and moving in ways that did not match any known aircraft. Algonquin Police Sgt. Russell Hickman responded to calls near Edgewood and Hanson Roads and saw the object himself. He watched as it hovered, moved, then changed direction and flew toward Barrington and Huntley.

Investigators from the National Investigation Committee on Aerial Phenomena arrived at the scene, and police in Barrington and Fox River Grove also confirmed receiving similar reports. One woman saw the object from her car, while another man clearing snow said it hovered over a field and moved in a way that ruled out planes or helicopters.

Chief Ned Sanfilippo said the number and sincerity of witnesses made the event hard to ignore. Reports of the object also came from Woodstock, Harvard, Cary, and Huntley.

The Sheriff Believes The Children of Bayfield

Three children in Bayfield, Wisconsin—ages 8, 10, and 12—reported seeing a “flying saucer” near the Ondassagon school one Thursday afternoon. The kids came home terrified, according to their mother, who said they locked the door and refused to go back outside. Sheriff Al Embretson investigated the report and said he believed the children. They described the craft as silvery, silent, and shaped like a saucer. It was seen hovering above a field before rising roughly 100 feet into the air and flying northwest over Lake Superior. Embretson had each child separately draw what they saw, and the drawings were nearly identical. He also showed them images of conventional aircraft, but they all said the object they witnessed was different. The sheriff noted that their stories were consistent under questioning. Though the family remained anonymous, the sheriff seemed convinced the kids had seen something extraordinary in the skies over Bayfield.

The General Mills Incident in St. Paul, Minnesota

In November 1953, three research engineers from General Mills Aeronautical Laboratories in Minneapolis reported a striking UFO encounter while tracking a high-altitude balloon. They observed a bright, round object in the sky, which changed colors between white, red, blue, green, and yellow. The object remained stationary at about 3,000 feet, appearing “the size of a pea held at arm’s length”, for roughly 30 minutes before suddenly vanishing. The Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport control tower received multiple reports of the sighting and scanned the skies, but nothing appeared on radar. Project Blue Book, the U.S. Air Force’s official investigation, noted there were no balloons or aircraft in the area at the time, and the sighting was left unexplained. This incident stands out as one of Minnesota’s most credible UFO cases, given the technical backgrounds of the witnesses and the detailed official documentation.

The Allagash Abduction in Northern Maine

In August 1976, four college friends on a canoe trip in Maine’s Allagash Wilderness had an experience that would haunt them for life. While night fishing, they saw a brilliant light in the sky. Moments later, they found themselves back on shore with no memory of how they got there. Over time, each man experienced disturbing dreams and flashbacks. Under hypnosis, they recounted nearly identical stories of being taken aboard a craft, examined by non-human beings, and returned to earth. Their accounts were detailed and consistent. Skeptics questioned the hypnosis, but the men never sought fame or profit, and they still stand by their story. The Allagash Abduction remains one of the most famous and compelling UFO encounter cases in the United States and one of the strongest abduction accounts ever tied to multiple witnesses. It put Maine on the extraterrestrial map.

The Roman Candle over St. Thomas

In the early morning hours of September 23, 2007, a resident in rural St. Thomas parked their car and looked toward the southern sky. Suddenly, a bluish-white streak of light shot overhead, too low and too fast to be a meteor. Within days, another witness reported a “blue roman candle” falling from the sky in nearly the same area. A third report from October described a glowing amber orb hovering just 500 feet above a neighborhood before it vanished into the clouds. None of the sightings made a sound. There were no fireworks, aircraft, or storms that could explain them. The sightings were all shared by locals who had nothing to gain and little desire to be in the spotlight. These glowing visitors added a new mystery to the Virgin Islands, already home to pirate lore, shipwrecks, and haunted forts.

The Most Famous UFO of Alaska

On November 17, 1986, a Japan Air Lines cargo flight over Alaska encountered three unidentified flying objects that tailed the aircraft for over 30 minutes. The crew, including Captain Kenju Terauchi, a veteran pilot, described glowing crafts with amber lights and one massive ship the size of two aircraft carriers. The objects paced the flight, moved erratically, and at one point cast light into the cockpit. Civilian radar couldn’t detect the objects, but military radar picked them up clearly. Despite an investigation by the FAA and CIA, the encounter remains unexplained. The pilot was later grounded for speaking out, but years later reinstated. Today, the JAL 1628 case is considered one of the most credible UFO sightings ever documented, especially because it was tracked visually and on radar. It serves as a powerful reminder that sometimes what flies above us can’t be explained by conventional science.

The Doomed Flight to San Juan, Puerto Rico

On June 28, 1980, two young men, Jose Maldonado Torres and Jose Pagan Santos, flew from the Dominican Republic toward Puerto Rico in a small Ercoupe aircraft. Near the coast, they radioed a frantic mayday. A luminous object was following them. Then... nothing. Radio contact stopped. Despite radar showing their last location, an extensive search turned up no wreckage, no signal, no trace. The aircraft had vanished without explanation. Family members of the victims held onto audio recordings of the mayday call. One voice in the background can be faintly heard saying “Look, look,” before the call cuts out. The case eerily echoes other disappearances in the infamous Bermuda Triangle. Was it engine failure, disorientation—or something more mysterious? For the families and investigators, the most chilling part is what they didn’t find: anything at all.

At American Ghost Walks, we love digging into haunted history... but some of the most unexplainable stories don’t come from the past, they come from above. From glowing lights and colossal creatures to verified radar contacts and vanishing planes, these are some of the strangest encounters tied to our tour locations. Happy UFO Day. And in the words of the Star Hustler, Jack Horkheimer, "Keep looking up!"

For some more unidentifiable fun, here's a podcast I did with Badgerland Legends founder, Jeff Finup, on Wisconsin's most famous UFO cases...

Kenneth Arnold and the Origin of Flying Saucers

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 14:58:08 GMT

Kenneth Arnold and the Birth of the Modern UFO Era: June 24, 1947

On June 24, 1947, American pilot Kenneth Arnold reported a mysterious aerial encounter near Mount Rainier in Washington State. This sighting would become one of the most significant events in UFO history. Arnold’s report sparked widespread media attention, introduced the term “flying saucer” into public consciousness, and launched the modern era of UFO sightings.

Who Was Kenneth Arnold?

Kenneth Albert Arnold was born on March 29, 1915, in Sebeka, Minnesota. He attended the University of Minnesota and became a successful businessman and pilot. By 1947, he had accumulated over 4,000 hours of flight time and was known for his professionalism and reliability. Arnold operated the Great Western Fire Control Supply Company, frequently using his private aircraft for business. He also held positions of community trust, serving as an Eagle Scout, Red Cross volunteer, relief U.S. Marshal, and member of the Idaho Sheriff’s aerial posse. His background and character made his claims about the sighting especially credible.

The UFO Sighting on June 24, 1947

While flying from Chehalis, Washington, to Boise, Idaho, Arnold diverted his route to assist in the search for a missing Marine Corps C-46 transport plane in the Cascade Mountains. Around 3:00 p.m., while flying at approximately 9,000 feet near Mount Rainier, he noticed a sudden flash of light. Looking north, he saw nine bright, metallic objects flying in a chain-like formation, rapidly moving south along the Cascade Range.

Arnold described the objects as shiny and mostly circular, although one appeared crescent-shaped. He estimated each was around 50 feet in diameter. The movement of the objects was highly unusual, with a skipping motion he compared to a saucer gliding over water. This analogy led the press to coin the now-famous term “flying saucer,” even though Arnold never said the crafts were saucer-shaped.

He observed the objects for about two minutes before they disappeared over the horizon toward Oregon. Using the distance between Mount Rainier and Mount Adams, Arnold calculated their speed to be more than 1,500 miles per hour—far faster than any known aircraft at the time. The sighting was later classified as a “Daylight Disc” in the Hynek classification system, characterized by multiple objects, a reliable witness, and detailed documentation including Arnold’s sketches.

Media Reaction and Public Response

After landing in Yakima, Arnold shared his experience with other pilots, some of whom speculated that he might have seen secret military aircraft. When he reached Pendleton, Oregon, he attempted to contact the FBI but was unable to reach anyone. Instead, he relayed his account to Nolan Skiff, editor of the East Oregonian newspaper. The story was soon picked up by wire services and made national headlines, triggering a wave of similar UFO sightings across the country.

Arnold’s reputation as a trustworthy and experienced pilot gave his story significant weight. His sighting became a cultural phenomenon, inspiring serious public interest and concern about unidentified aerial phenomena.

The Military’s Reaction and UFO Investigations

Although the U.S. military had not yet launched an official UFO investigation, Arnold’s sighting prompted immediate interest. The report helped lead to the establishment of Air Force projects like Project Sign, Project Grudge, and eventually Project Blue Book. These initiatives sought to investigate the growing number of UFO sightings being reported in the late 1940s and 1950s.

Arnold’s encounter also set the stage for the famous Roswell incident, which occurred just weeks later in July 1947. Together, these events played a crucial role in shaping America’s obsession with extraterrestrial life and government secrecy.

Ongoing Debate and Historical Legacy

Since 1947, the Kenneth Arnold UFO sighting has been the subject of intense scrutiny. Skeptics have suggested explanations such as atmospheric reflections, mirages, flocks of birds, or optical illusions. However, none of these theories have definitively explained what Arnold saw. He remained consistent in his account for the rest of his life, insisting that his observations were accurate and sincere.

Today, the Arnold sighting is widely recognized as the incident that ignited the modern UFO movement. It marked the beginning of widespread media coverage, government investigations, and public fascination with unidentified flying objects.

Conclusion

The Kenneth Arnold UFO sighting of June 24, 1947, stands as a turning point in the history of aerial phenomena. It introduced the world to the concept of “flying saucers” and sparked decades of research, debate, and speculation. Whether interpreted as a case of misidentified natural phenomena or evidence of something more extraordinary, Arnold’s account continues to influence how we view UFOs and unexplained encounters in the skies.

If you're interested in UFO sightings you might want to check out our tours in Juneau and Ketchikan, Alaska , Waukesha and Milwaukee, Wisconsin , or of course San Juan, Puerto Rico , which is the easternmost corner of the Bermuda Triangle !

Tips To Find Your Ideal Ghost Tour

Fri, 20 Jun 2025 17:54:21 GMT

This is an unabridged version of an article that appeared in the Winter 2025 edition of Eerie Expeditions Magazine.

Why Haunted History Tours Are The Best

If you’re reading this magazine, then you’re someone who enjoys traveling to cities with haunted reputations. And I understand, because I’m the same way. My sister and I used to listen to Richard Crowe, the man who developed haunted history tourism as we know it today, tell Windy City ghost stories over the Chicago radio stations that would make it all the way north to our house near Milwaukee.

Today, I own a haunted history tour company called American Ghost Walks with tours in 25 different cities and I’ve been telling ghost stories since I was a busboy at a haunted restaurant in the 90s. My sister started Milwaukee’s original ghost tour. We take these things seriously. It’s our family business!

I truly believe ghost tours are the best way to connect with a city (as my wife will testify to, because I’ve dragged her on countless ones on almost every vacation we’ve been on!) On a good one, you not only get the history, you get the beliefs of the people that live there. Ghost tours often discuss things that regular tours won’t because it’s “bad taste” or doesn’t always make everyone in the city’s history look like a hero.

Think about it, if you’re staying in the haunted hotel, you get to leave. The housekeeper has a paranormal experience and whether it scared them or not, they have to go back the next day because it’s their job. When you’re on a ghost tour, you’re discovering what the locals think about life after death or what they think about whether we’re alone in the universe, or how they commemorate and honor their ancestors. You’re learning about the crimes that made them lock their doors and the bogeymen that they use to scare their children into behaving.

Many of these stories are more than just about the individual souls who passed through a place, but it’s often the buildings themselves that are holding on to the memory or the land that you’re walking on. That’s not just a civics or history lesson, it’s a special connection to a place that you’re a part of now because you’re there. It’s you walking the same ground as the people in the ghost story.

Of course, because these connections are more interesting, it’s led to a rise in what the New York Times calls “dark tourism”. So that means there’s a lot of different ghost tours now, but beyond the differences in quality (I try to find the redeeming qualities in each one, but as my wife can tell you, some are better than others) there are differences in style and format. So when you’re traveling it’s good to pay attention to the different kinds, so that you can find the ones where you’re going to have the best time.

What Kind Of Ghost Tour Is It?

Haunted history tours come in various formats:

Walking Tours

These are your classic original ghost tours. Walking around the downtown of a city and the guide takes you from place to place, telling you the history of the buildings and the town and then sharing the paranormal experiences that people have had there. Think of these as the 101-level tours are the fastest way to learn an unfamiliar city’s history. These are great for your first time in a city and are often shorter and perfect for before or after dinner.

Bus Tours

These are usually a little bit longer and they’re perfect for covering more ground, when weather isn't ideal, or when some of the stories happen in a rougher part of town. Bus tours often take you places that walking tours don’t. The best ones have stops where you can get off the bus to do a little get a little more up close and personal to explore and get pictures.

Pub Crawls

These are the next level from the walking tours where they combine ghost stories with drinking. These often attract people who aren’t that into ghost stories, but are into drinking. And there’s nothing wrong with that, but just know what you’re getting into! If it’s a party night for you or you’re going with a group of people who aren’t that into ghosts, then maybe a few drinks is just what you need.

Paranormal Investigation Tours

Do you just love the stories or do you also like to do ghost hunting? Are you okay with long stretches of silence? Have you ever been on a paranormal investigation? Quiet and stillness are big parts of it. Lots of tours specifically include investigations now so if you’re actually into ghost hunting, I recommend finding one where that’s the focus of the tour and not an “add-on”.

Just bringing along an EMF meter or spirit box when you’re surrounded by noisy traffic or people out on a weekend night, it’s almost impossible to get any kind of results. Your K2 might spike because everyone’s cell phones are out. Or how are you going to isolate sounds on the Spirit Box when someone’s yelling “cheers” from a nearby bar? Think about paranormal investigations you’ve been on and when you’ve had the most activity and excitement. The hunt was the main attraction.

Specialty Tours

There’s a lot more than just regular haunted history tours now, many cities offer specialty tours like going to places where UFOs were seen or following the trail of serial killers like Jack The Ripper. These are often like “advanced courses” because they go beyond the basic history and go more in-depth.

Also, if it’s true crime, make sure you’re okay with the gruesome parts of it. It’s alright to be queasy, you’re dealing with real humans that really died and sometimes in horrible and tragic ways. Some tours treat these stories with gravity and respect, while others focus more on the blood and guts. Look at the marketing. Is it marketed like a Halloween haunted house? Then it’s gonna be more gruesome, so don’t be surprised when they go into the details on the uncomfortable stuff. Think about what you are okay with when it comes to some of the serial killer tours and choose based on that.

Guide Expertise and Storytelling

Of course, the guide can make or break your tour experience. Seek out tours led by guides who are not only knowledgeable about history but also skilled storytellers. Look for tours that feature their guides in videos on the website or their YouTube channel. Are the ads done where you can see their people in action? Where did they get their stories from? Does the website tell you some sources and who worked on developing the route?

Decide what you're looking for—historical authenticity or theatrical entertainment. Some tours focus on genuine historical accounts with evidence of paranormal activity, while others might employ more theatrical elements for effect.

Sometimes tours are run by teenage theater kids who dress up and are great storytellers, but haven’t gone to investigate the places themselves. They have scripts they have to stick to since they don’t have a lot of experience. Other tours feature paranormal investigators or authors, who might be less theatrical but they have a wide breadth of knowledge to work with and can go in deep with you on questions.

It’s okay to like both! But if you prefer one over the other, look for the tour companies that have videos of the guides or talk about the writers of the tours, so you can see beforehand. Consider your personal preferences and how you have fun. Do you want to be scared or are you fascinated with the topic?

If you’re looking for a more haunted house experience, look for a theatrical-style guide at night. If you’re looking for a deeper exploration of the topic, then look for companies that pride themselves on their research and remember, ghost stories happen at all hours of the day, not just in darkness!

Since haunted history tours are more popular than ever, especially around Halloween, a lot of “normie” tour companies will add a ghost tour to sell more tickets. And that can be fun sometimes. It’s cool when an architectural tour might add a haunted element, it’s fun when a food tour might add a ghost story. You might get a unique experience, but most of the stories will probably be entry-level or just taken out of a book without a lot of research, so don’t expect a lot of depth.

When you see a company with lots of different kinds of tours and a ghost tour is just one of them, know that you’re probably going to get basic stories, but you might le arn something else about the city that ghost tours don’t focus on, so just make sure you read the reviews.

Finally, Always Think About What You Like

Always, remember your taste when you’re booking. There are a lot of options to pick from now. Are you looking for authenticity? Local flavor? Gruesome details? Dressed-up guides? You can find all of those things in today’s “dark tourism” landscape. Check the reviews, look at the website’s “about” section, and do your research to find your ideal tour.

If you’re ever in one of our cities at American Gho st Walks, we’d love for you to join us for some spooky fun. but wherever you go- Happy Hauntings!

The Haunted History of Fort Christian in the Virgin Islands

Tue, 17 Jun 2025 15:51:37 GMT

If you’ve ever wandered along the Fort Christian Charlotte Amalie waterfront, you’ve seen it. Bold and weathered, Fort Christian St Thomas stands guard over the harbor, its red-brick walls glowing in the Caribbean sun. But what most people don’t realize is that this fort isn’t just a relic of the past. It’s still very much alive with stories—some heroic, some heartbreaking, and some downright haunted.

A Fortress Born in the Age of Empires

The story of Fort Christian begins in 1672 when the Danish arrived in what would later become the U.S. Virgin Islands. They needed a stronghold, and they needed it fast. Pirates were a real threat, colonial tensions were rising, and the harbor was too valuable to leave unguarded. So the Danes built a diamond-shaped fort with thick stone walls designed to withstand cannon fire and siege.

Named after King Christian V of Denmark and Norway, the fort quickly became the centerpiece of colonial St. Christian. Soldiers lived within its walls. Prisoners languished in its cells. And when storms rolled in off the sea, townspeople sometimes took shelter behind its ramparts. Over time, Fort Christian evolved. A chapel was added. A courthouse. A governor’s residence. And in 1874, the Gothic Revival clock tower was built, giving the fort the look we recognize today.

More Than History Lingers Here

Fort Christian St Thomas USVI has seen it all—the rise and fall of empires, the horrors of slavery, uprisings, celebrations, and epidemics. Through it all, it has remained a witness, and perhaps more than just a witness.

Some say the ground beneath the fort holds secrets. There are stories of plague ships arriving in the harbor, their dead hurriedly buried near the fort to keep disease from spreading. Local lore claims their spirits never fully left. Cold spots appear without warning. Some visitors report the uneasy feeling of being watched, even when they’re alone. Others have heard whispers in Danish echo through empty halls.

And then there’s the Cow-Foot Woman.

One Barefoot, One Hoof

Locals call her La Diablesse. She drifts through the streets of Charlotte Amalie, wrapped in old silks, her face always hidden beneath a wide-brimmed hat. One of her feet is perfectly human. The other is not. It’s a cloven hoof.

The legend says she appears when the air is thick and still. You might hear soft footsteps behind you as you pass Fort Christian after dark. If you do, stop. Not to turn around. Not to speak. Just stop. Because if it’s her, you’ll want to be very, very still.

Some believe she was cursed by a jealous lover. Others say she died during childbirth. But everyone agrees on one thing. When she comes calling, she leaves behind a single hoofprint stamped in damp stone.

One family tells the story of a young girl who found a trail of footprints circling her porch after a rainstorm. One foot. One hoof. Her grandmother simply said, “She just needed shelter. You didn’t bother her, so she won’t bother you.”

A Crossroads of Ghosts and History

Fort Christian sits at the center of Charlotte Amalie, right where the land meets the sea. Its location is no accident. From its walls, you can see the alleyways that once hosted pirate deals, the hillside that cradles Blackbeard’s Tower, and the narrow streets where jumbies and duppies are said to roam.

That’s why we begin many of our ghost walks here. Fort Christian is more than a backdrop—it’s the perfect starting point for exploring centuries of local legends, strange happenings, and the history of St. Thomas, VI, that still echoes across the island today.

Come See It for Yourself

During the day, Fort Christian serves as a museum. Inside, you’ll find exhibits filled with Danish furniture, colonial tools, and artifacts from the island’s Amerindian past. But when the sun starts to dip behind the hills, something changes. Shadows stretch longer across the fort’s outer walls. The air feels heavier. And that’s when we gather. You can even find the Fort Christian parking lot nearby if you're driving in.

Our St. Thomas Ghost Walk takes you through the hidden corners of the island’s haunted history, from pirate betrayals and buried curses to tales of Obeah magic and possessions that never quite let go.

Our Charlotte Amalie Ghost Walk begins right at Fort Christian’s gates. You’ll hear stories passed down for generations, not just folklore, but family history. And yes, we’ll walk the path of the Cow-Foot Woman, if you’re brave enough to follow.

Our Fort Christian Haunted Ghost Tour goes right inside the oldest standing structure in the US Virgin Islands and its also the oldest still-standing prison in the US, since 1692. From secret passages to pirates to dungeons to amazing views of St. Thomas from the rooftop, this unique tour inside the Fort is an unforgettable experience.

Final Thoughts Before Dark

Fort Christian has survived hurricanes, revolutions, and centuries of change. But some stories refuse to fade. They cling to the stone, whisper in the breeze, and appear when you least expect them. The fort is no ordinary landmark. It is a portal into the past. A place where history lives, and the haunted still walk.

If you ever find yourself in Charlotte Amalie, take a moment to stand at the fort’s entrance. Listen closely. You might hear the creak of iron gates, the echo of marching boots, or the faint click of a hoof on stone.

And if you do… be very, very still.

The Moko Jumbie: Spirit Guardian of the Virgin Islands

Tue, 17 Jun 2025 14:26:24 GMT

If you’ve ever wandered the streets of the Virgin Islands during carnival season, you’ve seen them. Towering figures dancing above the crowd on impossibly long stilts, faces masked, robes flowing, and energy electric. Locals cheer. Children stare in awe. And visitors, if they know the history, pause with reverence. Because the Moko Jumbie is more than a performer.

The Moko Jumbie is a protector. A spirit. A living piece of Caribbean folklore.

While many associate them with celebration, these watchful figures also have a deeper role in the islands’ spiritual history. Long before they ever appeared in parades, the Moko Jumbies walked tall as guardians between worlds. These were divine beings who could see danger coming and defend communities from evil.

Like many legends in the Virgin Islands, their story begins with something older, darker, and sacred.

Where the Spirit Walks Tall

The word “Moko” comes from West Africa, where the spirit was seen as a healer and seer. The term “jumbie,” found across Caribbean culture, refers to a ghost or spirit. Sometimes mischievous, sometimes protective, but always powerful. When enslaved Africans were brought to the Caribbean, they carried these traditions with them. The Moko Jumbie became a hybrid figure: a towering ancestral spirit who could see far and keep watch over people and land.

In the Virgin Islands, this spirit took to the streets.

Walking on stilts was not just for show. The height symbolized vision, both physical and spiritual. The Moko Jumbie could see things others could not. It could spot evil before it arrived. It could lift a community's eyes toward resilience, resistance, and protection.

While today’s Moko Jumbies bring joy and energy to festivals, their roots remain grounded in spiritual defense. When one appears, you are not just witnessing a performance. You are standing in the presence of a cultural protector.

Not Just for Carnival

During the colorful chaos of the Virgin Islands Carnival or the Crucian Christmas Festival, the Moko Jumbie is a headliner. Dressed in vibrant costumes and expertly navigating their stilts, they sway, dance, and engage the crowd. They are loved. Admired. Photographed.

But their presence is more than symbolic flair.

In some communities, the Moko Jumbie is still honored as a spiritual figure. Offerings are made. Stories are passed down. Children are taught that these beings are not just fun. They are sacred. In times of trouble, people still speak of dreams where a Moko Jumbie appears, or moments when they felt protected without knowing why.

If you walk the streets of Charlotte Amalie or Frederiksted late at night, especially around Carnival time, you might hear someone say, “That was a jumbie watching over us.” They could be talking about a ghost. Or a Moko Jumbie. Or both.

Moko Jumbie vs. Ghost: What’s the Difference?

At American Ghost Walks, we explore the haunted layers of the Virgin Islands . Stories of lost souls, cursed lovers, and haunted forts are part of our nightly paths. But not all spirits here are tragic or terrifying. Some are revered.

Unlike the woman with the cloven hoof, who haunts the streets of Charlotte Amalie in silence and sorrow, the Moko Jumbie is not a ghost trapped in time. It is a spirit who chose to stay.

This spirit walks with purpose. Where a ghost might appear as a remnant of unresolved pain, the Moko Jumbie shows up as a sign of strength and spiritual continuity. It walks tall, literally and figuratively, reminding the living that not all supernatural presence is to be feared.

In fact, many locals believe Moko Jumbies keep other darker spirits at bay. A jumbie might lurk in the shadows, but a Moko Jumbie walks in the open. And it walks for you.

Modern Revival and Cultural Pride

here was a time when Moko Jumbie traditions were fading in the Virgin Islands. Colonial suppression and changing cultural tides nearly silenced the stilts. But in recent decades, there has been a powerful revival.

Thanks to community groups, cultural schools, and passionate performers, Moko Jumbie training is once again part of local heritage. Young people learn to stilt-walk not just as a skill, but as a connection to ancestors. Workshops in St. Thomas and St. Croix help pass on techniques and stories. Some Moko Jumbies even travel, sharing Virgin Islands folklore with the world.

This is more than tradition. It is resistance. To keep the Moko Jumbie alive is to affirm the value of African heritage, Caribbean identity, and spiritual pride.

What Is a Jumbie?

You might be wondering, what is a Jumbee? Or what is a jumbie? Simply put, it’s a Caribbean spirit or ghost. Depending on the island, the jumbie definition may vary—sometimes malicious, sometimes protective. The Jumbie meaning often depends on oral tradition, passed through stories and songs.

Language, Folklore & Expression

Caribbean culture is rich with imagery and emotion. Puerto rican idioms and puerto rican sayings, like many island expressions, reflect centuries of history, colonization, and resistance. And as we uncover the stories behind moko jumbie art, it’s clear these traditions are more than performances—they’re storytelling in motion.

What It Means to See One

If you ever spot a Moko Jumbie in the distance, perhaps on a street corner during festival season or dancing among the crowds at dusk, pause for a moment. Take it in. You’re not just seeing a tall figure in a costume. You are witnessing centuries of history, faith, and protection.

Some say seeing a Moko Jumbie before a journey is good luck. Others believe they appear when you need them most. There are stories of people who avoided car accidents, fell ill but recovered, or changed course in life after a chance encounter.

Whether or not you believe in the spiritual side, one thing is certain. The Moko Jumbie is a symbol of strength. It reminds us that the past is not forgotten. That the ancestors are still watching. That even in a world of ghosts and shadows, there are spirits who rise above it all.

Why We Include the Moko Jumbie in Our Stories

At American Ghost Walks, our tours in the Virgin Islands highlight tales of haunted forts, cursed love, and chilling whispers on the wind. But we also share the stories that empower.

That’s why we talk about the Moko Jumbie.

Not every spirit needs to be feared. Some deserve to be celebrated. And while the Moko Jumbie may not glide through our tours like the cow-foot woman or the jumbies of the backstreets, its presence is part of the landscape. It is part of what makes the Virgin Islands a place where folklore is alive and spirits are real.

Whether you are exploring Charlotte Amalie with us or simply reading this from afar, remember: someone tall may be walking with you. Someone who sees more than you do. Someone who protects.

Learn More on the Charlotte Amalie Ghost Walk

Want to hear more about the ghosts and spirits that roam the Virgin Islands? Join us on the Charlotte Amalie Ghost Walk , where history, hauntings, and folklore intertwine on every corner. From Fort Christian to the old stone alleys, you’ll uncover the eerie side of paradise and maybe even feel a spirit or two watching from above.

�� Book your tour here

The Conjuring 2: Real or Fake?

Mon, 09 Jun 2025 11:22:14 GMT

The Devil is in the Details (That Hollywood Ignored)

So, you’ve buckled up for “The Conjuring 2,” a harrowing cinematic thrill ride that proudly proclaims it’s based on a “true story.” You’ve watched Ed and Lorraine Warren, paranormal paragons of virtue, battle a malevolent demonic nun for the very soul of a sweet English family. It’s terrifying. It’s epic. But is it historically accurate?

Grab your tea and biscuits, because we’re about to take a deep dive into the real story of the Enfield Poltergeist, the case that inspired the film. And let’s just say, the truth is a lot messier, a bit sadder, and frankly, far more interesting than the Hollywood horror flick would have you believe. The real horror here isn’t a ghost, but the story Hollywood tried to sell you.

Meet the Real Ghostbusters of Enfield

Before we get to the self-proclaimed demonologists, let’s talk about the actual lead investigators of the Enfield case. Forget the dramatic, crucifix-wielding Warrens for a moment. The real work was done by Maurice Grosse and Guy Lyon Playfair, two investigators from the Society for Psychical Research (SPR).

Grosse was an inventor, not a ghost hunter, who became interested in the paranormal after the tragic death of his own daughter, also named Janet. He was a man driven by grief and a desperate hope for answers. Playfair, on the other hand, was a seasoned researcher, though one with a soft spot for sensational figures like spoon-bender Uri Geller. He was initially skeptical of the Enfield case, a fact the movie conveniently omits.

These two men spent nearly two years at the Hodgson house, meticulously documenting the strange occurrences. They weren’t there for a quick exorcism and a movie deal; they were there to investigate, and what they found was far from a simple haunting.

The "Haunting" on Green Street

The story begins in 1977 at 284 Green Street, a council house in Enfield, London. Peggy Hodgson, a single mother, called the police after her two daughters, Janet (11) and Margaret (13), complained of knocking sounds and furniture moving on its own. A police constable even witnessed a chair slide across the floor, though she couldn't explain how.

Over the next 18 months, the claims escalated. There were marbles and Lego bricks flying through the air, drawers being pulled from dressers, and even the girls allegedly levitating. And then there was the voice – a gruff, gravelly voice that claimed to be “Bill Wilkins,” a man who had supposedly died in the house.

There are few things more terrifying than teenage girls

Levitation, household objects flying around, and possession sounds scary, right? But here’s the kicker: the girls were caught faking things. A lot.

Janet and Margaret later admitted to interviewers that they’d faked “about two percent” of the phenomena to see if the investigators would notice. They were caught on video bending spoons and hiding tape recorders. Even Playfair, who believed the haunting was genuine, admitted the girls were “little devils” who loved to play tricks. The famous photo of Janet levitating looks suspiciously like a girl bouncing on her bed. A ventriloquist who listened to the “Bill Wilkins,” voice concluded it was nothing more than a vocal trick.

