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The Murderous Werewolf of Allariz

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Spain’s first recorded serial killer was caught killing people up in the Galician mountains. His crimes were horrible in itself, but his defense was even more gruesome. According to him he was cursed to be a werewolf without his human will, and was remembered as The Werewolf of Allariz.

For centuries, the mythical creature of the werewolf has been the subject of countless tales, striking fear into the hearts of villagers and captivating the imaginations of storytellers alike. But how much of this terrifying legend is rooted in truth? 

Read more: Check out all of our ghost stories from Spain

From the dark forests of Galicia, Spain, to the eerie moonlit nights where the beast is said to roam, this hair-raising journey will leave you questioning what lies beyond our realm of understanding and has since been known as The Werewolf of Allariz. 

The Werewolf of Allariz Legend

At the cusp of the 19th century, Allariz, a small town in Orense, experienced a series of horrible crimes. The Galician forest seemed especially dark when 13 people disappeared and were found brutally murdered inside of it.

They found the man that confessed to the murders, but what was especially strange about this was his reasoning for the murderers. 

Manuel Blanco Romasanta, the murderer, told a story that no one really wanted to believe. He said when he was a teenager when someone put a curse on his family and he was turned into a werewolf every full moon. During these full moon turns, he lost all human consciousness and because of the beast in him, he killed and devoured the flesh of his victims.

Werewolves: There have been told stories about werewolves since ancient times. Some have even made it into trial. From The Book of Werewolves: Being an Account of a Terrible Superstition. — London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1865.

Romasanta is Spain’s first documented serial killer. His case was a sensation, not only because of the brutality of his crimes but also because of the werewolf claims. The legend of the Werewolf of Allariz had come to life, blurring the lines between myth and reality. Romasanta’s trial shed light on the dark underbelly of human nature and the fascination with the supernatural.

Romasanta Unusual Background

Romasanta, also known as the Tallow Man was born in 1809 in Regueiro in Ourense Province in Spain to a rather wealthy family that provided their children with education. He was one of five children in the family and at first he was thought to have been female. That is why he spent his first sex years being raised as a girl with the name Manuela. When he was six there was a doctor that rearranged his sex to male. 

So we might have a case of an intersex person, as the birth certificate said girl, but this was the 1800s, and there was not a science or wording that can confirm it as we know of it today. We do know he lived most of his life as a male though, working as a tailor and married to a woman that passed away. There is no indication of him being involved in her death. 

After her death, he left his job and started to travel, mainly to Portugal, and soon started to work as a guide through the mountain passes and deep woodlands among other things. 

In the 1840s at the time of a great famine and mass hysteria where the world was seen as a dangerous place, a man named Antonio Gomes showed up in a small village called Rebordechao. He helped with the harvest, worked as a cook, made yarn and worked as a guide to follow people safely over the thesaurus mountains. 

He was a short man with feminine features and became very friendly with the women in the town. But then strange things started to happen the next few years as women and children that had hired this man as their guide and trusted him, started to disappear. 

In reality, Antoni Gomez was actually Blanco Romasanta that lived under a disguise and was on the run for killing a man that tried to collect a depth. 

Although Romasanta kept delivering letters to the families to the disappeared, something was strange. Especially when he started selling the clothes of the disappeared in town. And a rumor started about him selling soap that was made from human fat, hence the nickname, The Tallow Man. 

He was brought to trial in 1852 and taken to Allariz where he had the strangest defense. At the time he was arrested he was carrying a lunar calendar.  

The Trial of Manuel Blanco Romasanta

The trial of Manuel Blanco Romasanta captivated the nation and brought the Werewolf of Allariz into the spotlight. As the evidence against him mounted, Romasanta’s story of being cursed by a witch and transformed into a werewolf became more and more difficult to believe.

The Werewolf of Allariz confessed to 13 murders and had this to say about his time as a werewolf:“The first time I transformed, was in the mountains of Couso. I came across two ferocious-looking wolves. I suddenly fell to the ground and began to feel convulsions, I rolled over three times, and a few seconds later I was a wolf. I was out marauding with the other two for five days, until I returned to my own body, the one you see before you today, Your Honour. The other two wolves came with me, who I thought were also wolves, changed into human form. They were from Valencia. One was called Antonio and the other Don Genaro. They too were cursed… we attacked and ate a number of people because we were hungry.” — Manuel Blanco Romasanta

The court asked The Werewolf of Allariz to transform in court, but he said that the curse had been broken as it only lasted for 13 years.

The Werewolf of Allariz: Manuel Blanco Romasanta were tried tin 1852 after killing people in the Galican mountains. His defence was that he was in fact a werewolf.

Some experts suggested that Romasanta may have been suffering from a psychological disorder, such as clinical lycanthropy, which caused him to believe he was a werewolf. Others argued that he was simply a cold-blooded killer using the werewolf myth as a cover for his crimes.

The Werewolf of Allariz ended up being acquitted for four of the murders he had confessed to as forensic science indicated that it was actually wolf attacks and not the butchering by a human as the other nine. 

He escaped the death penalty as there were people that wanted to study him and observe his claim as a werewolf and clinical lycanthropy as a psychological illness and even the Queen of Spain intervened so that they could study him. He died in prison though under mysterious circumstances only months after arriving. Some say that it was an illness, some say he was shot by a guard that wanted to see him transform. 

