The Most Haunted Places in America By State

A blog post listing every state would be way too long so here is the link to this fascinating article that lists the most haunted sites in America. To entice you to view the full list, here is the one in Pennsylvania:

Pennsylvania

Eastern State Penitentiary
Philadelphia
Known locally as ESP (already creepy), this 1829 prison originally intended to value reform over punishment. As you can imagine, with an isolated location on 11 acres of land and 30-foot fortress walls, that didn’t exactly work out. Instead, the Eastern State Penitentiary became a real house of horrors and the testing location for a number of "reform" techniques that included paranoia-inducing “panopticon” oversight, now synonymous with a constant threat of surveillance. Reports of shadowy figures, cackling voices, and ghostly guards on patrol have given this joint a reputation as one of the most haunted places in Pennsylvania. And with the mix of wicked pseudoscience, gigantic brutal architecture, and infamous inmates like Al Capone and bank robber Willie Sutton, it also serves as a perfect staging ground for nighttime haunted tours. —BW

Lecture on History of Halloween - Today!

Sorry for the last minute announcement but its not too late!

Spirits, Saints, and Souls: The Secret History of Halloween  With Lisa Morton Starts: Mon, October 14 While modern Halloween is a far cry from its ancient Celtic iteration, it's a holiday entrenched in a nuanced history worth studying and celebrating. Look beyond all the costumes and candy and discover the ancient origins, cultural influences, and evolving traditions that have shaped Halloween around the world. Whether you're a Halloween fanatic or simply interested in history, you'll gain a deeper connection and understanding of this spooky, spectacular occasion!  Syllabus At A Glance: Session 1 | Samhain: Halloween of the Ancients Session 2 | Halloween Comes to America Session 3 | Halloween As We Know It This course (along with other Halloween themed courses) is available at a special discount! Be sure to use code GHOST35 at checkout for 35% off your enrollment!

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Meet Your Instructor:  Lisa Morton is widely considered to be one of the world’s leading authorities on Halloween. She is the author of the award-winning books Ghosts: A Haunted History, Calling the Spirits: A History of Seances, Trick or Treat: A History of Halloween, and The Halloween Encyclopedia (now in a second edition). She's also made many appearances on CBS, ABC, NBC, the History Channel, and the Travel Channel.

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Merchants House Spooky Friday the 13th Event

If you like the paranormal as I do,  you may be tempted to attend the Merchant's House Friday the 13th Event. It is virtual so you can attend wherever you are!

Friday, September 13, 6:30 p.m. In the Spirit of Science Virtual Program: Live Walk-Through! Dan, Lee, and Matilda return to the ghostly world of the Merchant’s House with a live walk-through and discussion of phenomena experienced in each room. They'll touch on the paranormal experiments undertaken in various rooms in the house, as well as staff encounters with paranormal beings. This one hour will whet your appetite for our wildly popular October Candlelight Ghost Tours (celebrating 20 years!) Tickets are on sale now! Don’t delay … they fill up fast! Free (suggested donation $10).   Register Here.

 

Broken Mirrors Were Not Bad Luck to the Mayans

I don't know about you but I am extremely careful handling mirrors lest I crack or break one. Superstitions about cracked or broken mirrors predict 7 years of bad luck. However, for ancient Mayans, cracked mirrors were a portal to the world beyond. Nobles of the powerful Mesoamerican civilization conjured gods and ancestors in rituals centered around the objects as explained in this fascinating article on Atlas Obscura.

Highlights from the article are here as expressed by James L. Fitzsimmons, a professor of anthropology at Middlebury.

Some people fear that breaking a mirror can lead to seven years of misfortune. The history of this superstition may go back to the ancient Greeks and Romans, who ascribed mysterious powers to reflected images. As a scholar of the Indigenous religions of the Americas, I know that the ancient Maya had a different take on cracked mirrors. During the first millennium, the Maya used such mirrors—in cities from southern Mexico to western Honduras—as channels for supernatural communication rather than as cosmetic accessories.

Using hallucinogens, these nobles stared at their reflections, seeking mystical experiences. The cracks between the pieces resulted in fractured, distorted reflections, through which it was believed that people could talk to divine beings. The nobles hoped to find wisdom in the lands beyond mirrors, which they associated with gods, ancestors, and other spirits.

13 Hotels When Ghosts May Share Your Room

According to Atlas Obscura, these 13 hotels are haunted.

13 Hotels Where the Frills Are Chills

Come for the comfortable accommodations, stay for the ghostly stories.

by Jonathan Carey, Senior Associate Editor, Places

13 Places

Hotels generally serve as places for weary travelers to relax—peaceful, clean, and quiet. Among those hotels are the historic ones, often antique architectural wonders, and some of those also happen to hold long histories and age-old mysteries, so it’s no surprise that some of them would acquire a reputation for paranormal activity. Sure, supernatural experiences might disturb your rest, but it also might be worth it to experience history firsthand.

For centuries, The Drovers Inn in the Scottish Highlands has welcomed cattle herders (or “drovers”), though today its guests are more likely to be tourists or hikers. Several ghostly tales surround the hotel, from a family that froze to death while searching for it, to a cattle theft that took a tragic turn. In Nevada, the Mizpah Hotel has been called “the most haunted hotel” in the United States, and its history goes back to the Wild West, including the tale of “the lady in red,” who is said to still roam the halls, especially outside room 502. From a Civil War hospital turned into a lavish hotel to a motel occupied by thousands of clowns, here are 13 of our favorite places to stay that might give you the chills (and a good night’s rest). 

Check out more haunted hotels