So, was it all a hoax? The product of two bored, attention-seeking girls? It’s not that simple. Many of the phenomena couldn’t be easily explained away. But the fact that so much of it was faked throws a rather large wrench in the demonic possession narrative.

The Warrens: A Real-Life Cameo Turns into a Starring Role

So, where do Ed and Lorraine Warren fit into all of this? In the movie, they’re the heroes, the main investigators sent by the church to save the day. In reality? Their involvement was minimal at best.

The Warrens showed up at Enfield, uninvited, for a single day. They weren’t the investigators. They hindered the case. In other words, they didn’t help. Instead were just a pain in the butt. In fact, Playfair later accused them of trying to hijack the case for their own gain. This was a common criticism of the Warrens, who had a reputation for turning hauntings into demonic possessions and then cashing in on the book and movie rights.

Let’s not forget their most famous case, the Amityville Horror, was thoroughly debunked as a hoax, created by the homeowners and their lawyer and then amplified by Ed and Lorraine. The Warrens’ brand of paranormal investigation was all about sensationalism, and Enfield was just another potential opportunity for fortune and fame.

Who Haunted the Conjuring House 2? The Curious Case of Valak

This brings us back to “The Conjuring 2.” The film takes the messy, ambiguous story of the Enfield Poltergeist and turns it into a black-and-white battle between good and evil. And speaking of black-and-white, the knocking sounds and flying toys are replaced by a monstrous demonic nun named Valak in her traditional monochrome habit. Valak is a complete Hollywood fabrication and has absolutely no connection to the original case. The complex, sometimes frustrating investigation by Grosse and Playfair is erased and replaced by a dramatic, action-packed exorcism led by the Warrens.

The movie is a fun-house mirror version of the real story, exaggerating the scares, simplifying the characters, and fabricating entire plot-lines. The real horror of Enfield wasn't a demon; it was a family in distress, a media circus, and a debate about what was real and what was a cry for help.

The Verdict: A Haunting of a Different Kind

So, was the Enfield Poltergeist real? The truth is, we’ll probably never know for sure. It was a complex and confusing case, a tangled mess of genuine strangeness, childhood pranks, and wishful thinking.

But one thing is certain: the story you saw in “The Conjuring 2” is a fantasy. It’s a well-crafted horror movie, but it’s not the truth. The real story is far more fascinating, a human drama about belief, doubt, and the gray areas in between. And that, in its own way, is a much more compelling story than any Hollywood demon could ever be.

FAQ: Is the Conjuring 2's House on Green Street Still Haunted?

No, poltergeist hauntings are generally short-lived. Some last only a few days. Where as typical cases last a few weeks to a few months. True poltergeists haunt and follow a certain person in the family, usually a girl going through puberty not a particular house.

FAQ: Where can I read Guy Lyon Playfair's book about the case?

This House is Haunted by Guy Lyon Playfair can be read for free on archive.org.

FAQ: Did Ed and Lorraine Warren Help or Hype?

Ed and Lorraine Warren did not investigate the Enfield Poltergeist. They showed up one day uninvited and were quickly shown the door by investigators Guy Lyon Playfair and Maurice Grosse. The were Warrens savvy self‑promoters, but they were not accepted across the pond.

FAQ: Were Ed and Lorraine Warren fakes or frauds?

Critics label some Warren cases “hoaxes,” but supporters argue the pair documented genuine phenomena . No court ever convicted them of fraud.

FAQ: What is the real story of "The Conjuring 2"?

Stripped of embellishment, the real story of “The Conjuring 2” was a classic poltergeist case.

Only interested in true ghost stories?

Us too! We only believe in real ghost stories. And real spooky fun! If you want the real deal, and think you can handle the truth, get in touch. Join us on one of our ghost tours across the U.S. or share your true story with allison@americanghostwalks.com . Thanks for reading!

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The Conjuring House: Is the Haunting Real or Fake?

Fri, 06 Jun 2025 20:01:08 GMT

The True Story Behind the Conjuring House Haunting

The Conjuring House, a lso known as the former Arnold Estate is located at 1677 Round Top Road in Burrillville, Rhode Island . Anyone intrigued by hauntings knows the Conjuring House. The blockbuster movie franchise turned the Perron family’s ghost stories into a pop‑culture juggernaut, but are the tall tales have any basis in reality?

Hollywood, Hoaxes, and a Haunting

The Conjuring Universe has spawned 9 movies so far soon to be 10, all claiming to be based on a true story. So this gives us a lot to talk about. If you enjoy separating fact from fiction, this list (organized in the order of alleged real-life events) will keep you busy for awhile.

#1 The Nun (2018): Watch on Netflix .

#2 Annabelle: Creation (2017): Watch on Max .

#3 The Nun II (2023) : Watch on Hulu .

#4 Annabelle (2014): Watch on Netflix .

#5 The Conjuring (2013): Watch on Max .

#6 Annabelle Comes Home (2019): Watch on Max .

#7 The Curse of La Llorona (2019): Watch on Max .

#8 The Conjuring 2 (2016): Watch on Max .

#9 The Conjuring 3 (2021): Watch on Max .

#10 The Conjuring 4 (2025): Coming Sept 5th.

You’ve probably seen the movie that started it all. A good, god-fearing family moves into a charmingly dilapidated farmhouse only to be tormented by a demonic witch. Beds shake, ghosts play hide-and-seek (and clap), and a succubus having a bad hair day possesses the mom. Enter Ed and Lorraine Warren , the ghostbusting equivalent of the A-Team. Intrepid Christian soldiers coming to save the day with some holy water and a whole lot of dramatic pronouncements. It’s a terrifying tale. It’s also about as historically accurate as a screen door on a spaceship. And speaking of spaceships, check out this video below where Andrea Perron, the eldest child of the Conjuring family, claims she’s in contact with a “galactic family” of more than 57 types of extraterrestrials.

The Real Deal? What is Truth?

The real story of the Harrisville farmhouse, the Perron family, and the infamous Bathsheba Sherman is a far more fascinating and tangled mess of folklore, family drama, questionable paranormal investigators, and today, outright chaos. So, what was “The Conjuring” based on? The short answer: a decade of unverifiable occurrences that got spun into a legend, polished by Hollywood, and is now being stripped for parts by very human drama. Let’s separate the conjuring house facts from the fiendishly profitable fiction .

Where is the Original Conjuring House?

The actual house from “The Conjuring” is a sprawling pre-Revolutionary War colonial located in Burrillville, Rhode Island (within the village of Harrisville, to be precise). Built around 1736, the house, once known as the Arnold Estate, is indeed old. And according to paranormal lore, that’s where the trouble started.

The legend, often breathlessly repeated on ghost tours and paranormal websites, claims the town’s “Black Book of Burrillville” details a gruesome history of the property. We’re talking two hanging suicides, a poison suicide, two drownings, four men who froze to death on the land, and the rape and murder of an 11-year-old girl named Prudence Arnold. It’s a horror story buffet.

The only problem? Finding independent, verifiable historical records for this bloody list is harder than getting a straight answer from a spirit. While a “Black Book” of untimely deaths for the town may have existed, the specific claims tied to the farmhouse property seem to live primarily in the echo chamber of paranormal lore, a crucial fun fact about the Conjuring House that gets conveniently omitted.

Who Lived in the Conjuring House?

In the winter of 1970, Roger and Carolyn Perron, along with their five daughters (Andrea, Nancy, Christine, Cindy, and April), moved into their dream home. Almost immediately, the dream soured. Carolyn noticed the broom would go missing or, stranger still, she’d sweep up a pile of dirt only to find it had reappeared in the middle of the clean floor. The girls reported seeing apparitions, some seemingly benign, like a little boy named Oliver Richardson, and others more sinister. The beds would shake, usually at 5:15 AM, a smell of rotting flesh would permeate the house, and objects would move on their own. Worst alarm clock ever!

Andrea Perron, the eldest daughter and the family’s primary chronicler, described the house as “a portal cleverly disguised as a farmhouse.” Her younger sister Cindy was considered a “conduit,” who once heard whispers of “seven dead soldiers buried in the wall.” For nearly a decade, the Perron family lived with what they described as a host of spirits, both good and bad. The story of the Conjuring house wasn’t an overnight event. It was a slow-burn lasting a decade concluding when they moved out in 1980.

Who Haunted the Conjuring House? The Curious Case of Bathsheba Sherman

This brings us to the main event, the supposed demonic entity of the film: Bathsheba Sherman. According to the legend popularized by the Warrens and the movie, Bathsheba was a 19th-century Satanist who sacrificed her infant to the devil, declared her love for Lucifer, and hanged herself from a tree on the property, cursing all who would live there.

So, was Bathsheba real? Yes, but the real Bathsheba Sherman story is tragically boring compared to the spicy Hollywood rendition.

Will the real Bathsheba Sherman please stand up?

Historian J'aime Rubio did extensive research on the real Bathsheba Thayer Sherman (1812-1885). Here’s Bathsheba Sherman’s real story. Spoiler alert: It's a snoozer.

Bathsheba was a local woman. She married Judson Sherman, and had a son, Herbert, who grew up to be a farmer. There is zero historical evidence she was ever accused of witchcraft or murdering a child. The tall tale of an infant dying in her care from a sewing needle to the skull is a sensational fabrication. Most importantly, historical records suggest Bathsheba Sherman never even lived at the Harrisville farmhouse.

How did Bathsheba Sherman die?

Not by hanging from a tree while screaming her undying devotion to the devil. She expired due to paralysis caused by a stroke at the ripe old age of 73.

Who Slandered Bathsheba Sherman?

The narrative of the evil witch seems to have been concocted in 1973 after Carolyn Perron did her own research and was then enthusiastically amplified by Ed and Lorraine Warren. Even Andrea Perron changed her tune, suggesting the malevolent presence was more likely a “Mrs. Arnold,” another supposed former resident who hanged herself in the barn. The story, like the spirits themselves, seems to shift and change with the telling.

You can visit Bathsheba’s Sherman actual grave using FindaGrave.com , but be kind and don't vandalize. Hasn’t Bathsheba suffered enough? The Devil doesn’t want your help anyway.

Ed and Lorraine Warren: Hoaxers or Holy Warriors?

One fateful day in 1973 the Perrons called in the New England’s notorious Ed and Lorraine Warren . The Warrens’ involvement cemented the house’s place in spook-dumb. Ed, a self-taught “demonologist,” and Lorraine, a professed clairvoyant, declared the house infested with spirits, with the evil Bathsheba as the ringleader.

Their paranormal investigation culminated in a terrifying séance where Carolyn Perron was allegedly possessed. Andrea Perron described her mother speaking in tongues in a strange voice, her chair levitating, and her body being thrown across the room. The event was so traumatic that Roger Perron, who had been skeptical of the Warrens’ theatrics, physically threw them out of the house, believing they had only made things worse.

Christian Soldiers Providing Help or Hype?

This incident highlights the central question surrounding the Warrens. Were Ed and Lorraine Warren fakers ? Skeptics like Joe Nickell and Steven Novella and others have long accused the couple of being paranormal grifters, exploiting vulnerable families and exaggerating claims for fame and fortune.

Their most famous case, the Amityville Horror, has been widely debunked as a hoax. Ed and Lorraine Warren’s “investigation” at the Perron house, rather than an exorcism, appears to have been a single, chaotic night that ended with them being shown the door.

Modern Owners, Million‑Dollar Flip, and Social‑Media Specters

1987 – 2019: Owners Norma and Gerry Sutcliffe invited the original Ghost Hunters TV show to investigate back in 2005 before all “The Conjuring” hullabaloo.

2019 – 2022: Cory and Jennifer Heinzen courted TikTok fame with viral clips of doors moving in empty rooms. Skeptics blamed eighteenth‑century drafts.

May 2022: Boston developer Jacqueline Nuñez bought the house for 1.5 million dollars, stipulating that no one live there year‑round “because the energy is so powerful.”

The Conjuring House Today: All Too Human Horror

So, is the Conjuring house actually haunted? Andrea Perron has turned the supposed trauma into a cottage industry. Her money-making opportunities include book sales and paid conference appearances, capped off by an evening activity in the darkened parking lot where she invites the space brothers to show themselves by singing the Dorris Day hit of yesteryear, “Sentimental Journey.” True story. Yep, you can’t make this stuff up!

Show Me the Money!��

But the real money is in haunted property ownership. The Heinzens, bought the house in 2019 and began offering tours. They raised interest using social media alleging footsteps, doors opening, and a “very busy” feeling. Proving even meh paranormal activity can garner wealth through the power of Hollywood, they sold the property in 2022 for $1.5 million. Cha Ching!

The most recent chapter in the house’s history features current owner, Jacqueline Nuñez. She bought the house to run it as a paranormal tourist attraction, has only been plagued by bad press. In 2024, her entire staff, including the former owners, publicly resigned, citing missed paychecks, neglect of the property, and bizarre behavior. This was followed by Nuñez losing her business license and, in early 2025, having a bench warrant issued for her arrest on unrelated charges. The business is now permanently closed and mired in accusations of being a “manufactured thrill” and a “hoax.”

Is the Conjuring House Still Haunted?

Perhaps. But it seems any lingering spirits have been overshadowed by the drama of the living. The true story of the Conjuring House isn’t just about a ghost named Bathsheba. It’s about how a family’s ghost stories were filtered through urban legend, sensationalized by paranormal investigators, immortalized by Hollywood, and ultimately, commercialized into chaos. The spirits, if they were ever there, are now just part of the marketing package.

Professional skeptic and debunker Joe Nickell once turned his cynical eye to the Conjuring House for an article in Skeptical Inquirer magazine. His verdict: drafts, family tension, teenage pranks, and the power of suggestion explain the incidents better than ghosts. Nickell also discovered that decades later Perron siblings remembered events very differently, casting more doubt on any single “true” narrative.

FAQ: Can you visit the real Conjuring House today?

Nope. You can’t. Even Google Maps blocks it out on Google Street View. Although recent Conjuring House owners have offered tours, overnight rentals, and group investigations. Legal troubles caused the paranormal attraction to close permanently in late 2024. However, you can still view 50 pictures of the house and surrounding land as it appeared in a 2021 Zillow post .

FAQ: Is the “The Conjuring” Based on a True Story?

Short answer: No. The 2013 film borrows loosely from the decade the Perron family lived in the farmhouse (1970 – 1980) and from the case files of self‑styled demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren . Yet almost every cinematic set‑piece – levitating chairs, an instantly effective yet unsanctioned DIY exorcism – has no basis in the historical fact.

FAQ: Where can I see more real photos?

People magazine famous for photo essays has covered the Conjuring House extensively complete with family photos , a paranormal investigation , and even a look inside the alleged true story behind an upcoming Conjuring movie .

FAQ: What does Andrea Perron claim?

Andrea Perron, the eldest daughter and author of the book trilogy House of Darkness, House of Light , recalls small oddities: broom handles vanishing, rapping sounds on a kettle, musty odors that drifted in and out. These mild disturbances, she says, escalated into apparitions and a “female presence” jealous of Carolyn’s role as mistress of the house.

FAQ: Where can I read Andrea Perron's books?

Although they’ve been removed from Archive.org , you can still get a searchable preview of two of the books. You can also read them on Everand.com . Or you can purchase the entire series, Volume One , Volume Two , and Volume Three on Amazon. Kindle versions are available instantly.

FAQ: Did Ed and Lorraine Warren Help or Hype?

By 1973 Carolyn had invited Ed and Lorraine Warren to investigate. The couple’s New England Society for Psychic Research was riding high after publicizing the “Annabelle” doll, a Raggedy Anne doll with a bad reputation and a terrible attitude. The Warrens agreed that a local nineteenth‑century woman – Bathsheba Sherman – was orchestrating the haunting. Critics, however, portray the Warrens as savvy self‑promoters who blurred fact and folklore for money and fame.

FAQ: Why Is the Conjuring House Haunted—Or Is It?

Psychologists cite pareidolia, inattentional blindness, sleep paralysis, and even low‑level carbon‑monoxide exposure as likely culprits. Yet television crews still tout dramatic evidence. Independent teams rarely duplicate the results, but still fuel an endless folklore feedback loop.

FAQ: Why is the Conjuring House haunted in popular opinion?

Fans blame Bathsheba’s alleged curse, indigenous burial ground myths, or 18th‑century tragedies. Skeptics cite drafty architecture and the power of suggestion as more likely causes.

FAQ: Was The Conjuring filmed in the actual house?

No. The Conjuring was shot on sound stages and a North Carolina location. The real house in Rhode Island appears only in documentaries and reality‑TV specials.

FAQ: Did the Ghost Hunters TV show investigate the Conjuring House?

Yes. Way back in 2005, Ghost Hunters investigated (Season 2, Episode 7) before “The Conjuring” hullabaloo. In the episode, it’s one of two houses investigated. The house appears in the second half of the episode and is referred to only as the Sutcliffe House. The episode features Ed and Lorraine Warren’s nephew John Zaffis . Sadly, in 2024 Jason Hawes accused current owner Jacqueline Nuñez of harassment and urged his hundreds of thousands of followers to boycott the Conjuring House.

FAQ: Did the Ghost Adventures TV show investigate the Conjuring House?

Yes. In 2019, Ghost Adventures conducted an extensive investigation of the Conjuring House in a two-hour Halloween special titled “Curse of the Harrisville Farmhouse” (Season 22, Episode 1) . Paranormal drama king Zak Bagans claimed he fell ill afterwards . Poor baby!

FAQ: Were Ed and Lorraine Warren fakes or frauds?

Critics label some Warren cases “hoaxes,” but supporters argue the pair documented genuine phenomena. No court ever convicted them of fraud.

FAQ: Who haunted The Conjuring House according to the Perron family?

The Perrons blamed a jealous female presence. Carolyn Perron dubbed her Bathsheba. Andrea Perron describes several other tormented spirits as well as the ghosts of children called “Manny” and “Oliver.”

FAQ: What is the real story of The Conjuring?

Stripped of embellishment, the real story of The Conjuring involves mild poltergeist‑style events, family stress, and decades of folklore supported by sparse and dubious evidence.

Only interested in true ghost stories?

Us too! We only believe in real ghost stories. And real spooky fun! If you want the real deal, and think you can handle the truth, get in touch. Join us one of our ghost tours across the U.S. or share your true story with allison@americanghostwalks.com . Thanks for reading!

Haunted Alaskan Skies: 1986’s JAL1628 UFO Encounter

Sun, 25 May 2025 22:26:29 GMT

JAL1628 Becomes the Most Famous UFO Sighting in Alaska

On November 17, 1986, a routine Japan Air Lines 747 cargo flight over Alaska referred to as Flight 1628 (or just JAL1628, or JL1628) made UFO history when it encountered three unknown crafts in its airspace. What distinguishes this sighting is not only the three eyewitness accounts of the pilots and crew, but the corresponding radar returns that were simultaneously tracked by three air traffic controllers on the ground.

For nearly an hour, three unidentified craft, shadowed the 747, performing seemingly impossible maneuvers. Veteran aircraft personnel saw them . Different radar scopes tracked them. And once they disappeared, the events and the resulting cover-up ignited a controversy that still burns to this day. The JAL1628 incident would make international news for months and become Alaska’s best-known UFO sighting.

JAL1628’s Initial Encounter with Two Small Crafts

JAL1628 was flying from Paris to Tokyo with a load of Beaujolais wine, making a scheduled transit across Alaska. At approximately 5:11 PM Alaska time, while cruising at 35,000 feet near Fort Yukon, Captain Kenju Terauchi and his crew, First Officer Takanori Tamefuji and Flight Engineer Yoshio Tsukuba, first noticed strange lights in the dark sky. Two amber-colored lights – “flying parallel” to the 747 – suddenly sped toward the plane, startling the crew. Captain Terauchi, a JAL pilot for 29 years (and a former fighter pilot), radioed Anchorage Air Route Traffic Control to report the unidentified traffic. FAA flight controllers could hear the concern in the Japanese captain’s voice as he described the objects “suddenly approaching very close” to his aircraft.

What unfolded next was a 50-minute aerial cat-and-mouse game that left the crew both amazed and apprehensive. Terauchi reported that the two initial UFOs maneuvered around his jumbo jet with astounding agility – “shooting off lights” and darting erratically, as if exhibiting some form of intelligence or control. The objects’ lights were described as a kind of “Christmas” display of flashing orange, green, white, and amber colors. At one point, the two small UFOs appeared directly in front of the 747’s cockpit, pacing just 500 feet ahead of the plane’s nose, which lit up the cockpit with a glow. Terauchi later mused that the smaller craft seemed to be “scouting” his plane – flying in what he called a “close formation” around the Boeing 747. He was adamant that they were not stars or planets: “they were so luminous . . . blinking, blinking . . . moving in one close formation”.

A Gigantic Mothership Emerges

Then came the most dramatic appearance: the so-called “mothership.” While the two smaller objects eventually fell back, Terauchi and his co-pilot noticed a gigantic dark shape looming off to the left. In silhouette against the moonlit evening sky, the object had a distinct shape that the captain could only compare to a surreal, flying walnut. It had a flattened oval form with bulging top and bottom – an unusual shape the pilot later sketched in a written statement. Captain Terauchi estimated this craft to be enormous – “two times bigger than an aircraft carrier” in length. Given that an aircraft carrier is about 1,000 feet long, this UFO would have been roughly the size of a city block in the sky!

The “mothership” positioned itself in a way that earthly light (from the moon) silhouetted its massive shape – that’s when he realized just how enormous it truly was. The structure had no discernible wings or tail. It seemed to be a huge, solid object with surface features or panels; Captain Terauchi described a kind of pattern on its surface and what looked like “turrets” or circular indentation. The smaller UFOs, by contrast, were primarily seen as clusters of intense lights moving in unison.

For over thirty minutes, JAL1628 was not alone in the sky. By around 5:40 PM, as the 747 approached the Fairbanks vicinity, the situation had drawn serious attention on the ground. Anchorage Center controllers were monitoring the flight closely, and the FAA had also alerted a nearby Air Force radar station (at Elmendorf AFB) to look for any unknown targets.

Finally, as JAL1628 neared the skies above Anchorage, the mysterious objects suddenly disappeared. The incident was over – leaving the JAL crew equal parts relieved and awestruck. They landed safely at Anchorage International Airport at about 6:20 PM.

UFO Encounter was Tracked on Three Radar Systems

One reason the JAL 1628 encounter drew intense attention is that it wasn’t just a “lights in the sky” tale, although professional skeptics have tried to portray it that way. Three radar systems caught glimpses of the unknown intruder. On the plane itself, during the encounter, flight engineer Tsukuba noticed a blip on the 747’s weather radar – an object directly in front of them at about 8 miles distance. That was alarming, since no other traffic was supposed to be in their airspace and weather-wise the sky was clear. On the ground, at Anchorage Air Route Traffic Control Center, at least three controllers on duty later affirmed that they briefly tracked an unknown target in proximity to JAL1628’s radar return. One controller, Carl Henley , initially thought it might be a military aircraft “shadowing” the JAL flight – not an uncommon practice during the Cold War, when Soviet spy planes were known to evade detection by quietly tagging along with civilian traffic. Henley’s supervisor even alerted U.S. Customs in case an aircraft without a transponder was trying to slip into Anchorage behind the JAL 747. For a short time, radar in Anchorage did show a second target trailing JAL1628 – and at one point, appearing almost next to it, only 5 miles away – before that target disappeared from the screen.

Simultaneously, U.S. Air Force radar at Elmendorf (just outside Anchorage) was directed to scan for the object. They, too, registered a primary return (raw radar echo) of something unidentified near the JAL flight – but it was intermittent and couldn’t be locked before it vanished off their scope. For a brief period, then, JAL1628 was being observed on three radar scopes at once: the plane’s own radar, FAA Anchorage Center radar, and military radar. This multi-source confirmation led the FAA spokesman to initially tell media that indeed an “unknown aircraft” had been tracked in the vicinity of Flight 1628. On Jan. 2nd, 1987, The Washington Post ran the headline: “UFO Sighting Confirmed by FAA, Air Force Radar; Japanese Crew Tells of Encounter Over Alaska.”

FAA Reverses Opinion on Radar Evidence

The radar evidence, however, soon became a point of contention. By early January 1987, FAA Public Affairs Officer Paul Steucke had already begun walking back the radar story. After replaying and analyzing the radar tapes, FAA officials suggested that the supposed second target might have been a “split radar image” – essentially a ghostly echo of JAL1628’s own radar return.

Could that explain the mysterious radar contact? The FAA was leaning in that direction: “The object on radar was now thought to be an accidental split image of the JAL 747 . . . a familiar radar quirk,” Steucke told reporters. The Air Force’s brief radar hit was similarly chalked up to electronic “clutter” – random interference that just happened to coincide with the pilot’s visual sighting. In short, by the end of the investigation, the official stance became: Radar found nothing solid.

Sam Rich, Anchorage Air Traffic Controller, Speaks Out

Not everyone in the FAA agreed quietly, though. Anchorage controller Sam Rich , who had been handling Flight 1628 that night, later spoke with a journalist and contradicted the public dismissal. He asserted that multiple controllers in the radar room “saw a target come and go” near the JAL flight, and that they were convinced it wasn’t just a glitch.

“All three of us thought there was a track” – in other words, a real aircraft target – Rich told the Anchorage Daily News . This internal discrepancy – controllers vs. official explanation – caused a bit of a stir. The FAA, caught off-guard by the media frenzy, quickly ordered all personnel to refer media inquiries to the public affairs office thereafter. In an internal memo, FAA managers even reminded staff that “the FAA is not in the UFO business” and that controllers should not speculate on unidentified targets publicly. It was damage control. The agency was doing what it could to wash its hands of the JAL1628 UFO Incident.

John Callahan, Former FAA Division Chief, Speaks Out

Behind the scenes, John Callahan, an FAA employee who spearheaded agency quality control efforts, was conducting his own investigation. In 2001, he finally broke his silence, revealing that he personally handled the JAL Flight 1628 case data. He compiled the radar records, voice tapes, and pilot reports and briefed FAA Administrator Admiral Donald Engen on what happened. According to Callahan, the incident was taken sufficiently seriously that a high-level meeting was convened with representatives from the FAA, Air Force, and CIA to review the evidence.

In multiple instances of televised testimony, Callahan claimed he was convinced of the extraordinary nature of the events after syncing radar data as it appeared with the audio between JAL1628 and the Anchorage control tower. According to Callahan, CIA officials took the information seriously as well, confiscating all the data and advising the assembled that the meeting “never happened.” Callahan kept a copy of the data for himself, which he eventually made public. If his account is true, it suggests parts of the government did find the radar data very interesting, even if the official line was dismissal.

Syncing the radar with communications allowed him to determine whether the radar confirmed specific UFO locations reported by Captain Terauchi. He found a match just as the tower controllers did during the events of November 17, 1986. A primary radar target appeared in the positions Captain Terauchi described. However, “radar signals were intermittent because the UFO was painted as an extremely large primary target and so the FAA computer system treated the UFO radar return as weather. Regardless, the target could be seen near the 747 off and on for thirty-one minutes.”

Radar Limitations Can Hinder Detection

John Callahan went on to say in Leslie Kean’s 2010 book UFOs: Generals, Pilots, and Government Officials Go on the Record , “Now, more than twenty years later, it’s become very clear to me that most people, including FAA controllers, really aren’t familiar with how the FAA radar system works and why all aircraft traveling through our airspace are not caught on radar or displayed on the controllers’ PVD.”

According to Callahan there are many reasons for this:

The system and organization of the FAA are configured to identify and track known aircraft types.
FAA equipment will not register an aircraft unless it has slowed to a speed similar to conventional aircraft.
A UFO does not have a transponder , which by law all other aircraft do. The transponder helps controllers locate and identify air traffic.
If an object is too big, the radar reads it as weather.
If an object is too fast, the radar won’t have time to pick it up before it’s out of range.
If something is hovering, it often doesn’t show up, or may be a perceived as something too small to warrant concern.

The limitations of radar are vast. To be detected by radar, aircraft needs to fit into a particular Goldilocks Zone. Spy planes, particularly stealth aircraft take advantage of these limitations to avoid radar detection.

Jim Derry, Former Head of FAA Alaska, Speaks Out

Three FAA staff members interviewed the captain and crew of JAL1628 right after the events of November 17, 1986. One of them Jim Derry has come forward to vouch for their sincerity. “They didn’t make this up. Something happened that scared them,” he told The Unexplained Files TV show in 2014. “The first officer and the flight engineer acted more like they were in shock. The captain was extremely definitive with his descriptions and was breathing fast, was talking fast. This will always remain in my memory because . . . how often do you get to stand on the periphery of an event that is totally unexplained, but has some real concrete data as to the fact that there was something out there?”

In 2020, Derry told The Alaska Triangle , “ Their palms were very sweaty, pupils were very dilated . . . They were very, very believable . . . The other investigator and I rolled our eyes at the time when we saw the sketches because it seemed really way out. But after we saw that it showed up on radar we weren ’ t quite as skeptical about it.”

Lost in Translation or Discrepancies in Crew Testimony?

There have been many allegations that the testimony of the crew of 1628 does not support the testimony of the pilot, Captain Terauchi. Skeptical statements reduce the sightings of the first officer and the flight engineer to mere lights in the sky. Even the usually pro-UFO Debrief’s analysis concludes, “What the tale of Japan Airlines 1628 boils down to is the eyewitness testimony of a single witness. Multiple other trained observers either saw nothing or reported ‘lights’ that could have been stars or planets.”

A more critical look at the transcripts of the interviews reveals something else entirely. Although FAA employees Jim Derry , Jack Wright , and Ron Mickle interviewed the pilot and crew within hours of the incident and reported no red flags. The FAA called in the JAL1628 personnel again for a second interview in January of 1987. At some unspecified point, Captain Kenju Terauchi provided detailed sketches and lengthy written testimony in Japanese that was later translated into English .

Inconsistencies in Interview Technique

For the second interview, Captain Terauchi was interviewed by Dick Gordon . First Officer Takanori Tamefuji and Flight Engineer Yoshio Tsukuba were interviewed by Peter Beckner. At Captain Terauchi’s interview two interpreters attended one from JAL and one from the FAA. Curiously, only the FAA interpreter was present for Tamefuji’s and Tsukuba. Other disturbing inconsistencies in interview technique become evident early in the interview transcripts. While Tsukuba was allowed to his native Japanese during his interview upon his request, the other two stumble through their interviews in broken English.