The legend of the Werewolf of Allariz continues to captivate audiences to this day, serving as a reminder of our fascination with the supernatural and the unknown. Werewolves have long been a staple of folklore and mythology, appearing in stories from cultures around the world.

The Myth of the Galician Werewolf

But where did the murderer take all of the werewolf lore from? The concept of a shapeshifting human was not a foreign concept in Galician folklore at all, and there were many tales and certain rules for a werewolf. 

In Galician folklore, it is a belief that the seventh son of a family can become a werewolf, or lobishome. If the child is born normal, it will be born with the image of a cross inside of his mouth. If not, he will become a werewolf. 

Read More: Check out the stories about The History and Legends of the Haunted Abbaye De Mortemer or The Haunted Black Forest of Fairy Tales for more stories about werewolves.

There are different variations to the myth, but most of them claim that during a full moon, they can’t help themselves to transform and roll in mud before starting to attack people.Every Friday the werewolf will shed his clothes and run off, visiting seven villages and taking another skin from that village.
 The Enduring Fascination with Werewolves

The Lobishomen: The Galician mythology have told stories about shape shifting people long before the Werewolf of Allariz were caught.

But what is it about these creatures that continues to capture our imaginations? Perhaps it is the idea of transformation, of a human turning into a beast under the light of the full moon. Or maybe it is the duality of their nature, the struggle between the human and the animal within.

Whatever the reason, werewolves have become an enduring part of popular culture, appearing in books, movies, and television shows. From the classic horror films of the early 20th century to the modern-day werewolf romances, these creatures continue to fascinate and terrify us.

So the next time you find yourself walking through a dark forest on a moonlit night, remember the legend of the Werewolf of Allariz and the power that stories have to both terrify and captivate. And who knows, you may just catch a glimpse of something lurking in the shadows, a creature caught between the worlds of man and beast.

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References:

Unusual Historicals: Myth & Folklore: Lobisome, the Galician Werewolf
Lycanthropy, were-wolves, and “lobo da xente” (full post)
Manuel Blanco Romasanta | Murderpedia, the encyclopedia of murderers
Manuel Blanco Romasanta – Wikipedia
Haunted Spain, stories for an All Hallows Eve – CaramelTrail

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The Chilling Tales of The Ghosts Of Kehoe House

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Ever heard of the haunted Kehoe House? The historic Bed and Breakfast in Savannah is said the house is filled with ghosts and has more than one chilling story, from spectral lights to mysterious whispers.

Welcome to the haunted Kehoe House, a bed and breakfast hotel on Columbia Square in Savannah, known for its strange and chilling ghost stories within the historic rooms that are served with the breakfast. 

The Kehoe House was finished in 1885 and Willam Kehoe, an Irish immigrant that made his fortune in an iron foundry moved into it with his wife and 10 children. 

It was sold in 1930 and has since then been used as a funeral parlor, a boarding house as well as a home. In 1990 it was sold and renovated into a historic bed and breakfast that it operates as today. 

Read about more haunted hotels around the world: Here

The Kehoe House is said to be inhabited by many spooky spirits, from mysterious voices to spectral lights. Some believe that the house holds many secrets from its past.

Strange Happenings at Kehoe House

Savannah is often dubbed as one of the most haunted cities in America and the Kehoe House is filled with many strange and creepy stories.

Several people claim to have heard mysterious whispers when passing by certain rooms, and others claim to have seen ghostly figures lurking in the corridors. Others swear to have been pushed by an invisible force and felt a chill down their spine when entering certain parts of the house. Whether these stories are true or not, remains a mystery!

The Funeral Parlor

The most often told story is that the Kehoe family is still haunting the house, both William and his wife Annie Kehoe are said to still be seen on occasions in their former home. But it is not the only thing that made the house haunted according to the stories. 

One of the things that led the Renaissance Revival house to being dubbed as a haunted house was from when it was used as a funeral home. 

The Kehoe House was used for this for around 5 decades and many believe that those that passed through Goette Funeral Home still lingers. 

The Ghost of the Two Twins

Perhaps one of the most chilling aspects of Kehoe House is the unexplained sounds and noises. Many visitors have reported hearing mysterious whispering and strange voices echoing through the house, as if invisible spirits are exchanging hushed conversations deep within its walls. Some believe these whispers are coming from those trapped in limbo, while others simply ignore them and leave as quickly as possible.

Another of the ghost stories that are told on the haunted pub crawls and from the tour buses is the story about the ghosts of 2 of the 10 Kehoe children that supposedly died inside of the Kehoe House. The most told legend is the horrible tragedy of the two twin boys playing and getting stuck in the chimney. Slowly as ashes fell and were breathed in, they suffocated and died. 

This is a story that has been debunked several times as there are no paper trails that support these claims. But even though the story about the chimney is a lie, there are those that claim to have heard the sound of children playing and laughing even if the Bed and Breakfast doesn’t allow children to stay there. Sometimes they have even heard the voice of a small child calling out: Mommy.

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feature image: Ebyabe/wikimedia

The Kehoe House

Haunted Savannah Hotels | The Kehoe House

What’s the Most Haunted Bed and Breakfast in Savannah GA? 

The Kehoe House and Its Ghosts – Savannah, Georgia — Odd Inns & Uncommodations

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The Mysterious Ghost Stories of The Haunted Dock Street Theater

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The Haunted Dock Street Theater has plenty of spine-tingling ghost stories to tell as America’s first theater? Find out more about the tales, secrets and legends that cloak this historic theater.

