All across the world, there are places where real history & ghost stories bump into each other. Some of these used to hold prisoners & others guarded coastlines. One is still a working hotel. Either way, each one has seen something unforgettable, and here are ten of these places. Which of these would you dare to visit after dark?
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Fort Delaware State Park, Delaware
Fort Delaware was built in the late 1850s on Pea Patch Island & it once held thousands of Confederate soldiers during the Civil War. It’s quiet now. The state park is surrounded by marshes & can be reached only by ferry, but the old casemates are apparently still there.
About 2,500 Confederate prisoners died at Fort Delaware over the years. Park rangers run nighttime tours where visitors swear they still hear marching boots & have reported seeing a “Blue Man” ghost in a doorway.
Crumlin Road Gaol, Belfast
Locals call Crumlin Road Gaol in Belfast “The Crum.” For over 150 years, it housed every kind of criminal, including petty thieves & political prisoners, and there’s a long tunnel that connects the prison to the courthouse across the street. Some say that the walk still feels spooky.
Seventeen men were executed in the prison before it closed. The cells are open for guided tours & many guests say they’ve heard things guides didn’t mention, including a man walking down a wing & then vanishing, as well as cries in the night.
Port Arthur, Tasmania
Down in Tasmania, Port Arthur’s peacefulness hides a rough past, as it was once one of Britain’s toughest penal colonies. More than 1,000 people died at Port Arthur. It used to be packed with convicts shipped across the world.
Today, though, the ghost tours tell stories of ghostly footsteps in the old hospital & faint voices in ruined rooms. Guests have apparently seen doors opening by themselves and phantom figures in the windows.
Fairmont Banff Springs, Alberta
Fairmont Banff Springs is a mountain resort in Canada’s Rocky Mountains that looks like a castle. Since the 1880s, guests have claimed to see a bride gliding down a staircase, veil & all. There’s also Sam the bellman, who apparently never clocked out even after he officially retired in 1975.
St. Augustine Lighthouse, Florida
St. Augustine Lighthouse was rebuilt in the 1870s. Sadly, three little girls died during construction when a cart fell into the bay, and ever since, people climbing the spiral stairs have said they hear laughter & footsteps. Some also say the lights switch on unexpectedly in the keeper’s house. The museum runs after-hours “Dark of the Moon” tours. The whole place is so creepy that even skeptics admit it feels eerie inside.
Bodmin Jail, Cornwall
Built in 1779, Bodmin Jail was meant to bring order to Cornwall, but the place saw more than fifty executions before closing in 1927. Now it’s part museum & part hotel.
They host candlelight tours through the stone halls, where you can still see the gallows and perhaps feel cold drafts coming from nowhere. Some reports claim to hear the sound of chains dragging from dead prisoners. It’s history you can feel, whether you want to or not.
Houska Castle, Czechia
Houska Castle is north of Prague and sits on solid rock, aside from the deep pit it was built to cover. Local legend calls it a “gateway to hell,” & monks once prayed nonstop in the chapel above it. Allegedly, the Nazis also performed experiments on demonic creatures there.
Regardless of whether you believe that, the place is oddly still inside. Some visitors say the silence makes them feel uneasy, while others claim they feel like they’re being watched near the pit area.
Ballygally Castle, Antrim
Ballygally Castle is a seaside castle in Antrim, Northern Ireland, which has been standing since the 1620s. It has weathered storms & sieges alike. However, some overnight guests have claimed to have met Lady Isabella Shaw, a ghost said to wander the tower after being locked away there centuries ago.
The hotel even keeps her “ghost room” open. Other guests have reported doors opening & closing, as well as lights flickering.
Fort Warren, Boston Harbor
Out on Georges Island is Fort Warren, a brick fortress that once guarded Boston Harbor. It held Confederate prisoners during the Civil War. But the most famous tale is about a woman in black who came looking for her captured husband before being caught & hanged.
Visitors still claim to spot her drifting along the old ramparts, or even out of the corner of their eye.
Villisca Axe Murder House, Iowa
This small white house in Villisca looks harmless. Yet this is where eight people were murdered in 1912, and the home has been kept exactly as it was, with the same layout & same walls. It even has the same quiet. Those who stay overnight say the air feels heavy around midnight.
There have also been claims of footsteps pacing the halls late at night & doors opening by themselves, as well as random cold spots. Could the memories of these murders still be hanging around?
Sources: Please see here for a complete listing of all sources that were consulted in the preparation of this article.
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