Unfortunately, Terauchi and Tamefuji, who had the best vantage points during JAL1628’s UFO encounter are the least comprehendible. Tsukuba, who was sitting further back in the plane and occupied with flight calculations, has the clearest testimony. One can't help but wonder if this was by design. The mess of leading questions and halting unintelligibles makes copilot Tamefuji’s testimony particularly difficult to assess.

What Did the Flight Crew of JAL1628 Really See?

One thing is clear – none of the witnesses describe solitary, ambiguous lights in the sky. Tamefuji says, he saw “two small aircraft” and “too many lights” that were “so luminous.” Regarding the mothership, Tamefuji said, “so I couldn’t find what captain saw . . . I looked all over the place . . . And the captain was in the way . . . and ah, some ah, pillar, window pillars . . . I couldn’t see well, but some hum, hum this . . . this is not exact picture, but ah, like similar like aircraft is (unintelligible).”

Although Tsukuba from his position inside the plane couldn’t see the so-called mothership at all, he did describe sighting the initial craft. “The lights in front of us were clusters of lights . . . I think they were made of two parts . . . the lights were shaped like windows of a passenger aircraft.”

You maybe argue that Captain Terauchi exaggerated his description of the mothership. Or you may say because he admitted to two previous sightings of aircraft he could not identify makes his testimony suspect. However, if you review the testimony carefully you most likely will not claim that the crew didn’t witness anything unusual.

Professional skeptics would claim all of this could be explained away as a misidentification of the planets Jupiter and Mars. “Too many lights” and “clusters of lights shaped like windows” don’t in any way resemble how the planets Jupiter or Mars appear or have ever appeared in the night sky.

The First Officer Turns the Tables

Nobody ever talks about this. Perhaps the most telling moment of First Officer Takanori Tamefuji’s testimony is at the end. Tamefuji turns to his interviewer and asks, “And ah, can I ask one question?” He proceeds in an attempt to clear up a misrepresentation of the event he’s noticed, “Ah, how should I say, but some personnel from military said this was a weather interference . . . Ah, on the radar . . . But ah, it was clear sky, so … there’s no possibility of weather interference.” Beckner dutifully promises to get back to Tamefuji and sends him on his way. This could be an indication that Tamefuji perceived some obfuscation on the U.S. military’s part.

Popular American media has muddied the waters as well. Most egregious was the JAL1628 incident segment on The Alaska Triangle TV series, which didn’t even get the date of the UFO encounter right. Dramatic recreations of the event also exaggerate the how the craft appeared to the JAL1628 crew. The ships were in the darkest part of the sky. They were seen only in silhouette as they block out portions of the night sky. The excerpt from the Japanese TV show near the end of the video below is a closer approximation.

Terauchi is Labeled a "UFO repeater" by Skeptics

In the second round of FAA interviews Captain Terauchi and First Officer Takanori Tamefuji are first asked whether they had even seen a UFO is the past, while Flight Engineer Yoshio Tsukuba isn’t asked this at all. In retrospect, this sure seems like a transparent attempt to discredit the pilot and co-pilot.

Tamefuji didn’t provide any ammunition, but Captain Terauchi did. When asked he readily admitted to spotting objects he could not identify in the sky on two occasions. This led FAA officials and, later, professional skeptics to label Captain Terauchi a “UFO repeater.”

The FAA “UFO repeater” memo also noted that Captain Terauchi had used words like “spaceship” and “mothership” in describing what he saw – indicating he genuinely believed these encounters were craft of some kind, not just natural phenomena. He was even quoted as saying “we humans will meet them in the near future,” suggesting he felt the objects were some sort of extraterrestrial visitors. Skeptics seized on these points to argue that Captain Terauchi was perhaps predisposed to see UFOs, or even overly imaginative. Famous UFO-debunker Philip Klass scrutinized Captain Terauchi’s accounts and concluded there were inconsistencies. Klass and others pointed out that Captain Terauchi’s initial radio report on Nov 17th said one thing (he lost sight of the object during the turn), while his later recollections said another (that the object stayed with him during the turn). This suggested that Captain Terauchi may have exaggerated the story over time.

A Debunkers’ Field Day

Professional UFO skeptic Phillip Klass got the ball rolling when he simply asserted that the whole incident was down to Captain Terauchi misidentifying Jupiter and Mars and concocting an imaginative UFO fantasy. This planetary misinterpretation hypothesis was picked up by all the major newspapers. Klass went on to publish a similar allegation in the Summer of 1987 edition of Skeptical Inquirer.

In 2014 Robert Sheaffer, claimed Captain Terauchi “not an unbiased or objective observer” and stated that UFO enthusiasts had made much ado about a case that, in Sheaffer’s view, “turns out there wasn’t much to it” beyond a pilot’s tall tale. Sheaffer also questioned John Callahan’s credentials as well as the inability to corroborate Callahan’s claim that someone from the CIA tried to coverup the case. Although corroboration of CIA involvement in a coverup might be impossible if CIA agents are actually good at their jobs, in 2015, UFO blogger Paul Dean verified Callahan’s employment history at the FAA . John Callahan’s position within the FAA at the time of JAL1628 UFO incident can also now be confirmed by internal correspondence about the JAL1628 case. It also becomes clear from reading these memos that Callahan’s involvement was a thorn in the side of the FAA’s public affairs officer Paul Steucke who was doing his best to control the narrative and make this PR issue go away.

Critics also argue that inconsistencies in the crew’s accounts, lack of continuous radar confirmation, and the eventual lack of corroboration by a nearby United Airlines flight and a military C-130 (both of which reached the area after the UFO departed and saw nothing) all cast doubt on the idea that anything extraordinary occurred.

As readers, we are left with intractable he-said/he-said arguments between highly experienced witnesses and armchair analysts. The truth might lie somewhere in between or out in left field entirely.

Terauchi Suffers Consequences

Captain Terauchi’s reputation took a hit from such criticisms, but many in the UFO research community rallied to his defense. After all, his co-pilot and engineer also saw the lights. Captain Terauchi and his crew were also judged completely reliable by the FAA.

In the immediate aftermath, FAA investigators in Anchorage interviewed all three crew and explicitly reported the crew was “normal, professional, rational (and had) no drug or alcohol involvement.” In other words, they saw something up there.

Yet the situation still resulted in Captain Terauchi being relegated to desk duty for a time. Sources give varied estimates of the time he was grounded, between three months and two years. Captain Terauchi was also transferred from Anchorage back to Japan. Terauchi was later reinstated, regaining his wings.

Captain Terauchi himself, while firm in what he witnessed, remained humble. He admitted he wasn’t sure what the giant UFO was – only that it wasn’t a conventional aircraft or planet. He even joked in one interview, “If the USA or Soviet Union had a craft that huge, I can’t imagine they’d test it by having it play tag with a little cargo jet!”

For the rest of his career, Captain Terauchi mostly avoided discussing the incident publicly. But late in life, he reportedly still affirmed that the encounter was real and unexplained.

Why The Jupiter and Mars Explanation Makes No Sense

Over the years, different explanations have been proposed. The dismissal that got the most press was Philip Klass’s prosaic planetary misidentification hypothesis.

Klass argued that Captain Terauchi and the rest of the crew simply mistook bright planets (Jupiter and Mars) for UFOs. Although that evening Jupiter and Mars were visible in the southern sky, the hypothesis has been largely discredited by detailed analysis.

Dr. Richard Haines, a NASA scientist who has studied thousands of aviation sightings, points out that the UFOs were seen moving rapidly across relative positions (from 12 o’clock to 10 o’clock of the plane, and back), something no planet would do relative to a steadily flying aircraft. “There’s no way it could be a planet,” Haines said, noting also that the objects were described as very large and at close range. All three of the flight’s personnel reported seeing groups of lights not just two solitary points of light . The co-pilot Tamefuji described them as “clusters” of colored lights “swinging” in formation, which sounds nothing like a single light or two in static positions. The planetary misidentification hypothesis therefore fails to account for the dynamic, up-close phenomena that JAL1628’s crew reported.

The Legacy of the JAL 1628 Incident

Decades later, the JAL1628 UFO encounter remains a fascinating case that straddles the line between spooky mystery and sober reality. On one hand, it’s got all the ingredients of a classic X-Files episode: an experienced flight crew, an enormous craft doing impossible maneuvers, radar confirmation, alleged government cover-up, and media hype. On the other hand, it’s a real event documented by the FAA, with transcripts, radar logs, and credible people involved. This tension has made JAL1628 a touchstone in ufology and a case often cited in today’s debates about UAP (Unidentified Aerial Phenomena) in aviation.

Perhaps the greatest legacy of JAL 1628 is how it underscores the mystery that still persists around UAP. Even today, with improved radar, satellites, and cockpit cameras, pilots occasionally encounter things in the sky they cannot identify. Governments have started to take the topic a bit more seriously in recent years, openly acknowledging that there are unexplained aerial incidents (the Pentagon’s 2021 UAP report is an example).

In this climate, the Flight 1628 encounter has been revisited by aviation experts as a case study. What Flight Safety lessons can be learned? Could such an event pose a hazard and should these be investigated more rigorously? In 2023, an episode of the Flight Safety Detectives podcast even dissected the JAL 1628 incident , suggesting that future UAP reports be collected with better data so that incidents like this aren’t left unresolved.

At the end of the day, despite exhaustive inquiries, we still don’t know for sure what shadowed that Japan Airlines flight over Alaska in 1986. The official verdict was “unable to confirm object” – a fancy way of saying UFO. The case remains a whodunit of the skies. The fact remains that Captain Terauchi and his colleagues saw something that they all judged to be remarkable. “It was there, as real as the planes I fly,” Terauchi insisted.

Review the Evidence & Judge for Yourself

So what really happened? Although it’s hard to know for sure, at least in the case it appears where there’s smoke, there’s fire. This isn’t some wild tale fabricated my bored bloggers. Real aircraft personnel and actual FAA employees have gone on the record repeatedly and as publicly as they can. However, the fact that Paul Steucke, the FAA public affairs officer, was more than happy to explain this case away is more than apparent in internal correspondence. Combining the split radar return assertion with Philip Klass’s facile planetary misidentification hypothesis was the one-two punch he needed to make this happen. Newspapers published this explanation en masse. Further scrutiny of the actual documents, however, reveals the FAA failed to present a unified front on its dismissal of the case.

Today if you’d like to assess the case for yourself, you can thanks to John Greenewald of the Black Vault. He worked for 17 years to cut through government red tape and misleading denials, to find the original interviews, radar returns, and memos related to the case. Review the complete set of 1,569 pages for free and make up your own mind.

Discover the Mystery with Alaska Ghost Tour

The JAL1628 incident remains one of the most credible and perplexing UFO encounters in history, with seasoned pilots, radar confirmation, and unanswered questions that still fuel debate today. If stories like this spark your curiosity, the Alaska Ghost Tour offers a unique opportunity to explore the darker side of the Last Frontier. Journey through locations steeped in strange sightings, eerie encounters, and long-standing legends, as you uncover the secrets that make Alaska one of the most mysterious places on Earth.

Woolly Mammoths in Alaska: Do They Still Roam the Alaskan Tundra?

Fri, 23 May 2025 20:20:54 GMT

The Last Frontier’s Ice Age Ghosts

Alaska’s frozen wilderness is haunted by more than just legends of ghosts and cryptids – it may be haunted by actual Ice Age giants. Tales persist of woolly mammoths or mastodons surviving in Alaska’s remote reaches, ghostly echoes of the Pleistocene roaming the tundra. Over the years, explorers, natives, and even scientists have reported uncanny signs: enormous footprints in the permafrost, mysterious tusks unearthed from ancient ice, and colossal shadows in the mist. Could these be mere folklore and misidentifications, or does the Last Frontier still harbor living relics of the Ice Age? The possibility is both mysterious and spine-chilling, blending science with the supernatural in true Alaskan style.

Giant Footprints in the Arctic Ice

In the early 20th century, a newspaper headline boldly asked, “ Is the Mammoth Still Alive ?” after a U.S. government expedition to Alaska's remote Unimak Island claimed to find giant footprints frozen in the ice. Fur-clad adventurers gazed in astonishment at a line of massive round tracks. Dr. J.P. Frizzell, the mission scientist, was convinced that the trail they discovered could only have been made by a gigantic elephant-like beast long thought extinct – a living mammoth wandering the Alaskan wilds. The report captured the public’s imagination, suggesting that somewhere beyond the fringes of mapped territory, an Ice Age giant might still tread in modern times.

Native Alaskan Legends of the Mammoth

Long before prospectors and scientists arrived, Alaska’s indigenous peoples had their own eerie accounts of great beasts in the north. Inuit and other Native Alaskan folklore speak of enormous, fur-covered creatures said to live beneath the tundra. According to one legend, these mammoths actually burrow underground and will die if they ever breathe the open air, which is why people only find their bones half-buried in frozen earth. This haunting belief hints that the creatures belong to a hidden underworld, so the rare times one accidentally comes to the surface, it perishes upon encountering the world above.

In 1887, According to the New-York Sun , The Juneau Free Press reported that a native group within what is now America's largest national park, the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve , claimed to have seen large animals matching the description of mammoths or mastodons in the last five years. One of the witnesses stated that while hunting he came across immense tracks larger around than the bottom of salt barrel that sunk several inches into the moss. He followed the trail and came upon the giant beast and ran away. He described the animal as “larger than the post trader’s store, with great, shining, yellowish tusks, and a mouth large enough to swallow him at a single gulp.” Other hunters told of seeing the same monster in the area, where numerous mammoth bones were also found.

Just across the border, much earlier accounts exist. The Edinburgh Magazine and Literary Miscellany publishes a letter from a reader about an event that transpired in 1803 in Western Canada. According to Thomas Pollock, while on a mission to make contact with native tribes for the Hudson Bay Company, “the guide and myself suddenly came upon an animal of an enormous size. It appeared about 20 feet in height, and had a very heavy and unwieldy appearance. I can give but a very lame account of it, on account the consternation into which I was thrown. The largeness of its belly was enormous, nearly touching the ground. Its colour was a dirty black.”

Explorer David Thompson , retold native tales of gigantic, furry pachyderms stomping trampling the Canadian wilderness in British Columbia. Thompson would later discover usually large tracks in 1811. Thompson would conclude, “The circumstantial evidence of the existence of this animal is sufficient.”

The n in 1818, there was a sighting in the Rocky Mountains of the United States . T wo different parties were witness to the creatures. “The first party came suddenly upon the animal . . . and were so alarmed at its prodigious size, (exceeding that of the largest elephant,) and at its unknown aspect, that they immediately retreated . . . Another party was sent to the same spot to ascertain the fact; and though the animal was not observed, its footsteps could be distinctly traced.”

Gold Rush Era Sightings and Strange Reports

The late 19th-century Alaska–Yukon Gold Rush didn’t just uncover gold – it unearthed strange rumors of living mammoths. As prospectors flooded the north, newspapers began printing eyewitness accounts of colossal beasts glimpsed in the wilderness.

In the November 28, 1896 edition of The Portland Daily Press there was a curious account of a Colonel Cola F. Fowler, who in the late 1800s resided in Alaska. He related a tale about something he had seen out in the Alaskan wilderness while on his way to an Inuit trading outpost. At the outpost, he purchased a quantity of what he assumed was fossilized mammoth ivory.

However, Fowler then found the tucks were covered with blood and bits of flesh. When he asked about this, the native seller explained that the ivory had come from animals killed just 3 months prior. A native hunting party had come across herd of mammoths. “. . . Armed with large caliber muskets and [they] stood their ground, opening fire . . . According to his description it was at least twenty feet in height and thirty feet in length. In general shape it was not unlike an elephant, but its ears were smaller, its eyes bigger and its trunk longer and more slender. Its tusks were yellowish-white in color and six in number . . . The monster’s body was covered with long, coarse hair . . .”

Fowler convinced the hunters to sketch the animal’s appearance on a riverbank clay bed. The resulting drawing startled him. It showed a woolly, elephant-like creature with not just two tusks, but four shorter tusks protruding alongside the great curved pair. This odd detail later caught the attention of cryptozoologists, because it more closely matched the Eubelodon , a prehistoric “four-tusked” relative of the mammoth that hadn’t been added to the fossil record yet.

Colonel Fowler added, “When Alfred P. Swineford was Governor of Alaska, he made a very careful investigation of the reports of living mammoths, made by the Indians, and after thoroughly sifting the entire testimony, he felt certain that large herds of these monsters are still to be found on the high plateaus in interior Alaska, about the head waters of the Snake River, and he incorporated this opinion in one of his reports to the government.”

Not all such reports were genuine, of course. In 1899, a sensational tale about an Alaskan mammoth made global headlines when a man calling himself Henry Tukeman claimed he had shot a live mammoth on the Koyukuk River in Alaska and secretly donated the stuffed carcass to the Smithsonian. The Smithsonian Institution, however, has no record of any such specimen, and the story was later exposed as a hoax. The “Tukeman’s mammoth” affair was pure fiction, but it showed how eager the public was to believe in surviving mammoths.

Even today, Alaska’s melting ice and permafrost continue to reveal the remains of woolly mammoths. Paleontologists and gold miners in the Fairbanks area have uncovered a vast “Boneyard” of Ice Age fossils – dozens of tusks, skulls, and skeletal parts of mammoths and other megafauna.

Modern Sightings and Cryptozoological Quests

By the 20th century, whispers of living mammoths shifted from newspaper fodder to the realm of cryptozoology. Reports have sporadically surfaced from deep within the wilderness, though many are anecdotal and hard to verify. In the far reaches of Siberia, there were flurries of alleged mammoth sightings throughout the 1900s. In 1920, a French diplomat stationed in Vladivostok relayed a trapper’s account of giant shaggy “elephants” in the Siberian taiga, and in 1948 a Soviet pilot claimed to see a herd of mammoth-like dark shapes moving below his aircraft. Soviet geologists in 1978 even reported coming upon a dozen colossal hairy beasts drinking from the Indigirka River before the creatures vanished into the forest.

In Alaska rumors also persist, though they are even harder to pin down. During World War II, some Alaskan bush pilots and servicemen allegedly whispered about spotting elephant-like creatures from their planes in remote valleys. Hunters occasionally tell of coming across inexplicably large tracks or hearing unidentifiable crashing noises in the woods that seem attributable to a giant, lumbering animal.

Investigators note a pattern in these tales. Alleged mammoth encounters tend to be reported in the most remote, inaccessible corners of Siberia and Alaska. These are places where even today few people ever venture, and where vast forests and tundra valleys could conceal an elephantine giant.

Science Weighs In: Extinction or Survival?

From a scientific perspective, the consensus is that woolly mammoths in Alaska died out long ago – but not as long ago as one might think. On mainland Alaska, the last mammoths are thought to have vanished around 10,000–12,000 years ago at the end of the Ice Age. However, small isolated populations survived on remote Alaskan islands for much longer. On St. Paul Island in the Bering Sea, radiocarbon dating of bones shows mammoths survived until roughly 5,700 years ago. On Wrangel Island in the Russian Arctic, a dwarf mammoth population survived until about 4,000 years ago.

These startling facts demonstrate that mammoths nearly made it into human recorded history. Could a pocket of mammoths have endured even later, say into the 19th or 20th century? Most scientists say it's highly unlikely. Any surviving mammoths would have needed a sizable, inbreeding-resistant population and a very remote habitat to escape notice this long. It’s also likely we would have found telltale evidence by now if they were out there. So far, nothing conclusive has turned up.

The idea of a living woolly mammoth might soon shift from legend to laboratory. Advances in genetics have spurred a movement to “de-extinct” the mammoth by resurrecting the species (or at least a close proxy). A biotech company called Colossal Biosciences has been working on splicing mammoth genes into Asian elephant DNA with the goal of creating a hybrid mammoth-elephant calf. Their plan is to reintroduce these elephantine ice-age proxies into the wild, possibly in Alaska.

The Enigma Remains

Are woolly mammoths still alive in Alaska? The legend refuses to die. Every so often, a tantalizing footprint in the snow or a tall tale told around a campfire rekindles the possibility that somewhere, something enormous might still be lurking.

In the end, the modern mammoth-in-Alaska mystery sits at the crossroads of science and myth. It invites us to ponder the thin line between the known and the unknown. For now, the consensus is that mammoths survive only in our dreams (and soon, maybe in our laboratories).

The possible continued existence of Ice Age ghosts like the Woolly Mammoth is just one example of the many mysteries in Alaska. American Ghost Walks offers haunted history tours in Juneau and Ketchikan, where you can walk in the footsteps of restless spirits and explore the very streets once roamed by gold miners, ladies of the night, and old-timers of the Alaskan frontier.

Our expert guides will immerse you in so much Alaskan history and mystery, you'll transform from a cheechako newbie into a seasoned sourdough overnight. Secure your spot now for the Alaska Ghost Tour and discover the paranormal side of Alaska.

Top 13 Haunted Places in Anchorage, Alaska

Thu, 22 May 2025 22:32:56 GMT

Anchorage may be best known for its snowcapped peaks, wild moose sightings, and long summer days, but behind the postcard-perfect scenery lies a darker, more mysterious side. Beneath the surface of this rugged city are stories of tragedy, disappearance, and the unexplained. And for those brave enough to listen, Anchorage has plenty of haunted places that still echo with footsteps from the past.

From ghostly brides to spectral police chiefs, Anchorage is one of those rare places where history and hauntings walk hand in hand. Whether you are a skeptic or a believer, these spine-tingling locations just might make you think twice about what goes bump in the Alaskan night.

Here are 13 haunted places in Anchorage that locals whisper about and visitors never forget.

1. The Historic Anchorage Hotel

If there is a ground zero for ghost stories in Anchorage, this is it. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Historic Anchorage Hotel is one of the few remaining buildings from the city's early 20th-century roots. But age is not the only thing that lingers here.

Guests report televisions flickering, faucets running on their own, and the figure of a woman in a wedding dress roaming the second floor. The most infamous spirit is that of Police Chief Jack Sturgus, murdered just outside the hotel in 1921. His killer was never found, and some say he still patrols the alley looking for answers.

2. Fourth Avenue Theatre (Closed, But Not Silent)

Anchorage’s iconic Fourth Avenue Theatre is closed to the public, but those who worked there swear it is not empty. Cold spots, shadowy figures in the balcony, and a lingering presence in the projection booth have all been reported. Some believe the ghost of a former projectionist still watches over his theater, even after the final curtain.

3. Ship Creek’s Forgotten Cemetery

The old cemetery near Ship Creek, now tucked behind trees and buildings, holds the remains of some of Anchorage’s earliest settlers. It is said that restless spirits roam the area, especially in the colder months. Paranormal investigators have picked up strange readings here, including chilling voices and sudden drops in temperature.

4. The Dimond Center Mall

Malls are not typical paranormal hotspots, but the Dimond Center has an eerie reputation. Staff working late have reported unexplained voices, flickering lights, and sudden cold drafts. Some say the mall sits on ancient land with deep spiritual significance, which could explain the uneasy feelings in certain areas.

5. The Alaska Experience Theater

Designed to simulate the devastating 1964 earthquake, this downtown attraction may contain more than mechanical tremors. Staff have heard whispering voices in empty rooms and reported a cold presence during after-hours checks. Some believe victims of the quake return to share their stories in unsettling ways.

6. The Egan Civic and Convention Center

Built near the location of early Anchorage homesteads, the Egan Center is another spot with subtle yet consistent paranormal activity. Cleaning crews and security staff have heard footsteps on upper floors, elevator doors opening on their own, and even faint music coming from empty ballrooms.

7. Bootlegger Cove

This peaceful neighborhood hides a turbulent history from the Prohibition era. Tales of betrayal, smuggling, and murder have created fertile ground for ghost stories. Some locals report hearing footsteps along trails at twilight, while others claim to see a woman crying near the shoreline.

8. Oscar Anderson House Museum

This historic house belonged to one of Anchorage’s founding citizens. While it’s now a museum, visitors and staff believe the original owner never fully left. Doors slam on their own, footsteps echo when no one is upstairs, and the air grows heavy in certain rooms. The museum even offers ghost tours during October for those curious enough to explore after dark.

9. Lake Hood Floatplane Base

At the world’s busiest seaplane base, some pilots have seen lights on the water with no source and heard voices on the radio that are not from any registered craft. Could former pilots be returning for one more flight?

10. The G Street Tunnel

This pedestrian tunnel under the railroad tracks has long been a source of local unease. It is cold year-round, and passersby often report feeling followed while walking through. A few have seen shadowy figures standing silently at the other end, only to disappear before they can be reached.

11. Anchorage Memorial Park Cemetery

One of the largest and oldest cemeteries in Anchorage, this location has its fair share of ghost stories. People visiting family graves have reported hearing names whispered on the wind. Nighttime security staff have seen movement near headstones, only to find nothing upon investigation.

12. West High School Auditorium

Students at West Anchorage High School often joke that their theater is haunted, but the stories have endured for decades. Lights flicker without cause, props go missing and reappear in odd places, and some say they have heard clapping or laughter when no one else is around. Whether prank or poltergeist, the stories persist.

13. Old Spenard Neighborhood

Before it became part of Anchorage, Spenard was a wild, unregulated area known for shady bars and lawless behavior. Today, it is a vibrant neighborhood, but some homes and back alleys still seem to carry the energy of its chaotic past. Residents have reported objects moving on their own, flickering lights, and eerie nighttime sounds.

Why Anchorage Feels So Haunted

Alaska is a place shaped by extremes, long winters, vast isolation, and rugged survival. Anchorage, built during a time of urgency and expansion, has seen tragedy and triumph alike. Where history is this intense, emotional imprints tend to linger. Add in Alaska’s deep Indigenous spiritual roots, and it is no surprise that Anchorage feels like a place where the living and the dead sometimes cross paths.

Want More Chilling Tales?

Love haunted history as much as we do? At American Ghost Walks, we research true stories and retell them with passion, detail, and respect. Our haunted tours are based on real history and true encounters, and we are adding Anchorage to the map very soon.

Check out more stories on our blog: Haunting Tales

Why Anchorage Feels So Haunted

You have read the stories. Now get ready to walk through them.

American Ghost Walks will be offering guided ghost tours in Anchorage and other Alaska locations. Join us for spine-tingling tales, real haunted locations, and local legends brought to life by passionate guides who love both history and the paranormal.

�� Stay up to date and be the first to know when tours launch:

https://www.americanghostwalks.com/destinations

Haunted by a Hanged Man: Mary E. Hart's Ghost Story

Thu, 22 May 2025 17:47:47 GMT

Alaska’s Leading Lady and a Hanged Man’s Promise

Mary E. Hart was no gullible consumer of Alaskan tall tales. By the early 1900s she had made a name for herself in Alaska as a gold miner, journalist, and civic organizer. Mary was a tough, educated pioneer not prone to flights of fancy. Mary was also a suffragist who founded women’s clubs across the state and proudly showcased Alaska on the world stage – serving as a commissioner for Alaska’s exhibits at the St. Louis World’s Fair in 1904, the Seattle Exposition in 1909, and San Francisco’s Panama-Pacific Expo in 1915.

So it was shocking when in 1915 Mary publicly revealed the reason she vowed never to return to Nome, Alaska. Mary claimed she had been haunted by a ghost in Nome over a decade before and admitted was too afraid to visit the northland ever again.

The story behind that haunting begins on September 19, 1902 – the day Fred Hardy a.ka. Fred Watkyns went to the gallows in Nome. Fred, a white, 26-year-old soldier of fortune, originally from Ohio, had been convicted of murdering three men on remote Unimak Island during the gold rush. He steadfastly maintained his innocence, even as the noose loomed near.

As a newspaper reporter, Mary Hart had been assigned to cover Fred’s execution – the first legal hanging in Alaska. She visited under the guise of a Red Cross nurse and used her rapport with Fred to seek a deathbed confession, but the young man would not confess to a crime he swore he didn’t commit.

According to Mary's account, hours before his execution Fred peered through the bars of his cell and posed unnerving questions: “Mrs. Hart, do you believe in life after death? Do you think the dead can make themselves manifest to the living? I do, and I shall return to tell you about death and about the beyond–if I will be welcome?” When the astonished Mary stammered that he would be “welcome” to return, she immediately felt that sinking feeling that she had made a grievous error. It was a promise from the gallows by a man on the brink of eternity. Mary Hart could only manage fearful compliance. “What else could I have said to a boy about to die?” she later reflected.

Shortly after, Fred Hardy was hanged on a makeshift gallows constructed inside the Nome ice warehouse on that September morning. He died declaring, “I am not a murderer,” but no last-minute reprieve or clemency came from President Theodore Roosevelt.

Mary Hart witnessed Fred’s death, dutifully took her notes and carried the weight of the young man’s eerie final promise with her. Mary’s coverage of Fred’s hanging would become more than just another news story. Fred’s execution was a milestone in Alaska’s frontier justice system. Although it wasn't the first execution in Alaska, it was “the first under legal judicial authority” in the territory. Prior to 1900 the law was often enforced informally by miners’ courts.

The Nome hanging kicked off a troubled chapter of capital punishment in Alaska. A total of eight people would be legally executed in Alaska’s territorial era (1900–1957). Frontier justice was often harsh and unequal. White convicts with money were the least likely to suffer capital punishment.

Several cases were marred by blatant racial prejudice. In 1921, for example, an Eastern European man named Mailo Segura was tried for murder in Fairbanks and was repeatedly derided as a “black fellow” and “bohunk” (ethnic slur) by officials despite his Montenegrin heritage, reflecting the prevalent biases of the time. That same year a Native man known as “John Doe” Hamilton, who spoke no English, was hanged after being convicted without proper interpretation of his testimony. In this botched execution, the drop was miscalculated, resulting in Hamilton's decapitation. Alaska’s early legal system clearly favored whites and English speakers, and indigenous or minority defendants often faced swift, brutal punishment.

It is perhaps no surprise that Alaska abolished the death penalty in 1957, shortly before statehood. But in 1902, as Fred Hardy’s lifeless body was cut down, such reforms were far in the future. Mary Hart left the execution with a sensational scoop, and, unbeknownst to her, the seeds of a ghost story that would soon unfold.

The Haunting of Mary E. Hart

Fred had a surprisingly wealthy estate, all of which he left to Mary upon his death. This included a trunk of his possessions valued at $500, an unspecified amount held in account at a bank in Ohio, and nearly 2,000 acres of land in the lower 48. Why Fred was supposedly murdering prospectors to rob them of their firearms and watches instead of profiting on his 1,565 acres in Tennessee or his 375 acres in Michigan is a mystery.