Step inside the Dock Street Theatre in the historical and haunted city of Charleston in South Carolina, perhaps one of America’s most haunted cities and you will be met by centuries of eerie legends and tales about the ghosts that haunt the building. 

Visit this historic theater to discover its bone-chilling stories of unexplainable occurrences, from sightings of a spectral figure roaming the corridors to mysterious sounds emanating from unseen sources.

America’s First Theater

The building that is now the Dock Street Theater was built in 1809 in the French Quarter in downtown Charleston as a hotel where most of the ghost stories originate from and converted to a theater in 1935. It is also known as the last remaining Antebellum Hotel in Charleston. 

But the original Dock Street Theatre opened all the way back in 1736 and is the oldest surviving theater of its kind in the United States and has welcomed many famous names 

Dock Street Theater: The downtown theater has been used both as one of America’s first theaters as well as operating as a hotel from where the ghost stories from the place stems from.//source: Brian Stansberry//wikimedia

Along with hearing tales of ghostly sightings, you may just stumble upon additional, unexplainable phenomena while roaming the theater’s hallways.

The Ghost of Junius Booth in Dock Street Theater

Visitors, staff both on stage and off stage have several times been describing their interactions with ghostly apparitions, phantom voices and other otherworldly phenomena. From disembodied footsteps to mysterious moving shadows, these chilling recollections have been compiled over years of research and exploration of Dock Street Theatre’s many nooks and crannies.

One of the ghosts haunting the Dock Street Theater is said to be Junius Booth, the father of the assassin John Wilkes Booth who murdered Abraham Lincoln. Why he is haunting this exact theater is unknown as he wasn’t even in Charlesville when he passed away. 

He did however perform at the building in the time it was a hotel called Planter’s Hotel with his theater troupe. Rumor has it that he tried to kill the hotel manager in a fit of rage, but nothing else. 

Read about more Haunted Theatres: Here

Nettie the Ghost in the Red Dress

Many of the ghost legends have been shaped by events that happened long ago, such as a tragic fire or some sort of terrible event that occurred within the theater itself. It’s believed that many of these past occurrences may be connected to why certain ghosts still remain there today.

The ghost that most people report on seeing in the Dock Street Theater is that of Nettie and she has her own story to tell. Most likely it was a name given to her after she was spotted as a ghost, but there are theories that her name was really Nettie Dickerson.

Nettie the Ghost lived in Charleston in the 1800’s in the time it was Planter’s Hotel, working there as a prostitute when she was alive. The hotel was a definitive go to place in terms of alcohol, parties and prostitutes as well as gambling. 

The local legend is said that she was a 25 year old country girl who had moved to Charleston in the 1840s, dreaming of a city life with more exciting days than in the countryside. She was also looking for love, but at 25 she was well past her prime for marriage and not really highly sought after. 

From Church Clerk to Hotel Prostitute

Before becoming a prostitute she worked as a clerk in the church, a life far from where she ended up. She was friendly with the priest and did well at her job, but in the end, she wanted more and went to the Planter’s Hotel for it. 

Nettie went to the shop and bought herself the most expensive red dress to wear and to get a man in. Although she gained many customers and money at first, her lack of discretion made her lose it all just as quick. Besides, the men she went after, didn’t look at her as someone to marry. Poor and desperate, she went into a storm out on the balcony on the second floor. She started screaming, letting her bitterness of Charleston and her situation out. 

The priest she got along with tried to reason with her and get her down safely. She shouted to him that he couldn’t save her, and as legend goes, she was struck by a bolt of lightning in the head and died.

It is said that to this day, you can see the ghost of Nettie, roaming in her red dress inside the Dock Street Theater. 

Read about more ghost stories about Woman in Red.

The Dock Street Theater Air of Mystery

There are plenty of folklore and local stories that have been passed down throughout the years about the Dock Street Theatre, a place old, riddled with mystery and the spectacle that a theater can give. The legends of the Dock Street Theater are a mix of fact, fiction, and personal experience and sometime you have to experience yourself. 

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Ghosts of the Dock Street Theatre of Charleston

A Haunting in Charleston SC: The Dock Street Theatre – Luxury Simplified Retreats

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The Ghost Within The White House

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Go beyond the walls of America’s historical residence and explore a mysterious tale of the ghost within the White House. Is the house of the President really haunted?

Step into a world of mystery and folklore as you explore the legend of the ghost within the White House. From tales of strange occurrences to sightings of inexplicable figures, the White House has long been rumored to be haunted. 

The White House is the official residence and workplace of the President of the USA and has been so since president John Adams from 1800. 

Discover what could be behind alluring tales of supernatural entities inhabiting America’s most famous residence.

What Happened in the White House?

Curious minds have been trying to uncover the truth behind this mysterious legend for decades. But some believe it’s more than just a myth—some believe there was an actual event that occurred in the White House sparking this intrigue. 

It all centers around an unexplained occurrence on June 13, 1927 that many claim involved strange voices and creepy shadows coming from the Oval Office. To this day, no one is quite sure what actually happened that night but theories range from paranormal activity to espionage.

Identification of the Ghostly Resident

For decades, there have been reports of a ghostly presence that occupies the White House. The name of this spirit has never actually been identified, but some believe it is former British Army Officer Major John Sylvester who died in the White House in 1814 after defending it from an attack by the British during the War of 1812. 

