Union Cemetery dates back to the 1700s and is one of the most haunted cemeteries in the United States. Most of the spirits roaming its grounds do not come with a clear origin or reports recording their first sightings.
Name
The Lady in White also known as the White Lady, roam the Easton, Connecticut grounds of Union Cemetery and it’s surrounding roads.
Physical Description
The White Lady is described as having longing black hair and a white gown, possibly a wedding gown. Many have reported her floating just above the ground around the graves.
Origin
The Lady in White’s origin is a bit of a mystery, multiple stories try to explain were her spirit came from and why she is “haunting” the cemetery. One legend says she’s the spirit of a woman who was murdered in the 1940s after killing her husband; another legend is that she was killed at the turn of the 20th century and dumped in the sinkhole behind the church. The last legend states she died in childbirth and is still roaming the earth searching for her lost child. We still can’t say for certain where her spirit came from, as she is not a talkative ghost.
The White Lady has been seen by several visitors to the graveyard, as well as been captured in many photographs and videos (most famous being Ed Warren’s). The Lady in White also likes to appear in the middle of Route 59 seeming to be “hit” by a car, only to leave the driver shaken and confused after she disappears. She has many reports of sightings on roads nearby the Easton Cemetery, but there are also reports stating the White Lady has also been seen in a Monroe cemetery as well. It seems most reports show she is not an angry or malicious spirit, rather one that is a minor trickster playing harmless games with visitors to the grounds.
The Old Jail was originally built in 1802 in Charleston, SC and stands to this day in the Downtown area. It reined until 1939 as a prison, poor house, hospital, and workhouse for slaves at its full capacity to serve the town.
Name & Location
The jail has many names through-out history the two that stuck for the hundreds of years it has stood are the Old Charleston Jail and Old Jail for short. Located in the French Quarter part of Downtown Charleston the jail stands tall as a reminder to locals to the history Charleston has endured and recovered from.
Physical Description
The Old City of Charleston, South Carolina is located in the Downtown area. It’s dark and gothic in appearance, standing four stories tall with an octagonal tower. Its moss-covered stone walls tower over the grounds, it has large windows covered with rode iron bars. It has undergone a few remodeling’s in its days, the largest being after the great earthquake of 1886
Origin
The true “first” report to come of ghostly figures haunting the halls is unknown, but since 1886 they have become more recorded. Since the jail’s start, it has been associated with hauntings for spirits and strange occurrences.
Mythology and Lore
It has housed some of the most crazed criminals over the many years including 19th-century pirates, Civil War Prisoners of Wars, and notable inmates through-out Charleston history. It’s believed to be haunted by all types of inmates who died during their incarceration, including many holding the death penalty. Some of the occurrences reported through-out time have ranged from objects simply moving on their own, strange or disembodied voices, ghostly whispers passing through the air, slamming doors, footprints in the dust, the dumbwaiter moving between floors and more. A ghost to appear is a guard on patrol with his rifle in hand, he seems to charge toward guests or workers in the jail hall before vanishing. Many reports their photographs from tours of the jail are haunted by ghostly faces or figures. Lavinia Fisher is one of the more infamous criminals to spend time behind the Old Jail’s walls, credited to be the first female serial killer. She and her husband John were owners of a Charleston inn named the Six Mile Wayfarer House. This hotel had large reports of guests disappearing, being poisoned, stabbed, and the more time went on the ghastly tales got worse. Leading the police to arrest the gang of murderous lovers, the pair waited out their final days at the Old Jail before begin hung in the courtyard and buried in the on-site cemetery. Locals and tourist report seeing Lavinia’s spirit roaming the grounds to this very day, appearing in photographs taken on the second floor of the building.
There is not a shortage of tales and reported encounters coming from the Old Jail, though the spirits credited for them are hard to identify. The Old Charleston Jail held vast numbers of inmates and has countless dead reports to go with it. Many locals enjoy the thrill of roaming its floors and seeking out encounters, as the jail maintains its tours and viewing; just beware you may be touched or grabbed.
Thomas Nelson was well-known though out the 1700s, the house, York Hall, was built in 1730. It now sits on the corners of Main Street and Nelson Street in the historical Yorktown, Virginia.
Name & Location
York Hall became the home of Thomas Nelson, who was an influential merchant before becoming a general in the Revolutionary War, as well as the 3rd governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia. He was also known for signing the Declaration of Independence.
Physical Description
York Hall sits on a large property that has been greatly changed from both the Revolutionary and Civil Wars. The grand home was built in Georgian style, simple and balanced in appearance. Made of red bricks with decorative molding under eaves, the home stands three stories tall. It’s trimmed with small white windows all around the up to two stories.
Origin
In 1766 Nelson inherited the house from his father, he raised his family within the home for many years. During the siege of Yorktown Nelson found that Cornwallis and his British troops were taking refuge in Nelson’s family home. He became so enraged he had the house bombed leading to many lost lives. In addition to the Revolutionary War sieges, the house later went on to experience the horror of the Civil War where it was a hospital to care for soldiers. Having so many badly injured the floors and attic were rumored to be stained with a repugnant odor for many years following. In later years a site was found of a second house on the Nelson property, it appeared destroyed by cannon fire as well as holding more British graves.
