Random Chilling Real-Life Haunted House Stories (16 items)

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  (#14) The LaLaurie Mansion

  The Location

  In 1832, the wealthy and glamorous Creole socialite Marie Delphine LaLaurie built an opulent mansion in the French Quarter of New Orleans, where she lived with her third husband, Dr. Louis LaLaurie. Even by the abhorrent standards of the time, Madame LaLaurie was considered to be exceptionally cruel to her slaves, so much so that nine of her slaves were confiscated by law enforcement (though LaLaurie set up her relatives to secretly buy them back and return them to her).

  Rumors continued to swirl about LaLaurie, until a kitchen fire in 1834 revealed the terrible truth. Firefighters found the LaLaurie's 71-year-old cook chained to the stove. The cook confessed she had set the fire on purpose in desperation to avoid being sent to the attic, where she knew terrible tortures took place.

  When firefighters bust into the attic, they witnessed unimaginable atrocities. Slaves had been chained and subject to terrible, disgusting tortures and mutilations.

  Madame LaLaurie escaped punishment and fled the house, never to be seen again.

  The Legend

  Following the Civil War, the now-abandoned LaLaurie house was used for several purposes, including a school, a furniture store, and apartments, but none lasted very long. The mansion was eventually converted into an apartment building, where occupants reported a large amount of supernatural activity, such as the ghosts of former slaves.

  But Is It True?

  None of the supernatural stories surrounding the apparently cursed mansion have been conclusively proven, of course, but it is a popular spot for New Orleans ghost tours and is featured in horror film and TV.
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  (#9) Edinburgh Castle

  • Castle

  The Location

  The Edinburgh Castle in Scotland that sits atop the famous volcanic "Castle Rock" was constructed by King David I in the 12th Century, and it remained the seat of the Scottish King until the English overtook it in 1650. After that, it endured many sieges and was used as a prison in the 18th and early 19th centuries. battles. Today, the site is one of Scotland's most popular tourist attraction,s and one of the most iconic images of the country.

  The Legend

  Or, I should say, "The Legends." Because of the location's key significance in Scottish history, there are too many ghost stories circulating about the place to even compress into anything less than an essay. So in brief...

  - A ghostly drummer and piper can be heard throughout the castle whenever it is about to be attacked. (Obviously, this hasn't happened in a while...) Prior to the 1650 siege of the castle by Cromwell's forces, the drummer was spotted and identified as the ghost of a headless boy.
  - The dungeons, where numerous prisoners were held and tortured, are thought to be populated by some restless spirits and visitors can now tour the dungeons to find out for themselves. 

  But Is It True?

  Well, probably not.

  BUT STILL, there's more evidence pointing towards Edinburgh Castle being haunted than almost any other place on Earth. In 2001, a study was conducted on the castle, testing the reactions of people who had never before heard the legends of its haunting to exploring the castle. 51% of the subjects reported experiencing something supernatural in areas that were previously identified as "haunted." In other areas, only 35% of subjects reported supernatural goings-on. Among the reports were strange shadows and the sensation of something tugging at your clothes. 

   
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  (#2) Rose Hall House

  The Location

  Rose Hall House is one of the most famous and lavish homes in Jamaica. It was first constructed in the 1770s in Montego Bay, and was most recently refurbished in the 1960s. It is a popular tourist attraction.

  The Legend

  In 1820, Haitian-born Annie married John Palmer of Montego Bay. John owned Rose Hall at this point, and ran it as a plantation, utilizing slave labor. John died soon after returning to Rose Hall with his Haitian bride. According to local legends, Annie was a psychopath who used voodoo and violence to dominate the men of the plantation. She allegedly manipulated the string of new husbands she acquired over the years, as well as the slaves who worked on the plantation, tolerating them for a time, only to murder them when she lost interest.

  It's said that Annie was eventually killed by another powerful magician - a slave whose family member she had tried to curse. Annie was buried in a special grave on the property, and her spirit reportedly remains in Rose Hall to this day. The site, in addition to being a tourist attraction, has been home to seances and other attempts to commune with Annie's spirit. She has come to be known as the "White Witch of Rose Hall."

  But Is It True?

  Almost certainly not. Aside from a book apparently inspired by the house from the 1920s, there's nothing in the historical record to suggest that Annie Palmer was a voodoo priestess using the house as a homebase for a bloodthirsty rampage. There was a real John Palmer, who had a second marriage to a woman named Annie, but he died soon after the wedding and Annie had to leave the mansion.
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  (#15) The Myrtles Plantation

  The Location

  This large home began in 1796 in Louisiana, by General David Bradford, who had a land grant, but owners in the early to mid 19th century remodeled and built up the mansion. The large plantation house boasts 22 rooms and a veranda that ran the entire length of the facade.