In spite of this new found wealth, not long after the hanging, Mary Hart’s life took a terrifying turn. It all began with 12 photos she took for the newspaper in the wake of Fred's execution. The most macabre of the photos featured a dead Fred lying in his coffin. No one else was in the room with Mary when she was taking the picture except a young man who was behind her assisting with the tripod. Nonetheless an old man appears in the photo . A ghostly figure of this elderly man is apparent, standing next to Fred's coffin and fading through the wall. Mary would have written it off as a double exposure except for the fact that both Fred and the old man haunted her dreams for several nights afterward. Perhaps the dream visitations were intended to provide guidance for how to go about proving Fred's innocence, which is all he seemed to want from Mary near the end. These gentle intrusions would soon transform into a more forceful form of persuasion.

While Mary sat alone in her Nome office typing another newspaper article about Fred’s execution, she later recalled “. . . Fred Hardy, whom I had seen dashed into eternity, came back to haunt me.” Mary claimed Fred's ghost appeared before her. Then she felt herself seize up with paralyzing fear. Next, like as scene from the 1999 Kevin Bacon movie Stir of Echoes , Mary was gripped in the most visceral way, reliving the execution as if she had been in Fred's body during the hanging. Mary would recall, “I sat rigid in my chair, unable to move or speak. It was as though I were being choked to death; as if I were undergoing what that twenty-one-year-old youth [sic] must have experienced during his last moment.”

The ordeal seemed to stretch on endlessly. Hart would later describe these events in vivid detail, emphasizing that she truly felt the executioner’s noose tightening around her own neck.

Just as Mary struggled on the brink of blacking out, salvation arrived in the form of a colleague, a young woman referred to only as Sunshine. Sunshine knocked and entered Mary’s office, immediately sensing something was horribly amiss. She found Mary Hart deathly still and in a trance-like state. When Sunshine touched Mary’s shoulder, the spell was suddenly broken. Mary could move again. But in an instant Sunshine let out a blood-curdling shriek. Looking into the empty air, Sunshine cried out before collapsing on the floor, “My God, Hardy is here.”

Then Sunshine began to speak. In a low, peculiar tone that sounded exactly like Fred, she described his torments in all their agonizing detail.

For weeks after this incident, Mary E. Hart was plagued by uncanny phenomena. Fred’s presence haunted her day and night, nearly driving her to a nervous breakdown. “It was destroying my health,” she admitted. Mary could neither eat or sleep properly, always feeling the unseen specter nearby.

In an attempt to escape, Mary fled Nome. She booked passage south on the next ship out of Alaska. A woman named Mrs. Barker, a self-described clairvoyant, also traveling aboard the steamer to San Francisco, approached Mary to tell her see saw a young man's spirit following her during the voyage. Mrs. Barker would later expound on the characteristics of the figure, a description that exactly matched Fred's former physical appearance. Only when the ship left the Bering Sea did Fred's presence finally fade away.

Mary exclaimed, “I make no attempt to explain this ghastly experience. But I shall never go to Nome again.” True to her word, Mary E. Hart never returned. Mary Hart’s ghost story made headlines in 1905 and again 1915 under titles like “Occult Features of the Execution of Fred Watkyns in Alaska” and “ Terror of Hanged Man’s Ghost Keeps Alaska’s Leading Woman from Nome .”

The tale caused a sensation precisely because Mary Hart was known as a sensible and adventurous woman. As one account noted, “Weirder story never came out of the northland” and coming from Mrs. Hart, “who is not a credulous woman,” it was all the more astonishing.

Of course, skeptics might argue the pressures of the gold rush, the trauma of the execution, or even toxic fumes from the coal stoves or gas lighting could have induced hallucinations. Mary Hart, however, never wavered in her conviction that Fred Hardy’s ghost tormented her in those weeks after his hanging. The experience left a profound mark on her psyche and became an infamous part of Alaskan ghost lore.

The Blue Lady of Sitka and Hart’s Haunted Chairs

Years after Mary Hart encountering Fred Hardy’s ghost, she showed a surprising willingness to tangle with the supernatural again. During her work organizing Alaska’s exhibits for the 1909 Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition in Seattle, Mary made a bold (some said brazen) decorative choice. She furnished her exposition office with mahogany chairs from the fabled Baranof's Hill.

Baranof's Hill in Sitka once held the former residence of Alaska’s Russian colonial governors called Baranof Castle. Local legend spoke of a sorrowful spirit known as the “ Blue Lady ” who haunted the old stronghold. According to Sitka folklore, the lady in blue is the ghost of a young Russian noblewoman. Forced to abandon her true love for an arranged marriage, the Blue Lady died of heartbreak. But before she departed this life she vowed to haunt the castle for 100 years. For decades, night watchmen and townspeople reported seeing a female apparition in a blue dress weeping and wringing her hands in the empty rooms of the castle.

In 1894 the historic castle burned mysteriously, leaving only ruins. Superstitious locals believed the Blue Lady’s restless ghost might attach itself to whatever furnishings remained. Indeed, the only substantial relics saved were the castle’s heavy mahogany chairs – the very ones Mary Hart later obtained for the expo. The local newspapers quipped that “the only things remaining for the ‘Blue Lady’ to haunt are these chairs,” and noted there was “a little uneasiness in the Alaska building” about Mary's decision.

The notion of sitting in the favorite seat of a ghost upset some of Mary’s contemporaries. Yet Mary E. Hart displayed no fear of the Blue Lady legend. She went ahead and installed the haunted chairs in her exposition office, brushing aside all talk of curses. Perhaps Mary reasoned that spectral lightning was unlikely to strike her twice or felt that Seattle's considerable distance from Southeast Alaska made all the difference.

A Haunted Mind and a Tragic End

In the years following her ghostly ordeal, Mary E. Hart continued her active life, but those close to her wondered if she was ever truly the same. Mary never returned to the far north of Nome, a place that had brought her both fortune and fear. Instead she stayed away, remaining in the West Coast of the lower 48 for the rest of her life, only occasionally visiting Southeast Alaska. Mary's popularity as a writer and speaker who focused on Alaskan history and culture endured. Steamship companies hired her as a shipboard lecturer to guide tourists through Alaska’s inside passage, and she was respected as an expert on the territory’s lore and resources.

Outwardly, Mary did not publicize any further ghostly encounters after 1915. However, it’s hard not to wonder what private burdens she carried. Friends would later say she was plagued by health problems and fears in her final years. By 1921, Mary E. Hart was 65 and had relocated to California. There, facing an upcoming surgical operation and seemingly overwhelmed by anxiety, Mary fell into despair.

On March 9, 1921, she took her own life. Mary was found dead in a room filled with gas, having sealed the doors and windows and opened the gas jet, a method of suicide all too common in that era. The news of her death made national headlines.

Obituaries emphasized her extraordinary resume: “Mrs. Mary E. Hart, gold miner, newspaper reporter and editor, lecturer and writer,” as one paper summarized it, “ took her own life in Los Angeles . . . by inhaling gas. ” She was widely mourned in Alaska and by women’s organizations she had led.

Mary's immediate circle attributed her suicide to a looming surgical operation that she dreaded. Yet, given what we know of her past, one cannot help but speculate on other contributing factors.

Mary Hart had stared into some dark places. We do not know to what extent those nightmares revisited her later in life. Did the specter of Fred Hardy continue to lurk in her memories? Did she ever truly sleep soundly again after that experience?

By 1921, almost two decades had passed since Fred Hardy’s hanging, and perhaps the rational part of Mary convinced herself it was all in the past. But the very fact that she revealed the most fearful details of the haunting in 1915 suggests it weighed heavily on her mind for more than a decade.

Mary E. Hart stood for Alaska’s adventurous, enlightened spirit. Yet even she found herself consumed by a ghost story she couldn’t rationalize. Her story serves as a fascinating historical case.

The Final Hanging: A Haunted Corner in Juneau

While Fred Hardy’s 1902 execution marked the start of Alaska’s modern use of capital punishment, the last legal execution in Alaska took place decades later in Juneau, on a site now central to our haunted history tours. Eugene LaMoore, an African-American man, was hanged on April 14, 1950, on make-shift gallows at the federal jail once located on the very spot where the Juneau State Office Building stands today.

LaMoore’s case was fraught with questionable evidence and false confessions, and his execution was botched. The noose failed to break his neck, and he took 13 agonizing minutes to strangle to death. During this era, white men convicted of similar crimes were often spared from the gallows.

The injustice and horror of these hangings spurred public debate and helped drive the movement to abolish capital punishment in Alaska, which the territory officially did in 1957. Today, some claim the State Office Building site is haunted by its grisly past.

Explore Alaska’s Haunted History Yourself

The saga of Mary E. Hart and Fred Hardy’s ghost is just one of many eerie tales from Alaska’s past. American Ghost Walks offers haunted history tours in Juneau and Ketchikan, where you can walk in the footsteps of restless spirits and explore the very streets once roamed by gold miners, ladies of the night, and old-timers of the Alaskan frontier.

Our expert guides will immerse you in so much Alaskan history and mystery, you'll transform from a cheechako newbie into a seasoned sourdough overnight. Secure your spot now and discover the paranormal side of Alaska that Mary E. Hart knew all too well!

The Haunted History of the Historic Anchorage Hotel

Tue, 20 May 2025 19:13:59 GMT

In the heart of downtown Anchorage stands a charming hotel with a polished façade and a not-so-quiet past. While guests are greeted with plush bedding and warm hospitality, some leave with far more chilling memories. These are memories of whispers in empty halls, faucets that turn on by themselves, and apparitions that slip through the shadows.

Welcome to the Historic Anchorage Hotel, where the past lingers a little longer than expected.

A Place Where History Never Left

Anchorage wasn’t always the lively cultural hub we know today. In its earliest days, the city was a frontier town, carved out of wilderness, where grit and ambition shaped every brick laid. It was in this atmosphere of boomtown optimism that the original Anchorage Hotel opened its doors at the corner of 3rd Avenue and E Street.

Back then, it was the most elegant place to stay in town. Guests dined on meals served on fine china, enjoyed high-thread-count linens, and gathered in richly appointed lounges. As Anchorage grew, so did demand for the hotel’s offerings. In the 1930s, a new annex was built just across the alleyway to accommodate the influx of dignitaries, business travelers, and adventurers heading north.

Today, that annex is all that remains, but its historical significance endures. It’s the only hotel in Anchorage listed on the National Register of Historic Places . And some say it’s not just history that’s lingered in its walls, but the spirits of those who left unfinished stories behind.

The Ghost of Chief Jack Sturgus

One of the hotel’s most persistent and famous spirits is tied to a very real tragedy. On the cold night of February 20, 1921 , Anchorage’s first Chief of Police, John J. “Black Jack” Sturgus , was found just steps from the hotel with a fatal bullet wound in his back. The most unsettling part? The bullet came from his own service revolver.

To this day, the case remains unsolved.

Locals and ghost hunters alike believe that Sturgus is not at rest. His spirit is said to return each year on the anniversary of his death, retracing the steps of his final moments. Guests and staff have reported seeing a uniformed figure near the entrance of the hotel, his posture rigid, his expression sorrowful, as though still seeking justice for a crime never resolved.

Supernatural Guests That Never Checked Out

The Historic Anchorage Hotel doesn’t house just one restless soul. Over the years, dozens of ghostly encounters have been reported, leading the hotel to keep a guest “ghost log” in the front office. This diary of the dead is filled with stories from visitors and employees who have experienced things they simply cannot explain.

Some of the most frequently reported phenomena include:

Flickering lights and malfunctioning electronics: TVs in rooms 215 and 217 are notorious for turning on and off by themselves, sometimes even switching channels without anyone touching the remote.
Phantom plumbing: Faucets in the sinks and bathtubs turn on when no one is near them, despite being inspected regularly by plumbers.
Apparitions of a little girl: Guests have seen a young girl in old-fashioned clothing walking the halls on the second floor. She never speaks, only glances curiously before disappearing around a corner.
A bride’s sorrow: Perhaps the most heartbreaking tale is that of a woman who took her own life in the hotel while still wearing her wedding dress. Heartbroken after her groom failed to appear, her spirit is said to float through the corridors in her gown, leaving behind a wave of sadness that guests say they can feel in the air.

Witness Accounts and Eerie Encounters

A surprising number of guests, skeptics and believers alike, have left with stories of strange events during their stay. One couple wrote in the ghost log that the painting above their bed flew off the wall in the middle of the night. Another traveler was startled awake by the sensation of someone sitting on the end of the bed, only to find no one there.

Staff members also report unexplained experiences. One concierge shared how the elevator would often move between floors on its own, even when there were no guests inside. Another mentioned seeing shadowy figures reflected in the lobby mirrors, only to turn around and find no one present.

A Hotel for History Lovers, Not Just Ghost Hunters

Despite its spectral reputation, the Historic Anchorage Hotel continues to operate as one of the city’s most beloved lodging options. Travelers come for its history, elegance, and central location, but many return for the stories.

Anchorage offers no shortage of things to do, and staying at this hotel places you within walking distance of attractions like:

The Anchorage Museum – A dynamic blend of art, history, science, and culture.
The Alaska Native Heritage Center – A must-visit for those who want to understand the diverse Indigenous cultures of the state.
Downtown Anchorage’s galleries and theaters – Perfect for evening entertainment and local flavor.
Nature adventures nearby – From glacier cruises to wildlife tours, Alaska’s wild beauty is just around the corner.

But even with all this, the hotel’s most talked-about amenity might just be its haunted past.

Curious to see the place for yourself? Book a few nights in the Historic Anchorage Hotel and see what stories you’ll walk away with.

Why Are So Many Spirits Drawn Here?

Paranormal researchers suggest that certain locations act as “spiritual anchors.” These are places so emotionally charged or historically significant that they seem to hold energy from the past. The Historic Anchorage Hotel, with its long history of triumph and tragedy, may just be one of those rare spots where time folds in on itself.

There are also theories that renovations and changes stir up activity. When the hotel was fully restored in 1989, reports of supernatural encounters began to increase. As if tearing up old floorboards and reworking historic walls awakened something—or someone—long dormant.

Love a Good Ghost Story?

If tales of haunted hotels and historic mysteries give you goosebumps, we’ve got more where that came from. At American Ghost Walks, we’ve spent years tracking down true stories and unexplained phenomena from coast to coast. From haunted mansions in Minneapolis to spiritual hotspots in New Orleans, our guides love sharing the eerie side of American history.

Want more stories like this one? Explore the chilling tales in our archive: Haunting Tales

Coming Soon: Ghost Tours in Alaska

We’ve shared ghost stories in Wisconsin, led lantern-lit walks through shadowy streets in Minnesota, and uncovered forgotten cemeteries in Illinois…just to name a few. Now, we’re heading north.

American Ghost Walks will be offering ghost tours in Alaska . Stay tuned for updates, spooky locations, and schedule announcements by visiting our Destinations Page . Whether you're a lifelong believer or just curious about what goes bump in the Alaskan night, you won’t want to miss it.

Ghosts, Legends & Pirates: The Haunted History of Bluebeard’s Castle Hotel in St. Thomas

Sun, 13 Apr 2025 22:06:49 GMT

Let's Take a Look at Bluebeard's Castle in St. Thomas Virgin Islands

Perched on a hill above the turquoise waters of Charlotte Amalie harbor, Bluebeard’s Castle Hotel isn’t your average Virgin Islands getaway. It’s a chilling relic of the past, steeped in ghost stories, pirate legends, and eerie whispers that refuse to fade. If you’re drawn to places where history gets dark and the air feels just a little heavier at night, this haunted hilltop hideaway in the U.S. Virgin Islands should be on your radar.

Let’s unravel the twisted past of this infamous tower, explore the spirits said to linger there, and show you how to visit, if you’re brave enough.

From Fortress to Haunted Hotel

Bluebeard’s Castle has stood watch over St. Thomas since the late 1600s, originally constructed as a defensive tower by the Danish to protect the small island colony from looming English attacks. Built high on Frederiksberg Hill, 224 feet above sea level, the vantage point gave soldiers a panoramic view of approaching ships, a strategic necessity in a time of constant territorial tug-of-war.

The tower serve d as a military fort until 1735, after which it passed through various private hands, eventually landing under U.S. ownership in the 20th century. By 1933, Bluebeard’s Castle was converted into a hotel as part of a broader tourism initiative championed by Governor Paul M. Pearson following the U.S. acquisition of the Virgin Islands in 1917. President Franklin D. Roosevelt even paid a visit in 1934, further cementing its status as a place of prestige.

But prestige isn’t the only thing that haunts these walls.

The Pirate Legend: Who Was Bluebeard?

Despite what the name s uggests, Bluebeard was never a real pirate. The moniker traces back to a French folktale written by Charles Perrault in 1697. In the gruesome tale, Bluebeard is a wealthy nobleman who murders his wives and hides their bodies in a locked chamber.

To read the folktale, check out the book here .

So, how did this mythical murderer get tied to a Caribbean lookout tower?

Sometime in the 1800s, local lore began to blend fact and fiction. While there’s no historical evidence that the infamous tower was ever home to pirates, the island of St. Thomas certainly had its fair share of swashbucklers. Blackbeard , for example, is believed to have frequented the area. The similarity in names led to years of confusion and storytelling, spawning legends that pirates once stored treasure within the fortress walls or held prisoners in its stone depths.

And where there are pirate stories, ghost stories are never far behind.

Paranormal Activity: Haunted by Pirates?

Bluebeard may have been a fictional villain, but the unsettling experiences at his namesake castle are anything but imaginary. Guests and staff alike have reported strange occurrences, cold drafts drifting through the humid Caribbean air, unexplained footsteps echoing in empty hallways, lights flickering without reason. Some even speak of shadowy figures, hushed whispers, and the eerie sense of being watched.

Are these the spirits of long-dead pirates, forever guarding hidden treasure? Or tortured souls left behind from the tower’s darker, military days? No one can say for sure.

But one thing is certain: the energy here is heavy, lingering. And for those fascinated by the paranormal, that’s exactly what makes Bluebeard’s Castle so hauntingly compelling.

How to Visit Bluebeard’s Castle

Located just minutes from downtown Charlotte Amalie , Bluebeard’s Castle Hotel is easily accessible whether you’re arriving by plane or cruise ship. The hotel sits in a prime spot with stunning views of the harbor and is close to shopping, dining, and cultural attractions.

Getting There:

By Air : Fly into Cyril E. King Airport (STT) . The hotel is just a 15-minute drive away.
By Sea : Most cruise docks are within a 10-minute taxi ride.
By Car : Rental cars are available at the airport and major hotels if you want to explore the island more independently.

What It’s Like Today

While the tower itself remains a historic centerpiece, Bluebeard’s Castle is now a timeshare resort , offering modern amenities and updated accommodations without losing its old-world charm. Though the hotel doesn’t have its own beach, it’s a short drive from some of the most beautiful beaches in the Caribbean, including Magens Bay and Lindquist Beach.

The resort includes a pool, restaurant, and bar, all offering panoramic views of the harbor. But what truly sets it apart is its deep connection to local lore. Even now, walking the grounds at twilight, you can almost hear the clang of swords and the whispers of untold secrets echoing through the stone walls.

And yes, if you dare to stay , you can book a room directly on their website: bluebeards-castle.com

Why Haunted Tour Lovers Shouldn’t Miss It

W hether you’re a ghost tour operator looking to expand into tropical territory or a paranormal enthusiast chasing your next haunted thrill, Bluebeard’s Castle offers something unique. It is an authentic historical site, a swirl of local legend, and a luxurious place to rest your head after ghost hunting.

It’s rare to find a destination that hits all the marks. Historic charm, chilling tales, and creature comforts, but Bluebeard’s Castle manages to do just that. You’re not just staying in a hotel; you’re stepping into a centuries-old story still unfolding.

A Stay That Stirs the Soul

St. Thomas may be known for its sunny beaches and turquoise waters, but dig a little deeper and you’ll uncover a darker, more mysterious side of the island. Bluebeard’s Castle Hotel stands as a testament to the layered history of the Virgin Islands, one where fact and folklore blur, and where the past isn’t quite done speaking.

Ready to book your haunted tour in the Virgin Islands? American Ghost Walks has you covered. Dive into the eerie, the unexplained, and the unforgettable. Because some vacations are meant to raise your heart rate in more ways than one.

Travel Tips & FAQ

Conclusion

Jumbies aren’t just ghost stories, they’re living folklore, woven into the culture of the Virgin Islands. Whether you're a skeptic or a seeker, exploring the haunted side of St. Thomas offers a new lens into Caribbean history, culture, and mystery.

Want to feel the presence of the past? Book a St. Thomas Ghost Tour with American Ghost Walks and walk where legends live.

Jumbies of the Virgin Islands: Spirits That Haunt St. Thomas

Sun, 13 Apr 2025 21:04:44 GMT

The Ghosts Beneath Paradise

You may know the Virgin Islands for their turquoise waters and white-sand beaches, but few travelers realize what lurks just beneath the surface. Locals still whisper about the jumbies-supernatural spirits said to roam the island of St. Thomas. They’re not just folklore, they’re feared.

What are Jumbies? Caribbean Spirits with a Dark Legacy

Jumbies (sometimes spelled jumbees) are restless spirits in Caribbean folklore. Rooted in African, Amerindian, and European traditions, they are believed to be the spirits of the dead who return to haunt the living, often with mischievous or malevolent intent. Unlike friendly ghosts, jumbies are feared.

They can:

Appear as shadows or animals
Mimic voices
Enter homes through keyholes or windows
Attach themselves to people or objects

These stories aren’t just bedtime tales, they’re part of daily life in places like St. Thomas.

Jumbies and the History of St. Thomas

The island's layered past-pirate raids, slave rebellions, and colonial cruelty has left more than historical scars. It has spawned some of the most chilling St. Thomas hauntings that locals still speak of today.

Fort Christian , once a defensive stronghold and prison, is said to be built over secret graves. Many believe jumbies still roam the grounds.

The Plague Ship , docked during a yellow fever outbreak, never offloaded its dead. Their spirits? Some say they never left.

Cow Foot Woman , a half-human, half-beast spirit, is whispered about on moonlit nights.

Terrifying Jumbie Legends You’ll Hear on Our Tour

Our expert guides don’t just tell stories-they resurrect them.

Top Jumbie Tales to Expect

The Cow Foot Woman - Half-human and half-hoofed, this eerie figure haunts the hills of St. Thomas. Locals say her presence is a warning against betrayal.
The Plague Ship - This tale centers on a vessel once quarantined offshore, its crew lost to yellow fever. Visitors have reported seeing ghostly figures near the old harbor.
Fort Christian's Smoky Soldier - Said to be a colonial guard still patrolling after death, he's often sensed by an overwhelming smell of tobacco when no one is around.
The Ghosts of Frenchtown Ruins - Whispers and cold spots linger among these relics of colonial life, where spirits tied to old tragedies are said to reside. – Linked to colonial atrocities buried-literally and figuratively-beneath cobblestone streets.

Each tale is backed by documented sightings, oral history, and historical research-keeping our promise of 100% true stories.

Obeah, Magic, and How Locals Protect Themselves

In the Virgin Islands, people don’t just believe in spirits-they take steps to protect themselves.

Common Jumbee Defenses

Salt and rice: Sprinkled at doorways to distract jumbies (they must count every grain!)
Crossed shoes under the bed
Limes cut into quarters , placed at corners of a room
Obeah rituals: Spiritual practices that include prayers, talismans, and protective spells

Where to Encounter Jumbies in St. Thomas

If you want to experience real St. Thomas hauntings, these are the spots to visit-preferably with a guide.

Haunted Locations

Fort Christian
Crown Bay Cemetery
Downtown alleyways near the old Danish Quarter
Ruins in Frenchtown

Want to explore these eerie locations safely? Our St. Thomas Ghost Tour leads you through them, flashlight in hand.

Local Insider Tips

Best Time to Spot a Jumbee? Around 2:00 AM, known as "duppy hour" in Caribbean folklore.

Bring This with You:

Small packets of salt or sugar
Comfortable shoes (you may need to walk quickly…)
A curious mind-and a healthy respect for the unknown

Travel Tips & FAQ

Conclusion

Want to feel the presence of the past? Book a St. Thomas Ghost Tour with American Ghost Walks and walk where legends live.

The Old Ursuline Convent in New Orleans: History, Mystery, and Haunting Legends

Tue, 04 Mar 2025 19:24:15 GMT

New Orleans is a city brimming with rich history and vibrant culture, but among its storied past lies a place shrouded in mystery and intrigue—the Old Ursuline Convent. Located in the French Quarter, this architectural gem is not only the oldest building in the Mississippi Valley but also a site filled with tales of the supernatural. From ghostly apparitions to spine-chilling legends, the Ursuline Convent captivates those who dare to explore its dark secrets.

A Glimpse into History: Jackson Square and the Ursuline Convent

The story of the Old Ursuline Convent begins in 1727, when a group of Ursuline nuns arrived from France with a mission to educate young girls, care for the sick, and convert Native Americans to Christianity. They established the convent in the heart of the French Quarter, just a short walk from Jackson Square, a historic landmark that has witnessed the evolution of New Orleans from a French colony to an American city.

The convent, completed in 1752, stands as a testament to French colonial architecture. Its sturdy brick walls and graceful arches have withstood hurricanes, fires, and the passage of time. Yet, it's not merely the building's resilience that draws visitors; it's the chilling legends that whisper through its halls.

The Casket Girls: A Haunting Legacy

One of the most enduring legends tied to the Old Ursuline Convent involves the mysterious Casket Girls. In the early 18th century, young women arrived from France to marry settlers in New Orleans. They brought with them small chests, known as "caskets," containing their belongings. But rumors soon spread that these caskets were not filled with linens and clothing but with something far more sinister—vampires.

According to legend, the nuns stored the caskets in the convent’s attic, which was sealed shut with nails blessed by priests. Locals whispered that the attic windows were permanently closed to prevent the undead from escaping. To this day, the shutters remain tightly fastened, feeding speculation that the Casket Girls brought more than hope for new beginnings—they brought an ancient curse.

While historical records suggest the girls were merely orphans seeking a better life, the tale of the Casket Girls continues to intrigue and terrify, cementing the convent’s reputation as one of the most haunted places in New Orleans.

Paranormal Activity and Ghostly Sightings

The Old Ursuline Convent has long been a hotspot for paranormal investigators and ghost enthusiasts. Visitors report eerie encounters with apparitions of Ursuline nuns, believed to be spirits of the sisters who devoted their lives to the convent. Some say they catch glimpses of shadowy figures gliding silently through the corridors, while others hear faint whispers echoing off the ancient walls.

One of the most unsettling legends tells of spectral nuns guarding the attic, ensuring the Casket Girls' curse remains contained. Tour guides recount chilling tales of cold drafts, flickering lights, and inexplicable footsteps that seem to follow guests as they explore the building.

Whether these sightings are figments of the imagination or genuine supernatural encounters, they add to the convent’s aura of mystery and make it a must-visit destination for thrill-seekers.

The Ursuline Convent Today

Today, the Old Ursuline Convent stands as a historic landmark and museum, inviting visitors to step back in time and explore its preserved architecture and beautiful gardens. The convent houses religious artifacts, antique furnishings, and exhibits detailing the rich history of New Orleans and the role the Ursuline nuns played in shaping the city’s culture and education.

Despite its serene appearance, the legends of vampires, ghostly nuns, and cursed attics continue to draw curious travelers. Guided tours provide historical context along with a taste of the paranormal, allowing guests to experience the convent’s eerie ambiance firsthand.

The Old Ursuline Convent is more than just a historical building; it is a place where myth and mystery come to life. From its beginnings as a refuge for nuns to its chilling association with vampires and Casket Girls, the convent’s haunting legacy continues to captivate visitors. If you dare to explore its shadowy halls, be prepared for an experience that will leave you questioning what is legend and what is real.

Discover the Haunting Secrets of the Old Ursuline Convent

For those brave enough to delve into the mysteries of New Orleans, a visit to the Old Ursuline Convent is a journey into the city’s haunted past. Whether you’re a history buff or a ghost hunter, the convent offers a glimpse into a world where legend and reality intertwine.

Unveil the secrets of the Old Ursuline Convent with American Ghost Walks—where history meets horror. American Ghost Walks invites you to join us on a guided tour of New Orleans ’ most haunted sites, including the legendary Old Ursuline Convent. Our knowledgeable guides will lead you through the French Quarter, sharing spine-tingling stories of vampires, ghostly apparitions, and curses that have plagued the city for centuries. Uncover the secrets of the Casket Girls, encounter the spirits of long-lost nuns, and experience the chilling atmosphere of the Old Ursuline Convent.

Ready to explore the supernatural side of New Orleans? Book your tour with American Ghost Walks today and immerse yourself in the captivating legends of the Old Ursuline Convent. With each step, feel the whispers of the past and discover why New Orleans is one of the most haunted cities in America!

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The Infamous Haunted Muriel's Jackson Square in New Orleans

Tue, 04 Mar 2025 15:15:11 GMT

New Orleans is a fun and mysterious city with a rich history and plenty of ghost stories. A popular talked-about spot is Muriel's Jackson Square. This restaurant is famous not only for its delicious food but also for its spooky past. Whether you are a local or a visitor, you might hear tales of strange sounds and unusual sights when you step inside.

The Story of Jackson Square New Orleans

Jackson Square history has been an important part of New Orleans for a long time. Long ago, it was known as Place d'Armes, a busy spot where people gathered for big events and celebrations. Later, the square was renamed in honor of Andrew Jackson, a famous general from the War of 1812. Today, Jackson Square is full of street performers, artists, and visitors who come to enjoy its lively charm and learn about its history.

A Look at the Past of Muriel's Nola

The building that now houses Muriel's Jackson Square began as a small house in the 18th century. Over time, it grew and changed along with the city. In the early 1800s, the building became the home of a man named Pierre Antoine Lepardi Jourdan. His life was full of wealth and excitement, but it ended in a very sad way. After losing his home in a poker game, Pierre Antoine took his own life. Many people believe his spirit stayed behind, and today, you might even catch a glimpse of him in the restaurant.

Ghost Stories and Haunted Encounters

When you step into Muriel's New Orleans, you feel a mix of history and mystery. The restaurant still shows many of its old features, like vintage furniture and dim lighting that make the place feel extra spooky. Many visitors and staff say they have felt a sudden chill or seen a shadow move when no one was around. Some even say they have heard soft knocks on walls or seen lights flicker in the special Seance Lounge on the second floor. Local ghost hunters have used cameras and other equipment to check for strange activity and have even recorded odd sounds and small orbs of light. Whether you are a believer or a skeptic, these tales add to the fun and mystery of the place.

