10 Haunted Places

Posted by Yuka as Hot Cities, World

1.St. Paul’s Cathedral
With 1,400 years of often-troubled history, it’s a wonder London’s St. Paul’s Cathedral is home to only one ghost.
Many cathedral visitors have reported seeing the hazy form of a clergyman with long, gray hair and flowing robes gliding through one of the massive building’s memorial chapels. Always following the same path, the ghost—dubbed “Whistler” for the somber tune he emits—moves slowly through the chapel and disappears into a wall near the room’s entrance. Renovations in 1918 revealed that behind this section of wall rises a small, abandoned staircase leading to a room deep within the cathedral that no one knew existed.

2.Roman amphitheater
The archways of Rome imposing Colosseum seem lit by a thousand fires in this nighttime view. This public arena was the scene of much pain over its 1,900-year history, with countless battles between gladiators, executions, and animal slaughters. Frightening places like the Colosseum still grip the human imagination as spectral locations, haunted by the regrets and screams of those who perished.
The largest amphitheater ever built by the Romans, the Colosseum could house 50,000 spectators. Time and stone scavengers have reduced its walls, as well as the cages beneath its once sand-covered floor. The rest stands in silent tribute to its victims.

3.Alcatraz
Called Island of the Pelicans by the Spanish explorer who named it in 1775, Alcatraz today is better known as The Rock or Devil Island. A barren piece of land in the middle of cold, foggy San Francisco Bay, Alcatraz is surrounded by swift currents and bloody legends of deprivation and torture.
Native Americans believed the island to be inhabited by evil spirits, and banished to its shores those who violated tribal law. Alcatraz later became a military fort and, in 1934, was turned into the nation toughest federal penitentiary.
Infamous gangsters like Al Capone and Machine Gun Kelly ended up here. Stories grew of horrid beatings, rigid disciplinary measures, and extreme isolation. The rule of silence led one inmate, Rufe Persful, to take a hatchet and chop off the fingers of one hand while working in a prison shop. No wonder Alcatraz seems like a portal to hell.

4.Bourbon tavern
Now a tavern, Lafitte抯 Blacksmith Shop, located in the heart of the French Quarter on Bourbon Street, remains one of the oldest buildings in New Orleans. Built by the privateers and pirates Jean and Pierre Lafitte between 1772 and 1791, it provided cover for their illegal trade in smuggled goods and slaves. Some say Lafitte lost his life in a hurricane around 1826, though others say he lived on. Still others claim to have seen or heard his ghost in the shop or in nearby alleys.

5.Windsor Castle
Tales of witchcraft, suicide, and madness attend the royal apartments of Windsor Castle, built by William the Conqueror in the 11th century to guard London. Windsor Castle is now the world largest inhabited castle and the burial site of ten monarchs.

6.White House
The tall iron fence around the White House has not kept out tragedy and suffering over the years. Built between 1792 and 1800, the home of America’s presidents has witnessed intrigue, mystery, and death. The White House was burned down in 1814 by British troops. Abraham Lincoln’s ghost has reportedly been sighted, as have those of Andrew Jackson, Dolley Madison, and Abigail Adams—doing her laundry in the East Room. Lincoln’s widow, Mary Todd, studied the occult and held seances in the White House.

7.village of Bran
Overlooking the village of Bran, this castle is better known as Dracula’s Castle. The cruelty of Prince Vlad the Impaler, a warlord who may have visited but never lived here, inspired Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel, Dracula. Built in the 14th century, the spectacular castle has winding stairways leading to more than 60 rooms. Many are connected by underground passages, where some visitors claim to still hear the cries of torture victims.

8.Tower of London
The grim Tower of London has seen death many times since its construction in 1066. Henry VI was murdered here, as was Lady Jane Grey, dethroned in 1553 and later beheaded by the new queen. Two young princes, Edward and Richard, disappeared in 1483. Their bones were reportedly found near the White Tower nearly 200 years later, and their remains were buried with royal honors at Westminster Abbey. Many ghosts are said to linger here, watched over by large black ravens, which are fed raw meat and blood-soaked biscuits.

9.York Minster
With a turbulent history of executions and wars, the churches and graveyards of York are said to be filled with spirits who have not crossed to the other side. York Minster, built after 1220 to become the second largest Gothic cathedral in Northern Europe, may have more than its share.
Visitors are told to keep an eye out for a spirit in medieval clothing carving wood, as well as for the figure of Dean Gale, a man who loved to attend services here. He has been seen regularly, after his death, sitting and listening to sermons.