Others insist that it could be Abigail Adams, wife of President John Adams, who supposedly still haunts the house even though she was never actually seen there in her lifetime. As with most rumored hauntings, no one will ever really know for sure who–or what–is living within these walls.

Unveiling of the Paranormal Presence

If a paranormal presence really does exist in the White House, it’s likely been lurking since at least the early 1800s. The strange events reported here include footsteps echoing throughout dark hallways, doors mysteriously closing and opening on their own, and even sightings of a spectral figure roaming the corridors. 

Most famously, however, are the Polk children’s accounts of Abraham Lincoln himself gliding through their bedroom late at night! Whether or not these stories are true remains to be seen; perhaps one day we may get definitive proof that something supernatural does indeed live within The White House walls.

Encounters with the Ghostly Entity

For decades, those living and working in the White House have reported encounters with the ghostly entity. One of the earliest recorded is First Lady Abigail Adams who supposedly hung her laundry near what would soon become the East Wing only to return and find it all gone! Since then, multiple members of staff (past and present) have also reported strange events occurring late at night. 

Perhaps most surprisingly are reports of Presidents such as Teddy Roosevelt, Harry Truman, and even Ronald Reagan having unexpected meetings with a figure dressed in Abraham Lincoln’s clothing! Whether or not these accounts are true remains a mystery, but certainly lends credence to the notion that there might be more than just human residents in The White House.

Puzzling Paranormal Phenomena Reported at the White House

Sightings are not the only mysterious events reported in and around the White House. Evidently, some of these alleged ghostly visitors don’t limit themselves to visual phenomena! Strange sightings have been accompanied by noises such as unexplained footsteps echoing through the halls, creaking doors opening and closing by themselves, and even chandeliers rattling above presidents in their private chambers. 

Another curious occurrence is the mysterious disappearance of objects such as keys and small trinkets in the present day. Some speculate that this is due to a mischievous ghostly presence known as ‘The Grey Lady’. Could these occurrences be turned into something more understandable? Only time will tell in this puzzling paranormal investigation.

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Ghost Stories from the Gettysburg Battlefield

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Haunted by eerie stories and mysterious legends, the Gettysburg Battlefield is home to supernatural phenomena like the legendary Ghost of Gettysburg. 

Gettysburg Battlefield has been shrouded in mystery and awed by stories of supernatural sightings. One of the most famous legends is the “Ghost of Gettysburg,” a purported spirit that haunts the historic Civil War battleground. Find out what makes this story so compelling, and explore other unusual tales related to this mysterious place.

The History of Gettysburg

Gettysburg is rich with history and tragedy. During the Battle of Gettysburg, there were approximately 50,000 casualties on both sides in the three days between July 1st and July 3rd 1863. For many it stands as the greatest battle that was during the American Civil War and was a turning point that led to the fall of the Confederacy and victory to the Union.

The Battle of Gettysburg: This is a picture after the first day of fighting on Stevens’ Knoll, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle would last for three days and be the bloodiest battle during the American Civil War.

It was fought around the town of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania when General Robert E. Lee felt victory was with the Confederates and marched north. However, the Union was awaiting their arrival and a 3 day battle began across the hills and forest as well as the entire town.  

It remains the bloodiest battle fought during the American Civil War, details of which have been immortalized by many authors throughout history.

Pennsylvania Hall

Of what is now Gettysburg College and during the battle, the college was a place were the battle raged on. The place is today said to be haunted, especially the building on campus named Pennsylvania Hall. Students and teachers alike have shared stories about seeing soldiers walking on campus.

The Ghost of Jennie Wade

The most famous ghost story in Gettysburg is the Ghost of Jennie Wade. In July 1863, a woman named Mary V. “Jennie” Wade was baking bread for the Union troops when she became the only civilian killed during the 3-day battle. Legend has it that her ghost still haunts the town; reports from visitors, who claim to have encountered her, are often heard along with sightings of a female figure near Ziegler’s Grove, where Jennifer was killed.

Specters in Seminary Ridge Hospital

Seminary Ridge Hospital, once the largest hospital in Pennsylvania during the war, is rumored to be haunted by many spirits ranging from former Confederate doctors to injured patients. Reports of ghostly nurses walking through hallways with stretchers of phantom soldiers have been made, and several reports tell of figures assumed to be wounded soldiers searching buildings for aid that never comes.

Haunted Spirits in Meade’s Headquarters

George Meade’s Headquarters, which sit on the roundtop of Cemetery Hill, have been reported to be haunted by the ghost of Major General Meade himself. Witnesses describe phantom figures in the windows, soft voices coming from the direction of his old tent, and shadows that move inside Meade’s old office. 

Other reports tell stories of a spectral female figure said to be wandering around in search of a lost soldier. These stories seem unbelievable but there’s no denying that something odd lurks in this historic area.

Supernatural Occurrences at Little Round Top

Little Round Top has been the setting for a number of supernatural occurrences. Many believe it’s haunted by the ghosts of fallen soldiers, both Union and Confederate. There have been reports of eerie whispers, phantom sounds, and strange glows in the air. Some visitors claim to feel an invisible presence at the top of Little Round Top or strange chills that travel down their spine when they stand on this hallowed ground.

The Devils Den

One of the most notorious places though is The Devils Den, and it is said that the place was haunted long before the Battle of Gettysburg. 

It used to be a Native American hunting ground for centuries. Another battle named The Battle of the Crows was supposedly fought here and in the night you could hear war cries from the Native American according to the early settlers who told ghost stories about the place. Even by the end of the 1800s, the place was called haunted. 