A Tragic Love Story

One of the famous New Orleans ghost stories is also known for its deep and sometimes heartbreaking stories. One sad tale is about a young couple named Zack and Addie. They were like any other couple trying to build a life together. When Hurricane Katrina hit the city, Addie let Zack stay in her apartment so they could be safe during the storm. But things took a dark turn. The storm seemed to bring out a hidden evil, and soon their troubles got worse. Their relationship fell apart, and things became dangerous. A suicide note found with Zack made many wonder if dark forces were at work. This tragic story shows that even in the midst of disasters, the human heart can feel deep sorrow.

Good Food, Ghost Tours, and More

Today, Muriel's Jackson Square is a favorite spot for both food lovers and ghost story fans. The restaurant has kept its old charm while adding modern comforts. The menu features classic New Orleans dishes like gumbo and jambalaya. When you dine here, you might even feel like you are sharing a meal with a friendly ghost from the past. In fact, a table is always set for Pierre Antoine, complete with bread and wine, as a sign of respect for the history and spirit that many believe still lives on.

If you are curious about the spooky side of New Orleans, you can join one of the ghost tours in the city. These walking tours take you through the French Quarter and other historic spots, where you learn about the city's colonial past, natural disasters, and ghost stories. One popular tour is the New Orleans French Quarter Ghost Walk, which starts on weekends at 8 pm and costs around $39 per person. It is a fun way to see the hidden side of this unique city.

Enjoying Jackson Square History and a Great Meal

Dining at Muriel's Jackson Square gives you a taste of New Orleans history along with great food. The restaurant has a warm and inviting feel, and the mix of old and new creates an experience you will not soon forget. Whether you are stopping in for a full dinner or just a quick snack in a historic courtyard, you are sure to enjoy the atmosphere and maybe even spot a friendly ghost.

Want to eat at Muriel's Restaurant New Orleans? Book a table: https://muriels.com/

Every time you visit Muriel's, you get a taste of New Orleans history. Walking through Jackson Square and dining at Muriel's feels like stepping into a living story. The history is not just in books or old photographs. It is felt in the cool air, seen in the old walls, and even heard in the quiet sounds of the night. This mix of history, mystery, and good food makes New Orleans a very special place.

If you are looking for a night of great food and a dash of the supernatural, this is the spot to be. The ghostly figures, tragic love, and rich past add a special flavor to every visit. Whether you are enjoying a meal, listening to a ghost tour guide, or simply walking around Jackson Square, you are sure to feel the magic of New Orleans.

So why not step into this unique blend of history and mystery? Join a New Orleans ghost tour , book a table at Muriel's, or take a walk around Jackson Square. You never know what you might see or hear in a city where the past never really leaves.

New Orleans invites you to enjoy its rich history, taste its delicious food, and maybe even meet a friendly ghost along the way. Come and explore this one-of-a-kind city where every corner has a story to tell.

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Bringing the Past to Life

Discover Decatur Street: The Heartbeat of New Orleans' French Quarter

Sat, 01 Mar 2025 21:10:44 GMT

When exploring the vibrant streets of New Orleans, one road stands out for its rich history, lively atmosphere, and cultural charm—Decatur Street. Nestled in the heart of the French Quarter, Decatur Street is more than just a road; it's a journey through time, culture, and the unique spirit of the Crescent City.

In this guide, we'll explore why Decatur St is one of the most famous streets in New Orleans, uncover its iconic landmarks, and dive into the must-see attractions and experiences that make it a top destination for visitors and locals alike.

A Brief History of Decatur Street

Originally known as Levee Street, Decatur Street was renamed in the 19th century in honor of naval hero Stephen Decatur. Over the decades, it evolved from a hub for shipping and commerce to one of the French Quarter's most bustling and dynamic thoroughfares.

Decatur Street's proximity to the Mississippi River made it a focal point for trade and cultural exchange. Today, its cobblestone streets and historic buildings reflect centuries of growth, resilience, and celebration.

Iconic Landmarks and Attractions on Decatur Street

Jackson Square

No visit to Decatur Street is complete without stopping at Jackson Square, the historic park surrounded by stunning architecture, street artists, and lively performers. This vibrant space has been the heart of New Orleans for over 300 years, offering breathtaking views of the iconic St. Louis Cathedral.

Cafe du Monde

Just steps from Jackson Square, you'll find Cafe du Monde , a New Orleans institution famous for its powdered sugar-dusted beignets and chicory coffee. This open-air cafe has been serving locals and tourists since 1862, making it a must-visit spot on Decatur St New Orleans.

French Market

Further along Decatur Street lies the French Market , the oldest public market in the U.S. Here, visitors can browse local crafts, indulge in classic Creole cuisine, and soak in the lively atmosphere of New Orleans.

Jean Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop Bar

One of the oldest bars in America, this historic tavern on Decatur Street is said to have ties to the infamous pirate Jean Lafitte. Its dimly lit, rustic charm offers a glimpse into the city’s colorful past.

Steamboat Natchez

Docked along the riverfront near Decatur Street, the Steamboat Natchez offers riverboat cruises that provide a unique view of the city. The sounds of jazz music and the sights of the Mississippi River make for an unforgettable experience.

The Vibrant Culture and Nightlife of Decatur Street

As the sun sets, Decatur Street New Orleans transforms into a hub of nightlife and entertainment. Jazz clubs, street performers, and lively bars bring the street to life, offering something for everyone.

Live Music Venues
Decatur Street is dotted with venues that showcase New Orleans' legendary music scene. From smooth jazz to energetic blues, the sounds of the city fill the air and invite passersby to join the celebration.
Eclectic Bars and Restaurants
Whether you're craving Cajun classics, fresh seafood, or creative cocktails, Decatur Street has it all. Popular spots like The Gazebo Cafe and Crescent City Brewhouse serve up delicious bites and drinks with a side of live music.
Street Performers and Festivals
Street performers line Decatur Street, offering music, art, and entertainment that reflect New Orleans' dynamic culture. Seasonal festivals, parades, and spontaneous celebrations are common, making every visit exciting and unique.

Shopping and Unique Finds

Decatur Street is a haven for shoppers looking for unique New Orleans treasures. From antique stores to quirky boutiques, visitors can find handmade crafts, local art, and one-of-a-kind souvenirs.

French Market Shops
An extension of the historic French Market, these shops offer everything from handmade jewelry to voodoo dolls and Creole spices. It's the perfect place to find a piece of New Orleans to take home.
Boutique Stores
Decatur Street boasts numerous local boutiques offering vintage clothing, rare vinyl records, and eclectic home decor—reflecting the city's vibrant and artistic spirit.

Plan Your Visit to Decatur Street

Ready to explore one of the most famous streets in New Orleans? Plan your visit to Decatur Street and discover why it's considered one of the city's most iconic destinations.

From historic landmarks to vibrant nightlife, Decatur Street captures the essence of New Orleans in every step. Don’t miss your chance to experience it firsthand!

And for those seeking a thrilling experience after exploring Decatur Street, embark on a chilling adventure with American Ghost Walks . Discover the haunted history of New Orleans through guided ghost tours that reveal the city's most haunted locations and chilling legends. It's the perfect way to experience the dark and mysterious side of the Crescent City!

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From Jazz to Voodoo: Exploring New Orleans' Unique Cultural Fusion

Sun, 09 Feb 2025 03:36:54 GMT

New Orleans is a place where history, mystery, music, and the supernatural mix together to create an unforgettable atmosphere. Whether you're wandering through the French Quarter, listening to the soulful sounds of a jazz band, or stepping into a dimly lit Voodoo shop, you can feel the deep cultural blend that makes this city so special.

But how did New Orleans become the city it is today? The answer lies in its unique mix of African, French, Spanish, and Caribbean influences, which have shaped some of the most fascinating traditions in the United States. From the rhythmic beats of jazz to the mysterious practices of Voodoo, New Orleans embraces its diversity in ways that are as captivating as they are haunting.

The Birth of Jazz: Music of the Soul

New Orleans is often credited as the birthplace of jazz, a genre that emerged in the early 20th century as a mix of African rhythms, blues, ragtime, and brass band music. The city’s diverse cultural landscape played a crucial role in shaping this new sound. African American musicians drew inspiration from their heritage, incorporating call-and-response singing, improvisation, and syncopated rhythms into their performances.

One of the most legendary figures of New Orleans jazz is Louis Armstrong, whose innovative trumpet playing and distinctive voice helped define the genre. To this day, the city remains a hotspot for jazz lovers, with venues like Preservation Hall and Frenchmen Street keeping the tradition alive. Whether you're enjoying a live brass band performance on a street corner or attending the annual New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, the city’s musical heartbeat is impossible to ignore.

The Mystique of Voodoo: A Legacy of Spirituality and Survival

Voodoo is one of New Orleans' most misunderstood traditions. Often depicted in popular culture as dark and sinister, the true roots of Voodoo tell a different story—one of resilience, faith, and cultural blending. Brought to Louisiana by enslaved West Africans in the 18th century, Voodoo merged with Catholicism and indigenous practices to create a unique spiritual tradition.

At the heart of New Orleans Voodoo is the belief in spirits, known as "loas," who serve as intermediaries between the human and divine realms. Rituals, offerings, and ceremonies are conducted to seek guidance, healing, and protection. Marie Laveau, the famed Voodoo Queen of New Orleans, remains an iconic figure in the city’s lore. Her influence extended beyond spirituality, as she was also known for her philanthropy and work in the community. Visitors still leave offerings at her tomb in St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, hoping to receive her blessings.

For those curious about the city's mystical side, New Orleans is home to Voodoo shops, museums, and walking tours that explore its deep spiritual roots. Whether you visit the Voodoo Museum or take part in a ritual at a local temple, you’ll find that Voodoo is very much alive in the Crescent City.

The Haunting History of the French Quarter

New Orleans’ rich history comes with its share of ghost stories. The French Quarter, the city’s historic heart, is a hotspot for paranormal activity. With its centuries-old buildings, eerie courtyards, and tales of tragedy, the area is a magnet for those seeking the supernatural.

One of the most infamous stories is that of Zack and Addie, a young couple whose tragic fate still haunts the city. After surviving Hurricane Katrina together, their relationship spiraled into darkness, leading to a gruesome crime that shocked New Orleans. Zack’s suicide note led police to their apartment, where they uncovered a scene of unimaginable horror, leaving a permanent mark on the city’s dark history.

Stories like these are just a glimpse into the chilling past of New Orleans. If you're brave enough to explore further, the New Orleans French Quarter Ghost Walk is a must. Led by expert guides, this tour delves into the city’s true crime tales, haunted locations, and supernatural legends, providing a deeper understanding of the eerie energy that lingers in the streets.

Must-Experience Aspects of New Orleans

To really get a feel for New Orleans, be sure to check out these highlights:

Music Scene: From jazz clubs to street performances, live music is everywhere.
Cajun & Creole Cuisine: Try classics like gumbo, jambalaya, beignets, and po’boys.
Mardi Gras Celebrations: The city’s biggest festival, packed with parades, music, and colorful costumes.
Historical Cemeteries: Unique above-ground tombs that are as haunting as they are beautiful.
Voodoo & Spiritual Shops: Get a glimpse into the city’s mystical side through authentic spiritual practices.
Haunted Locations: Take a ghost tour and explore legendary paranormal hotspots.

A City That Embraces Its Unique Culture

New Orleans is a city where the past and present mix effortlessly. From the intoxicating sounds of jazz to the mysticism of Voodoo, and from the bold flavors of Creole and Cajun cuisine to the ghostly whispers of the French Quarter, the city has a personality like no other.

Every street, every building, and every note of music tells a story. Whether you're into history, music, or the supernatural, New Orleans has something that will stick with you long after you leave. So, the next time you find yourself in the Big Easy, soak it all in—listen to the music, embrace the mystery, and explore the ghosts of the past. Because in New Orleans, the past never really disappears—it’s just waiting for you to discover it.

Ready to Explore New Orleans' Haunted Side?

Are you ready to uncover the secrets of New Orleans' most haunted places? From eerie legends and paranormal encounters to the mystique of Voodoo and the soulful sounds of jazz, the city is unlike anywhere else.

Join one of our New Orleans Ghost Tours to experience these ghostly sites firsthand. Our expert guides will lead you through haunted streets, sharing chilling tales of spirits, Voodoo rituals, and the city's eerie past. From historic cemeteries to jazz-filled alleyways with spectral whispers, we’ll help you explore the supernatural side of New Orleans.

Check out our New Orleans Ghost Tour Reviews on Google to see why this tour is a must-experience. Ready to understand their culture? Reserve your spot today!

Chicago Valentine's Day Massacre Ghost Tour Pub Crawl

Thu, 30 Jan 2025 17:36:03 GMT

Join us for a haunting night of history, spirits, and spirits!

Experience Chicago's most notorious gangster history on this unique Valentine's Day pub crawl that combines chilling tales, craft cocktails, and unforgettable sites from the city's bloody past.

Event Details:

Date: Friday, February 14th, 2025 and Saturday, February 15th, 2025

Time: 8:00 PM - 10:30 PM

Starting Location: Chicago Oven Grinder (1850 N Lincoln Ave)

Tour Highlights:

- Start your evening at the historic Chicago Oven Grinder, built from the remnants of a building that once housed Al Capone's lookout spot

- Visit the original site of the infamous St. Valentine's Day Massacre, where seven men met their tragic end in 1929

- See the Biograph Theater, where legendary gangster John Dillinger had his final showdown with the FBI

Included:

- Expert guided tour of Chicago's most infamous mob locations

- Fascinating historical commentary and ghost stories

Important Information:

• Must be 21+ with valid ID

• Comfortable walking shoes recommended

• Tour runs rain or shine

• Limited spots available

• Cash bar at each location (no credit cards at first location, so bring some cash!)

Pricing:

Regular Admission: $35

Couples Package: $60 (use code BUGS2025 to save on two tickets!)

Lake Geneva Winterfest 2025

Mon, 27 Jan 2025 22:48:08 GMT

Lake Geneva Winter Ghost Walk - Winterfest Special Tour

Experience the haunted history of Lake Geneva in its most atmospheric season during this special 45-minute Winterfest walking tour.

Tour Details

- Date: January 31, 2025

- Duration: 45 minutes

- Times: 6, 7, 8, 9pm

- Price: $12 per person

- Meet at: Lake Geneva Public Library (918 W Main St, Lake Geneva, WI 53147)

What to Expect

Bundle up for a spine-tingling journey through Lake Geneva's historic downtown as we explore the city's most haunted locations in their winter splendor. Your expert guide will lead you through the lamp-lit streets, sharing chilling tales of the wealthy Chicago families who built their summer mansions here and the spirits that never left.

Dive deeper into the mysterious world of hauntings with our curated collection of paranormal investigations and ghostly encounters. Read more stories like this in “Ghosts of Lake Geneva” by Rita Moore and R. Michael Huberty, a book of Lake Geneva ghost stories written by our own American Ghost Walks team. Click here for more.

Uncover the haunting secrets of Wisconsin's most enchanting resort town with "Haunted Lake Geneva." This meticulously researched collection of supernatural tales takes you on a journey through the historic mansions, grand hotels, and shadowy shores of Geneva Lake. From the phantom footsteps echoing through the Baker House to the mysterious apparitions at the Maxwell Mansion, each page reveals a new layer of Lake Geneva's paranormal heritage. Perfect for both local history enthusiasts and ghost story lovers, this book combines carefully documented historical accounts with chilling firsthand experiences that will make you see this beloved vacation destination in an entirely new light. Whether you're a longtime resident or planning your first visit, these stories will forever change the way you experience Lake Geneva's historic downtown and lakeside paths.

Highlights

- Discover why Lake Geneva earned the title "Newport of the West" and the ghostly legacy this designation left behind

- Learn about the phantom residents of the historic Baker House

- Hear tales of mysterious occurrences along the lakefront during the winter months

- Experience the unique ambiance of Lake Geneva's historic downtown during Winterfest

Important Information

- Dress warmly and wear comfortable walking shoes suitable for winter conditions

- Tour runs in cold weather - please dress accordingly

- Limited spots available

- Family-friendly, but recommended for ages 8 and up

Ghost Hunting: 10 Essential Tips for First-Time Paranormal Investigators

Mon, 13 Jan 2025 17:06:58 GMT

Ghost hunting can be a thrilling adventure into the unknown, where you explore haunted locations in search of paranormal activity. Whether you're drawn to the excitement of encountering the supernatural or simply curious about the mysterious, ghost hunting offers a unique blend of history, science, and storytelling.

If you're new to ghost hunting, this guide will equip you with essential tips and insights to make your first experience both safe and memorable. From understanding the basics of paranormal investigating to mastering ghost hunting techniques, here’s what you need to know before you embark on your journey.

1. What is Ghost Hunting?

At its core, ghost hunting is the investigation of locations thought to be haunted by spirits or paranormal entities. This involves exploring these places with tools and techniques designed to detect unusual phenomena. While skeptics view ghost hunting as entertainment, enthusiasts consider it a legitimate pursuit of the unknown.

Ghost hunting isn’t about “ghost catching” like in movies; it’s about observing, documenting, and experiencing. For many, it’s a way to connect with history and uncover long-forgotten stories.

2. Do Your Research

Before heading out, research the location you plan to investigate. Look into its history, past paranormal claims, and any notable events tied to the site. Understanding the backstory not only enriches the experience but also helps you recognize possible paranormal activity.

Many seasoned investigators also study the fundamentals of paranormal investigations to better prepare for the unique challenges of each location.

3. Assemble the Right Gear

To start your ghost investigation, you’ll need basic equipment:

Flashlight: Essential for safety in dark or unfamiliar locations.
Notebook or Digital Recorder: To document observations and record sounds.
EMF Detector: Measures electromagnetic fields, often associated with paranormal activity.
Thermometer: To detect sudden temperature drops, which some believe indicate ghostly presence.
Camera or Smartphone: To capture photos or videos of unexplained occurrences.

Advanced tools like spirit boxes and thermal cameras can enhance your investigations, but they aren’t necessary for beginners.

4. Follow Local Laws and Ask Permission

If you’re going to investigate property that is not your own, always ask permission. Many haunted sites, such as cemeteries, historic buildings, or private property, require permission for entry. Trespassing can lead to legal issues and tarnish the reputation of ghost hunters. And, to be on the safe side, bring your personal ID!

5. Work in a Team

Ghost hunting is best done in groups for safety and collaboration, and it is also much more fun! You never know what you’ll find, so a team approach ensures someone is always there to help and provides multiple perspectives to validate experiences.

Having teammates also makes it easier to document occurrences and compare findings, which is crucial in paranormal investigating.

6. Stay Skeptical

Not every strange noise or flickering light is paranormal. Be mindful of environmental factors, like drafts, electrical interference, or structural issues, that could explain unusual events.

A good ghost hunter learns to debunk false positives while keeping an open mind. Balancing skepticism with curiosity is key to honing your ghost hunting techniques.

7. Be Respectful

Many haunted locations have historical or cultural significance. Treat these spaces and any potential spirits with respect. Avoid loud behavior, vandalism, or activities that could disturb others.

Respect also extends to those who may join you on your journey. Ghost hunting is a shared experience, and collaboration requires mutual consideration.

8. Learn Basic Ghost Hunting Techniques

Understanding how to hunt ghosts involves learning techniques that seasoned investigators swear by:

EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomenon): Using audio devices to capture unexplained voices or sounds.
Trigger Objects: Placing items like toys or coins to entice spirits to interact.
Baseline Readings: Measuring EMF and temperature levels at the start to compare against anomalies later.

These techniques help create a systematic approach to paranormal investigating, ensuring that your findings are credible.

9. Practice Patience

Ghost hunting requires patience. Paranormal activity is unpredictable, and investigations can last hours without a single event. The thrill lies in the anticipation and the rare moments when something unexplainable happens.

If you’re serious about learning how to ghost hunt, patience will be your greatest asset.

10. Document and Share Responsibly

Document your findings thoroughly, whether through notes, audio, or video recordings. This not only helps you analyze your experience but also contributes to the broader community of ghost hunters.

When sharing your findings, be honest and transparent. Over exaggerating or faking evidence damages credibility and the integrity of ghost investigation as a practice.

Ready to Find Some Ghosts?

Ghost hunting is an exciting blend of history, science, and the supernatural, offering participants a unique way to explore the unknown. By following these ghost hunting tips, you can ensure a safe, respectful, and rewarding experience as you embark on your first paranormal adventure.

Whether you're investigating a centuries-old mansion or a quiet cemetery, remember that the journey is as important as the destination. Join American Ghost Walks to step into shadows of the past, and uncover restless spirits and forgotten stories. The ghosts of the past may just have a story to tell—if you’re willing to listen.

Top 10 Most Haunted Places in Illinois

Mon, 13 Jan 2025 06:22:01 GMT

Illinois is a state steeped in history, and with that history comes a wealth of eerie legends, ghostly tales, and haunted locations. From historic buildings to tragic events, Illinois is home to some of the most haunted places in the United States. If you're a thrill-seeker or a paranormal enthusiast, there’s no shortage of haunted spots to explore. Here are the top 10 most haunted places in Illinois that are sure to send a chill down your spine.

1. The Two Brothers Roundhouse – Aurora

One of Aurora's most notorious haunted locations is the Two Brothers Roundhouse. This old train station and restaurant has earned a reputation for its paranormal activity. Visitors have reported hearing disembodied voices, feeling sudden temperature drops, and even seeing strange shadows. The building, which dates back to the 1850s, has a long history of unexplained occurrences.

If you're looking to experience the supernatural firsthand, you can join a Two Brothers Roundhouse Ghost Tour and Investigation . This tour offers a chance to explore the haunted history of this historic spot and perhaps even make contact with the spirits that are said to roam the halls. Click here to book your tour .

2. The Lincoln Park Hauntings – Chicago

Chicago is one of the most haunted cities in the United States, and Lincoln Park is home to some of its spookiest tales. The Lincoln Park Zoo, the area’s oldest burial grounds, and other surrounding spots are said to be haunted by restless spirits. Some reports claim to have seen ghostly figures, heard strange noises, or even experienced inexplicable feelings of dread.

To explore the haunted history of this area, take the Lincoln Park Hauntings Chicago Ghost Tour & Ghost Hunt. This eerie adventure will lead you through some of the city’s most haunted locations. Book your spot now !

3. The Devil in the White City – Chicago

This is one of the most infamous tales in Chicago’s history. The Devil in the White City refers to H.H. Holmes, one of America’s first serial killers, who operated during the 1893 World’s Fair. Holmes built a "Murder Castle" in Chicago, where he lured victims to their deaths. The ghostly energy from these tragic events still lingers in the area.

To dive into the chilling story of the Devil in the White City, you can join the Devil in the White City Bus Tour . This tour will take you on a journey through the dark history of Chicago, including visits to locations connected to Holmes. Find out more and reserve your place.

4. Resurrection Mary – Chicago

Resurrection Mary is one of the most famous ghosts in Chicago folklore. She is said to haunt the area around Resurrection Cemetery on the city’s south side. Over the years, numerous drivers have reported picking up a young woman dressed in white, only to have her vanish from their car before they reach the cemetery. The story of Resurrection Mary has become a well-known legend in Chicago’s ghostly lore.

The Resurrection Mary 4-Hour Bus Tour and Pub Stop offers a comprehensive look into the haunting of this mysterious apparition. Experience the chilling story firsthand as you travel the haunting route and learn about the dark history of the area. Click here to join the tour .

5. Naperville’s Haunted History

Naperville, a charming suburb of Chicago, is home to its own share of ghost stories. From the haunting of the Naperville Cemetery to the eerie occurrences at the Naper Settlement, this area is steeped in mystery. Visitors often report feeling a sense of unease, hearing strange sounds, or even encountering ghostly figures.

The Naperville Hauntings Ghost Tour is the perfect way to explore the dark side of this beautiful city. This tour takes you through the town's most haunted spots, offering a chance to uncover its supernatural secrets. Book your tour here .

6. Woodstock – The Ghosts of McHenry County

Woodstock, known for its picturesque downtown and its role in the film Groundhog Day , also has a rich history of hauntings. The town is home to the McHenry County Historical Society, where guests have reported strange noises and sightings. The nearby opera house, too, has long been considered one of the town’s most haunted spots.

The Woodstock Ghost Walk is a perfect way to explore this haunted town. Join a guided tour to visit some of Woodstock’s most infamous haunted locations and hear the spooky tales that have been passed down through generations. Learn more about this scary experience .

7. The Great Lakes Naval Training Center

The Great Lakes Naval Training Center, located near Lake Michigan, has a long and eerie history. During its time as a training center, many soldiers lost their lives during training exercises and accidents. Some visitors and staff have reported hearing footsteps, unexplained noises, and feeling cold spots in certain areas.

The Great Lake County Ghost Adventure will take you on a thrilling exploration of this haunted site. Visit the training center and hear the ghostly stories that have become a part of its legacy. Book your tour today .

8. The Old Joliet Prison – Joliet

The Old Joliet Prison, which closed its doors in 2002, has a dark and violent history that makes it a prime location for ghost sightings. The prison housed notorious criminals, and its grim history of executions and riots adds to the chilling atmosphere. Visitors have reported hearing footsteps, disembodied voices, and seeing shadowy figures wandering the halls.

Today, the Old Joliet Prison offers tours that allow you to explore its haunted history firsthand. Be prepared for an eerie experience as you walk through the abandoned cells and dark corridors.

9. The Elgin State Hospital – Elgin

The Elgin State Hospital, located in Elgin, Illinois, is one of the state's most notorious haunted locations. Opened in 1872 as a psychiatric institution, the hospital housed thousands of patients over its long history. Many believe that the spirits of former patients still haunt the abandoned buildings. Visitors have reported hearing eerie whispers, strange noises, and even feeling cold spots in areas that were once used for treatment. Some claim to have seen shadowy figures wandering the dark hallways.

The Hospital, which closed its doors in 2015, is not open for public tours due to safety concerns and the state of the abandoned buildings. However, it remains a popular location for urban explorers and paranormal enthusiasts who seek to explore its haunting history.

10. The Shawnee National Forest – Southern Illinois

The Shawnee National Fores t is a beautiful area in southern Illinois, but it’s also home to some strange and unsettling occurrences. With its dense woods, hidden caves, and mysterious history, many believe that the forest is haunted. Some have reported seeing ghostly figures in the trees or hearing strange noises that can’t be explained.

Exploring the Shawnee National Forest is an adventure in itself, and it may just lead you to some eerie encounters with the otherworldly.

Ready to Explore Illinois' Haunted Side?

Illinois is full of haunted locations, each with its own unique story and eerie atmosphere. Whether you’re looking to explore the tragic history of Resurrection Mary or brave the haunting at the Two Brothers Roundhouse, there’s something for every ghost hunter. Book your next haunted adventure and see if you can make contact with the spirits that still roam Illinois’ most haunted places.

Explore ghost tours in Illinois today!

Bachelor's Grove: The Most Haunted Cemetery in Chicago

Fri, 20 Dec 2024 18:04:21 GMT

This chapter is reprinted with permission from the book Voices From The Chicago Grave: They're Calling. Will You Answer? by Scott Markus

Simply put, Bachelor's Grove Cemetery is one of the most haunted cemeteries in the entire world. The number of officially reported hauntings is in the triple digits, while unreported sightings are far more numerous.

For starters, on the Midlothian Turnpike just outside of the cemetery and on the path to the cemetery, people have observed phantom cars. Much like at White Cemetery, the cars are described as being large black luxury sedans, usually identified as being from the 1940s or before.

Most of these sightings began around the 1960s when the cemetery became isolated. The Midlothian Turnpike used to meet up with the front gates of the cemetery, but the road had to be moved when plans called for its widening. The old part of the turnpike was left untouched. Now it is used only for foot traffic into the cemetery.

More importantly, as far as hauntings are concerned, the cemetery became more secluded due to the road change. Rather than being a place of quiet mourning, Bachelor's Grove Cemetery became a constant victim of vandalism and, for the past 30 years, the site of satanic worship. Much of the ritual takes place within the questionable foundation of a house. More on that later.

In addition to these changes, the path to Bachelor's Grove Cemetery became something of a lover's lane. This is the reason Bachelor's Grove has sometimes been linked to the urban legend of "The Bloody Hook," which is based on the Texarkana Lovers Lane killings.

The history of Bachelor's Grove Cemetery is about as colorful as the mountain of hauntings that continue on this single acre of wooded land all year, day and night. The number of spirits and types of activity witnessed at the cemetery continues to grow, and nearly all of them have interesting stories behind them.

For example, at one point before the land was used as a cemetery, it was a farmer's field. One day while tilling the land, the farmer's horse inexplicably bolted into the murky pond, which now stands between the cemetery and the new turnpike. The weight of the metal plow pulled the horse and the farmer to the bottom, where they both drowned. The plow horse and farmer continue to visit the site of their demise. They were first seen by baffled police officers who saw an ethereal farmer and horse running down the four-lane road outside of the cemetery in the late 1970s.

During the 1920s and '30s, while Chicago was ruled by Al Capone , that same pond was used as a dumping ground for illegal firearms and victims of Mafia hits. This is often linked to reports of phantom men wearing 1920s and '30s-era suits.

Crystal Warren, a Midlothian resident who frequents the cemetery in search of ghosts and a good scare, remembers that upon entering the cemetery one day she felt as if someone was behind her. Looking back, she saw two men. Startled and scared, she ran through the cemetery, around the small pond, and across the street, where she looked back to see the two men standing at the guardrail along the Midlothian Turnpike. According to Crystal, the men were wearing clothing that fit the time period of the 1920s. Without prior knowledge of the stories of the pond, Crystal even compared the men she saw to gangsters.

This is particularly interesting since Crystal didn't know the history of the site, making her story become more believable because she wasn't just embellishing stories she may have already heard.

Crystal often visits the cemetery with Holly Smith, another Midlothian resident. They come to this place to tell ghost stories and "freak themselves out." Though usually, the only ghosts they encounter are the ones in their tall tales, sometimes they get more than they bargained for. On one occasion while entering the cemetery alone, a young, pig-tailed girl in an old-fashioned pink dress confronted Crystal. Crystal stopped dead in her tracks with her eyes wide open and fixed on the phantom. The apparition smiled at her and sent Crystal running into the cemetery for safety.

Crystal, Holly, and other friends witnessed another event. They entered the cemetery near dusk and took a seat just to the right of the front entrance. They sat in a circle and told ghost stories for hours. Nothing out of the ordinary happened until they verbally stated that it was late and it was time to leave. As this was said, a strand of barbed wire, near to where they were sitting, which had been hanging lifelessly from atop the gate, suddenly flew straight up in the air. At the time this happened, there was nothing around it that could have caused such a commotion. Maybe there were eavesdroppers in on the conversation who felt like contributing another ghost story of their own.

