Because we were feeling a bit of a daredevil, we decided to find out which were the scariest places on the face of the earth. Here’s a list of 11 of those places. Make sure you keep the lights on when you read this!
1. The White House, Washington DC, USA – Perhaps the world’s most famous residence, the home and office of the President of the United States, since 1800, when John Adams first moved into the house. With the vast amount of history and historical figures that have graced its rooms, it’s very little wonder that the White House has more than a tale or two of hauntings. In fact, it’s considered to be one of the most haunted houses in the whole of the United States.
Past presidents, their families, and foreign dignitaries have all attested to the paranormal goings on at the White House. On one particular visit, the then Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Winston Churchill, was staying in the Lincoln Bedroom. He had just finished bathing and walked back into the suite where he saw Lincoln standing by the fireplace. He refused to sleep in that room again after that. Other people that have said they have seen the ghost of Abraham Lincoln include presidents Teddy Roosevelt, Herbert Hoover, and Dwight Eisenhower; First Ladies Jackie Kennedy and Ladybird Johnson; and presidential children Susan Ford and Maureen Reagan. Maureen and her husband both witnessed Lincoln standing by the same fireplace where Churchill had once seen him.
Various other spectres have also been seen, including past employees, Presidents Thomas Jefferson and John Tyler; First Lady Dolley Madison; a British soldier; and Anne Surratt. Sudden cold spots, disembodied footsteps, voices, knocks, and screams have also been reported at the seemingly very haunted 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
2. The Old Changi Hospital, Singapore – Old Changi Hospital is a former hospital in Changi, Singapore. It was built back in 1935 as part of the old Changi military base. During the occupation of the Japanese the compound was used by the notorious Kempeitai (the Japenese Secret Police) as a prison and torture camp. After the end of World War II, the building was again a hospital, and remained so until 1997, when it was replaced by the Changi General Hospital. It has stood derelict and decaying ever since.
The building is now haunted by its past, with Japanese soldiers, people that were executed, and the patients that died here. Apparitions of an old man has been seen walking down the corridors, and a woman has been seen walking through the rooms. The spirits of children are known to haunt the old children’s ward, and the ghosts of bloodied Japanese soldiers have been seen also. Loud bangs and unexplained screams are also a common occurrence.
3. Edinburgh Castle, Edinburgh, Scotland – The site on which Edinburgh Castle sits has history dating back to the Iron Age. Situated overlooking what many people believe to be the most haunted city on Earth, Edinburgh Castle has been the site of torture and many bloody battles during its time. It was also where majority of Harry Potter was shot.
Visitors and staff of this now tourist destination, have experienced many things over the years. The most common is the feeling of being touched and pulled, as well as the sighting of apparitions. Spirits that have been witnessed include an old man wearing an apron, a headless drummer boy, and a piper who mysteriously lost his life after getting lost in the tunnels below the castle.
Other experiences include shadowy figures, strange lights, sudden drops in temperature, unexplained mists, strange sounds, the feeling of being watched, and sudden intense feelings of dread, sadness, and despair.
Or maybe it’s just the presence of Dementors left behind by the Warner Bros. crew!
4. Island of the Dolls, Xochimilco, Mexico – Located on Lake Teshuilo in Xochimilco near Mexico City, the island La Isla de la Munecas (The Island of the Dolls) is certainly one of the strangest haunted locations in our list. In the 1950’s, a man named Julian Santan Barrera moved to the island.
Julian was unaware of the dark history of the area when he moved there to become a recluse. Legend says that three young girls were playing near the water in the 1920’s, when one of the girls fell in and drowned in the murky waters. Locals believed that ever since her death, the young girl’s spirit has been unable to leave the island. It soon grew quite a reputation as a haunted place, and locals wouldn’t go near it at night for fear of what they might see.
Julian claimed that as soon as he moved to the island, a little girl began speaking to him. The girl told Julian how she had died, and that she was trapped on the island. He began to get dolls for this little girl, often selling off fruit and vegetables that he had grown on the island, so that he could buy dolls for her to play with.
Julian later told his nephew that it was becoming more difficult to appease the girl’s thirst for these dolls, with him seemingly worried that she wanted him to join her in her watery grave. The same day he had this discussion, the nephew found his uncle face down in the canal. His body was in the same spot where the little girl had apparently drowned seventy years before.
Today, tourists to the island often speak of the doll’s eyes following them. Others have also reported that the mutilated dolls whisper to them, especially at night. Julian’s ghost is also said to remain on the island, as well as the young girl.
5. Poveglia Island, Italy – In the Venice Lagoon between Venice and Lido, sits the small island of Poveglia. Inhabited since 421, when mainlanders fled to seek refuge from the invaders, Poveglia’s population began to dwindle centuries later, and by the 14th century the island was completely abandoned. As with many small islands in Europe during the Bubonic Plague outbreak in the 14th century, the island became a quarantine colony. Many Venetians were sent here to die, their dead infected bodies being burned on giant pyres. This was also the case in 1630, when the Black Death swept through Venice.
