TOP 10 FAMOUS HISTORICAL SITES YOU DIDN'T KNOW WERE (REPORTEDLY) HAUNTED

Top 10 Famous Historical Sites You Didn’t Know Were Haunted
By Gregory Myers, Toptenz, 30 October 2013.

There are many locations that people claim to be haunted by some sort of other world spirit or presence. Many ghosts are said to hang out in old abandoned buildings, or lonely stretches of road that are rarely travelled. However, it appears some ghosts try to distract themselves from their unrequited afterlife by getting as much attention as possible. These ghosts choose to hang out in much more famous places, especially those frequented by tourists.

Unsurprisingly, some entrepreneurial people see this as a great opportunity to create a tour business and make money. In many cases, like a few of those below, the local government itself takes advantage of the haunted reputation.

10. Little Bighorn

The site at Little Bighorn has had reports of hauntings for a very long time now. The Crow were the first to report it, believing that when the flag was lowered at night, the dead were now able to walk the area; when the flag was raised in the morning, the dead went back to rest again. Today the stories still persist, most of them centring on apparitions of the late General George Custer. When people see him, he is supposedly in full uniform and the look in his eyes is said to be very sad. Those who see him report an incredible feeling of dread come over them, and claim to have horrible chills. The guides at the museum believe that the dread is because Custer hasn’t accepted his death and was traumatized by losing. Some would argue that if the apparition is real, the dread accompanying his presence is due to Custer being kind of a jerk.

9. Valley of the Kings

The Valley of the Kings contains ancient treasures and artefacts, so of course they were picked through by governments, archaeologists and people hoping to make a quick buck. The locals who guard the area feel that this has upset those who are buried in the tombs and so, in the ’60s, started claiming that all sorts of strange paranormal activities were occurring. They heard chariot wheels and angry voices, marching footsteps, and all sorts of other weird sounds. Their petitions to the government to investigate were unsuccessful, and they believe that the spirits need to be appeased by writing to them in hieroglyphics that their mummies are safe in a museum.

Of course, some people have decided to take advantage of the supposed haunting, and organize tours. “To your left, you’ll see horrible harbingers of death and destruction. No flash photography please: you don’t want to make them any angrier than they already are.”

8. Cincinnati Music Hall

Part of the Cincinnati Music Hall was built over a potter’s field, and many times while renovation was being done, human bones were found. Knowing this, it is unsurprising perhaps that many people have reported ghostly phenomenon in the building. Those who work in the building overnight claim to have felt the presence of ghosts in the building, and forestall protests by explaining that they usually only show up around three in the morning. You don’t need to be too alarmed, however, as at least one of them believes the ghosts to be quite friendly. As with many supposedly haunted places, you can take a guided tour for a price. The tour lasts about two hours, and you are encouraged to bring along your own ghost hunting gear.

7. Paris Catacombs

A long time ago, Paris needed more room to store bodies so they started putting them underground, eventually creating the catacombs of today. These catacombs are riddled with bodies, and have a portion open for tourists to “enjoy.” The place is supposed to be incredibly haunted, with sightings of orbs, apparitions and ghosts tagging along when tourists come to check the place out. Some also believe people have tried to explore blocked off sections, and eventually became part of the ghostly makeup of the area, much like The Overlook Hotel in the movie The Shining. There are also many videos online of people who claim to have proof of ghosts in the catacombs.

6. Dragsholm Castle

The Dragsholm Castle is situated in Denmark and was built all the way back in the 12th century. The castle was home to many different people of noble descent, and like many old buildings has a long history of haunting. Specifically this castle is said to have three separate and distinct ghostly apparitions. There is a Grey Lady who is apparently pretty shy and doesn’t show up very much. Some stories claim she had a toothache cured while at the castle, though we don’t know why that would make her want to come back.

There is a White Lady as well, and many believe that she died inside the castle, imprisoned by a father who was angry at her for dating someone of a lower class. A skeleton is said to have been found in the castle in the 1930’s similar to the one allegedly worn by the ghost.

The final ghost is an earl who was once imprisoned inside the castle walls, said to have completely lost his mind due to isolation. People claim to see him riding around on a horse and carriage.

5. The Kremlin

According to legend, the Kremlin is an incredibly haunted site, filled to the brim with all the blood and anguish of the Russian people over the years, the site of so many events with long-lasting importance. The stories claim several unique apparitions, with people allegedly seeing Joseph Stalin, Vladimir Lenin and Ivan the Terrible. People report seeing Ivan’s shadow and hearing him walking around the bell tower at night. Some people have claimed to see a ghost of Lenin, but some reports of his ghost came months before he actually died. Stalin, however, is supposedly the boldest of these ghosts and is seen all the time, usually preceded by a feeling of great cold.

4. Grand Paradi Towers

The Grand Paradi Towers in Mumbai is supposedly the site of a serious haunting, and is full of other worldly spirits. The site freaks people out mainly because it is the place of a great many suicides. In the past decade or so, seven suicides have been reported in the building, which has given pause to many. When those currently living there are asked how they feel about the possible haunting, they refuse to comment, perhaps not wanting to draw attention from the spirits.

3. Madame Tussauds

A ghost hunter visited the Las Vegas Madame Tussauds and claims to have found evidence of the paranormal there, or at least what a ghost hunter usually considers to be evidence of the paranormal. He investigated after guards at the museum reported strange experiences late at night. The guards claimed to have heard laughter, glasses clinking with each other, and other strange phenomenon.

The most chilling is one lower part of the museum they refuse to enter, because every time they try they feel like they are being pushed away by hands that feel cold as ice. The ghost hunter speculates that perhaps the spirits are coming back to look at their waxy doppelgangers, to remember what they once looked like.

2. The Devil’s Tree

The Devil’s Tree in New Jersey is a fairly recent legend. The story goes that, in the 1970’s, a man murdered two girls by the tree. After the corpses of the girls were brought back to the scene in a grisly display, people claimed they could hear the girl’s screams. The tree has been the site of a horrible haunting, filled with a malignant air, ever since.

Many people have claimed various strange experiences by the tree, and although the tree appears to have experienced many attempts to have it cut down, all have thus far failed. Supposedly, it is guarded by some sort of spirit, driving a black pickup truck, that will chase you away, disappearing once it has chased you far enough. Apparently, this ghostly guy is guarding a portal to Hell.

1. The Great Wall Of China

The Great Wall of China is one of the most historic sites in the world, as well as one of the most haunted. Many people believe that the ghosts are the spirits of the millions who died while building the wall. People’s experiences run the gamut from possibly coincidental things, like headaches and nausea, to stranger things like feeling an unseen force grabbing them or slapping them around. Others have gone as far as to claim seeing ghosts. Locals believe that, if people trespass on the part of the wall where General Xue is buried, they will incur the wrath of the spirits and completely lose their mind.

Top image: The Great Wall of China, via Haunted World Locations.

[Source: Toptenz. Edited. Top image added.]