During the Battle of Gettysburg there was a lot of fighting around the den on the second day. After the war, there were countless people that claimed to have seen something supernatural around the bould of rocks. 

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The Infamous Haunted Lizzie Borden House

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The infamous Lizzie Borden House is said to be one of New England’s most haunted homes after a brutal ax murder happened inside. After the murders, there are tales that ghosts are still haunting it. 

Lizzie Borden took an ax
and gave her mother forty whacks.
When she saw what she had done,
She gave her father forty-one.

Step back in time to the home of one of America’s most notorious unsolved crimes – the Lizzie Borden House on Second Street in Fall River. Experience its creepy atmosphere and listen to its spine-tingling tales as you explore this legendary haunted house full of secrets and the occasional supernatural surprise!

Grab a candle, journey upstairs and learn the history of the infamous New England home. Find out how in 1892 Andrew and Abby Borden were discovered brutally murdered in this very house, passing down stories for generations to come. 

Who was Lizzie Borden?

Lizzie Andrew Borden was born in 1860 in Fall River Massachusetts and was given the name Andrew as well because her father so wanted a son. She grew up in an affluent family in what would later be known as the Lizzie Borden House. Although a rich family, her father was well known for being frugal and they had a complicated relationship to say the least. 

She grew up with her sister, Emma Lenora Borden and was involved in church activities such as Sunday school, the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union as well as the Ladies’ Fruit and Flower Mission.

Two years after her mother died, her father remarried. They didn’t get along and Lizzie believed she had married her father for his wealth. Their live in maid, Sullivan claimed that both Emma and Lizzie rarely ate meals together with their father and stepmother.

Before the murders, tension grew in the family inside of the Lizzie Borden House. Her father kept gifting real estate to her stepmother’s family. Days before the murders the whole family was violently ill, and her stepmother feared poison as her husband was not really a popular man. 

Her father had also killed pigeons in the barn with hatches that Lizzie was upset about. She had built a roost for them and after a family argument, she was even sent away to New Bedford and didn’t return until a week before the murders. 

The Ax Murders in the Borden House

On August 4, 1892, her stepmother and father were found murdered by an ax in their home in broad daylight. When they questioned Lizzie Borden she made answers that were both strange and contradictory. 

The police investigation were later criticized for their lack of diligence as they did not even check her for bloodstains, only search her room superficially and let them stay in the house the following night after the murder. They also had a hatchet they thought could be the murder weapon, but never bothered to take fingerprints even though it was a method the police had started with elsewhere. 

Abby Borden: Lizzie Borden’s stepmother, Abby was found upstairs and had suffered 17 hits on the back of her head.
Andrew Borden: Her father, Andrew were found in the couch in the downstair sitting room murdered after being hit 10 or 11 times with a hatchet like weapon.

Lizzie Borden was arrested and put on trial that received a lot of media coverage nationwide. During the trial there was also another ax  murder that looked so similar to the Borden house, and many started to take Lizzie Bordens side and claim her innocence. 

In the end Lizzie Borden was acquitted on all charges and let off after many had come to her defense, including her maid, her sister and neighbors all testified that she never could have done it. 

Life After the Murder Trial

After she was acquitted from the trial of the murders she moved into a house with her sister and they stayed in Fall River. When coming out from the courthouse she said she was ‘The happiest woman in the world.’ 

But for the remainder of her days, she was an outcast in the Fall River society. Even if she by trial was found innocent, the fact that they never found the killer and the strange rumors about her continued and fuelled the idea that she might have done it after all. Even her maid, Sullivan confessed on her death bed allegedly that she had lied on the stand to protect Lizzie Borden. 

No one was ever arrested for the murders, but Lizzie Bordens guilt and motive has ever since been debated without any answers being found. 

The Hauntings in the Lizzie Borden House

After the gruesome murders in the Lizzie Borden House, the house itself has drawn attention to itself of being a haunted house where a lot of paranormal activity is going on. The house is preserved as it was and is hosting tours to continue to speculate what really happened that fateful and hot August day. 

It is said that the ghost of Lizzie Borden’s father and stepmother, Abby and Andrew is haunting the Lizzie Borden House, still trying to get the truth about their murder out. 

One long time guide though has another explanation for the strange sounds many attributes to ghosts. After they put air conditioning in the house, the sound travels in a strange manner as Lizzie Borden House is filled with holes and cracks.  

The Lizzie Borden House: The busy street were the murder happened on 92 Second St, Fall River, MA, the home of Lizzie Borden at the time of the murders as it appeared in 1892.

Another haunting that is said to be going on is the death next door of a mother that murdered her children. A woman named Eliza Darling Borden had three children. She murdered two of them before taking her own life in 1848. One of the theories is that she killed herself in the house that would eventually become Andrew Borden’s in 1872. 

Even Lizzie herself is rumored to haunt the place. It is not only in the Lizzie Borden House she is said to haunt tough as she is also said to haunt the place known as Maplecroft, the home she lived in on French Street after the trial. For what is she haunting the place for though? Is it because of the grief and trauma after the horrible murders that happened. Or is it perhaps guilt as she herself really was the killer?