Another apparition, and the one that is least easily explained, is the sighting of a two-headed man again in the area of the pond. Few attempts have been made to even try to explain this phenomenon.

However, Dale Kaczmarek, President of Chicago's Ghost Research Society, has made the speculation that "Perhaps this apparition is actually the ghost of the farmer and his horse in a state of perpetual materialization."

Adam R. Rotsch visited the cemetery in the late 1990s with friends. He was startled to see what appeared to be a disfigured man walking over the pond. In his description of the man he saw, Adam alluded to the man having a large bulge of some sort protruding from his shoulder. This appears to be similar to the sightings of the two-headed man. The only real difference was the interpretation of what the second lump was. While some assumed it was another head, Adam merely thought the man had a hunchback.

Adam had no prior knowledge of the stories of the two-headed man and was very hesitant to think that that is what he had seen.

White Cemetery is similar to Bachelor's Grove Cemetery in that there are disappearing cars patrolling the road outside of it. The two cemeteries are also similar in another very unique way: They each have a vanishing house.

Many people have observed the house since at least the mid-1960s. All claim it to be a two-story Victorian house with a porch swing and a light shining from the inside. The light coming from the house even illuminates the surrounding woods. The house seems to move around a lot, as it is never seen in the exact location every time. It has been seen within the cemetery, just outside the cemetery gates, along the path, and even floating over the pond. When the house is seen floating over the pond, it is most visible from the Midlothian Turnpike by passing motorists, who often aren't aware that the house isn't supposed to be there. Those who have seen it are unable to approach it because it gets smaller as the person walks closer until it finally disappears.

The most mysterious aspect of the vanishing house is that there is no record of there ever having been a building on this land. However, just a few hundred yards from the cemetery sits the foundation of a structure. This is where much of the satanic activity takes place.

We're still not done with this small site yet. In addition, there are at least three types of ghost lights that reside in the area. One is a blue orb frequently seen floating about the cemetery throughout the 1970s and '80s. Currently, flashing white balls and red streaks above the path towards the cemetery can be observed.

On the same night that Adam may have encountered the two-headed man, it was also a particularly active night for ghost lights. He said that red lights were flashing throughout the cemetery in a way that it looked like they were "dancing" with the green light periodically given off by fireflies.

Probably the most famous phantom of Bachelor's Grove Cemetery is the Madonna of Bachelor's Grove (sometimes called Mrs. Rogers). This is a woman in white who wanders around the cemetery while holding her infant baby in her arms. Some believe that the best time to see the Madonna of Bachelor's Grove is on nights of a full moon.

Though not regularly occurring, one of the most seldomly-reported phantoms is a man in a suit who gives off a modest yellow glow. Someone first saw the man while they were spending the night in the cemetery as part of an experiment.

Pete Crapia, who also organizes the Grove Restoration Project at Bachelorsgrove.com, can vouch for the validity of this tale. While taking a photograph, Pete saw something yellow out of the corner of his eye. Looking at the developed picture revealed a yellow blur. Though Pete never actually saw the shape of a man, he can attest to an energy source of some sort that gives off a yellow glow.

Apparitions don't just happen within the cemetery. The wooded pathway away from civilization and into the dark unknown is also the site of disappearing men wearing black overcoats. While some of these visions can be attributed to actual cultists, a case is easily made regarding those who disappear in front of surprised witnesses.

In addition, phantom dogs have been known to patrol the area near the beginning of the path all the way to the cemetery entrance. Bob Jensen of the Ghostland Society and an active debunker of haunted sites was one such witness who had no knowledge of the phantom animals until he encountered one in the path near the cemetery entrance. He was completely taken by their piercing eyes.

Amateur ghost photographers might want to start at Bachelor's Grove Cemetery. It is said that if one goes through a full roll of film in the cemetery and the surrounding woods, the chance of capturing an anomaly is greater than the chance of not.

Everything from strange mists and floating orbs to full human figures has been captured on photographs. Other sounds and voices have also been recorded on audiotape including a voice calling out to the deceased of the cemetery by name.

Mari Huff of the Ghost Research Society captured the most famous paranormal photograph ever taken at the cemetery. Her random infrared panoramic picture of the cemetery, when developed, showed a woman clearly sitting upon a gravestone. To see this picture, visit GRS.com.

Also noted are the common characteristics of cold spots, but at this special location, even they are taken to extremes. Measurements from within the cold spots, or sometimes within certain rings of gravestones, show temperature dips ranging from 25 to 48 degrees Fahrenheit during warm weather (warm weather being defined as temperatures of 60 degrees Fahrenheit or higher).

The first trip I made to the cemetery happened in the summer of 1999 with Jeff Lord, Jason Jacobs, and myself for the video documentary Voices from the Grave. No paranormal activity was noted other than a cold spot experienced by Jason. Pictures that he took of the area showed no anomalies. However, those pictures would become very important later.

The most curious thing we found was just outside of the cemetery fence. There, in the woods, was a camouflage blanket, a shovel, some sort of carving tool, a bottle used for huffing drugs, and an animal skull of either a deer or a large dog. Though we can't say for sure there had been a satanic ritual performed there, signs would point to 'yes.' Perhaps the answer to that question comes from a Midlothian native who told us, "If you ever come here at night…well, just don't."

A second trip was quickly planned for a few months later with a small group of people. Sometimes it is good to go out with a group because some people may be able to pick up on things that others can't. Conversely, large groups are never a good idea, because there can be just too much personality getting in the way of making paranormal contact. One person jumping to a conclusion can also accidentally influence people to think that they see something as well. Soon there is mass hysteria over nothing at all happening.

So, we made our way south of Chicago again. Finding the cemetery this time would prove to be much easier than the first time. The Rubio Woods Forest Preserve sits directly across the street from the cemetery, but still, the entrance to the cemetery is barely visible as it is covered by trees. The best way to find it is to look across the street from the Rubio Woods parking lot for a chain in front of a path with a sign suggesting "closed" hanging from it.

That is the path to the cemetery. Walking around the chain that serves little purpose, and continuing down the path, the old Midlothian Turnpike is barely visible under foot due to the overgrowth of weeds. Continuing down the path for about 200 yards into the woods, eventually a chain link fence and then grave stones become discernible to the right.

The gates to the cemetery have been broken open. Chains had been attached to the gates to keep them closed, but then tears were made in the fence for use as another entrance.

Stepping inside the cemetery it is obvious that the past half-century has not treated the cemetery well. Several bodies were removed and placed in different cemeteries after the cemetery started its downward spiral, but other bodies reportedly have been removed since by perpetrators of a pointless crime.

Gravestones have been stolen, while some have turned up in backyards at nearby houses. Countless others have been unearthed and thrown into the murky pond. Of the estimated 100 people still buried there, only a little more than a dozen of those are still represented by grave markers. Of those, 100% have been vandalized to some extent.

Visiting Bachelor’s Grove is a surreal experience due entirely to its reputation. It is sadly too easy to overlook that part of Chicago's history is buried here and is being insulted by repeated acts by vandals. One of those buried here actually worked on the construction of Chicago's famous Water Tower.

By sunset of our second outing, the action started. What was first seen was a bank of fog that began to develop. Considering that we were near a pond, this would make sense, but the fog was in the opposite end of the cemetery away from the pond. It was near the front entrance, just outside of the gates. Something else that was curious was that out of the eight people that were there only seven people could see the fog. I was the one who could not.

Not too long after, several people claimed that they saw a person walking near the area where the pond was. Only about half of the group was able to see this, which means either only half of the people were capable of seeing it, or half of the people were fooling themselves into believing that they were seeing something. Again, I did not see anything.

The next hour or so of that night went by without much activity until I suggested to the group that we take one last walk around the perimeter of the cemetery before leaving. On this walk, Dianne Markus, who was alone, walking behind the group, had the small finger on her right hand squeezed by an unseen hand. She didn't mention anything at the time but told me the following day.

After our little walk, Adam (the same Adam who had seen the red ghost lights on a previous trip) and I walked down the center of the cemetery. It was there that I saw what appeared to be a face illuminated in the leaves of a distant tree near the pond. I handed the camera to Adam as my blood began to run cold.

After looking at what I had pointed out, Adam panned to his right, looking into the woods. "There's eyes," was all he could say.

He handed me the camera, and I could immediately see what he was referring to. It appeared to be two sets of glowing eyes looking out at us from the woods, about 12 feet above the ground. They were not visible to the naked eye, but rather through the lens of an infrared video camera.

We headed back towards the entrance of the cemetery, where Adam requested that I take a video of a nearby tree. It was at that tree that Adam had experienced strange feelings in the past, and it was at that tree where Jason felt a cold spot on our previous trip. During the filming of the tree, nothing appeared out of the ordinary, but later, upon playback of the footage, the outline of a boy wearing shoes and black shorts is plainly visible. When comparing the footage to the pictures of the tree that Jason took, it is apparent that there is no object or strange coloring of the tree that could give it such an appearance.

In addition to photographs with orbs in them, other interesting things were found after the fact. The most exciting was finding more sets of eyes. While we first saw the glowing eyes at night through an infrared video camera, the same eyes were photographed during the day in a different part of the cemetery. On both occasions, the unaided eye could not see the sets of eyes. When comparing the two times we caught the eyes on tape or film, it is apparent that the eyes are the same based on size, the distance between the eyes, and between the sets of eyes.

A particularly interesting thing happened when we first arrived. I advised everyone to spread out and look around the entire area. Dianne went off with Jamie Lemm. At one point they thought they felt a cold spot, so they started walking back to tell me about it. At the time I was standing next to Dave LaPorta, who took a picture of them. Upon development of the film, a large mist is seen floating in the air in the area where they thought they felt the cold spot.

Since our first visits in 2000, a number of massive trees have fallen into the cemetery, crushing the surrounding fences and making it impossible to lock the cemetery. However, the forest preserve and the local police keep an eye on the land, regularly chasing away visitors in an attempt to protect what’s left of the cemetery. A visit in the summer of 2008 revealed a welcome sight. Several of the graves had flowers placed on them. The most visited grave at the cemetery, a grave at the Fulton monument that simply states “Infant Daughter,” was covered with toys. The small trinkets serve as gifts to commemorate the young, lost girl.

The damage to the cemetery cannot be undone; however, it seems that the visitors are shifting from vandals and cultists to more respectful ghost hunters and historians. Perhaps this will be enough to help the spirits at this cemetery find peace.

Unveiling the Shadows: The Legendary Vampires of New Orleans

Fri, 20 Dec 2024 17:21:00 GMT

New Orleans, with its hauntingly beautiful streets, historic architecture, and rich cultural tapestry, has long been a beacon for tales of the supernatural. Among its most captivating legends are those of vampires, immortal beings who have allegedly roamed the French Quarter and beyond for centuries. The mystique surrounding New Orleans vampires intertwines myth and reality, making the Crescent City a haven for enthusiasts of Gothic lore and paranormal intrigue.

This blog delves into the fascinating history, enduring legends, and modern allure of vampires in New Orleans, exploring why these creatures of the night continue to captivate imaginations.

A City Shaped by Mystery and Legend

New Orleans’ unique culture is the perfect breeding ground for vampire lore. Its blend of French, Spanish, African, and Caribbean influences, paired with a dark and mysterious history, creates an atmosphere ripe for tales of the supernatural. New Orleans and vampires are forever linked, thanks to its Gothic architecture, mist-shrouded streets, and vibrant storytelling traditions.

The city’s storied past includes shadowy figures like the John and Wayne Carter vampires, infamous names whispered in hushed tones as part of the vampires in New Orleans history. The Carter brothers were alleged to have kept victims chained and drained of blood, a chilling tale that blurred the line between folklore and reality.

Vampires in New Orleans History

The history of New Orleans vampires is deeply rooted in the city’s folklore. During the 18th and 19th centuries, the port city was a hub for trade and immigration, bringing with it tales from Europe and the Caribbean. Many of these stories centered on supernatural beings, and New Orleans’ shadowy streets seemed like a natural habitat for vampires to thrive.

One of the most famous legends is tied to the French Quarter vampire, where visitors often hear about the haunting tales surrounding historic landmarks like the LaLaurie Mansion. Nearby, vampires in Louisiana are said to have congregated in secret societies, shrouded in mystery. Today, these legends are kept alive through ghost tours and books that delve into New Orleans vampire stories, blending historical accounts with imaginative fiction.

Real Vampires in New Orleans?

The question, “Are there vampires in New Orleans?” has intrigued believers and skeptics alike. Modern tales suggest a vibrant vampire society in New Orleans, with underground communities claiming to embody the spirit of these immortal beings. While their existence may not involve literal immortality, many members adopt the lifestyle and aesthetic of vampires, adding to the city’s allure.

Some claim to have seen “real vampires in New Orleans” attending secret gatherings or lurking in shadowy corners of the French Quarter. These individuals, often self-proclaimed vampires, feed into the myths while drawing visitors from around the world to explore the legends in New Orleans for themselves.

Vampires in Popular Culture

The image of the New Orleans vampire has been immortalized in popular culture, particularly through Anne Rice’s “The Vampire Chronicles.” Her novels, starting with Interview with the Vampire , solidified New Orleans as the quintessential vampire city. Rice’s evocative descriptions of the city’s streets, cemeteries, and mansions brought a modern twist to the New Orleans mythology surrounding vampires.

Beyond literature, television shows like The Originals and movies set in the city have further cemented the connection between New Orleans and vampires, drawing legions of fans to visit the Crescent City in search of their favorite haunts.

Vampire Stories and Myths of the French Quarter

The New Orleans French Quarter vampire legend is central to the city’s supernatural reputation. Tales of nocturnal predators lurking in the French Quarter date back to its earliest days. Stories like the John and Wayne Carter vampires are retold on tours, with guides recounting eerie encounters and unsolved mysteries. The Carters’ story, in particular, paints a chilling picture of bodies drained of blood in New Orleans.

The vampire stories in New Orleans often include elements of truth blended with fiction, making them all the more captivating. Walking tours through the French Quarter highlight these tales, bringing visitors face-to-face with the chilling yet fascinating lore of New Orleans vampire history.

The Undying Allure of New Orleans Myths

New Orleans's legends, from voodoo priestesses to the undead, contribute to its reputation as one of the most haunted cities in the world. New Orleans myths, like vampires, thrive because they tap into the city’s sense of mystery and the human fascination with the unknown. Visitors often come for the architecture and cuisine, but they stay for the stories.

The Crescent City’s New Orleans folklore serves as a living reminder of its past, where fact and fiction merge seamlessly. The New Orleans vampire history is not just a tale of immortal beings but also a reflection of the city’s ability to reinvent itself while staying true to its roots.

Modern-Day Vampire Enthusiasts

The fascination with vampires of New Orleans has spawned a thriving tourism industry, with vampire-themed shops, bars, and events catering to enthusiasts. Modern-day vampire fans often visit the city to participate in themed experiences, from vampire masquerades to candlelit tours of the New Orleans myths and legends.

Even those skeptical of the supernatural can’t help but be drawn into the Gothic charm of New Orleans. The city’s ability to weave together elements of New Orleans vampire stories, history, and culture ensures its legends endure.

Exploring the Vampires of New Orleans

If you’re intrigued by the tales of vampires in New Orleans, the best way to explore them is by walking the very streets where the legends began. The New Orleans French Quarter Ghost Walk provides an immersive experience, taking you through centuries of history and myth. Visitors can uncover the history of New Orleans vampires while soaking in the haunting beauty of its streets and landmarks.

Whether you’re a die-hard fan of vampire lore or just curious about the city’s darker side, New Orleans offers a unique glimpse into a world where the line between reality and legend is delightfully blurred. Check out our New Orleans Ghost Tour on Google to see their experience with us!

The Most Haunted Places in California: Ghosts, Legends, and Hauntings

Sun, 01 Dec 2024 18:47:45 GMT

California is known for its sunny weather, sandy beaches, and iconic landmarks, but hidden beneath the Golden State's glimmering surface is a darker, more eerie side. From haunted mansions to ghost towns and even historic prisons, California is home to some of the most haunted locations in the United States. Whether you're a seasoned paranormal investigator or just curious about the supernatural, these locations will send chills down your spine.

1. The Whaley House – San Diego

The Whaley House, located in Old Town San Diego, is often considered the most haunted house in America. It was built on the site of a former gallows where public executions took place. Paranormal activity here includes ghostly apparitions of the Whaley family, including Thomas Whaley himself, who built the home in 1857. Visitors often report hearing footsteps, strange noises, and feeling a heavy presence.

2. Black Diamond Mines – Antioch

Once a bustling coal mining town, the Black Diamond Mines is now a ghostly reminder of California's industrial past. Located in Antioch, the site is home to numerous spirits, including that of a miner who reportedly died in a tragic explosion. Today, the ghostly sounds of pickaxes and cries can still be heard, echoing through the old tunnels.

3. The Hotel del Coronado – San Diego

The Hotel del Coronado is a beautiful seaside resort, but its history is anything but peaceful. One of the most famous ghosts here is Kate Morgan, a woman who tragically died in 1892 under mysterious circumstances. Guests have reported seeing her ghostly figure in the hotel’s corridors and on the beach.

4. Camp Pendleton Area 41 – Oceanside

Known for its military history, Camp Pendleton in Oceanside has an eerie reputation. The infamous Area 41 is believed to house the spirits of soldiers who perished during battles in the area. Ghost sightings and unexplained phenomena are common, especially in the restricted parts of the base.

5. Bodie Ghost Town – Mono County

Once a thriving gold mining town, Bodie is now a preserved ghost town where time stands still. The town was abandoned in the early 20th century, but its haunted legacy remains. Locals and visitors report hearing voices, footsteps, and even seeing figures in the windows of deserted buildings.

6. The Haunting of the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel

Hollywood’s most iconic hotel, the Roosevelt, has been home to many ghostly encounters. Marilyn Monroe, who once stayed here, is rumored to haunt her old suite. Many guests have reported seeing her ghostly image in mirrors and the halls. Montgomery Clift, another former guest, is also said to appear in his old room. Guests often hear him playing his trumpet or pacing the hallway. Read more about the Roosevelt Hotel .

7. The Ghost of Angels Flight

Angels Flight, the world's shortest railway, offers more than just a scenic view—it’s home to a haunting past. The railway opened in 1901 and became a popular mode of transportation for many decades. However, the tragic death of a passenger in 2001 has led many to believe that the funicular is haunted. Visitors often hear ghostly sounds and claim to feel a chill near the station. Read more about The Ghost of Angles Flight .

8. The Winchester Mystery House – San Jose

Built by Sarah Winchester, the widow of the inventor of the rifle, the Winchester Mystery House is an architectural oddity. Known for its maze-like design with staircases that lead to nowhere and doors that open into walls, the house is believed to have been designed to appease spirits. Visitors report hearing strange noises, seeing mysterious figures, and even feeling the touch of unseen hands.

9. The Haunted History of the Golden Gopher

The Golden Gopher, a historic bar in downtown Los Angeles, was once owned by Teddy Roosevelt himself. Its dark, atmospheric interior is home to more than just regular patrons. The ghosts of past owners and workers haunt the establishment, and reports of ghostly laughter, whispers, and cold drafts abound. Read more about The Golden Gopher .

10. The Biltmore Hotel – Los Angeles

The Biltmore Hotel, an iconic landmark in downtown LA, has been the site of numerous ghost stories. From unexplainable knocks on the door to figures roaming the halls, it’s clear that the spirits of old Hollywood still linger. One of the most famous hauntings is that of Elizabeth Short, better known as The Black Dahlia, whose murder remains unsolved. Read more about The Biltmore Hotel .

11. The Formosa Cafe – West Hollywood

Once a favorite haunt of old Hollywood stars, the Formosa Cafe is steeped in history—and spirits. Located in West Hollywood, this famous café has witnessed countless celebrity encounters and tragic events. The ghosts of stars, gangsters, and former patrons are said to still roam the café. Some believe the ghosts of famed gangster Mickey Cohen and others continue to haunt the establishment. Read more about The Formosa Cafe .

12. The Haunted Hollywood Sign

Located in the Hollywood Hills, the iconic Hollywood sign may be famous for its glamorous association with Tinseltown, but it also holds a tragic history. The most notable ghost is that of Peg Entwistle, an actress who tragically took her life in 1932 by jumping from the sign. Some believe her restless spirit still haunts the hillside. Read more about the sign .

13. The Ghosts of Musso & Frank Grill on Hollywood Boulevard

Musso & Frank Grill, Hollywood's oldest restaurant, opened in 1919 and is known for serving many famous celebrities throughout the years. With its rich history comes a series of hauntings. Guests have reported hearing voices, seeing objects move on their own, and catching glimpses of spectral figures. The restaurant’s charm isn’t just in its food—it's in its spirits. Read more about Musso and Frank .

14. The Haunting of Alcatraz Island

Alcatraz Island, home to the notorious former prison, is one of the most haunted places in California. Ghosts of former inmates, as well as guards and workers who perished on the island, are said to haunt the abandoned prison. Tourists have heard unexplained footsteps, voices, and the eerie clanking of chains in the empty corridors.

15. The Haunted Queen Mary – Long Beach

Once a luxurious cruise liner, the Queen Mary now resides in Long Beach as a hotel and museum. The ship is widely regarded as one of the most haunted places in California. Visitors report hearing mysterious sounds, feeling cold spots, and seeing ghostly figures wandering the halls. The ship’s dark past includes a number of deaths, adding to its paranormal activity.

16. The Vineyard House – Napa

In the heart of Napa Valley, the Vineyard House is known for its historic charm and ghostly residents. Built in the 1800s, it’s said that the spirits of former residents linger, including a woman in a white gown. The paranormal activity here includes sightings of the apparition, unexplained noises, and doors that open and close by themselves.

Ready to Explore California’s Haunted Side?

Are you ready to discover the secrets of California’s most haunted places? Whether you're looking for eerie stories, paranormal activity, or a thrilling adventure, California is the place to be.

To experience these ghostly sites firsthand, consider joining one of our California Ghost Tours . Our expert guides will take you to the most haunted locations, sharing chilling tales of the paranormal along the way. From haunted hotels to eerie lighthouses, we’ll help you uncover the supernatural side of California—if you dare!

Investigating The Oman House

Fri, 29 Nov 2024 08:48:05 GMT

Paranormal Investigations at The Oman House in Los Angeles

Working in the paranormal world I had always heard of the Oman House, but I had never had the opportunity to go myself. So when my boss called and asked me if I wanted to go and help out with an investigation there I jumped at the chance. I am so glad I did. It was by far the clearest example of paranormal activity I have ever experienced in my life.

In 2002 David Oman built his house on Cielo drive, 200 feet from where one of the most famous, and most tragic incidents occurred in Hollywood: The Manson Murders. On the night of August 8th 1969 actress Sharon Tate, who was 8 months pregnant, was hosting some friends of hers at her home on Cielo drive. In attendance were Jay Sebring, Wojciech Fryowski, and Abigail Folger. Sharon’s husband, Roman Polanski, was out of town. Under order from cult leader Charles Manson, four members of the Mason Family arrived at the house, first killing 18 year old Steven Parent in his car as he was on his way out the driveway. He had been visiting the estate’s caretaker. Then they brutally murdered everyone inside. Since then the restless spirits of the victims have roamed Cielo drive.

The house where the murders happened has since been demolished, but there are still several homes on the quiet drive, including David's. During the construction of the house the workers would complain of ghostly footsteps, cold spots, something touching the back of their necks, etc. David has experienced countless paranormal phenomena, everything from objects flying across the room, to disembodied voices, to unexplainable anomalies. He even woke up one night to see the spirit of Jay Sebring at the foot of his bed, pointing in the direction where the Tate house used to be.

Obviously I couldn’t wait to see if I would experience any of this for myself. I truly believe I was haunted even before I set foot in the house. I left my Hollywood apartment and drove in the direction of Beverly Hills, eventually pulling out my phone to get the GPS going. Except it wouldn’t work. The internet wouldn’t work at all. So I was just winging it, which caused me to miss the turn on to Benedict Canyon not once, but twice. Poor David was calling me trying to find out where I was and give me directions. Eventually I made it there and we had some laughs about it. But my phone started working again as soon as I left.

Once I arrived we started off with a tour of the house. While in the laundry room on the second floor the light in the hallway dimmed and returned to its previous brightness. No one admitted to having hit the switch, so we noted the time and watched it back on the camera. Sure enough, no one had touched the switch. Now my curiosity was really piqued. We continued the tour down to the bottom level which David stated seemed to receive the most activity. Our EMF readers and REM pods were going off here and there, but nothing too crazy. We held a seance, but nothing really happened. Later in the night though the activity really started to pick up. One of the fellow investigators brought a paranormal music box. This piece of equipment has a sensor on the front and when something passes through the sensor the music will play. The box had casually been sitting on the bar all night. We were hanging around in the room and the box started to play. No one was even near it. From there we focused our attention to the area in front of the music box. We put the thermal camera on the spot in front of the box and sure enough a spot showed up that shouldn’t be there. There was no reason for that area to show up as a different temperature, but it did. This continued on for a while. Eventually the music box was joined by the lights going on and off on their own. No one was near the switch, and everyone in the house was in the same room. Who or whatever was there was surely making its presence known.

While I was there I also experienced an unexplainable cold breeze coming at me, dizziness on the stairwell, and a brief but intense feeling of nausea upon entering the downstairs room. David compared this to what happened to Barry Taft and truly, I’m only honored.

Since then I have been able to visit the Oman House another time, and had another very interesting experience. In the downstairs guest room some of the guests had been feeling a lot of energy and mentioned differences in temperature. When the room was empty, save for my friend and I, I moved the thermal camera around the room. There was a large hot spot in the corner of the room up near the ceiling. It was later confirmed by David that there were no pipes or anything in the roof there that could have been causing the temperature change. All sorts of strange noises and odd visual anomalies came from that room that night.

I was already a believer before coming into David’s house, but if I hadn’t been, it would have made a believer out of me. I have also never experienced the type of activity and so much at one time as I have those nights at the Oman House. David has installed over 30 cameras around the house, which makes this location ideal for investigators. You don’t have to wonder if you saw or heard something, you can go back and check. It isn’t just one type of activity at the Oman House, you’ll get all kinds. The amount of paranormal professionals who have seen it for themselves can’t be denied and the experience has been so intense for some of them that they refuse to go back. How he continues to live there I don’t know, but I’ll always be up for an investigation at the Oman House!

To join us on an investigation, click here to check out the latest dates and book your ticket to investigate the most mysterious home on Cielo Drive, The Oman House.

You can also see Cassie in action as well as other American Ghost Walks crew and footage from David Oman's house on Tubi's Famously Haunted Hollywood. Watch for free right here!

Waukesha Ghost Tour Pub Crawl

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 22:20:05 GMT

�� Unearth the supernatural side of Waukesha's historic taverns!

Step into a world where history meets mystery on our exclusive three-hour haunted pub crawl through downtown Waukesha. This uniquely crafted experience blends spine-tingling paranormal investigation with the warm ambiance of historic Wisconsin taverns.

Your Supernatural Adventure Includes:

VIP access to 2-3 of Waukesha's most haunted pubs
Exclusive entry to off-limits areas normally closed to the public
45 minutes at each location for:
Professional-guided paranormal investigations
Chilling tales of supernatural encounters
Time to enjoy your favorite spirits (the liquid kind!)
Fascinating historical commentary between venues

What Makes This Tour Special:

As you walk the historic streets between venues, our expert guides will weave tales of Waukesha's rich past, connecting the supernatural experiences of today with the city's colorful history. Each carefully selected pub holds its own collection of unexplained phenomena, witnessed by staff and patrons alike.

Whether you're a skeptic, believer, history buff, or simply looking for an extraordinary afternoon, this tour offers a perfect blend of socializing and supernatural exploration. Come discover why these establishments continue to attract visitors from both this world and the next.

The August 16th, 2025 tour will meet at Bosco's Social Club (260 W Main St, Waukesha, WI 53186)

The Top Haunted Places & Legends in Puerto Rico

Mon, 18 Nov 2024 18:57:22 GMT

Puerto Rico is a tropical paradise, known for its stunning beaches, vibrant culture, and rich history. However, beneath the sunny exterior lies a world of eerie legends, ghostly apparitions, and unexplained phenomena that have haunted the island for centuries. From ancient forts to abandoned hotels, the supernatural side of Puerto Rico is as captivating as it is chilling. Keep reading to learn about some of the most haunted places in San Juan, Puerto Rico, urban legends, and paranormal stories that offer a glimpse into the island's supernatural folklore.

1. Castillo San Felipe del Morro: The Fortress of Lost Souls

One of the most iconic landmarks in Puerto Rico, Castillo San Felipe del Morro, also known simply as El Morro, is a historic fort that dates back to the 16th century. Originally built by the Spanish to protect the city from pirates and invaders, El Morro has withstood centuries of attacks, storms, and time. However, it also holds a darker reputation as one of the island’s most haunted sites.

The fort is said to be home to several restless spirits. One of the most famous paranormal stories is that of a woman in white who roams the fortress’ walls at night. According to local legend, she is the ghost of a woman who lost her lover during a sea battle, and she now haunts the fort, wandering in search of him. Visitors to El Morro have reported hearing faint whispers, feeling cold spots, and seeing shadows dart across the stone walls.

Other ghostly sightings include the specter of a Spanish soldier who is often seen pacing the fort’s ramparts, possibly a lost soul from the many who perished in the battles that took place there. Witnesses have also reported hearing disembodied footsteps, the sound of metal clanking, and strange, unexplainable noises echoing through the fort at night. Whether these tales are rooted in reality or are simply the product of the fort’s eerie atmosphere, El Morro remains one of Puerto Rico’s most haunted places.

2. The Normandie Hotel: A Haunted Haven for Spirits

The Normandie Hotel is another landmark in San Juan that is not only a symbol of the island's history but also a notorious hotspot for paranormal activity. Located along the waterfront, this once-luxurious hotel was opened in the 1940s and quickly became a favorite of high society. However, its opulent charm took a dark turn after the hotel fell into disrepair, and its reputation shifted from glamorous to ghostly.

The most famous ghost story tied to the Normandie Hotel is that of a woman in a white dress who is said to haunt the hotel's grand lobby. According to legend, she was a woman who checked into the hotel with her fiancé but tragically died under mysterious circumstances before their wedding. It is believed that her spirit still roams the hotel, searching for her lost love. Visitors have reported seeing the ghostly figure of a woman in a flowing white dress walking through the lobby or disappearing into the shadows.

