5 Haunted Places in Texas, U.S.

 U.S.S. Lexington - Corpus Christi

USS Lexington (CV/CVA/CVS/CVT/AVT-16), nicknamed "The Blue Ghost", is an Essex-class aircraft carrier built during World War II for the United States Navy. Originally intended to be named Cabot, word arrived during construction that USS Lexington (CV-2) had been lost in the Battle of the Coral Sea. The new aircraft carrier was renamed while under construction to commemorate the earlier ship. She was the fifth U.S. Navy ship to bear the name in honor of the Revolutionary War Battle of Lexington.

Since 1992, the ship has been docked in Corpus Christi, Texas, where she operates as a museum.

There's a reason why people have called the Lexington Museum on the Bay one of the most haunted places in America. There are things that cannot be explained on the decommissioned World War II aircraft carrier, including ghostly touches and shadowy figures roaming the decks. Charles "Rusty" Reustle, director of operations and exhibits, said the museum receives hundreds of reports of "supernatural" activity each year. Among the most famous sightings are a sailor dressed in uniform helping lost guests find their way back to the deck and a sailor in the engine room giving a lecture on how the turbines work before vanishing into thin air. 

The Screaming Bridge at River Legacy Park

Legend goes that one night a car full of kids were driving coming up to the bridge and hit an oncoming car. Both cars caught on fire and crashed into the river, tragically killing everyone involved. The road and bridge have since been closed and can now only be accessed by walking through the park, which most people try at night. But, they say the dates and names of those who died can be seen glowing in the river late at night. People have also witnessed lights on the bridge, as well as mystic fog and strange feelings.

 You can find an article about the car accident in the Arlington Daily News Texan from February 6, 1961.

Jefferson Hotel - Jefferson

The city of Jefferson is said to be one of the most haunted small towns in Texas. But the Jefferson Hotel, which was built in the 1890s, is considered to be the hotbed of the city's paranormal activity.

Guests have experienced whispers from nowhere, knocks on walls and headboards, the smell of cigar smoke, children laughing and faucets turning on water on their own accord. Some of the most haunted guest rooms at the hotel are Room 5, 19, 20, 21, 23 and 24.

Miss Molly’s Hotel - Fort Worth

In the middle of the legendary Stockyards, Miss Molly’s Hotel was first an upscale boarding house for sick children, then a speakeasy called the Oasis until the 40s when it became a place where wayward gentlemen could visit “working girls,” which opened the most tragic era of the hotel. Now a bed and breakfast, the place has been teeming with paranormal activity including strange perfumes, unexplained shadows and lights, cold spots, missing items turning up in weird places, old coins on furniture, etc. etc. Ghosts that have been seen include: a few female apparitions of supposed murdered prostitutes that don’t even know they’re dead, a woman who died of lung disease and the mysterious Cowboy who shows up in the Cowboy Room. There’s even a child ghost believed to be one of the sick children once boarded here. The cool thing is, travelers can still stay here!

Fort Worth Zoo

There are two separate ghosts here. One is believed to be a former elephant trainer that sadly met his tragic death in 1987 when he attempted to move a territorial bull to another pen. Since his death almost 30 years ago, many have seen the ghost of a man walking near the elephant and zebra areas of the zoo, just as the elephant trainer used to do as he made his rounds. Many others have also reportedly seen the ghost of a woman dressed in clothing of the late 19th century, parasol and all, pacing slowly back and forth in front of the zoo’s café.

Borley Rectory - The Most Haunted House in England

 

Borley Rectory was a house that gained infamy as "the most haunted house in England" after being described as such by psychic researcher Harry Price Built in 1862 to house the rector of the parish of Borley and his family, it was badly damaged by fire in 1939 and demolished in 1944.

The large Gothic-style rectory in the village of Borley had been alleged to be haunted ever since it was built. These reports multiplied suddenly in 1929, after the Daily Mirror published an account of a visit by paranormal researcher Harry Price, who wrote two books supporting claims of paranormal activity.

Ghost hunters often quote the legend of the Benedictine monastery which is believed to have been built in the area in 1362.