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Murder in the Well – Lizzie Borden

https://eu.heraldnews.com/story/lifestyle/travel/2021/10/26/lizzie-borden-house-fall-river-best-haunted-hotel-ghost-paranormal/8546497002/

https://lizzie-borden.com/history/

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The Haunted Ghost Street Calle Jaen in Bolivia

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In the secluded and mountainous streets in La Paz, Bolivia, the ghosts of the past are still roaming the streets. Both dangerous widows and Bolivian freedom fighters. 

The street in La Paz has rumors of ghosts roaming. And it is not an anonymous ghost we are talking about. The ghost that supposedly roams these streets is the Bolivian folk hero, Pedro Domingo Murillo, who played a key role in Bolivia’s independence. 

Calle Jaen is one of the old streets in La Paz and it looks like a ghost of colonial times with the architecture. This is the place where Murillo used to live. The streets are also known for the ghostly apparitions that are seen both by the locals and the tourists visiting. 

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The Ghost of Bolivia’s Freedom Fighter Murillo

He is reported mostly appearing to both locals and tourists by the museum during sunset where he tries to communicate with the people seeing him. They even put up a green cross at the end of the museum to ward off spirits that don’t belong in this world anymore. 

Haunted Street: Jaen Street, named after the revolutionary Apollinar Jaén, is the best-preserved colonial street in La Paz with its cobbled streets and Spanish architecture. The houses date from the 18th century. One of the homes was owned by Pedro Domingo Murillo.// Photo: Dan Lundberg/wikimedia

Murillo is known for leading a rebellion against the Spanish crown. He was eventually captured and hanged in 1810. He had this to say:

“Compatriots, I die, but tyrants won’t be able to extinguish the torch I ignited. Long live freedom!”

Many see him as a spark that ignited the battle to free South America from Spain, and each year, there is a parade through central La Paz with lit torches in his honor. 

The Black Widow of Calle Jaen

He is not the only ghost of this street though. The ghost of a widow crying for her dead husband begs for help in her black mourning clothes. She looks innocent and manages to lure kind people, especially men. When they try to help her, they will disappear forever. 

The staff working at the bars in the streets are serving Ajenjo: a Bolivian variety of absinthe. They claim that the hallucigen from the drink has caused people to see both ghosts and spirits after a few sips, especially the ghost of Pedro Domingo Murillo.

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Featured Image: Casa Jaén, 5 November 2012, source: LucianaDeckerOrozco//Wikimedia

Bolivian Express | THE GREEN GHOST OF LA PAZ

6 Haunted Places to Visit in Bolivia

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The Haunted Vicarage — Sweden’s most ghostly crowded house

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Even the home of the priests can’t keep the ghosts at bay. And in this house, the ghosts outnumber the living. 

Haunted: Many ghosts have been reported haunting this house throughout the years since it was built.

In the idyllic countryside of Sweden Borgvattnet is an old village deep in the forest. There are around 70 people living there, going about their business in the serene landscape of green trees. In this small village, the Borgvattnet Vicarage, a building from 1876, lies, used to house the priests connected to the local church. There are many residing in this vicarage, adding to the number of people in the small place, although not exactly living. 

More than once has the Swedish news media as well as a number of paranormal researchers found their way up to the quaint vicarage, looking like a cute inn to relax and enjoy nature as it has been open to the public since 1970. But the rooms available for rent are not necessarily just for you. The rooms are already all occupied by the ghosts, and therefore, it has earned the name of Sweden’s most haunted house. 

The Ghost Priest

The story was first only whispered among the priests living there as well as inside the church of Sweden. But one priest would break the silence and make it the most famous place in the country at the time. 

When the priest Erik Lindgren came as the new priest of his area, he came alone. The furniture was still something he was waiting for to settle into the old vicarage that was to be his own home. Therefore he was surprised and a bit scared when he started hearing stuff from the second floor. It sounded like heavy objects being dragged across the floor. When checking he found the second floor to be empty. There was no furniture there, and there was no one in the house but him. Or so he thought in the beginning, but it was only the start of the paranormal hauntings he was about to experience, living in this house. 

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Although it was not something that had been spoken about publicly before the haunting of the house was well known within the church. In 1947 that was about to change as a journalist heard about the haunting of the vicarage. He got the priest, Erik Lindgren to tell about his experiences and an article was published on the matter. The curiosity was overwhelming from the public and Lindgren himself had to block his phone in the end because of all the journalists trying to get to him to talk about the paranormal occurrences. 

Lindgren was meticulous and noted down every strange encounter in detail he experienced. But the list got so long that he stopped when he just accepted this was just a part of his everyday life. There were a lot of different activities going on in the lonely house. Everything from light turning off and on, invisible figures “crashing” into him making it hard to work and always giving him a feeling of someone watching him, never giving him a moment’s peace. From the second floor where he had the first day of the house heard heavy stuff being dragged over the floor, footsteps when there was no one there was constantly heard. 

The worst experience though, was on this particular day when he was sitting in his rockin chair, reading a book in 1945. The chair started to rock harder and harder so violently that he fell on the floor. When he sat down again, it happened once more, making it hard to stay seated. He felt a force from behind, going through him. His legs started to shake and he lost footing, falling on the ground. After this interview, the chair got famous and in the 60s, it turned up on one of Sweden’s entertainment shows before being bought back to the vicarage in the 80s. 

Some of the spotted ghosts:

So many encounters of different kinds have been reported. Shadow of a man passing by, the sound of footsteps coming to the front door and music playing out of nowhere. Some of the ghosts though, have a bit more story to them. 