Mythology and Lore
The Nelson House has no shortage of supernatural experiences from having such a bloody past. To this day caretakers of the home and grounds experience ranges of supernatural contact with the spirits roaming the grounds. There is a stairway off-limits to visitors because of a soldier’s spirit violently claiming the space. In the twentieth century, reports came of doors to the stairway slamming or being whipped opened violently. Rooms seem to shake, something crashes into the sideboards frequently, and dishes are sent flying to the floor.
There is also the spirit of a British soldier who fell in love with his nurse but died from his wounds before they could be together. Witness have reported seeing his ghost in the attic window covered in blood and waiting for his love to come back. He is also rumored to be the maker of haunting footsteps, cold spots, lights flickering, and objects being moved. There is also a woman’s spirit reported to be sobbing on the 3rd floor and attic of the home; many believe it could be the soldier’s lover and others a family member that cared for the spirits and home after the war.
All across the Nelson grounds, witnesses have reported seeing figures of men dressed in red dashing and ducking behind trees. Some report just seeing the figures of soldiers walking the grounds as if on patrol. Along with the soldier like figures, there is a healthy dose of other spirits roaming the grounds. Visitors and caretakers report various styles of clothing, ages, and genders to these spirits; as well as supernatural experiences. Some seem to be friendly and visiting the house, some like to play tricks, others are darker, but the Nelson House remains one of the oldest haunted places in America today.
Is there anything we missed about the Nelson House? Let us know in the comments section below!
The haunting began in 1852 after death within the Legare family.
Name/Name & Location
Julia Legare also is known as J.B. Legare was visiting other members of the wealthy Edisto Island family in Charleston, South Carolina.
Physical Description
The tomb was made of reddish stone and sat inside of the Presbyterian Church grounds with a metal fence surrounding it. Inside of the tomb, you can see 3 tombstones and what looks to be a stone bed on the floor.
Origin
The Legare family lived on Edisto Island during the mid-1800s for some time and becoming a wealthy local family. In 1852 the 22-year-old daughter Julia fell ill and slipped into a coma, and eventually was pronounced dead later. Her legend begins after being entombed in her family’s mausoleum crypt for almost 15 years.
Mythology and Lore
When Julia fell into the coma her heart and respiratory rates dropped so low the doctors were not able to detect them. This was because of the poor medical equipment they had during this time. The physician declared Julia dead and informed the family. They began to arrange final rites for her at the Edisto Island Presbyterian Church for later that afternoon to lay Julia to rest. She was taken to the Church to await the ceremony, and the tomb was opened and prepared.
In the 1800s the ceremonial activities were conducted at a rapid pace as they didn’t have embalming fluids yet. So poor Julia was buried the same day as she died after her loved-ones had time to pay their respects to her. Then she was taken from the church to the mausoleum and placed within the crypt. A large marble door was securely closed and locked to secure her final resting place. After 15 years another family death required the Legare family to open their family crypt again. This is when the family realized their horrible and tragic mistake. Julie’s remains were found crumpled at the foot of the mausoleum door; she had been buried alive. It is believed that she awoke from her coma entombed and tried to escape, but sadly couldn’t. The family had her re-entombed within the crypt and the door resealed so she could rest again.
When they returned to visit her, they found the tomb door would be open, a clergyman at the church would close the tomb again yet the same thing would happen. This happened over decades to elders of the church. They used chains, unbreakable locks, and even called in industrial machinery to seal a door into place. All of them would be open and or unhinged from the mausoleum, the original door still lays broken around the entry to her tomb. Mediums from all over believe she would never allow a door to be sealed so that no one would ever suffer her fate again. The church stopped putting doors on the mausoleum out of hopes her spirit would be able to rest knowing the tomb is safe. Visitors to this day can visit the grounds, some have reported an essence near the tomb. Others have captured pictures that cannot be explained by the caretakers of the cemetery.
Is there anything we missed about the Tomb of Julia Legare? Let us know in the comments section below!
This hotel was built in 1916; the alleged haunting, however, took place after the death of Fannie Guthry-Baehm between 1947 and 1950.
Name & Location
Location
The Van Gilder Hotel in downtown Seward, Alaska
Apparitions
Fannie Guthry-Baehm is said to be one of the resident ghosts that call the Van Gilder Hotel; she is one of many except she’s the only one that people have identified.
Physical Description
Location
A three-story reinforced concrete building with a full basement, on the exterior it is a white and maroon, unassumingly elegant building that is ripe with old Alaskan history.
“The first two floors contain twelve office suites with hot and cold running water and lavatories in every suite. The hall partitions and doors are of non-transparent glass. The third floor is being fitted up for lodge purposes and will be second to none in Alaska.