From 1863, Reverend Henry Dawson Bull lived there with his family and were frequently disturbed by spooky incidents - from rushing water in the house where there was no mains or interior pipes, bells ringing with no explanations and the sound of heavy footsteps around the empty building. Terrifyingly, many of the cases centered around the daughter Ethel, who one night reportedly received a slap across the face as she lay in bed. After the first Henry Bull passed away in 1892, Henry Foyster Bull took over the residence until he died in 1927. There is one instance when he was out in the garden and his dog started to howl and cower at something behind the trees. Bull spotted among the trees a pair of legs, but as they moved away he saw the body appeared completely headless. He said it crossed the garden and walked through the locked gate.

Reverend Bull also saw the iconic ghostly coach of Borley with the two horses and a headless coachmen leading its way.

In 1928, Reverend Guy Smith and his wife Mabel moved into Borley. On arrival, Mabel quickly found a small human skull while cleaning out the house. They buried the skull in the churchyard but not long after, where Guy heard whispering, pleading words coming from the 'Blue Room' inside the house - saying "Don't Carlos, don't!" Much like the other occupants, they too heard the eerie footsteps echo around the house and randomly ringing doorbells. Their servant also saw the phantom coach pass by twice. Less than a year after moving in, the Smiths contacted the Daily Mirror and so the tales began to gain infamy.

Borley went on to have other occupants and many more tales over the years - even though the ghostly sightings continue to be debated.

In 1939, the rectory was burnt down - not long after it had been purchased by Captain W.H. Gregson. Years later, his son revealed that his father may have started the fire himself.

5 Haunted Places in Australia

 Monte Cristo Homestead, NSW

Monte Cristo Homestead is a historic homestead located in the town of Junee, New South Wales, Australia. Constructed by local pioneer Christopher William Crawley in 1885, it is a double-storey late-Victorian-style manor standing on a hill overlooking the town.

Known as “Australia’s Most Haunted House”, a series of deadly accidents took place over the years here including a boy who burned to death in the stables, a girl who was “pushed” out of a maid’s arms and down the stairs by a ghost, and a fatal shooting in 1961. You can actually stay overnight, and you might be lucky enough to see the ghost of former owner Mrs Crawley.

Breakfast Creek Hotel, QLD

Breakfast Creek Hotel is a heritage-listed hotel at 2 Kingsford Smith Drive, Albion, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Simkin & Ibler and built in 1889 to 1890 by Thomas Woollam & William Norman. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.

William McNaughton Galloway, the Mayor Of Brisbane in 1889 and first owner of the Breakfast Creek Hotel died after falling from a window on the second floor of the pub. The staff over the years have made reference to feeling a spooky presence and 'cold chills' when in certain areas of the hotel, believing Galloway could still be haunting it. 

BEECHWORTH ASYLUM, BEECHWORTH, VICTORIA

Beechworth Asylum, also known in later years as the Beechworth Hospital for the Insane and Mayday Hills Mental Hospital, is a decommissioned hospital located in Beechworth, a town of Victoria, Australia.

If you hear children's laughter in the corridors of Beechworth, you’re not the only one! It’s estimated that over 9000 patients died during their stay at Beechworth, Several years ago, a 10-year old boy on a ghost tour with his parents was seen talking to himself. When his parents asked who he was talking to, he said he was talking to a boy called James. After some research, it turns out there was a child by the same name who died at the asylum.

JENOLAN CAVES, BLUE MOUNTAINS, NSW

The Jenolan Caves are limestone caves located within the Jenolan Karst Conservation Reserve in the Central Tablelands region, west of the Blue Mountains, in Jenolan, Oberon Council, New South Wales, eastern Australia. The caves and 3,083-hectare (7,620-acre) reserve are situated approximately 175 kilometres (109 mi) west of Sydney, 20 kilometres (12 mi) east of Oberon and 30 kilometres (19 mi) west of Katoomba.