Guests have also reported hearing strange noises, such as the sound of doors opening and closing by themselves, and the eerie sensation of being watched in certain rooms. Some claim to have seen flickering lights or experienced inexplicable temperature drops, and there are rumors that the hotel’s once-elegant rooms are home to restless spirits from its past. Whether it’s the ghostly bride or other entities, the Normandie Hotel’s haunted history continues to intrigue both visitors and paranormal investigators alike.

3. Guajataca Tunnel: The Mysterious Passageway

If you're looking for a truly spooky experience, a visit to the Guajataca Tunnel is a must. Located on the northwestern coast of Puerto Rico, the Guajataca Tunnel is part of a former railroad system that was abandoned after a massive landslide in the 1950s. The tunnel itself is dark, narrow, and surrounded by lush forest, making it the perfect setting for a ghost story.

Local legends claim that the tunnel is haunted by the spirits of workers who died during the construction of the railroad. These workers are said to have perished in a tragic accident, and now their restless souls are trapped in the tunnel, forever wandering its dark corridors. Visitors who have dared to venture inside report feeling an eerie chill and hearing strange sounds echoing through the tunnel, including ghostly voices, footsteps, and even the sound of chains dragging on the ground.

One of the most chilling stories involves a ghostly apparition of a worker in uniform who is said to appear at the tunnel’s entrance. According to some accounts, the ghost will approach visitors and attempt to communicate, only to vanish without a trace. Whether it’s the lingering energy of the workers or the unexplained phenomena, the Guajataca Tunnel remains one of Puerto Rico’s most chilling haunted sites.

4. El Teatro Tapia: The Ghostly Theater of San Juan

For lovers of the theater and the paranormal, El Teatro Tapia is a must-visit destination. Located in the heart of Old San Juan, this historic theater has been the setting for countless performances since its opening in 1832. However, it is also home to a ghostly presence that has lingered for over a century.

The most well-known haunting at El Teatro Tapia is that of a female apparition who is said to haunt the theater’s upper balconies. Witnesses describe her as a woman dressed in 19th-century clothing, often seen seated in the balcony during performances, though no one can confirm her identity. Some say she was a former actress who tragically died in a theater accident, while others believe she is the spirit of a woman who attended the theater regularly and died under mysterious circumstances. Whatever her origin, her presence is felt by those who work or visit the theater, and some employees claim to have seen her silhouette during rehearsals or heard the sound of her footsteps in empty halls.

There are also reports of cold spots, flickering lights, and the distinct feeling of being watched. For those with a keen sense of the paranormal, El Teatro Tapia offers a glimpse into the island’s supernatural history, as well as an eerie atmosphere that has haunted the theater for generations.

5. La Princesa Prison: The Ghosts of the Forgotten

For those intrigued by the darker side of Puerto Rico’s history, La Princesa Prison in Old San Juan is a must-see. Originally built in the 19th century, the prison housed political prisoners, criminals, and even victims of the island’s many revolutions. Today, it serves as a museum, but its violent history has left behind a trail of paranormal activity.

Many believe that the spirits of the prison's former inhabitants continue to haunt the building. Ghostly apparitions of prisoners in shackles are often seen wandering the halls, and the sounds of chains clanking or ghostly whispers are frequently reported by visitors. One of the most chilling stories is that of a spirit known as "La Llorona," a wailing woman who is said to roam the prison’s grounds, mourning the loss of her children.

Whether it’s the tragic tales of imprisonment or the violent past that fuels the hauntings, La Princesa Prison remains one of the most haunted locations in San Juan, with a dark energy that lingers in its walls.

6. Chupacabras: The Beast that Haunts the Night

In addition to the haunted buildings and sites around San Juan, Puerto Rico is also home to one of the most infamous cryptids in Latin American folklore—the Chupacabra. The Chupacabra, whose name means "goat-sucker" in Spanish, is said to be a creature that preys on livestock, particularly goats, draining their blood and leaving behind strange marks on their bodies.

Though the Chupacabra’s origins are debated, it gained widespread attention in the 1990s when reports of mysterious animal deaths began circulating across Puerto Rico. Witnesses describe the creature as a hairless reptilian beast, often with glowing red eyes, or sometimes as a vampiric creature resembling a large dog. The Chupacabra has been blamed for numerous animal deaths, particularly in rural areas, and its legend has since spread to other parts of Latin America and even the United States.

While many dismiss the Chupacabra as a myth, there are those who believe the creature still lurks in the shadows of Puerto Rico’s countryside. Some claim to have seen the creature in the forests near San Juan, while others insist that the island’s eerie occurrences are linked to the beast’s bloodthirsty presence. Whether you believe in the Chupacabra or not, the legend of the creature has become an essential part of Puerto Rico's supernatural lore.

Join the San Juan Nighttime Ghost Walk: Unveil the Island's Haunted Secrets

Puerto Rico’s rich history, intertwined with stories of conquest, rebellion, and tragedy, has given rise to some of the most haunted places in the Caribbean. From the spectral soldiers of Castillo San Felipe del Morro to the restless spirits in La Princesa Prison, these locations offer a glimpse into the island’s supernatural folklore. Add to that the chilling tales of the Chupacabra, and Puerto Rico emerges as a destination where the boundaries between history, myth, and the paranormal blur together.

Ready to explore Puerto Rico's spooky side firsthand? Join the San Juan Nighttime Ghost Walk, a guided ghost tour through the heart of Old San Juan, where you'll uncover the chilling tales and dark history that shape the island's paranormal legacy. Walk through haunted streets, visit eerie landmarks like Castillo San Felipe del Morro, and hear the eerie legends of spirits, cryptids, and mysterious disappearances.

Whether you’re a skeptic or a believer, this ghost tour offers a thrilling journey into the supernatural side of Puerto Rico. Step into the past, and experience the island’s haunting history with stories of restless souls, shadowy figures, and ghostly encounters. You can check out our San Juan ghost tour reviews on Google to see what others are saying.

Click here to reserve your spot to discover the spooky secrets that lie hidden in the shadows of San Juan, if you dare.

Discover the Haunted History of Chicago with The Original Chicago Hauntings Companion

Mon, 18 Nov 2024 18:21:43 GMT

If you're fascinated by the supernatural side of Chicago, prepare to dive into a spine-chilling exploration of the city's most haunted locales. The Original Chicago Hauntings Companion by Ursula Bielski takes readers on an eerie journey through Chicago’s most infamous ghostly sites, unraveling the city’s dark past, historical landmarks, and the spirits said to still linger there. This newly released book is a perfect partner for Bielski’s renowned Chicago ghost tours and offers a vivid, richly detailed companion for anyone seeking to experience Chicago's haunted history firsthand.

A Tour Through Chicago’s Dark History

Ursula Bielski, a respected Chicago historian and founder of Chicago Hauntings, has dedicated years to uncovering the ghostly tales hidden in the Windy City. Her book captures stories from notorious locations such as Lincoln Park, where unmarked graves and restless spirits from the city’s early days refuse to be forgotten, and the Hancock Center, infamous for its tragic and often unexplained deaths.

This book doesn’t just recount ghost stories—it dives into the history that shaped them. Readers are introduced to the tragic tale of the Fort Dearborn Massacre, where early Chicago settlers faced a brutal end, and the ghosts that many claim still haunt the city’s south end. The Companion brings out the voices of these past tragedies, transforming Chicago’s streets into a living, haunted map of memories.

Highlights of The Original Chicago Hauntings Companion

1. Ghosts of Lincoln Park: The area now known as Lincoln Park was once Chicago’s City Cemetery, and many buried there were never removed. Bielski’s account of this haunted park reveals the unsettling discovery of remains during renovations and construction. Locals and visitors alike report ghostly sightings, a chilling reminder of the area’s former use.

2. The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre Site: No Chicago ghost book would be complete without mentioning this tragic piece of history. The book revisits one of the most violent days in Chicago’s Prohibition era, delving into the reported hauntings that followed the gangland murders orchestrated by Al Capone.

3. The Hancock Center - "Satan’s Skyscraper": Known for its distinct trapezoidal shape, the Hancock Center has seen numerous mysterious deaths and suicides since its completion. Bielski explores whether this architectural marvel carries a curse and investigates the haunted reputation that has gripped the building’s upper floors.

4. Resurrection Mary: One of Chicago’s most famous ghost stories, Resurrection Mary is said to haunt Archer Avenue and Resurrection Cemetery. This section of the book explores numerous sightings of the spirit of a young woman, dressed in white, who mysteriously vanishes when people try to offer her a ride home.

5. The Devil Baby of Hull House: Bielski recounts the story of Hull House’s famous “Devil Baby,” a local legend of a deformed infant born in the early 1900s. Sightings and mysterious sounds have kept this tale alive, with Hull House’s haunted reputation drawing visitors and paranormal investigators for generations.

Why This Book Is a Must-Read

Whether you’re a Chicago native, a history buff, or a paranormal enthusiast, The Original Chicago Hauntings Companion offers a compelling blend of historical facts and ghostly lore. Through Bielski’s captivating storytelling and expert research, the book brings Chicago’s haunted past to life. Her accounts are thorough, fascinating, and often chilling, making this book a page-turner for anyone interested in the supernatural side of history.

Each story in the book is also a testament to the city’s resilience. While Chicago is known for its architectural beauty and rich history, it’s the lesser-known, eerie tales of these iconic places that make the city’s history so memorable. The Original Chicago Hauntings Companion doesn’t just document these stories; it invites readers to imagine the lives—and afterlives—of Chicago’s past residents.

About Ursula Bielski

Ready to Explore Chicago’s Haunted Side?

Milwaukee Krampusnacht Ghost Bus Tour

Tue, 29 Oct 2024 17:23:04 GMT

What To Expect

Soon after the great man's death the elevators began acting strangely. Instead of returning to the ground floor, they began arriving daily on the third floor or the fourth floor without being called. Elevators aren’t supposed to do that! It was as if they were transporting an unseen passenger to a habitual destination. Many strange encounters ensued.

One day a mother and daughter were riding the elevator up to the 6th floor to meet a curator in that normally off-limits work area. All seemed normal until the eyes of the 5-year old daughter widened. She turned to her mother and asked, “Who’s that man?” Nobody else was riding with them as far as she could see, but she couldn't help but notice an abrupt temperature drop. Thankfully, the strange tension was broken quickly when the doors opened on the 4th floor. No one was waiting to get on, but perhaps someone was getting off as they felt a cold breeze rush past. Upon meeting with the curator, the little girl's mother discovered they had most likely just encountered the ghost of Milwaukee Public Museum's former director, whose office was once located on the 4th floor.

Expect to see downtown in a whole new light as you hear its spooky stories in this 45-minute driving tour. Learn why the Pfister Hotel is as notorious with Major League Baseball players as it is with paranormal investigators, why your eyes might be drawn upward when visiting City Hall, which local bar contains both Cold War artifacts and ghosts, and the identity of the specter who might be sitting next to you at the Pabst Theater, among other strange tales.

Check-out Availability

Highlights (en-US)

New stops for 2025!
Take a moment to appreciate the majesty of downtown's grand old buildings.
Marvel at the nighttime adventures of the ghost of Milwaukee's Indiana Jones.
Glimpse Milwaukee’s most famous haunted location and get an update about who it's haunting lately.
Uncover the haunted hi-jinks taking place at Milwaukee's most unique bar.

Meeting Spot

At Krampusnacht, near the alley between Best Place and The Barley Room at Eleven25 at 1125 N. 9th Street

Important Info (en-US)

Metered street parking is available.
The duration of each tour will be approximately an hour with the warmth of a 14-passenger mini-bus.
Because this is a limited capacity tour, all sales are final.
Service animals are welcome but for liability issues, otherwise please leave your furry friends at home.

The Haunted LaLaurie Mansion: New Orleans' Darkest Secrets

Mon, 21 Oct 2024 22:31:19 GMT

When it comes to haunted places in New Orleans, the LaLaurie Mansion is at the top of the list. The stately house, with its iron-laced balconies and elegant facade, hides a much darker past beneath its beautiful exterior. Over the years, it has become one of the most infamous sites in the city, drawing both history buffs and ghost enthusiasts alike. But what is it about this mansion that has left such a deep mark on New Orleans?

Interesting Facts about the mansion:

Built in 1831, this Royal Street mansion stands three stories tall in the heart of the French Quarter
Location: 1140 Royal Street in New Orleans' French Quarter
Nicolas Cage owned the property from 2007 to 2009 before losing it to foreclosure
The mansion has survived multiple fires, including the infamous 1834 blaze that exposed its dark secrets
Frequently ranked as one of the most haunted houses in the U.S.
Today, it's considered one of the most expensive private residences in the French Quarter, valued at over $2 million

The Story Behind the Mansion

The LaLaurie Mansion was built in 1832 by Dr. Louis LaLaurie and his wife, Delphine MacCarthy LaLaurie. Madame LaLaurie was well known in New Orleans society, often hosting lavish parties and entertaining guests from all walks of life. On the surface, the LaLaurie family seemed the picture of Southern gentility and refinement.

But rumors began to swirl about what was really happening inside the house. Neighbors claimed to hear strange noises at all hours, and visitors reported feeling uneasy when they stepped inside. Whispers of abuse began to spread, but it wasn’t until a tragic event in 1834 that the true horrors of the mansion came to light.

The Fire That Uncovered a Nightmare

On April 10, 1834, a fire broke out in the mansion's kitchen. As locals rushed to the scene to help, they were met with a horrific discovery. According to witnesses, the fire had been started by an enslaved woman chained to the stove, trying to end her life to escape the torment she endured at the hands of the LaLauries.

When rescuers forced their way into the attic, they found an appalling sight: several enslaved people, horribly mutilated and chained, some of whom had been kept in torturous conditions for years. The discovery shocked the entire city, and a mob soon formed, ransacking the mansion and driving the LaLauries out of New Orleans.

Delphine LaLaurie fled the city, reportedly escaping to Paris, where she lived the rest of her life in exile. But her legacy of cruelty left an indelible stain on the city. The mansion, now empty, quickly gained a reputation for being haunted.

The Haunting of LaLaurie Mansion

Ever since the fire in 1834, stories of paranormal activity have surrounded the mansion. Visitors and residents have reported strange noises, disembodied voices, and sightings of ghostly figures. Some claim to hear the screams of the enslaved victims, while others report seeing Madame LaLaurie herself, wandering the halls of her old home.

The mansion has changed ownership several times, and despite its grisly history, people are still drawn to it. Even famed actor Nicolas Cage owned the property for a brief time, although he never lived there. Today, the mansion remains privately owned and is closed to the public, but its haunted reputation continues to attract curious onlookers.

Can You Visit the LaLaurie Mansion?

While you can’t step inside the mansion, you can still experience its eerie presence from the outside. Located in the heart of the French Quarter, the mansion is a popular stop on ghost tours and historical walks. It serves as a chilling reminder of the darker side of New Orleans' history, a place where unimaginable cruelty once thrived behind closed doors.

If you're interested in learning more about Madame LaLaurie and other haunted locations in the French Quarter, consider booking a spot on the New Orleans French Quarter Ghost Walk . This tour delves into the twisted history of the French Quarter, including a deep dive into the life of Madame Delphine MacCarthy LaLaurie, who went from a respected socialite to one of the most notorious figures in New Orleans history. Along the way, you’ll visit other haunted spots, hear spine-chilling stories, and get a true sense of just how many secrets this city holds.

7 Creepiest Urban Legends and Ghost Stories from Hawaii

Mon, 21 Oct 2024 22:30:07 GMT

Hawaii's natural beauty and welcoming spirit are undeniable, but there's a spooky side to the islands that locals know all too well. Ghost stories and urban legends have been passed down for generations, giving the Aloha State a rich folklore of supernatural events. Whether it’s haunted highways or restless spirits, Hawaii has plenty to offer those fascinated by the paranormal.

Quick Facts About Hawaii's Supernatural Side:

Ancient Hawaiians built special paths called "spirit roads" that were only to be used by spirits and priests
Hawaii's first documented ghost story dates back to 1825
The banyan trees in Hawaii are often considered gateways between the spirit world and ours
Many Hawaiian families still practice the tradition of "blessing" new buildings to ward off negative spirits
Hawaii's state capitol building was built with large open-air entrances to allow spirits to pass through freely

1. The Night Marchers (Huaka’i Pō)

The Night Marchers are arguably the most famous ghostly tale in Hawaii. According to legend, they are the spirits of ancient Hawaiian warriors who march at night, particularly during the new moon. Carrying torches and beating drums, they retrace the paths they once traveled in life. Encounters with them are said to be deadly unless you lie face down on the ground as a sign of respect. Witnesses claim to hear their footsteps, smell sulfur in the air, and see flickering lights in remote areas, especially near old battle sites.

2. The Green Lady of Wahiawa

Oahu’s Wahiawa Botanical Garden is home to the Green Lady, one of Hawaii's most chilling urban legends. Covered in green moss and seaweed, this ghostly figure is said to be a mother searching for her lost child, whom she reportedly lost in the garden many years ago. Locals claim to have seen her wandering the pathways of the garden or lurking near schools in the area. Children who walk through the garden alone often report feeling watched, as if the Green Lady is silently following them, her presence marked by an eerie silence.

3. The Faceless Woman of Waikīkī

In the heart of Waikīkī, where tourists flock to enjoy the sun and sand, there’s a more unsettling figure who haunts the night. The Faceless Woman is said to appear in mirrors, elevators, and sometimes even on the beach itself. Described as a woman with no facial features, she reportedly materializes out of nowhere, startling those who cross her path. One story tells of a hotel guest who saw the Faceless Woman in her bathroom mirror, only to turn around and find no one there. This eerie urban legend has left its mark on one of the busiest tourist spots in Hawaii.

4. Pele’s Curse

The legend of Pele’s Curse warns visitors never to take lava rocks, sand, or other natural elements from the Hawaiian Islands. Pele, the goddess of fire and volcanoes, is said to be protective of the land, and taking pieces of it with you invites her wrath. Over the years, countless tourists have mailed back rocks to Hawaii, claiming they were cursed with bad luck after taking them as souvenirs. Everything from failed marriages to accidents and financial ruin has been attributed to this curse, making it one of Hawaii’s most widely known and feared legends.

5. Morgan’s Corner

Morgan’s Corner on Oahu’s Old Pali Road is notorious for being one of the most haunted locations in Hawaii. The area is tied to several grim stories, including a murder and a suicide. Over the years, visitors have reported unsettling experiences like hearing disembodied voices, seeing ghostly figures, and feeling unexplained cold touches while passing through. Drivers in the area claim their cars often malfunction—doors lock and unlock on their own, and engines fail without warning—heightening the eerie atmosphere of this already spooky location.

6. The Ghosts of the USS Arizona

Pearl Harbor is a site of immense historical importance, and it’s also believed to be haunted by the spirits of those who perished during the attack in 1941. The USS Arizona, which still lies at the bottom of the harbor, is said to be home to many restless souls. Visitors and workers at the memorial have reported seeing ghostly figures standing on the deck of the sunken ship or hearing voices and footsteps, even though the area is empty. Some believe these are the spirits of sailors who never left their posts.

7. The Menehune

Though not ghosts in the traditional sense, the Menehune are a race of small, mysterious people who are said to live in the forests and mountains of Hawaii. According to legend, they are master builders who work only at night, constructing fishponds, temples, and roads in a single evening. While not necessarily malevolent, it’s said that if you catch a Menehune in the act of building, they will disappear forever. Some people believe that the Menehune are responsible for ancient, unexplained structures found throughout the islands.

Take a Haunted Tour Through Hawaii's Ghostly Legends

If you’re intrigued by Hawaii’s eerie tales, why not explore them firsthand? Take part in a haunted tour in Hawaii with American Ghost Walks to uncover even more of the islands’ haunted history. You’ll get to dive deeper into stories like the Night Marchers and the Green Lady, as well as discover new legends that continue to spook locals and visitors alike. Whether you’re a believer in the paranormal or just enjoy a good scare, Hawaii's haunted tours offer a unique way to see the islands from a whole new perspective.

Horror Movie Recommendations from Ghost Hunters!

Wed, 09 Oct 2024 17:14:41 GMT

The Real Paranormal Inspiration Behind Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

Wed, 09 Oct 2024 16:45:47 GMT

Indiana Jones

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny brought the whip-toting, fedora-wearing, artifact-hunting Hollywood hero back to the big screen for the first time since 2008. But did you know that the movie's storyline is inspired by a real-life ancient artifact?

Writer/director George Lucas loved both science fiction and adventure serials of the 1930s and 40s and in the early 70s came up with two concepts that would eventually become some of cinema’s most beloved franchises. One became Star Wars, the series of films that would make him a billionaire, and the other was Indiana Smith (later changing the surname to Jones). He came up with the idea even before Star Wars had come out and once he had a big hit and some Hollywood clout, he persuaded his friend Steven Spielberg who had some mega-successes himself, with Jaws and Close Encounters of The Third Kind , to direct the homage to the kind of action-packed cliffhanger films that they both enjoyed in their youths.

While it was director Phillip Kaufman (the 1978 Invasion of the Body Snatchers) working with George Lucas who brought the supernatural to the story by suggesting that Indy race the Nazis for possession of the Ark of the Covenant from the Biblical Old Testament, each Indiana Jones film has dealt with the paranormal in its own way. Temple of Doom had a priest of the Indian goddess of death, Kali, be able to magically rip hearts out of human sacrifices. The Last Crusade had Indy and his father racing the Nazis once again to find the Holy Grail, Jesus’ cup at the Last Supper, which might bestow eternal life on one who drinks from it. The previous film in the series, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull saw Indiana Jones taking on the Soviets to channel secret powers from ancient extradimensional beings (not extraterrestrials, they pointed out!) in a lost South American city. The paranormal has featured in every installment that has some basis in real historical legend. The latest film, The Dial of Destiny, is no different.

The Antikythera Mechanism was discovered in 1901 by a group of sponge divers who were exploring the wreckage of an ancient Greek shipwreck off the coast of the Greek island of Antikythera. The mechanism was found in a wooden box that contained other artifacts, including statues and pottery. At the time, the significance of the mechanism was not fully understood, and it was thought to be just another piece of ancient Greek technology.

In the late 1950s, Derek de Solla Price became fascinated with the Antikythera Mechanism and dedicated years of his life to researching it. He studied the device obsessively and eventually became convinced that it was actually an archaic computer.

A complex system of gears, it worked like a complicated watch. It was wound forward and backward by a knob on its side, and instead of telling time, it was used to describe the movements of the sun, moon, and five known planets. Winding the knob would engage a series of gears, which in turn would spin a minimum of seven different hands, each moving at a separate pace. There was a hand for the Sun, another for the Moon, a third for Mercury, a fourth for Venus, a fifth for Mars, a sixth for Jupiter, and a seventh for Saturn. The mechanism also included two dials on the back of the case. One was a calendar of lunar and solar eclipses, while the other showed the timing for important athletic events like the Olympics.

Price's findings were eventually published in 1974 in a paper titled "Gears from the Greeks," where he detailed his theory that each gear represented the movement of a different heavenly body. By calculating the mathematical relationship between the toothed gear wheels, he was able to deduce the astronomical cycles they embodied.

Price thought his paper would upset the applecart. It was a “prochronism”, which means an impossible piece of technology for the time period it came from. It wasn’t until the mechanical clock was developed in the 14th century that a similar level of complexity was achieved. That’s over a millennia and a half since the mechanism was created.

So de Solla Price’s work fell on mostly deaf ears. Scholars weren’t interested in overturning centuries of established technological history and Greek scholars were more interested in philosophy than astronomy.

But one man wasn’t reluctant and his name was Erich von Däniken.

Von Däniken's book Chariots of the Gods? from 1968 is the most famous of the works that suggested the theory of ancient aliens visiting prehistoric humanity. Indeed, he often appears on the program that bears that theory’s name, with the wild-coifed Giorgio A. Tsoukalos.

Erich von Däniken's best-selling books look for proof for the idea that aliens brought advanced technology to Earth to help with the building of the Egyptian pyramids and the creation of the Nazca Lines in Peru. He suggests that the Antikythera Mechanism, which he said was built in 82 BC, was way more complex than anything else at the time and there’s no evidence of anything like it existing beforehand.

As von Däniken says, more importantly than knowing how it works, “It would be more interesting to find out who built the first model of this machine, this small-scale planetarium!” Technology like this would take generations to develop and there were many Greek artifacts in museums, so why hadn’t we seen anything like it before? This was one of his “gifts from the gods”.

Now, the Dial of Destiny in the latest Indiana Jones movie is a fictional artifact that has the power to find “fissures in time”. Unique to this film, since there’s so much footage of Harrison Ford shot through the years, they can use that plus modern CGI effects to realistically portray Indiana Jones at different decades of his life, without resorting to the de-aging effects used famously on Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino in The Irishman to make two other septugenarians look younger in some scenes.

So as Indy has to battle a former Nazi now working for NASA (something the US Government really did with Operation Paperclip to help beat the Soviets to the Moon) to find the Archimedes Dial, which is an ancient computer much like the Antikythera Mechanism. But instead of just astronomical predictions, it can find cracks in the fabric of time, where the Nazi wants to go to change history (and Indiana Jones has to stop him of course.)

Both of the devices have similar builds, are separated into parts (much like the corroded Antikythera Mechanism broke apart after it was discovered), and there’s even a Greek shipwreck involved.

Once again, Lucas, Spielberg, and company use a real-life inspiration to ground the supernatural elements with a sense of actual history, befitting the tale of an old archaeologist called out of retirement to take on the supernatural (and the Third Reich) one more time.

Even better, the United States premiere of the film took place on June 14th at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, and that’s where we start our Hollywood Boulevard Ghost Walk , nightly at 7pm. If you love movies and supernatural stories, much like the Indiana Jones stories combined classic serials with real-world paranormal influences, then you’ll love this stroll down the world’s most famous street.

The Chinnery Backseat Driver

Wed, 09 Oct 2024 16:31:46 GMT

Still Controversial

In 2004, the Sci Fi channel released a reality TV show that would forever change the field of psychical research. The show was "Ghost Hunters." I won’t lie; I was excited about this new show. I thought, “Finally, a TV show that’s going to properly show what many of us have been doing for years."

But then something happened that would turn me off from the show. They used terms I’ve never heard before. Take "matrixing’" for example.

According to the show, matrixing is when the human mind makes familiar patterns out of light and shadow. I came up in the field and I know this as pareidolia.

The second term was "the holy grail." This, of course, refers to being lucky enough to catch the image of an apparition on film.

Please, don’t think I’m being snobbish, I just believe that words matter. Especially in the field of psychical research.

A Match Made In Heaven

Photography and ghost hunting was an immediate match made in heaven. Well, at least some people thought so. Since the early days of the spiritualism movement ghosts and photography just seemed to go together. Most of these so-called spirit photos were certainly fakes. And they threatened to throw psychical research into the garbage heap of history. If these photos were all fake then it would only stand to reason that all ghost photos were fake.

Now hold on a second, let’s not be too eager to throw the baby out with the bath water just yet.

There are a large number of photographs that do appear to show something legitimately anomalous taking by pure accident.

Not by professional photographers, or even a hoaxer trying to make a buck or gain some notoriety. A perfect example of this is the image of a ghost sitting in the backseat of a car.

The photo has been called "The Chinnery Backseat Driver,” and it’s had one hell of an interesting ride for 60 years.

Visiting Mother

In March 1959 in Ipswich, Suffolk, Mrs. Mable Chinnery and her husband made their yearly pilgrimage to the grave of Mable's mother to pay their respects. There really isn’t much information on the location of the cemetery--just that it was a British churchyard. When they arrived, Mr. Chinnery stayed in the car as his wife went to the grave of her mother. Mable had just gotten a new camera, and she was eager to take pictures of the gravestone.

The Accidental Snapshot

After taking several photos, Mrs. Chinnery saw that she had one picture left. So, she pointed the camera at her husband in the car and took the picture. And then it was time to go.

When they got the film developed, Mr. and Mrs. Chinnery made a spine-chilling discovery. Sitting in the backseat of the car was the clear image of a person. When Mrs. Chinnery inspected the photograph more closely, she immediately broke down in tears.

Mr. Chinnery went to comfort his wife, and he took a look at the photo and saw the mysterious passenger. After Mable regained her composure, she said she had no doubt the mysterious figure was none other than her mother.

The snapshot proved to the Chinnerys that a piece of us must still exist after the death of the body.

A Heavily Scrutinized Photo

The moment the "Chinnery Backseat Driver Photo" was released to the public, it was immediately scrutinised by sceptics. These sceptics suggested that whatever was in the photo wasn’t a ghost, but rather the mind making familiar patterns out of light and shadow. The photo has since gone through rigorous tests by professional photo analysts. All have come to a controversial conclusion. According to the experts, the figure in the photo is not a reflection or a double exposure.

These photography pros are understandably reluctant to call the image a ghost. However, everything points to it being just that: a ghost--and possibly that of Mable Chinnery’s mother.

As a paranormal researcher and investigator I am loathe to present any evidence as rock solid proof. Especially pertaining to ghost photos.

Is the image sitting in the backseat of the car a ghost? Maybe. Is it Mrs. Chinnery’s dead mother? I can’t say with any certainty.

I leave it to you, the reader, to draw your own conclusions about this famous photo.

Rick Hale is a deputy editor for Spooky Isles ( www.spookyisles.com ) and a frequent contributor to Mary Sutherland's LEGENDS Magazine and Paranormal Underground Magazine. Rick has has been researching the paranormal for decades and is an American correspondent for the European Paranormal Activity Society.

The Haunting of the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel

Tue, 08 Oct 2024 13:54:56 GMT

Hollywood is known for its glitz, glamor, and stardom, but beneath the bright lights and red carpets lies a darker side. In the heart of Hollywood stands the iconic Roosevelt Hotel, a luxurious landmark that has hosted some of the biggest names in entertainment since 1927. While its grand hallways have seen countless famous faces, they’ve also reportedly played host to an entirely different kind of guest—restless spirits.

With its rich history, it’s no surprise that the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel is considered one of the most haunted places in Los Angeles. From ghostly sightings to strange phenomena, visitors and staff alike have experienced unsettling encounters over the years. So, what is it that makes this hotel a magnet for the paranormal?

Let’s dive into the eerie history and the ghost stories that continue to intrigue both skeptics and believers.

A Star-Studded Past

The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel is steeped in Old Hollywood history. It opened its doors in 1927 and quickly became a favorite among movie stars. The hotel’s Spanish Colonial architecture and lavish décor were the backdrop for some of the industry’s most glamorous parties. It was even the venue for the very first Academy Awards in 1929, which took place in the hotel's Blossom Ballroom.