All exterior doors and windows are to contain wired plate glass. The windows are the celebrated Whitney windows and the building will be heated by an “Ideal” down draft boiler 3750 feet capacity, with a Honeywell automatic temperature regulator. The radiators are of the “Peerless” screw nipper type.
On the whole the building is one of the finest in Alaska. It is one of three fine concrete buildings which have just been completed but it is the largest of the three. Mr. Van Gilder deserves a tremendous lot of credit for giving a building like this to Seward. He came in a stranger and seeing that Seward must grow he set to work unostentatiously to erect The Office Block. It is an enforced concrete building eighty-four by thirty-four feet in dimension. On the first and second floors it has twenty-seven rooms. The basement is large enough to house the whole plant of the Gateway and on the third story, in addition to all the rest, are splendid lodge rooms.
At present there are 31 rooms available for rental. Six more rooms make up the manager’s apartment and lobby. The basement contains seven rooms and two bathrooms.”
News Account: Description of the building when it was opened in 1916
Apparitions
Van Gilder Hotel
There is a lone unidentifiable man is said to appear only as wisps and orbs, but there have also been sightings of two men wearing bowler hats standing behind the front desk, as well as three children running from room to room giggling when there were no guests in the hotel.
A well-known historic building in Seward, Alaska–the Van Gilder Hotel was initially built as an office building, then underwent the conversion to apartments, and finally a hotel. Between being built 1916 and 1921, the building originally played host to the Masonic and Odd Fellows Lodge on the third floor, but after the two lodges constructed their own buildings, the third floor got turned into a ballroom. Once the building made the transition to a hotel, the third floor became the space for hotel guests.
In the last hundred years, the building hasn’t changed much from the time it was built to now, save for some upgrades to keep the building up to code through the years. Changes to the interior were cosmetic, but they only aid in keeping one of the oldest hotels in Alaska feeling authentic to its origins.
Apparitions
There are apparently several reported apparitions that call the Van Gilder Hotel home, but only one is known by name. The rest have been seen, but are unidentifiable.
Fannie Guthry-Baehm
According to local lore, in 1947 a woman named Fannie Guthry-Baehm was said to be shot in the head by her husband; the stories told around town were that her husband was a violent drunk and shot her in a whiskey-fueled rage. Although even some of the locals are not exactly sure about when she was killed–but they know it was between 1947 and 1950, but according to sources, it is more often believed to have been 1947. The details of the room in which she died are also unclear, some sources say room 201, while others say it was room 202 or 209, however, former staff of the hotel insist it was actually room 202.
An eyewitness account suggested in 2001 that at exactly 1:21 am they were awakened to the whole building shaking and windows squeaking right before they heard someone running up the stairs, followed directly by someone running down the stairs. When the customer asked the staff if there had been an earthquake, but was told that there hadn’t been–that what the customer had actually experienced was the ghost of Fannie Guthry-Baehm reliving her murder.
Mythology and Lore
Apparitions
The spirits of the Van Gilder Hotel don’t appear as often in sources that allude to their existence as Fannie, but accounts from the housekeeping staff make it clear that there are a plethora of ghosts who spend their afterlife within the walls of this historic hotel.
Fannie Guthry-Baehm
The book was written by Jonathan Faulkner The Ghost of Fannie Guthry-Baehm (2010) and set the murder as a mystery piece and at face value poses as a tale woven with historical facts. There is one passage in the book that gives what is alleged to be an eyewitness account.
At about 12:30, just after midnight early on the morning of the 13th of July, the room was beginning to get dark, as it was summer in Alaska. As I rolled over, out of the corner of my eye, I saw what I perceived as a woman in a dressing gown with long light-colored hair. I could not tell if it was blond or gray, but my sense was the woman was not old and gray. She appeared tired as she moved from the corner of the bed ‘through’ the dresser and to the door. She paused and went ‘through’ the door and out of the room.
The Ghost of Fannie Guthry-Baehm (2010)
According to housekeeping staff, Fannie has a tendency to sit on freshly made beds and leave a butt print, she’s also known to move cleaning supplies, tools, as well as opening and closing doors and windows. Many people have reported seeing her while they were sitting in chairs in the hallways, as well as people who have woken up to find Fannie sitting at the foot of their bed.
Modern Pop-Culture References
There is some controversy about the validity of the only known publication made about Fannie Guthry-Baehm’s murder–although we’re waiting to hear back from the family, we’re under the impression that the book falsely represented many of the details about the life and death of Fannie.
Georgia-based author and artist, Mary has been a horror aficionado since the mid-2000s. Originally a hobby artist and writer, she found her niche in the horror industry in late 2019 and hasn’t looked back since. Mary’s evolution into a horror expert allowed her to express herself truly for the first time in her life. Now, she prides herself on indulging in the stuff of nightmares.
Mary also moonlights as a content creator across multiple social media platforms—breaking down horror tropes on YouTube, as well as playing horror games and broadcasting live digital art sessions on Twitch.
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