Haunted America: The 10 Creepiest Places With Real Backstories

America, the vast land of historical significance and beautiful green lands and waters, is quite famous for sightings of ghosts and spirits because of abandoned towns or collapsed industrial areas. The gold rush and wild mining era led to booming towns that were later abandoned due to inadequate life resources or the barren land that left no hope for residents, and they never returned, but someone else took over the place and became a permanent resident, and no, they don’t pay rent.
Tourists who visit these places love exploring haunted towns and sites, each with a chilling backstory that’s sure to send shivers down your spine (and possibly make your phone battery drain mysteriously fast).

Bryant Park, which has witnessed the architectural landmark of New York being built here in the late 19th century, is today known for its famous “The New York Public Library.” Where Stephen Schwarzman's building stands today in Bryant Park, it was once the burial ground for criminals and poor people. (Because who doesn’t want to read a book on top of old bones?)
There were other apartment branches built, such as one haunted, Fort Washington. The redheaded ghost, as spotted in the attic or sometimes in the reading room, was one of the ten people who lost their lives while building the library. The librarian of the Astor library building claims to have seen the apparition of a doctor’s spirit, who passed away recently, and comes there to browse through supernatural reading materials. (Yes, even ghosts want to know what happens next in Goosebumps.) Another famous story revolves around the ghost of an old man who was probably a librarian, shushing people who talk loudly. Some habits never die — literally.

Chelsea Hotel, one of the state-of-the-art buildings in the USA, is not only a famous tourist landmark, but it has also attracted visitors who have an interest in meeting the ghosts. (Ghosting here is taken to a whole new level.)
The Chelsea Hotel was reported to house the survivors of the Titanic, one of them being Mary, whose ghost is often sighted on the 5th floor of her room, where she gave up her life, depressed from her husband’s demise in the tragic incident. Another sighting is of Nadia, who is known as the severed hand ghost. She took her own life by jumping out of the window, after chopping off her hand. This decision of hers was because of the daily routine chores ordered by her father, which became too bothersome. She had fled with a songwriter and faced her fate when her husband became an alcoholic and bankrupt. Nancy Spungen was killed by her boyfriend in room 100, and since then, people can hear her cries.

The edge of Louisville, Kentucky, served as a building ground for a hospital or an asylum. That era was when tuberculosis, known as the 'white plague,' was widespread. Doctors employed various experimental treatments, including surgeries like lung collapses and electroshock therapy, which often resulted in fatalities. Approximately 6,000 patients were reported to have died during the epidemic. The ghosts of these patients have been known to linger in the darkness of corridors, while phantom footsteps and strange sounds have been heard, too.

This real house, where the famous horror film “The Conjuring” was shot, is situated in Burrillville, Rhode Island. The families who resided there reported experiencing not just spooky incidents, but also reported it to be near-fatal or fatal.

The 14-room farmhouse had been under the same family’s possession, which faced countless tragic incidents, including the deaths of their children. One such incident, a folklore, says that a witch named Sherman pricked a needle in the baby’s brain. Since her death, she is known to haunt the house alongside other spirits. Another family, the Perrons, moved here in the 1970s and also faced similar strange incidents like the smell of rotten flesh, pricks in the leg, and movement of beds at early hours. Anyhow, they left the house in 1980, but still, the site is claimed to be one of the real haunted places in America. (If your bed moves and it’s not on wheels... time to pack.)

William Wirt Winchester and his wife, Sarah, were the driving forces behind the construction of the Winchester Mystery House. After his death, Sarah moved to San Jose, California, and began extensive renovations on an eight-room farmhouse. The mansion grew over the years, incorporating numerous architectural oddities. While some legends suggest she was instructed by a medium to build the house continuously to appease spirits, historical evidence on this claim is limited. Nonetheless, the house remains a testament to her vision and is now a popular tourist attraction.

Located in South Carolina, the Old Charleston City Jail was built in 1802. The ancient form of its building and the eerie atmosphere surrounding it makes it a site of attraction for many visitors. (Some even come for the ghosts but stay for the historical trauma.)
Tourists who have experienced paranormal activities here have reported unseen touches scaring them, strange laughter and voices, ghostly sightings, and footsteps. The stories here circulate dangerous criminals like Lavinia Fisher and Stede Bonnet being kept here, and the crazy doctor who was called Dr. Death, who used to conduct unethical surgeries on people who didn't give consent.

This beautiful home nestled in the lush greens of Louisiana is known to be haunted by the ghost of a slave woman, Chloe. American ghost stories suggest that she killed everyone in the family by poisoning them and was executed upon investigation.
Since then, tragic, scary circumstances have been experienced — as if someone lingers around you, unfaltering footsteps, ghostly apparitions in the mirror, children playing and laughing, and so many other spooky encounters. Today, it attracts many history buffs and tourists who like to see ‘ghosts’ — and hopefully not take one home.

Philadelphia has seen America’s oldest penal institution, the Eastern State Penitentiary. The culprits were punished harshly, usually kept in solitary confinement, the walls of their misery still a witness.
Tourists report phantom sightings, agonizing cries, and ghostly shadows. And if you're lucky, your flashlight might flicker just as someone whispers your name.

The Savannah cemetery in Georgia has a Victorian-style atmosphere, with its iconic monuments capturing your heart. Although the site looks serene and beautiful, it has an extra layer of eerie air surrounding it.
The famous ghost of Gracie — a girl who died aged just six years old — is said to be spotted near her grave. Babies are heard screaming, and a dog often barks around this place.

Cahawba, a popular ghost town, is also the former capital of Alabama, a Civil War state. The unoccupied buildings, old cemeteries, and the slaves' graveyard are the center of most of the ghostly stories being born here.
One such popular tale is about the floating orbs of Pegeus’s apparition, who was a colonel killed in the battle. Still, it has a dreadful aura attached to it. (You’ll know it’s haunted when your phone's GPS gets confused.)