The U.S. has countless historical sites that often feature violent histories, with many haunted hotels and hospitals. Today, these sites attract millions of tourists every year, but they were once the places of tragedies and unsolved murders. Here are 16 terrifying locations in the U.S. with troubling histories.
Alcatraz Island, San Francisco, California
Alcatraz Island is a rocky island in San Francisco Bay that was initially developed in the mid-19th century with a lighthouse, a military fortification, and a prison. In 1934, Alcatraz was converted into the Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary. Britannica notes that it housed “some of the most dangerous civilian prisoners,” including Al Capone and Robert Stroud, the “Birdman of Alcatraz.” The prison was infamous for being nearly impossible to escape, with strong currents and cold water temperatures. The prison closed in 1963, and the island today is a famous tourist destination.
The Stanley Hotel, Estes Park, Colorado
Known for inspiring Stephen King’s novel The Shining, the Stanley Hotel is infamous for its ghosts, including F.O. Stanley, who plays the piano in the ballroom, and Flora, his wife, who haunts the concert hall. Today, it’s a popular site for paranormal investigations with nighttime ghost tours.
Waverly Hills Sanatorium, Louisville, Kentucky
Opened in 1910 in response to Jefferson County’s tuberculosis outbreak, the Waverly Hills Sanatorium housed 400 patients and was one of the largest of its kind in the U.S. The hospital had a massive death toll of 63,000 patients but was closed in 1961 after life-saving antibiotics reduced the need for the facility. Tripadvisor contends that “Waverly has earned her place as one of the most haunted places in the country and has been host to many films and TV shows.” Today, guided tours explore the abandoned sanatorium.
The Myrtles Plantation, St. Francisville, Louisiana
The Myrtles Plantation house is often cited as one of America’s most haunted homes. Rumored to be built on an ancient Tunica Indian burial ground and the site of ten murders, the plantation today offers guided tours that explore its architecture, history, and reported hauntings.
Winchester Mystery House, San Jose, California
This Victorian and Gothic-style mansion in San Jose was the home of Sarah Winchester, the widow of William Wirt Winchester, a firearms magnate. After Winchester died in 1922, the house became a tourist attraction. Renowned for its architectural curiosities and size, Winchester frequently rebuilt and abandoned the construction of the house, resulting in a maze-like design. Tour guide visitors have claimed to have experienced feelings of being watched, cold spots, and footsteps.
Gettysburg Battlefield, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
The Gettysburg Battlefield saw the July 1–3, 1863, Battle of Gettysburg, which the National Park Service describes as “a turning point in the Civil War, the Union victory that ended General Robert E. Lee’s second and most ambitious invasion of the North.” The battle was one of the bloodiest of the Civil War and inspired President Abraham Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address.” Today, it is the site of Gettysburg National Park.
Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum, Weston, West Virginia
Subsequently known as the Weston State Hospital, the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum was a psychiatric hospital from 1864 to 1991 in Weston, West Virginia. Originally designed to house 250 patients, the asylum swelled to over 2,400, leading to overcrowding and poor conditions. Today, it’s a National Historic Landmark and a tourist destination with a reputation for paranormal activity.
Lizzie Borden House, Fall River, Massachusetts
The Lizzie Borden House is the notorious site of a double axe murder of Lizzie Borden’s father and stepmother in 1892 in Fall River. Ms. Borden was tried and acquitted of the murders, but she remains the prime suspect in the case. Today, the house is a bed and breakfast, where guests can sleep in the rooms where the murders took place and participate in guided tours.
The Queen Mary, Long Beach, California
The RMS Queen Mary, or “Grey Ghost,” is a retired British ocean liner that once sailed the North Atlantic Ocean and is now a hotel and museum. The ship is supposedly haunted, with sightings of ghostly sailors reported over the decades. The Queen Mary operates haunted attraction experiences that counter many of the ship’s legends and focus on documented fatalities as well as paranormal activity.
Salem, Massachusetts
The Salem witch trials saw people accused of witchcraft in a series of hearings and prosecutions in colonial Massachusetts between 1692 and 1693. Out of the thirty-five people found guilty, nineteen were hanged, one man, Giles Corey, died after being tortured for refusing to enter a plea, and a further five died in jail. Smithsonian Magazine notes, “Fueled by xenophobia, religious extremism and long-brewing social tensions, the witch hunt continues to beguile the popular imagination more than 300 years later.”
Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery, Midlothian, Illinois
Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery is known for its overgrown and abandoned gravesites and dates back to 1864. The cemetery was frequented in the 1970s by ghost hunters and was vandalized by young party goers who frequented the site due to its secluded location. The graveyard remains popular with people interested in the paranormal.
The Bell Witch Cave, Adams, Tennessee
This karst cave in Adams, Tennessee, is located near where the Bell Farm once stood. Long associated with the Bell Witch, who was rumored to haunt the Bell family, the cave is now privately owned, with tours during the summer months and October.
The Whaley House, San Diego, California
Built in 1857, the Whaley House is the oldest brick structure in South California and is considered one of the most haunted houses in America. Initially serving as a general store, San Diego’s second county courthouse, and a theater, the house was the home of the Whaley family. Some believe the house is haunted by “Yankee Jim” Robinson, a thief who was hanged on the property for stealing a boat.
Eastern State Penitentiary, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Known for its revolutionary system of solitary confinement, the Eastern State Penitentiary opened in 1829 and closed in 1971. It expanded on Walnut Street Jail’s emphasis on reform over punishment and housed notorious criminals, including Al Capone and Willie Sutton. The Eastern State Penitentiary website describes it as “once the most famous and expensive prison in the world, but [it] stands today in ruin, a haunting world of crumbling cellblocks and empty guard towers.” The prison is now a National Historic Landmark, open to the public with daily tours.
The Shanghai Tunnels, Portland, Oregon
This underground network of passageways underneath the Old Chinatown neighborhood of Portland was reported in 19th-century newspapers as the sight of organized crime. Historians doubt that the practice of shanghaiing—kidnapping men and selling them as slaves for ships—was commonplace in the tunnels. But the tunnels attract visitors who explore them on walking tours.
The Crescent Hotel, Eureka Springs, Arkansas
Billed as “America’s most haunted hotel,” the Crescent Hotel in Eureka Springs was built in 1886 to cater to the rich and famous but soon fell into disrepair after becoming unmanageable. The hotel has a varied history, with subsequent use as a conservatory for young women and a fraudulent cancer hospital. Nightly ghost tours explore the hotel’s allegedly haunted history, with visits to the morgue of the cancer hospital and frequent reports of paranormal activity.
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