You can argue that all caves are spooky, but not all caves have their own resident ghost. A guide who works in the caves recalls an old man in a suit telling once him an unknown fact about a button in the reflective pools – when he tried to find the man afterwards; there was no sign of him. Legend has it that the man could very well be James Wiburd, a caretaker of the caves who loved them so much that he requested his ashes be scattered there.

NATIONAL FILM AND SOUND ARCHIVE, CANBERRA, ACT

The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA), known as ScreenSound Australia from 1999 to 2004, is Australia's audiovisual archive, responsible for developing, preserving, maintaining, promoting and providing access to a national collection of film, television, sound, radio, video games, new media, and related documents and artefacts. The collection ranges from works created in the late nineteenth century when the recorded sound and film industries were in their infancy, to those made in the present day.

Before it was the National Film and Sound Archive, Canberra’s famed building was the Australian Institute of Anatomy where it housed hundreds of human skeletons and body parts and animal specimens, including Phar Lap’s heart, Ned Kelly’s skull and a mummy from Papua New Guinea. Staff in recent years have witnessed objects moving by themselves and weird noises coming from recording booths, which once served as dissection labs.

5 Haunted Places in Europe

Europe, as well as the other contintents, has a plethora of haunted locations. Here, we encounter 5 of them. Let's begin!

Number 1:

Kilkenny, Ireland

Kilkenny is a city in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region and in the province of Leinster. It is built on both banks of the River Nore. The 2016 census gave the total population of Kilkenny as 26,512.

This Irish city has a storied past, filled with tragic events that allegedly left behind spirits that visitors still witness today. Kilkenny, located about 80 miles from Dublin, was the site of Ireland’s first witch trial. Another tragedy struck in 1763, when 16 people drowned in the river after a bridge collapsed during a flood. Today, people report seeing creepy figures in the River Nore that rise above the mist in the early morning.

Number 2:

Poveglia Island, Italy

Poveglia is a small island located between Venice and Lido in the Venetian Lagoon, northern Italy. A small canal divides the island into two separate parts.

 This haunted island was once a home for people dying from the bubonic plague, and it later housed a mental institution in the late 1800s. In the 1930s, rumors persisted that a doctor performed experiments on patients on the island. Now, the island is abandoned and you can’t really go there — but that’s probably a good thing… right?

Number 3:

Château de Brissac

The Château de Brissac is a French château in the Brissac-Quincé area of the commune of Brissac Loire Aubance, located in the département of Maine-et-Loire, France. The property is owned by the Cossé-Brissac family, whose head bears the French noble title of Duke of Brissac.

This hauntingly beautiful castle with its gold leaf ceilings and opulent furniture hides a dark secret: Charlotte of France was murdered there after her husband found her cheating with one of his friends (he killed the friend too). Now, the young Charlotte is said to wander the castle, forever stuck there after her untimely death. Guests and staff report seeing her most frequently in the tower room of the castle's chapel, dressed in a green gown.

Number 4:

The Tower of London, England

The Tower of London, officially Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London.

The tower’s bloody history is no stranger to ghost stories. First built in the 11th century to defend royal power, it has been used as a prison and execution site. Henry VI was killed at the tower during the Wars of the Roses, as were three queens: Anne Boleyn, Catherine Howard, and Jane Grey. Today, Anne Boleyn's ghost is said to walk the Tower Green, the site of her own execution, and Arbella Stuart — Queen Elizabeth I’s cousin who was arrested for marrying without royal permission — is rumored to haunt the Queen’s House. Nonetheless, more than 3 million people visit the tower each year to admire the Crown Jewels and confront the ghost stories.

Number 5:

Akershus Festning, Norway

Akershus Fortress or Akershus Castle is a medieval castle in the Norwegian capital Oslo that was built to protect and provide a royal residence for the city.

This medieval castle was completed in 1300, and it has been the site of a prison (which closed in 1950) and several sieges since. Prison sentences at the castle often involved hard physical labor, and it was known for using irons and chains as a way to discipline prisoners. Rumors persist of whispers and scratching heard along the hallways, and guards have reported weird sensations, like being pushed by someone who wasn't there, while working.