The Gray Lady

More and more priests started coming forward with their stories. Like the priest Rudolf Tängdén who was also sitting in the great hall reading in 1930. Suddenly a gray clothed lady appears in the corner of the room. She walks towards him, taking small slow steps before changing direction, turns and walks into the office. He followed, but found nothing when he entered. 

The Crying Ladies

Ghosts in the Rooms: The rooms in the vicarage each carry their own ghost legend. What makes this particular house so haunted?

In the house there is a room called ‘the cryers room’. It’s been called that since the notary for the church, Inga Flodin stayed there on a business trip in 1941. She stayed in that very room and was awoken during the night. She finds three figures sitting on the couch, watching her intently. She turns on the lights, but nothing changes, they are still sitting there, staring. Flodin pinches her arm as well as letting her alarm clock ring to check if she really is awake. But, yes, she is. She notices that they all look incredibly sad, wearing a black, a purple and a gray dress. One of them is knitting. The woman in the gray dress looks particularly sad with red circles under her eyes. In a staring deadlock, Flodin can not do anything but stare back, petrified as well as curious and confused about what is going on. However, eventually she falls asleep. 

The Maid’s Baby

In the pink room there are those claiming to hear the sound of cries of a baby, even baby figures have been spotted around on the property. Story goes that at the end of the 1800s, an unmarried maid gave birth out of marriage. There were also rumours that the father was the priest in the house at the time. The maid was then locked up to the birth of the child that never grew up. Most likely the child was killed and buried on the north side of the house, outside the pink room. Now both the maid and the baby wander the house.

The Dead Priest Wife

One of the first documented sightings of ghostly activity came from the priest Nils at the start of the 1900s. Nils had grown up in the house as the priest’s son before he himself became the priest. Through the years he experienced stuff in the house he was sure was his mothers doing. Like the time when he watched all the clothes on the clothesline being ripped from the line. 

His mother was Martha and died young giving birth to Nils. His father, Per, didn’t take the death of his beloved wife well. It was a cold spring and the ground was still too hard for the body to be buried. Therefore it was stored in the house as Per simply couldn’t be parted from his beloved. And it might have been a bit too long. In any case, several of the guests have also seen shadows and shapes, pulling their clothes, sitting in the bed, in none other than in the yellow room, the same room where Märta died.

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Sveriges Mest Hemsökta Hus – Historia & Fakta

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article, Ghost

The Hauntings of Eastern State Penitentiary

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If there is one place a haunting is taking place, it is prisons. So much regret, vengeance and the hunt for justice and despair is echoing through the walls. And the ghost of Eastern State Penitentiary is said to haunt the place, even after it closed down as a prison.

The Eastern State Penitentiary is a massive building. All stone, rising from the ground like an old fortress in Philadelphia, built to keep people inside.

The Eastern State Penitentiary has housed some of the most scary criminals, like Al Capone for example. Hard boiled criminals shut away for a long time. The people outside these walls will never know. Perhaps they are happy about it. As long as they are locked away, they say. They deserve it all, they say.

Read Also: Check out all of our ghost stories from Haunted Prisons from all over the world.

In the court system it is said that the punishment is suppose to fit the crime. One can wonder if the criminals got a punishment worse than the crime itself. This is Eastern State Penitentiary, Philadelphia.

The Eastern State Penitentiary is reportedly a haunted prison and the location has made an appearance of many of the paranormal ghost hunting shows like Ghost Hunters, Ghost Adventures and BuzzFeed Unsolved.

Haunted Isolation in the Early Days of Eastern State Penitentiary

When the Eastern State Penitentiary was built it was the most expensive building in the USA. opened in 1829 they brought isolation to new heights. Not only were they to be separated from people from the outside. In this prison, the idea was that they would be separated from everything.

The Prison of Isolation: the Eastern State Penitentiary practice isolation for the prisoners because they thought it would help reform them and help them spiritually.

The prisoners that were sent there, really did everything in isolation. They lived alone, worked out alone and ate alone. Even when they were transported from place to place they were doing it all alone.

When a prisoner left his cell, an accompanying guard would wrap a hood over his head to prevent him from being recognized by other prisoners. Everything was done in isolation.

Read Also: Another haunted prison known for its horrible conditions is the The Ghosts From Security Prison 21 in Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum

It was all done it good faith at the start as the though of reformation instead of punishment was strong in the initial prison design. The idea was that silent contemplation was meant to be helpful in the prisoners rehabilitation and road to a crime free life. Instead, it ended up as a particular form of torture. The cells were made of concrete with a single glass skylight, representing the “Eye of God”, suggesting to the prisoners that God was always watching them.

But this was a long time ago, right? It was to people in a different time. They wouldn’t do this to people today, right? Well, the prison didn’t close its doors until the seventies. They had to do something with the isolation because of overpopulation from 1913. Too many prisoners to keep them separate. But is wasn’t necessarily to the better and the prison operated all uptil 1971.

Eastern State Penitentiary Famous Inmates

Although it in the earlier days of the prison, it housed mainly petty criminals incarcerated for various robbery and theft charges like muggers and purse-snatchers. first-time offenders often served two years.

But as the prison operated for a long time, the Eastern State Penitentiary housed many of the well known prisoners that had done serious crimes and served long sentences like the bank robber Willie Sutton that served 11 years in the prison and was one of the prisoners that tried to escape after digging an underground tunnel in 1945. or the American gangster Al Capone, also known as Scarface who was known for being Public Enemy No. 1 in his time. They served her after the isolation concept of the prison stopped.

