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The Ghosts within Haus Fühlingen

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Once a beautiful manor in Cologne, Germany, Haus Fühlingen continues to decay and fall into ruins with its dark and bloody past. Although an abandoned building, it is said to be filled up with ghosts.

In the city of Cologne in Germany there is an old manor house that is said to be haunted. Most of the former glory is gone now, and only the ruins and skeleton of the main building still stands. 

The house of Villa Oppenheim, or as it is better known as, Haus Fühlingen on Neusser Landstraße 5A once belonged to the prominent Oppenheim family, rich from centuries of banking. Eduard Freiherr von Oppenheim built the place in 1884 to keep his horses. It had a racecourse and farm and he wanted it for training.

The Oppenheim’s sold the estate in 1907 as the soil wasn’t really suitable for the training he wanted and by a cruel twist, the home of the jewish family ended up in the hands of the Nazis, marking the beginning of the dark times of the place. 

During the war the Nazi’s used Haus Fühlingen as a farm where they used forced laborers who used the house as sleeping quarters. According to both facts and legends it is said they hanged a man that is said to haunt the place. 

The Hanged Man

Edward Margol was a 19 year old forced laborer from Poland who got entangled in a web of lies and paid with his life. 

At the time it was a man named Ernst Kolb who was the tenant and landowner and he lived there together with his daughter at Haus Fühlingen.  

The Nazis fabricated an accusation that he had sexually abused the tenant’s underage daughter. They brought him to a nearby brick factory and hanged him in 1943 for the false claims and he is said to forever wander the estate. 

After his death, his body was sent to Bonn University where they dissected him in the anatomy department. What happened to his remains are not so certain, but they were most likely buried. 

Other Tragedies

Fast forward to 1962, there was a former Nazi judge named Gerhard van K. living in Haus Fühlingen who hanged himself on the second floor on New Years Eve. People speculate that the two incidents are connected and that the judge was responsible for Margol’s death, although that has never been proven. 

By 1967, the city of Cologne demolished part of the building and many of the doors and windows were bricked up. They also found two cars walled up within the walls of the house for no apparent reason. 

No one really took care of Haus Fühlingen anymore and it started to show. From this time, many of the ghost stories about the place started being passed around by the locals. 

Tragedy struck the house in 2007 again, long after the last person living there had moved. Haus Fühlingen was now abandoned after the widow of the judge, Alice van K. died, but people still visited. That year another suicide happened inside of the house were some young people visited the empty house were they found him on the second floor. 

Ghost Hunters in Haus Fühlingen

After its dark history as well as the decaying exterior slowly being taken over by the weather and graffiti, the house has been stapled as haunted and an attraction for ghost hunters. The ones that come out from the house tell about strange light phenomena, shadows fleeting past them, the radio turning on and off by itself and feeling uneasy and sick while being inside. 

A prospective buyer once brought a priest to drive away the spirits and ghosts haunting Haus Fühlingen. This proved to be inefficient though as the sightseeings of the paranormal and the darkness kept being reported on, and it looks like the ghosts are the only inhabitants of the house for the time being. 

Haus Fühlingen has since 2008 been planned for a renovation to make luxury apartments, however as of now, they are still just plans and the future of the house is still uncertain. The city of Cologne is also in the process of trying to remove it from the list as a protected building, paving a way that one day, it could be torn down completely. Question is, will that help in stopping the reports of shadows around on the old estate?

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References

Featured Image: Mtesser/Wikimedia

Herrenhaus Villa Oppenheim und Rennbahn Fühlingen | Objektansicht

https://www.ksta.de/koeln/das-sind-koelns-geheimnisvollste-orte-sote-239029?cb=1673481779632

Köln: “Lost Place” Haus Fühlingen – Das Gruselhaus von der Neusser Landstraße

Haus Fühlingen – meinKölnBonn

https://www.express.de/koeln/haus-fuehlingen-lost-place-in-koeln-stadt-wagt-schritt-58184?cb=1673484437559

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The Courtesan Haunting the Songpo Library

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A beautiful courtesan became mixed up in the politics that ended and started a dynasty in China. Today it is said she is haunting the Songpo Library in Beijing where she took her own life.

In that time when the emperor abandoned the human world,
Wu crushed the enemy and captured the capital, bearing down from Jade Pass.
The six armies, wailing and grieving, were uniformly clad in the white of mourning,
One wave of headgear-lifting anger propelled him, all for the sake of the fair-faced one.
The fair-faced one, drifting, and fallen, was not what I longed for.
The offending bandits, smote by heaven, wallowed in wanton pleasures.
Lightning swept the Yellow Turbans, the Black Mountain troops were quelled.
Having wailed for ruler and kin, I met her again.

— Wu Weiye, excerpt from Song of Yuanyuan

Once upon a time, a girl followed the love of her life to be with him, but it ended in tragedy. He gave up his country to save her, but also gave up on her in the end. A tale as old as time of a love turned cold and sour and the perfect setup for a ghost story in the former Songpo Library. 