  The Legend

  There are rumored to be at least a dozen ghosts haunting the property, the most famous of which is that of Chloe, a slave who was sleeping with the plantation owner. Chloe began to fear he was growing tired of her and would soon send her to much more difficult work in the fields, so she intentionally baked a poisoned cake for his young daughters. Her plan was to make them only a little ill, then miraculously cure them and nurse them back to health, earning herself a permanent place with the house staff. Tragically, she miscalculated the dose, and accidentally killed the daughters, as well as the owner's wife. In punishment, Chloe was hanged.

  In addition, the home was thought to have been built on an Indian burial ground.

  These ghosts have supposedly showed up in at least two different photographs. A ghostly girl appeared in a photograph taken in 1992 by National Geographic Explorer. Later, teacher and her students posed for a photo while on a field trip to the Myrtles Plantation, and a little girl's ghost appears to be visible in the window behind them.

  But Is It True?

  Much of the history surrounding house has been found to be little more than tall tales. Though it is claimed at least 10 people have been murdered in the house, in reality, there is only one documented case. In January 1871, an attorney named William Winter was shot in front of the house by a stranger, without explanation and without warning, and died. 

  In addition, a number of people, including children, died in the home of yellow fever, as was tragically common at the time.

  While filming an episode of the TV show Unsolved Mysteries there in 2002, the crew reported unexplained technical difficulties with their equipment.
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  (#13) The Chandler Estate

  The Location

  Once said to have been visited by blonde bombshell Marilyn Monroe and playwright Arthur Miller, The Chandler Estate is secluded deep in the spooky woods of Mount Sinai, New York. Originally built as a resort, it was later turned into an apartment complex. The building mysteriously burned to the ground.

  The Legend

  For many years, the Chandler Estate became synonymous locally with the practice of Satan worship. Stories circulated about tourists being lured into the area to then either witness satanic cult rituals or be directly threatened by Satanists. (One story tells of a resident who returned home to find a bunch of creepy, devil-obsessed children in his apartment.) One spot, near where the fire escape was once located, seems to be a particular conduit for other-worldly visitors. People who have stood in the spot report experiencing dizziness, blurred vision and difficulty breathing.

  But the most famous spirit said to occupy the estate is "Mary," a mental patient who had once been a resident of the boarding house there until her mysterious disappearance. Mrs. Chandler, who was then running the boarding house, claimed that even after the disappearance, she would sometimes see the lights go on and off in Mary's room, and people thought they saw her wandering the property.

  But Is It True?

  Almost assuredly not. The legend of "Mary" may go back to the name "Mary" that was genuinely written on one of the doors in the old estate. But it's unclear if this ever linked up to a real person named Mary who lived in the apartment, or if she was indeed a mental patient who vanished under mysterious circumstances. Blurry, indistinct photos like the one above are the only real "evidence" of supernatural happenings at the Chandler.
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  (#16) The Joshua Ward House

  The Location

  The present-day Joshua Ward House in Salem, Massachusetts, is an austere three-story brick house built in 1784. However, the house was built on the site of the former home of Sheriff George Corwin, who signed the warrants for arrests and executions during the Salem witch trials. 

  The Legend

  Apparently, as he died, the accused witch Giles Corey cursed Corwin and every sheriff who would come after him in Essex County. Corwin died at the young age of 30 and his wife had him buried in the basement of his own home so as to prevent anyone from disinterring him or desecrating his grave. 

  In 1981, Richard Carlson bought the building to use for his real estate office. According to one paranormal blogger,

  "The burglar alarm would constantly go off at night, getting Richard or another employee out of bed to attend to it.  Doors would shut on their own and lights would go on and off, activated by unseen hands.  In one particularly interesting incident, an employee had two candlesticks on the fireplace mantle in her office.  As she unlocked her office one morning, she noticed that the candlesticks were turned upside down on the mantle, and the candles themselves were actually on the floor, one bent in an 'S' shape, and the other into a 'boomerang' shape, as if they had been melted and manipulated."

  Most frightening, an employee was taking photos of everyone who worked in the office to use as holiday decorations. But when he took a photo of one young woman, a terrifying image of a witch turned up instead.

  But Is It True?

  There are other explanations offered for the so-called "witch photo," but the connection of the house with the Salem witch trials is fact, and no doubt leads to the home's spooky vibe.

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