Spooky Sites: 7 of the Most Haunted Places in the United States

Human Behavior Conspiracies & Paranormal 11 of the most haunted places in the US From a former sanitarium to a well-known lighthouse to a battlefield from the American Civil War, here are the most haunted places in the United States. By Tom Metcalfe last updated 21 October 2022 in References When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works . (Image credit: Judy Hoff) Jump to category: Waverly Hills Sanatorium New Jersey's Pine Barrens Savannah, Georgia The White House Whaley House Bachelor's Grove Cemetery Colorado's Stanley Hotel New England's Covered Bridges New Orleans Gettysburg St. Augustine Lighthouse Share Copy link Facebook X Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Share this article Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter You don’t need to believe in ghosts to enjoy a ghost story about some of the most haunted places. The tales that have grown over generations around reputedly haunted houses can take on a fantastic life of their own in folklore, and the stories that surround a place can influence our experiences of them. All it takes is a creepy place, a touch of imagination and a glimpse of something unexpected, only half seen. So prepare to suspend your disbelief for this countdown of the histories of 11 of the most haunted places in the United States. Waverly Hills Sanatorium (Image credit: Kris Arnold) This grim, bat-winged building is the archetype of the haunted hospital or insane asylum. The first hospital on this windswept hill on the edge of Louisville, Kentucky, was built in 1910 to treat victims of the "white plague" of tuberculosis that was ravaging the country. At the time, there was no known cure and the disease was often fatal. In some cases, doctors tried experimental methods to help ease the symptoms, and stories emerged of illicit medical experiments in which the cure often proved as fatal as the disease. Certainly the sanatorium was the scene of many deaths over the years, although claims that more than 60,000 patients died there are exaggerated, according to surviving records from the hospital. Historians say the real number was likely closer to 8,000, with a total of 152 deaths in 1945, the worst year of the epidemic. You may like Northern lights may be visible from several US states Friday and Saturday as giant hole opens up in sun's atmosphere 1,800-year-old nails discovered in 3 burials in Roman necropolis, possibly to 'protect' both the living and the dead Extreme blast of Arctic air from polar vortex paints a picturesque plume off Florida coast Waverly Hills served as a geriatric hospital from the 1960s until the 1980s, and several stories about the spooky old hospital are based on rumors from this time that patients were mistreated, including claims that radical treatments such as electroshock therapy were used. In the years since Waverly Hills was closed for good, wanderers, thrill-seekers and ghost hunters who found their way inside the building have told of slamming doors and strange noises in the deserted building. Others reported hearing footsteps and the screams of patients have from empty rooms. Ghostly, shadowy forms have been said to gather in the building's dark recesses and are said to follow visitors through the narrow corridors. Phantom footsteps and voices reportedly echo along the "death tunnel," or "body chute" — an underground tunnel that leads from the hospital to railway tracks at the bottom of the hill, to transport the dead away from the hospital where the living patients would not see them. Several stories center on the fifth floor of the hospital, where tuberculosis patients with mental disturbances were reportedly treated. In particular, Room 502, where two nurses are said to have killed themselves — one by hanging, the other by jumping to her death — is said to be haunted. Some visitors claimed to have seen mysterious shapes moving in the windows, or to have heard voices telling them to "get out." New Jersey's Pine Barrens This 3D rendering shows what the mythical Jersey Devil supposedly looked like, with hoofed feet, horns and bat wings. (Image credit: Shutterstock) The vast forested region now known as the New Jersey Pine Barrens thrived in the colonial period, when it was home to several saw mills, paper mills and towns for the people who worked in them. But its prosperity and population declined sharply when coal was discovered in nearby Pennsylvania and people moved there instead. The remains of several "ghost towns," as well as more than a few ghost stories, survive. The spirit of the pirate Capt. William Kidd, who frequented New Jersey's Barnegat Bay, has sometimes been seen there, and a ghostly black dog is said to roam the beaches and the forests of the coast. Sign up for the Live Science daily newsletter now Get the world’s most fascinating discoveries delivered straight to your inbox. Contact me with news and offers from other F