Read Also: Check out perhaps the most famous haunted prison with the most famous ghost prisoners: Unveiling the Dark History of the Tower of London and its Ghosts 

In Al Capone’s case, it can seem like the prison was a haunting experience for him as well. He spent 8 months in the prison from 1929 and had many benefits and even his cell was decorated with luxury of fine furniture, oriental rugs and a personal radio, making it a cozy room almost. Even with all of his privileges, he had trouble sleeping and was heard at night, screaming that the ghost of someone named Jimmy had to leave him alone. The guards also claimed to her him have full conversation with this Jimmy as well.

Scarface in Eastern State Penitentiary: Alphonse “Scarface” Capone got his first taste of prison life in Philadelphia. When he was arrested outside a movie theater for carrying a concealed, unlicensed .38 caliber revolver. Capone’s arrest came at a time of escalating mob violence in Chicago, and he was often accused of hiding in prison intentionally.

Even after he got out from prison he saw this Jimmy and even hired a medium to get rid of it, but according to the story and the rest of his story, it didn’t look like it worked.

It is believed that the Jimmy, Al Capone though he was haunted by was Jimmy Clark, one of the people that Al Capone had killed during the Valentine’s Day Massacre.

In the end he was even committed to a mental hospital because of his visions and mental health. Whether it was because he was really haunted, or rather because of his syphilis is hard to tell.

Place of Torture at Eastern State Penitentiary

One should think that when you get your judgement, that is it. This is your punishment. But no, once inside the prison walls, the punishment for minor offences can get you in a lot of problems, and in a lot of pain. One example of the punishments that were around was to chain the tongue of a prisoners to his wrist.

As well as their habit of isolating the prisoners, a form of torture in itself, the prisoners were also subject of being subdued in freezing water, being strapped to a chair for days and and putting the worst behaved prisoners into a pit called “The Hole”, an underground cellblock dug under cellblock 14 where they would have no light, no human contact, and little food for as long as two weeks.

Torture in the Prison: Although the initial thought of the punishments was to help the prisoners reform and grow spiritually, the fact was that many of the prisoners serving time for petty theft were subjected to harsh torture.

All of these past history and ways of life have helped to form the narrative that some of the former prisoners must surely haunt the place that put them through all of this.

Haunted Places in the Eastern State Penitentiary

There are many location inside of the prison who is said to be more haunted than others and the people that used to serve time there as prisoners or worked there as prisoners have all stories to tell. Even those working there now as staff or visitors claim to have experienced paranormal activity, everything from hearing footsteps, whispers, seeing visions or even hearing wailing from the painful past of the prison. .

On Cellblock 12 it is reported on echoing voices and cackling coming from the walls. Another common story heard from the Eastern State Penitentiary is like the ones from Cellblock 6, a place that is known for reports of people seeing the apparition of shadowy figures that flutters across the halls.

The Hauntings of Eastern State Penitentiary: Many of the locations of the prison is haunted according to old as well as new staff, visitors and prisoners alike. They talk about seeing strange apparitions in the halls and the cells and hearing strange voices and noises coming from places were no one is.

Cellblock 4 has a reputation of being haunted by the apparition of ghostly faces appearing. The most famous story about this haunting comes from the maintenance man, Gary Johnson who worked there in the 1990s. He had just opened an old lock in the block when he felt some sort of force took hold of him, making him unable to move. A horrible negative energy filled the cell and the visions of these tormented ghost faces appeared on the cell walls.

As well as the cell blocks were there were held countless of prisoners over the years, there are also reports of what look like former guards haunting the place. In the towers there have been reports about people have seen something that look like the ghost of a guard. What is strange about seeing a figure here however is that there are no physical way of getting up to those towers for a living person.

On the second floor there used to be a cellblock for women when the prison was in operation. Today there is a sighting of a woman wearing white sitting in the last cell that have been seen so often that she has gotten the name: The Soap Lady.

Eastern State Penitentiary’s History in the Museum of Ghosts

Today it’s more like a museum, were we can walk over the faith of these people on ghost trips to a few coins, capitalism at its best. The museum now also caters to the paranormal atmosphere of Eastern State Penitentiary and offers a haunted house attraction during halloween season. And although many of the prisons like Eastern State Penitentiary have started to rethink prison tourism, this is the sort that sells the tickets.

Read Also: Another haunted prison you can visit is Ghost Stories of The Haunted Prison Alcatraz.

The hauntings however, is said to be there for free as well as Hollywood made and what is an actor and what is an actual ghost is said to have hazy line.

Al Capone’s Cell: Not every prisoners got to have a luxurious cell as the one Al Capone had when he stayed in Eastern State Penitentiary. According to legend though, there was something that seemed to haunt Al Capone when he stayed in his cell at night.

The most normal things we can hear at the Eastern State Penitentiary when the darkness falls is the laughter of some that isn’t there, shadowy figures sneaking over the walls. You can also hear the footsteps that never reaches you. Because even in death, the prisoners in kept in isolation. They are not to see, and not to be seen, ever again.

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References:

Al Capone – Wikipedia

Eastern State Penitentiary – Wikipedia 

https://www.npr.org/2013/10/24/232234570/is-eastern-state-penitentiary-really-

History behind the walls: How Philadelphia’s most famous haunted house began

https://omgfacts.com/article/1202

The Haunted Eastern State Penitentiary