Read More: Check out all our collection of ghost stories from China

In the former library known as Songpo Library in the Xicheng district in Beijing, China, it is said that a woman haunted the book aisles in the old Hutong. And according to reports, perhaps she is not the only ghost that are haunting the place. 

The General’s Mistress

Wu Sangui: (吳三桂). 8 June 1612 – 2 October 1678), a  Ming dynasty military officer who played a key role in the fall of the Ming dynasty and the founding of the Qing dynasty in China and thought to be haunting the former Songpo Library..

The story in Songpo Library starts out with a famous general known as Wu Sangui (吳三桂) that lived from 1612-1678. He was originally a Ming Dynasty military officer that played a key part in bringing the Dynasty down and giving rise to the Qing Dynasty. In contemporary China, Wu Sangui has often been regarded as a traitor and an opportunist, due to his betrayal of both the Ming and Qing dynasties. Wu’s name is synonymous with betrayal.

When the great general Wu made this place his home he brought his lover with him, a courtesan named Chen Yuanyuan. Different accounts gives different tales about if Chen Yuanyuan really did live in this place, as it is also said it was to Kunming General Wu brought her, not Beijing. 

General Wu Sangui is today known as a big traitor and is said to have betrayed the Ming Dynasty by allowing the Manchu army through the Great Wall he was put to guard, for a position in the Qing Dynasty.

It is also said that he betrayed the country for the love of his life, Chen Yuanyuan. Wu’s romance with and love for his concubine, Chen Yuanyuan, remains one of the classic love stories in Chinese history. A story tells that the Bandit King Li Zicheng kidnapped Chen Yuanyuan and for her freedom, General Wu had to betray his country.

The Eight Beauties of Qinhuai : (秦淮八艳), also called the Eight Beauties of Jinling were eight famous Yiji or Geji during the Ming-Qing transition period who resided along the Qinhuai River in Nankin. As well as possessing great beauty, they were all skilled in literature, poetry, fine arts, dancing and music.

Love Turned Sour in the Songpo Library

Perhaps the demands of the court Chen Yuanyuan (陳圓圓) suddenly became a part of were too much or perhaps the price of their love turned too heavy. Perhaps it even was as simple as he got tired of her, but their love soon started to dwindle. 

Chen Yuanyuan (陳圓圓) was born to a peasant family in Jiangsu province, and on the death of her father, she became a Yiji. Chen became a leading figure in the Suzhou opera scene and thought to be haunting the former Songpo Library.

It is also said that Chen Yuanyuan had troubles with General Wu’s other wives, especially the one named Lady Zheng who was jealous of her. Terrible rumors tells that Chen Yuanyuan was raped and killed in the fall of Beijing. What happened to her is up for debate, many say that they lived in Kunming and she ran off to become a nun in a temple there. Another side of the story gave rise to the haunted rumors. 

 In 1642, she became the lover of the scholar and poet Mao Xiang. Subsequently, Chen was bought by the family of Tian Hongyu, father of one of the Chongzhen Emperor’s concubines. She was then either purchased for Wu Sangui by his father, or given to Wu as a gift by Tian.

In April 1644, the rebel army of Li Zicheng captured the Ming capital of Beijing, and the Chongzhen Emperor committed suicide. Knowing that Wu Sangui’s formidable army at Ningyuan posed a serious threat, Li immediately made overtures to gain Wu’s allegiance. Li sent two letters to Wu, including one in the name of Wu’s father, then held captive in Beijing. Before Wu Sangui could respond, he received word that his entire household had been slaughtered. Wu then wrote to the Qing regent, Dorgon, indicating his willingness to combine forces to oust the rebels from Beijing, thus setting the stage for the Qing conquest of China.

She is said to have hanged herself in shame and because of her misfortune of being his concubine and not his wife. This is according to popular legend though. The heartbreak of losing her love caused her to take her life by hanging in their home. It is said that the girl still haunts the Songpo Library in the Shihu Hutong, where Wu once resided.

The Haunting of the Hutong

Today the Songpo Library grounds are open to tourists but the building no longer functions as a library. Observers swear they can feel her presence as she moves among the aisles of books today. Local residents have also reported hearing sounds of music and the unmistakable sound of a woman chanting. Could it be the ghost of Chen Yuanyuan, chanting scripture or something she sang on stage once upon a time? 

Songpo Library: An old photo of Songpo Library.[Photo/Cri.cn]

There is also a story about a rickshaw driver that once brought a group of passengers to the  Songpo Library on Shihu Hutong, or the Stone Tiger Hutong in the Western City. They paid their driver and suddenly vanished, leaving only a single peacock feather floating in the air. Like those that Qing officials wore in their hats. And the money he had gotten was not the Yuan Shikai coin, but an old copper coin with the name of the Shunzhi Emperor from the 17th century.