Famous figures like Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe, and Montgomery Clift stayed at the Roosevelt, leaving their mark on the hotel’s legacy. However, it seems some may have never truly left. Several guests and staff members have reported encountering ghostly apparitions they believe to be connected to these Hollywood legends.

Marilyn Monroe’s Ghostly Reflection

Marilyn Monroe, the ultimate Hollywood icon, is said to be one of the hotel’s most famous spectral residents. During her rise to stardom, Monroe lived in the hotel for two years while her career was taking off. She frequently stayed in Suite 1200, and it’s in this room where her presence has reportedly lingered the longest.

Guests who stay in or visit the suite have shared chilling stories of encountering her spirit. The most common sightings are said to occur near a full-length mirror that once adorned the room. Visitors claim to have seen the reflection of a blonde woman who bears a striking resemblance to Monroe, only to turn around and find no one there.

The mirror has since been moved to the hotel’s lobby, but the stories continue. Some say they’ve glimpsed her ghostly image even in the crowded lobby, adding to the mystery surrounding her eternal connection to the hotel.

The Troubled Spirit of Montgomery Clift

Another famous ghost believed to haunt the Roosevelt Hotel is that of actor Montgomery Clift. Known for his roles in classic films like A Place in the Sun and From Here to Eternity , Clift resided in Room 928 for three months while filming the 1953 movie From Here to Eternity .

Clift was known to practice his trumpet in his hotel room, and to this day, guests who stay in Room 928 report hearing the eerie sound of a trumpet echoing through the walls. Others have claimed to feel a strange presence in the room, describing cold spots and an overwhelming sensation of being watched.

Some visitors have even said they’ve seen Clift’s apparition pacing the halls, seemingly rehearsing his lines as he did during his stay. Whether it’s his love for the craft or some unresolved energy, Montgomery Clift’s spirit appears to be deeply tied to the Roosevelt.

The Phantom Children in the Hallways

While Monroe and Clift may be the hotel’s most famous spectral residents, they aren’t the only spirits haunting the Roosevelt’s hallways. Some visitors have reported seeing ghostly figures of children playing in the corridors or hearing the sound of small footsteps running through the hotel.

One of the more chilling encounters involved a little girl in a blue dress, who has been seen by several guests. She’s often spotted in the hotel’s upper floors, where she is said to vanish around corners or disappear entirely as guests approach her. No one is quite sure who she is, but her presence has left a lasting impression on those who’ve encountered her.

Paranormal Hotspots in the Hotel

Aside from individual ghost sightings, certain areas of the Roosevelt seem to be paranormal hotspots. The Blossom Ballroom, where the first Academy Awards took place, is one such location. Guests and staff have reported strange occurrences here, from flickering lights to the sensation of an invisible hand brushing against them.

The pool area, too, is said to be a hub for ghostly activity. Some claim to have seen shadowy figures around the pool at night, while others report hearing splashing sounds when the area is completely empty.

The hotel’s elevators are another source of eerie tales. People have described feeling sudden chills or hearing whispers when they step inside, only to find themselves alone. Whether these experiences can be attributed to the spirits of Hollywood’s past or simply overactive imaginations, they continue to captivate those who visit.

Why Is the Hollywood Roosevelt So Haunted?

The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel’s long history and deep ties to Old Hollywood have likely contributed to its haunted reputation. With nearly a century of glamour, drama, and larger-than-life personalities passing through its doors, it’s no wonder that some of that energy may have lingered. The hotel’s connection to the stars of Hollywood’s Golden Age adds to the allure of its ghost stories, making it a must-visit for both history buffs and paranormal enthusiasts.

For some, the Roosevelt is simply a luxurious hotel steeped in Hollywood lore. For others, it’s a portal to a haunted past, where the spirits of Hollywood legends still roam the halls. Whether you believe in ghosts or not, the stories surrounding the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel offer a fascinating glimpse into the intersection of fame, history, and the supernatural.

Are You Ready for a Hollywood Ghost Experience?

If these tales have piqued your curiosity, why not experience the haunted side of Hollywood for yourself? From the iconic Roosevelt Hotel to other legendary locations, a Hollywood ghost tour offers the perfect way to explore the paranormal side of Tinseltown. Ready to book your Hollywood ghost adventure? Check out our tours here and prepare for a hauntingly good time!

The Haunting of the Palmer House Hotel

Tue, 08 Oct 2024 13:52:46 GMT

Nestled in the heart of central Minnesota, the haunted Palmer House Hotel stands as a testament to time, its walls echoing with over a century of history. This iconic establishment, one of the first outside of the Twin Cities to boast electricity, has become more than just a place to rest your head—it's a beacon for those drawn to the paranormal.

The Birth of a Legend

Built in 1901, the Palmer House Hotel and Restaurant has weathered storms both literal and figurative. After the original Sauk Centre hotel burned down, the determined owner, Ralph Palmer, rebuilt on the same spot. Little did he know that his creation would become infamous for reasons beyond its architectural beauty.

Ghostly Encounters and Eerie Experiences in the Haunted Palmer House Hotel

As you step into the lobby, the air feels thick with stories untold. The hotel's charm lies not just in its antique furnishings but in the spirits that allegedly call it home. Guests and staff alike have reported strange occurrences that defy explanation, from mysterious footsteps in empty hallways to objects moving of their own accord.

The Playful Spirits of the Children's Room

One of the most talked-about areas is the children's playroom. Located on the top floor, this space may be responsible for some of the more juvenile haunts. Visitors often report hearing the laughter and pitter-patter of children playing, even when no kids are present. Some believe the spirit of the owner's son, Carlisle, is to blame for these playful pranks.

The Lady in Period Dress

But it's not just childish spirits that roam these halls. A common complaint among guests involves encounters with a woman in period dress. She's been spotted in various locations throughout the hotel, most often in the pub or sitting quietly in a corner of the lobby. Staff members have reported having conversations with this lady, only to turn away and find she's vanished into thin air.

Dark History and Lingering Spirits

The hotel's dark history adds another layer to its ghostly reputation. Rumors persist that Raymond, a previous owner, essentially ran a top-floor brothel a century ago. Some believe his ghost haunts a room on the upper level, perhaps atoning for past misdeeds.

A Night to Remember

For those brave enough to spend the night, be prepared for an experience like no other. Guests have reported everything from unexplained cold spots to electronics turning on and off by themselves. One particularly eerie tale involves a snowman decoration that has been known to dance for guests, even when unplugged.

A Paranormal Hotspot

The Palmer House's reputation has made it a draw for paranormal enthusiasts, from serious investigators to casual fans of spooky haunts. The hotel doesn't shy away from its ghostly charm—in fact, it celebrates it. In 2021, the establishment marked its 120th birthday with a gathering that honored both its rich history and otherworldly occupants.

Embracing the Supernatural

Despite its haunted history, or perhaps because of it, the Palmer House remains a crown jewel of Sauk Centre. The current owner, Kelly Freese, embraces the hotel's unique character. "We always tell people these walls are trying to talk to you," she says. "You just have to listen."

Tales from the Guest Book

The hotel's guest register reads like a who's who of the paranormal world. Ghost hunters and mediums flock here, eager to communicate with the other side. But it's not just professionals who experience the unexplained. Everyday guests often leave with stories that defy logic, from shadowy figures at the foot of their bed to full-bodied apparitions in the hallway.

The Room of Sorrow

One particularly active area is believed to be the site of a tragic event. Legend has it that a woman simply disappeared from her room, never to be seen again. Guests staying in this room often report feeling an overwhelming sense of sadness or hearing soft, mournful cries in the night.

More Than Just Ghosts

The hotel's history isn't all dark, though. It's also closely tied to the legacy of Sinclair Lewis, the first American to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. Lewis worked at the hotel as a young man, and many believe his experiences here shaped his writing.

A Living Museum

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Palmer House offers more than just a brush with the supernatural. It's a beautifully preserved slice of Americana, offering guests a chance to step back in time. From the ornate woodwork to the vintage fixtures, every detail tells a story.

Plan Your Visit

For those considering a visit, be prepared for an unforgettable experience. Whether you're a skeptic or a believer, the Palmer House has a way of leaving its mark. As one recent guest put it, "You come for the history, but you leave questioning everything you thought you knew about the world."

So, if you find yourself in central Minnesota anytime soon, consider booking a Minneapolis ghost walk with us, where the Palmer House Hotel is part of the itinerary. Who knows? You might just have a conversation with a long-dead guest or witness a decoration come to life. One thing's for sure—you'll never look at hotels the same way again.

Remember, as you walk these hallowed halls, to keep an open mind. The next creak in the floorboard or whisper in the dark might just be the hotel's spectral residents, eager to share their stories with the living. Will you listen?

Milwaukee Paracon 2024

Tue, 08 Oct 2024 02:02:47 GMT

Get Ready for Milwaukee Paracon 2024: A Spooktacular Celebration of the Paranormal!

Are you ready to dive into the mysterious and supernatural side of Milwaukee ? Mark your calendars for October 19, 2024, because Milwaukee Paracon is coming to town, and it's going to be an otherworldly experience you won't want to miss!

The Best Part? It's Absolutely FREE!

That's right - admission to Milwaukee Paracon 2024 is completely free! However, to ensure we can accommodate everyone comfortably, registration is required. Don't miss out on this amazing opportunity to explore the paranormal without spending a dime!

��️ Register Now: Secure your spot at this free event by registering today!

Exclusive Offer: Paranormal Bingo for Early Birds!

Be one of the first 300 to register and receive a special Paranormal Bingo card! This isn't just any bingo - it's your chance to win incredible prizes donated by our fantastic vendors. Spot a ghost orb? Hear an EVP? Cross it off your card and get closer to winning some truly spectral swag!

Why You Can't Miss Milwaukee Paracon 2024

A Full Day of Paranormal Excitement: From 10 AM onwards, immerse yourself in fascinating talks, browse unique vendor booths, and connect with fellow paranormal enthusiasts - all for free!
Intriguing Speakers: Hear from experts like Jeff Finup on "The Capital City Slayings" and Kjersti Beth on "The Stone Tape Theory." Prepare to have your mind expanded at no cost!
Diverse Vendor Marketplace: Shop for everything from cryptid-themed embroidery to handmade runes, unique artwork, and paranormal investigation gear. With over 20 vendors, there's something for every taste and interest!
Perfect Location: Held at the historic Irish Cultural and Heritage Center in downtown Milwaukee, the venue itself adds an extra layer of atmosphere to the event.

Check out some pics of our 2023 conference, thanks to Troy Freund Photography!

What to Expect

• Engaging talks on local ghost stories, UFO sightings, and Wisconsin folklore

• A chance to meet and shop from talented artists and crafters specializing in the paranormal and mystical

• Opportunities to learn about paranormal investigation techniques

• A community of like-minded individuals passionate about the supernatural

• The thrilling Paranormal Bingo game with amazing prizes (for the first 300 registrants)

Don't Just Attend - Be Part of the Magic!

Want to take your Paracon experience to the next level? Click here to volunteer and become an integral part of this spooky spectacular!

Register Now for This Free Event!

Milwaukee Paracon 2024 is shaping up to be the must-attend event for anyone interested in the paranormal, urban legends, and the unexplained. Whether you're a seasoned ghost hunter or just curious about the mysterious side of Milwaukee, this event promises a day full of thrills, chills, and unforgettable experiences - all at no cost to you!

Remember: While the event is free, registration is required to attend. And don't forget - the first 300 registrants get the exclusive Paranormal Bingo card! Don't wait - mark your calendar, register today, spread the word, and get ready for a day that will awaken your senses to the supernatural world around us. See you at Milwaukee Paracon 2024!

#MilwaukeeParacon2024 #FreeParanormalEvent #RegisterNow #ParanormalBingo #Ghosthunting #MilwaukeeEvents

Check our Milwauke, WI ghost tour reviews on Google to see what others are saying.

Haunted Downtown Los Angeles 1947 - Virtual Tour

Tue, 01 Oct 2024 18:53:41 GMT

L.A. Noire was an incredibly detailed video game, released by the people who brought you Grand Theft Auto featuring an extremely realistic open world map of Los Angeles as it was in 1947. Our Los Angeles tour writer, Scott Markus decided to venture to several real-life haunted locations in the world of the video game and share some of The City of Angels' best ghost stories in this virtual tour of 1947 LA and its most haunted spots!

Here are the downtown Los Angeles locations featured in this video:

0:00 – Ghost Tour – AmericanGhostWalks.com

0:59 – Why 1947 LA?

3:37 – Elisa Lam & Cecil Hotel Pt 1

4:13 – Huge map of where we can travel

5:25 – The haunted house I lived in, in LA

6:10 – Pueblo De Los Angeles

8:42 – Avila Adobe in Olvera Street

11:34 – La Golondrina Cafe

13:12 – Pico House & the Chinese Massacre

16:36 – Union Station

17:32 – Moore Hill Pt 1

18:18 – Lizard People living under LA?

20:42 – Moore Hill Pt 2 – LA High School #9

23:13 – LA’s Biltmore Hotel & the Black Dahlia

26:18 – The Cecil Hotel

31:00 – Any requests?

31:30 – LA City Hall

The Haunting Legacy: The Ghosts of the Eastland Disaster

Tue, 03 Sep 2024 14:08:15 GMT

The Tragedy on the Chicago River

On July 24, 1915, the SS Eastland—a passenger steamer—capsized in the Chicago River, resulting in one of the deadliest maritime disasters in American history. The Eastland had been chartered to carry employees of the Western Electric Company and their families to a picnic in Michigan City, Indiana.

Over 2,500 passengers boarded the vessel, excited for a day of leisure. However, tragedy struck when the ship, docked and overloaded with passengers, began to list to one side. Within minutes, it tipped over completely, trapping hundreds of people inside its hull.

The ship had not even left the dock, and yet the toll was catastrophic: 844 men, women, and children lost their lives. The tragedy sent shockwaves throughout the nation, devastating families and the city of Chicago.

The Eastland Disaster became a dark chapter in Chicago’s history, yet it is less remembered today than other major disasters, like the sinking of the Titanic. However, those who study the city’s history know that the ghosts of the Eastland have never truly been laid to rest.

The Aftermath of the Disaster

The immediate aftermath of the disaster saw rescue efforts from firefighters, police, and civilians who rushed to save as many as they could. But for many, it was too late. Bodies were pulled from the river and placed in makeshift morgues, most notably at the Second Regiment Armory, which would later become the site of Harpo Studios, famously associated with Oprah Winfrey’s television show.

The entire city was plunged into mourning. Funerals took place en masse, with whole families being buried together. Legal inquiries ensued, questioning the ship’s design flaws and safety violations that had been overlooked in the rush to meet new maritime regulations. Yet, for all the legal battles and promises of reform, the emotional scars on the city of Chicago remained deep. In the shadow of this disaster, tales of hauntings and restless spirits began to emerge, becoming part of the Eastland's legacy.

Media’s Role in the Tragedy

The press played a significant role in both documenting and sensationalizing the Eastland Disaster. Newspapers were filled with haunting images of the capsized ship and rows of bodies, stirring public grief and anger. The graphic nature of the coverage brought national attention to the disaster, but it also contributed to the aura of tragedy and mystery that surrounds the event to this day.

Chicago's papers were rife with stories of lost loved ones and heroic rescues, but they also fueled the growing legends of paranormal activity surrounding the event. Reporters described eerie, inexplicable occurrences at the site of the tragedy, fueling speculation that the souls of the victims were still lingering near the river. Over time, these stories evolved into full-fledged ghost stories, passed down through generations of Chicagoans.

Survivor Stories

The survivor stories from the Eastland are harrowing and heart-wrenching. Many survivors spoke of the chaos and terror that unfolded as the ship capsized. Mothers clung to their children, fathers frantically searched for loved ones, and young couples found themselves separated in the rush of water and debris. For those lucky enough to escape, the memories of that day never faded.

One survivor, a young woman named Margaret, recalled the moment the ship began to tip. “We didn’t have time to react. The water was upon us, and suddenly, everything went black,” she remembered years later. Margaret had been one of the fortunate few who managed to escape through a broken window, pulled to safety by a stranger. Yet, she never forgot the faces of those she left behind, the ghosts that haunted her dreams long after that fateful day.

Many survivors carried the trauma with them for the rest of their lives. Their stories, passed down through generations, helped cement the Eastland’s place in Chicago’s haunted history.

In the years following the disaster, paranormal tales began to circulate about the Eastland. Many of these stories are tied to the locations where the dead were taken. Harpo Studios, once the site of the Second Regiment Armory, was rumored to be one of the most haunted places in Chicago. Staff members reported strange noises, ghostly apparitions, and unexplained occurrences during the years that the studio operated there. Employees frequently mentioned hearing the sounds of children laughing or crying—eerily reminiscent of the many young lives lost in the disaster.

Another haunted location is along the banks of the Chicago River itself. People walking near the site of the Eastland disaster have claimed to feel sudden drops in temperature or hear faint screams from the water. Ghost hunters have investigated the area, reporting unsettling findings—strange audio recordings, sudden equipment malfunctions, and unexplained cold spots.

Paranormal Tales and Haunted Locations

Paranormal Investigations

Over the years, numerous paranormal investigators have delved into the haunted legacy of the Eastland Disaster. Ghost tours in Chicago often include the site as part of their route, and investigators armed with EMF detectors, thermal cameras, and spirit boxes have attempted to communicate with the restless spirits said to inhabit the area.

Several paranormal teams have reported capturing EVPs (Electronic Voice Phenomena) at the site—distorted voices that seem to call out for help or whisper names. Others have captured eerie photos, showing shadowy figures or unexplained orbs of light. Some investigators believe that the sheer magnitude of the tragedy has left a permanent imprint on the city, with the energy of the event lingering long after the victims have passed on.

Why the Eastland Disaster Still Haunts Chicago

The Eastland Disaster continues to haunt Chicago, both figuratively and, according to some, literally. The magnitude of the tragedy, combined with the stories of hauntings, keeps the memory alive in the collective consciousness of the city. Chicago has faced many disasters, but the Eastland stands out not only for the lives lost but for the lasting sense of sorrow and mystery that surrounds it.

The ghosts of the Eastland serve as a reminder of the fragility of life and the devastating consequences of human error. But they also represent the enduring connection between the past and present, with the spirits of those lost continuing to whisper their stories to those willing to listen.

In the end, the legacy of the Eastland Disaster is more than just a historical footnote. It’s a story of life, death, and the haunting echoes of tragedy that still ripple through the heart of Chicago.

Exploring the Haunted Legacy of Chicago’s Eastland Disaster

Ready to explore the lingering echoes of Chicago's most tragic events? Join American Ghost Walks on the Original Chicago Hauntings Bus Tour to visit the very sites that still bear the scars of history, including the Eastland Disaster. Step into the shadows of the past, where restless spirits and forgotten stories await. Don’t just read about Chicago’s haunted history—experience it firsthand. Reserve your spot today and uncover the eerie truth behind the Eastland Disaster.

The Haunting of Shaker's Cigar Bar

Tue, 03 Sep 2024 14:06:38 GMT

It's a spooky tale of dismal disaster, as we dive into the spooktacular history of Shaker's Cigar Bar in Milwaukee, WI. This famed location offers many things including, cigars, fine spirits (literally) and a tale of a dark history that has followed this historical location since the 1800's.

Here are some of the experiences the locals who frequent Shaker's Cigar Bar have reported:

Disembodied voices are heard throughout the women's bathroom. The bathroom stall door opens randomly and for no reason at all by forces unseen.
Moving objects have been reported in the Penthouse and guests have sighted a woman's apparition.
Guests report and eery and uneasy feeling in the basement. The doors in the basement shake like an earthquake and without warning. It's also been reported that women have felt something "pull" their hair in the basement and an old safe moves about the floor.

History

Discover the Haunting Secrets of Milwaukee – Book Your Ghost Tour Today!

Ready to experience the chilling tales and eerie mysteries that haunt Milwaukee? Join American Ghost Walks for an unforgettable journey through the city’s most haunted locations. Whether you're a history buff, a paranormal enthusiast, or simply looking for a spine-tingling adventure, our guided ghost tours offer something for everyone. Don't miss your chance to explore the dark side of Milwaukee!

Book a Ghost Tour in Milwaukee, WI and step into the shadows—if you dare! Check our Milwaukee, WI ghost tour reviews on Google to see what others are saying. Ready for a haunting adventure?

American Ghost Walks t-shirts

mike@americanghostwalks.com (Mike Huberty) — Thu, 30 May 2024 15:31:55 GMT

American Ghost Walks T-Shirts

Thanks to the fine people at ooshirts.com for printing these comfortable and stylish American Ghost Walks t-shirts for our guides. We'll have them available for purchase at all our convention appearances upcoming in 2024. Make sure to check out ooshirts.com if you're looking to print your own t-shirts, because they have great customer service and the best prices around.

A Serial Killer in Madison, Wisconsin?

Tue, 21 May 2024 11:14:59 GMT

Between 1968 and 1984, the University of Wisconsin in Madison was the site of a series of brutal murders that left eight young women dead. The killer was never caught, and the crimes remain unsolved. Decades later, a few more murders that might not be the same killer, but rekindled the memories that had terrified the Wisconsin campus as well as much of the state in the late 1960s. Jeff Finup from Badgerland Legends and I explore these unsolved mysteries in an episode of Wisconsin Legends Podcast and you can think of this article as a primer.

The First Victim

Christine Rothschild was a Chicago fashion model who entered the university in 1967 after graduating with honors in Chicago, Illinois. On a dreary May evening in 1968, a male student discovered her body hidden behind some shrubbery outside of Sterling Hall, a mathematics building located on North Charter Street. She had been stabbed 14 times with and a piece of cloth was knotted around her neck. Her leather gloves had been placed in her mouth, apparently to prevent her from crying out.

While this shocked the campus, there was a broader crime wave in the 1960s, and the Chicago Tribune quickly tried to link Rothschild's death to the brutal and unsolved home invasion murder of the daughter of Illinois Senate candidate Chuck Percy to Christine Rothschild. Terrifyingly, there was a string of murders of young women in Southeastern Wisconsin that happened all within the same few months. And like Christine Rothschild, they also were never solved.

The Next Victims

Over the years, the bodies started piling up and police were baffled. While the original Capital City Killings traditionally ended in 1985, there were two more brutal Madison murders in the mid-2000s that baffled police as well.

Debra Bennett, 1976, 20. Her body had been set on fire and left in a ditch a few miles from Cross Plains. Unsolved.
Julie Ann Hall, 18, 1978. After being bludgeoned to death, her body was found buried near Waunakee. Unsolved.
Julie Speerschneider, 1979, 20. Missing for two years before her skeletal remains were discovered in the town of Dunn in 1981. Her case remains unsolved.
Shirley Stewart, 1980, 17. Found in a wooded area in the town of Westport in 1980, a year after she went missing. Her case remains unsolved.
Susan LeMahieu, 1980, 24. Found in the UW Arboretum in 1980. Her case remains unsolved.
Donna Mraz, 1982, 19. Stabbed to death near Camp Randall Stadium In 1982 while on her way home from her waitress Job at a State Street restaurant. Unsolved.
Janet Rasch, 1985, 20. Her body was found partially burnt in 1985 near a highway 100 miles north of Madison in a after being reported missing for over a month. In 2022, her death was ruled accidental.
Brittany Zimmerman, 2008, 21. A student at UW Madison, Brittany was killed in her apartment while on the phone with 911, who failed to call her back after she was disconnected. Her case was finally resolved in 2023.
Kelly Nolan, 2008, 22.: A student at UW Whitewater disappeared after a night out in Madison. Her body was found about a month later in a rural area of Dane County. Her murder remains unsolved.

Rothschild's Killer Escapes?

Before Christine Rothschild was murdered, she had confided in her best friend, Linda Tomaszewski Schulko, about feeling stalked by a man named Niels Bjorn Jorgensen, who often frequented the same Memorial reading room as Christine. Despite her efforts to avoid him, such as staying indoors and keeping her doors and windows locked, Christine was found dead within a week of expressing her fears.

Jorgensen, a medical researcher, was thought to have gained access to a scalpel, which could potentially be the murder weapon. He was seen cleaning a scalpel at the hospital where he worked, utilizing a method that would remove all blood and fingerprints. After Christine's murder, Jorgensen left town within 72 hours, abandoning all his possessions. Madison police even followed him to New York City to get him to take a polygraph test, but Jorgensen said wasn’t feeling well and would come into the station tomorrow. The Madison cops never saw him again and instead of pursuing, mysteriously decided to just go back.

Christine’s courageous friend, Linda, dedicated her life to unmasking the killer and alerted authorities to Jorgensen's whereabouts, particularly when he was close to universities. Despite her efforts, no one has been arrested for Christine's murder, and Jorgensen has since passed away. This is the focus of criminologist Michael Arntfield’s book, Mad City: The True Story of the Campus Murders That America Forgot

Connection to The Confession Killer

Infamous serial killer Henry Lee Lucas even had a connection to the murders of Julie Ann Hall, Susan LeMahieu, Julie Speerschneider, Debra Bennett, and Shirley Stewart. Lucas, who claimed responsibility for over 350 murders across the U.S., was interviewed by Dane County detectives in 1984. During these interviews, Lucas provided details about the crime scenes and victims that led investigators to believe he was involved in these cases.

Newspapers at the time noted that Lucas' accomplice, Ottis Toole, may have been traveling with Lucas at the time of these murders, and authorities planned to arrange an interview with him as well. Lucas was the inspiration for the 80s horror classic, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer , but Lucas later recanted his confessions to more than 600 murders including his involvement in any killings that took place in Madison.

Place-Specific Crimes

Place-specific crime is a concept in criminology that suggests violent offenders strategically and discriminately select specific cities, and even places within those cities, to commit and hide their crimes. This concept is relatively new and recognizes that violent criminals are more logistically oriented than previously thought. Based on this theory, certain physical environments not only carry some ritual or symbolic significance for the criminals but also provide them with opportunities to exploit police apathy and public disenfranchisement in those same locales.

For example, a polarized college campus might attract a certain type of criminal who can blend in with the student population, making it easier for them to find potential victims. Similarly, a city experiencing social unrest or major events may inadvertently create an environment where violent crimes can be committed and go unnoticed amidst the chaos. This concept of place-specific crime provides a deeper understanding of how and why certain areas can become hotspots for specific types of crime. The late 1960s and early 1970s in Madison, Wisconsin was a turbulent time in the capital city, with Vietnam War protests often exploding in violence and even one that turned deadly when protestors tried to blow up one of the campus buildings. These protests were immortalized in the documentary, The War At Home.

Christine Rothschild's murder was far enough away in time from the other killings, that often her case gets added in because it's unsolved and it was so sensational because it was picked up by the Chicago newspapers. If it really was Jorgensen, he didn't come back to Madison to murder the others. Authorities never had a reason to connect Rothschild's murder to the other killings and besides the officers trying to pin 4 of the murders on Henry Lee Lucas, there was no evidence this was the same person who was doing the killing. That's why the place-specific idea seems to be popular. With enough unrest, the city becomes attractive to predators to do bad things because the police have their hands full. And even when they didn't, it seems that the department in Madison at the time was ill-equipped to handle such a major crime.

A Problem With The Evidence

And one of the reasons for that could be sloppy evidence handling. In the 1980s, a catastrophic event occurred that would adversely affect these unsolved murder cases – a major purge of the evidence room at the Sheriff's Office. Due to overcrowding in the facility, there was a mass discard of evidence across a variety of cases, including these unsolved murders.

This evidence purge was not a minor event but one that led to the loss and destruction of key pieces of evidence integral to these unsolved cases. These pieces of evidence, which included items from crime scenes and potentially even DNA samples, could have been crucial in identifying the perpetrators of these horrific crimes.

The loss is particularly regrettable considering the advances in forensic science and technology that have occurred since the time these crimes were committed. Techniques such as DNA analysis, which were not as advanced or perhaps even non-existent at the time of the murders, could have been applied to this evidence to provide new leads or even solve these cases.

Crime Declines in the late 80s

The wave of murders of young women in the late 60s and early 70s eventually gave way to an overall high murder rate in the 80s, but what might have caused the decline by the time we reach the 90s? Research has indicated that two factors may have contributed significantly to the decrease in crime rates in the United States since the 1990s: the legalization of abortion and the reduction of lead exposure in children.

The legalization of abortion following the Roe v. Wade decision in 1973 led to a decline in the birth rate of unwanted children, who would have been more likely to grow up in environments conducive to criminal behavior. States with high abortion rates in the 1970s and early 1980s saw a drop in crime of approximately 30% relative to low-abortion states since 1985. That was the basis of a 2001 paper by John J. Donohue and Steven Levitt (the man behind Freakonomics.)

Also there could have been environmental factors, studies have found that children exposed to lead are more likely to develop behavioral and cognitive traits like impulsivity, aggressively, and low IQ, which are associated with criminal behavior. The phasing out of leaded gasoline in the U.S. between 1975 and 1985 has been linked to a significant decrease in crime rates as the children of this era grew into adults. By 2020, all adults in their 20s and 30s in the U.S. would have grown up without direct exposure to gasoline lead, leading to lower crime rates.

Fast forward to modern times, Wisconsin recorded the highest number of murders in its history in 2021. Criminologists attribute this recent spike in homicides to the social unrest caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and incidents of police shootings. It appears that history may be repeating itself, with riots and social upheaval once again providing a backdrop for an increase in violent crime.

Footnote

And in an interesting addendum, just a day after we put up the podcast, two of the cold cases that we mention in this podcast have been solved! With the help of advanced DNA testing, the two murder cases, involving victims Diane Olkwitz and Terri Erdmann, were united by DNA evidence and attributed to Clarence Marcus Tappendorf. The murders occurred in 1966 and 1971 in the Milwaukee area. Tappendorf, who died in 2008, was identified as the suspect through genealogy research and DNA evidence. His body was exhumed to confirm the DNA match. Although Tappendorf cannot face justice, the identification provides closure for the victims' families and demonstrates the power of DNA technology in solving cold cases.

For an in-depth detailed investigation into the Capital City Killings, please check out our Wisconsin Legends podcast on the subject and you can listen to it right here:

Uncover the chilling mysteries surrounding Madison’s unsolved “Capital City Killings” with Madison's Ghost Tours.

This journey revisits the eerie history of the University of Wisconsin campus, where a string of unsolved murders, starting in 1968, shook the state. From the brutal slaying of fashion model Christine Rothschild to other mysterious deaths, our tour dives into the haunting legacy of these unsolved cases. Our Madison guided ghost tours offer something for everyone. Don't miss your chance to explore the dark side of Madison! Book your tour now!

Check our Madison, WI ghost tour reviews on Google to see what others are saying. Ready for a haunting adventure?

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