The site was apparently used to as a mental asylum during the 1800’s, however many sources state that this simply is not the case. Stories persist though of ill treatment, and experimental procedures being carried out in building. During 1930 a doctor is believed to have committed suicide, jumping to his death from the bell tower. From the mid-20th century up until 1975 when it was closed, Poveglia hospital was used as geriatric centre.
Today the whole island is abandoned, and it’s believed that many locals dare not step foot on the island for fear of being cursed. Fisherman also refuse to fish in the area for fear of dragging up human remains.
6. The Queen Mary Hotel, California, US – Once a transatlantic ocean liner and now a permanently moored hotel in California, the Queen Mary has been touted as one of the country’s most haunted hotels, and taking into account its bevy of ghosts, it’s not hard to see why. Two different women drowned in the ship’s first class pool, and now their ghosts are often seen there. Various apparitions have been seen throughout the bar and lounge areas, most in period dress. One particular room, B340, displayed a great deal of activity, but is now no longer available. Coincidence? We think not.
7. Château de Brissac, Maine-et-Loire, France – Originally built in the 11th century as a castle by the Counts of Anjou, Château de Brissac was rebuilt in 1502, by Charles II, Duke of Brissac, who gave it its name. This noble castle is the tallest in France, and it exudes old world charm, but one of its past residents has shocked more than one visitor.
A double murder that occurred sometime in the 15th century within the walls of the castle, has resulted in one of the more popular ghosts of the Château de Brissac, that of the la Dame Verte, or “Green Lady”. The current residents (the current Duke of Brissac and his family) have become accustomed to her roaming the rooms, but she has scared many a guest. She is often seen in the tower room of the chapel, wearing her green dress. What’s most terrifying however, is her face. If she looks at you, you’ll see that her face has gaping holes were her eyes and nose should be, resembling what a corpse would look like. As well as her sighting, her moans are also often heard throughout the castle in the early hours.
8. Ancient Ram Inn, Gloucestershire, England – Built in 1145, the Ancient Ram Inn is believed to be the most haunted house in the entire British Isles, and perhaps the most haunted house in the world. The tales of child sacrifices, devil worship, and evil spirits are believed to be behind the terrifying happenings in this building. The Inn was built on the intersection of 2 ley lines, what many people believe is a conductor for spiritual activity. In addition, an ancient Pagan burial ground is said to have resided in the property over 5,000 years ago.
During its time as a bed and breakfast, people would often flee in the middle of the night, often seeing full bodied apparitions in their rooms, the feeling of being touched/pulled, disembodied voices, and the just the general feeling of evil.
John, the current owner and resident of the Ram Inn, has reported that on his first night in the house in 1968, he felt a presence grab his arm, before being dragged out of bed and across the room! John has since found evidence of devil worship and ritual sacrifice. He found two child skeletons underneath the staircase, as well as broken daggers. He continues to experience the hauntings and the attacks to this day.
9. Eastern State Penitentiary, Pennsylvania, US – Built in 1829, Eastern State Penitentiary is a former prison in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It’s known for being the very first prison of its kind to introduce solitary confinement, or what they used to call, the Pennsylvania System. Prisoners were sent to solitary during this time as a form of rehabilitation. They would be completely isolated, living alone, eating alone, and even exercising alone in their own individual yards. Whenever an inmate left his cell, a black hood would be placed over his head to assure he remained in confinement.
Due to Eastern States’ harsh approach, many prisoners were drove to insanity, and as a result the Pennsylvania System was scrapped in 1913. From then until 1970 it was used as a regular prison, and held the likes of Al Capone and the bank robber, Willie Sutton.
Reports of the paranormal have been going on since the 1940’s, but ever since the stone prison was abandoned in 1971, paranormal experiences have seemingly increased.
10. Bhangarh Fort, Rajasthan, India – Built in the early 1600s by King Sawai Madho Singh, this fort protected a small city of roughly 10,000 people and included a royal palace. According to legend, a sorcerer fell in love with the King’s daughter and in the process of trying to seduce her, he died, cursing the town to be destroyed. Shortly thereafter, an invading army destroyed the fort and killed virtually everyone who lived there. Locals refuse to live anywhere near the ruins, and have ensured that it’s closed after dark due to the presence of various ghosts that have been reported roaming through the complex. There have been cases where people have been at the fort at night, only to turn up dead in the morning.
11. Paris Catacombs, France – Containing the bones of thousands of people, these catacombs were never really meant to house human remains. Due to overcrowded cemetery conditions in the 18th century, many remains were relocated to the spider-webbing tunnels beneath the city. While the bones are laid out in artful arrangements, stories of discontented spirits abound. Many people have reported seeing apparitions as well as being touched or shoved, and that some people have disappeared within the catacombs altogether.
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