There are plenty of haunted places throughout the U.S. that have very dark pasts. Many of these so called haunted houses have been made into tourist attractions. They bring people from all over the world in hopes of having a one of a kind paranormal experience. Let’s take a look at some of the most haunted houses in the U.S.
1.Winchester Mystery House
Photo: Visit California
Located in San Jose California, the Winchester Mystery House still stands today. The six acre home includes 160 rooms, 47 stairways and fireplaces, 13 bathrooms, 6 kitchens, and 2,000 doors. Construction on the home began in 1884 and continued until 1922 and only ceased when Sarah Winchester, the owner of the home, passed away. The house is full of windows that look upon nothing and stairs that have dead ends.
As the legend goes, after the loss of her husband and child, Sarah Winchester believed that many spirits were haunting her. She used the construction on the house as a way to ward off and even confuse evil spirits.The house includes its own Seance room, where Winchester supposedly interacted with the nice spirits by welcoming them into her home.
Photo: Little Things
Today the house continues to be maintained and offers tours for the curious. Many employees and tour participants have reported unusual spirit encounters, some have even reported having seen Sarah Winchester herself.
2.The Amityville House
Photo: NY Daily News
The Amityville House remained a mystery for many years. On November 13th,1974 members of the DeFeo family were found murdered in their own home. Butch DeFeo, one of the family members, was found guilty of the murders during his trial a year later. A lot of speculation surrounded the murders that Butch was accused of, and many novels and movies have come out since that have suggested paranormal activity around the house.
It wasn’t until November 2000 when Ric Osuna, the author of The Night the DeFeos Died, interviewed Butch for his novel. During this interview Butch admitted to killing his family members, but he didn’t act alone. According to Butch his sister Dawn DeFeo became fed up with the abuse her father had put on their family for many years and decided that they should kill him. In Butch’s confession he admitted that Dawn was the one that killed most of the family members, but that he became outraged and killed Dawn after realizing what she had done.
Butch DeFeo denies ever telling this story about his involvement, but the evidence has pointed to Dawn as being one of the main accomplices in the gruesome crime. Despite the mystery being solved, the Amityville House will forever remain one of the most haunted houses in America.
3.Myrtles Plantation
Photo: No Adventure
Myrtles Plantation is located in St. Francisville, Louisiana. Built in 1796 the home was owned by David Bradford who also went by the name of “Whiskey Dave.” The house has had many owners that have remodeled and changed the home to what it is today. Myrtles Plantations has been featured on shows such as Ghost Hunters and claims to have at least 92 ghosts, but is famous for one particular ghost.
Legend has it that Chloe was a slave to Clark and Sara Woodruff, two previous owners of the home. Some people have said that Chloe was caught listening to things she wasn’t supposed to, which led the Woodruff’s to cut off both of her ears. Others say that she was forced into being Clark’s mistress. One of these events led Chloe to deposit a small amount of poison into a birthday cake and serve it to the Woodruff family. Her poisonous cake is rumored to have killed three family members and Chloe was then punished by the other slaves that worked at the plantation for fear that they would be punished for her crime.
Photo: Myrtles Plantation
A lot of speculation surrounds the Legend of Chloe and whether or not she actually existed, but many visitors including National Geographic have reported seeing Chloe around the house. Chloe isn’t the only ghost that has been spotted, many visitors have reported sightings of different ghosts throughout various rooms in the house. Whether Chloe existed or not, Myrtles Plantation is considered one of the most haunted houses in the U.S. and continues to bring visitors from all over to experience the house for themselves.
4.The LaLaurie Mansion
It’s no surprise that the LaLaurie House made it onto our list, considering that Delphine LaLaurie’s abusive past was featured on the third season of American Horror Story. The infamous house is located in New Orleans and was purchased by the LaLaurie family in 1831.
Photo: TripAdvisor
It’s no secret that Delphine LaLaurie was extremely abusive to her slaves. Reportedly LaLaurie had been suspected of cruel treatment very early on and at one point she had her slaves taken away from her because of her torturous ways. In 1834 people found out that she had actually been torturing slaves after a fire had broke out and destroyed a portion of the mansion. The brutal treatment of LaLaurie’s slaves outraged her fellow neighbors and Delphine was run out of town.
Photo: Road Trippers
There are many theories about LaLaurie’s death, one including her being killed by a boar. Some people believe that she returned to New Orleans and was buried there after her death. The house has experienced a brutal past leading it to be one of the most haunted houses around. It goes without saying that many people have had paranormal sightings and experiences while visiting the mansion.
Many of these houses have experienced a weird or brutal past, some very true, others have thrived on the mystery surrounding the house. One thing is for sure, these houses have definitely earned their names in being some of the most haunted houses in America.