The Winchester Mystery House
Located in San Jose, Calif., is one of the most world famous real life haunted houses. Sarah Winchester, the widow of gun mogul William Wirt Winchester, first visited a medium after the deaths of her husband and her daughter.
During a séance, her dead husband supposedly told her to leave her home in New Haven, Conn., and move west to build a home that must never be finished. If she continued to build forever, she would continue to live. Otherwise, the spirits of the people killed by her husband’s weapons would forever haunt her and her home.
As a very wealthy widow, receiving about US$1,000 per day from her husband’s company from 1884 onward (roughly $300,000 per day by 2012 standards), Sarah started the never-ending construction project. Work began in 1884 and continued until Sarah’s death in 1922.
The house includes 47 fireplaces, 10,000 window frames, three elevators, 17 chimneys and the famous Switchback Staircase that has seven flights of 44 stairs, each only two inches high. The odd home is still said to be haunted by the ghosts of all those killed at the hands of a Winchester rifle.
The Tower of London
Once home to Great Britain’s Royal Family, many were hung and beheaded on these grounds. The most famous beheading was that of Anne Boleyn, sentenced to death by King Henry VIII when she failed to produce a male heir.
Commonly referred to as the Bloody Tower after her death, many visitors have claimed to see a headless ghostly apparition. The Salt Tower, where Boleyn was beheaded, is the only area of the castle no dog will ever enter, giving credence to the fact that her ghost haunts it.
Over the centuries, hundreds, if not thousands, of British guards have been known to run away in fear after spotting Anne Boleyn’s ghost.
Whaley House
A general store owned by Thomas Whaley in San Diego, Calif., the Whaley residence also housed the County Court House. It is where Yankee Jim, a man convicted of grand larceny, was put to death for his crimes.
According to the Travel Channel’s “America’s Most Haunted” series, the Whaley House, built in 1857, is the No. 1 most haunted house in the United States. Violet Whaley, daughter of Thomas and his wife Anna, also committed suicide in this house. There have been numerous reported ghost sightings and paranormal activity has been reported by experts in the field.
It opened as a museum in 1960 but isn’t recommended for those easily spooked. According to popular belief, a ghost can be seen at any time and has scared away many who have visited.
Monte Cristo Homestead
Built in 1884 for the Crawley family, today the Monte Cristo Homestead in Junee, New South Wales, Australia, is said to be one of the most haunted places on earth.
After a caretaker was murdered there in 1961, strange events ensued while the Crawley family lived there. It has been said that a baby was killed after being dropped down a flight of stairs, a maid fell to her death from a balcony, and a stable boy was burned alive.
Since then, psychics have been invited to the home and determined that ghosts do in fact haunt the home. There have also been countless reports of paranormal activity from visitors who claim to have seen ghosts and other highly unusual sightings.
Rose Hall
In Jamaica, the tale of Annie Palmer still frightens many. Legend has it that the Haitian-born woman learned voodoo as a child from her nanny and as an adult she used it to punish innocent men.
When Annie allegedly became unsatisfied with her sexual relationship with her husband, she began sleeping with slaves on the sugar cane plantation they called Rose Hall. If men refused to pleasure her, she supposedly killed them. If they agreed, she was said to have killed them anyway to keep them quiet about their affair, before burying them all in a pit nearly five metres deep.
It is said she poisoned her first husband and killed the next two after that. She then became known as the White Witch. She allegedly put a hex on a housekeeper one of her lovers seemed attracted to.
Later, the housekeeper’s grandfather strangled Annie Palmer to death and she was buried in the Eastern Wing of Rose Hall. Many who later purchased the house sold it quickly, claiming the house was haunted.
The last couple to purchase it did so in 1965 and turned it into a museum. Those who work there today, as well as visitors, still claim to hear doors slamming unexpectedly as well as blood curdling screams of men.
Myrtles Plantation
Though only one is officially on record, it is said that 10 murders have been committed on this plantation, originally built in 1796 in St. Francisville, La., by General David Bradford.
It is said that Chloe, a former slave who was hung on the plantation, haunts the house, along with the others supposedly murdered here.
Now a bed and breakfast and historical sight, many claim to have heard the grand piano begin playing by itself, repeating only one eerie chord. Some even say they’ve heard the voices of slaves asking if they can do any chores.
Bhangarh Castle
Located in India, this castle is though to be so haunted that the government will not allow visitors after sunset and before sunrise. In fact, the offices of government officials working for the landmark are far away from the castle itself, due to fear of a ghost attack.
Legend has it the city and the castle were cursed by Guru Balu Nath after his heart was broken by a beautiful woman from the town. After the curse was placed, the small city faced both war and famine. The castle is said to be haunted by evil spirits, and will continue to be until the curse is broken.
Amityville House
Located in Amityville, N.Y., this was the home occupied by the DeFeo family until they were murdered in 1974. The eldest of the five children, Ronald “Butch” DeFeo Jr., was convicted of murdering his parents and four younger siblings with a .35 calibre rifle.
The Lutz family moved into this house in December 1975. Within only 28 days, the family packed their things and left, claiming it was haunted. George and his wife Kathy claimed to have seen paranormal activity in the home on several occasions.
For instance, Kathy had vivid nightmares about the murders. In her dreams, she would discover the exact order in which the family had been murdered, even though she had no prior knowledge of the event. The family discovered a secret “Red Room” (not included in the blueprints) that the family dog refused to enter. Kathy also claimed to have been levitated two feet in the air and woke up with red welts all over her body.
After their three children began inexplicably sleeping on their stomachs, the way the murdered DeFeo children were found, the Lutz family left the residence, which has since become known as one of the most haunted and feared homes in the world.
LaLaurie House
Delphine Marie LaLaurie was a socialite from Louisiana — she was also a known serial killer who tortured and murdered many of her black slaves during the 1830s.
During a fire, which was presumably set by a slave trying to break free, rescue teams discovered several slaves, who had obviously been tortured for a long period, bound in the home. LaLaurie fled, many believe to Paris, where she lived until her death, which was assumed to be around 1942.
The home was bought and sold several times. Each new resident claimed ghostly sightings and one owner even kept a record of them. The New Orleans mansion still stands today as a landmark and is said to be haunted by the slaves discovered in the hidden graveyard later found underneath the floorboards in the home.
Edinburgh Castle
Home to the Scottish Royal family since at least as far back as David I in the 12th century, Edinburgh castle has been inhabited by humans since sometime around 900 B.C.
Being caught in the heart of many wars and battles, it is not surprising that many have claimed it to be haunted over the years. In 2001, the first-ever paranormal investigation was launched by a team of experts who had never heard of the past reports of hauntings.
Oddly enough, the team of paranormal investigators reported similar events to those reported in the past, including the feeling of an unseen presence, a feeling of tugging on their clothing, and sightings of various figures and ghostly apparitions.
Source: http://travel.ca.msn.com/10-real-life-h ... d#image=11