Perhaps it’s not only the ghost of Chen Yuanyuan that haunts the former Songpo Library, but the General himself as well? Late Ming dynasty historians left behind records describing Wu Sangui as a valiant and handsome general of medium height, with pale skin, a straight nose, and big ears. However, there was an obvious scar on his nose. He was neither muscular nor particularly strong-looking. However, he demonstrated great courage and physical strength from an early age and possessed excellent skills in horse-riding and archery.

Is this a person you have seen roaming the former Songpo Library lately? Perhaps it is a ghost?

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References:

Haunted Beijing: Songpo Library

Wu Sangui – Wikipedia 

Haunted Beijing: Songpo Library 

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The Mystery of the Haunted House on Avenue Frochot

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Something strange is lurking in the shadows at Avenue Frochot’s notorious Haunted House in Paris. After a Chambermaid was supposedly killed inside of the house, there have been strange things going on according to the neighbors as well as some of the owners.

Enter at your own risk, as the mysterious Haunted House on Avenue Frochot in Paris is filled with secrets and dark forces just waiting to be discovered. Prepare yourself for a spine-tingling adventure that could lead you to discover a hidden world of terror or uncover the truth about what lies deep within the walls of this haunted abode.

Avenue Frochot, Home to Paris’ rich and famous

Avenue Frochot is home to some of Paris’ most affluent and powerful citizens where they live behind the iron fences. It’s also the home of a centuries old mystery – the Haunted House on Avenue Frochot. 

Famous writers and artists of Paris’ bustling art scene have a history of passing through this beautiful avenue. The writers Alexandre Dumas and Victor Hugo lived here at one time and so did the painter Toulouse-Lautrec who had a studio at no. 15 . 

People like Théodore Chassériau was neighbors to Gustave Moreau and movie director Jean Renoir and jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt also spent time in the avenue. There were also people like the composer Victor Masse, who died inside number 1, and this place are now remembered to be very haunted. 

The Murdered Chambermaid

Although the whole avenue can look a little haunted with their glass stained windows, gargoyles on the front, there is one that is remembered as the most haunted mansion in Paris. 

But it isn’t one of the powerful, rich and famous men that owned the houses that are said to be haunting it. The ghost is said to be the ghost of a chambermaid who was brutally murdered inside of the house at the beginning of the 1900s. While she was working for the director of the Folies Bergère. One day, she was walking up the stairs when she was stabbed with a poker. Her killer was never caught, and she is haunting the place now even after death. 

It’s rumored that in the dead of night, eerie footsteps can be heard echoing off the walls of the Haunted House, even when it’s supposed to stand vacant. Some claim to have seen shadowy figures moving through the windows or even heard disembodied voices coming from within the walls. 

The Curse of Number 1

From then on, there is said to be a curse of the house that was built in 1839. Mathieu Galey was a theater critic that died in the house, paralyzed on his bed, the same place and same position that the composer Victor Massé was a hundred years before. 

Sylvie Vartan bought it in the 1970s, but fled from the house only a few days after moving in. Why? Well, many say it was because of the ghost haunting it. 

Today, there is a professor of medicine living there, refusing any paranormal claims the house has. So perhaps, the curse somehow got broken, and the chambermaid finally moved on. 

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https://www.pariszigzag.fr/insolite/histoire-insolite-paris/avenue-frochot-privee-hantee

La maison maléfique de Paris – Paris ZigZag | Insolite & Secret

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Casino degli Spiriti — The House of Souls

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By the Venetian lagoon there is a house so cursed not even fishermen will fish near it. Many dark legends surround the Casino degli Spiriti, or The House of Souls, from black magic to the ghost of a heartbroken painter.  

Right by the water there is a decaying of a once grand palace that is haunted by its own legends. The house of Casino degli Spiriti or the House of Souls was once a very beautiful building in Fondamenta Gasparo Contarini, overlooking the famous Murano island just across the lagoon. 

The house of souls is actually part of the Palazzo Contarini dal Zaffo, and the house is an annex which are more commonly known for its legends of ghosts, murder and spiritism. Today, there are so many versions of the legend as to just why it is so cursed. 

The Ghost of Pietro Luzzo da Feltre

One of the most famous legends of Casino degli Spiriti is that of Pietro Luzzo da Feltre, a painter who lived in the 16th century, together with famous artists like Titan. This is at least the painter most associated with the legend, although we have proof that he actually died in war, not over unrequited love as this legend would have it as.  

Casino degli Spiriti: The house, overlooking the Venetian Lagoon.

Anyway, this was at the height of the Renaissance and Italy was a culture center. The Palazzo Contarini dal Zaffo was back then known for a meeting place for Venetian philosophers, artists and learned men. 

Not a lot is known about Pietro Luzzo da Feltre’s life and not many of his works are preserved to this day. We do now know a couple of curious facts about him though. For one, one of his many nicknames was Morto da Feltre, where Morto means ‘dead’ or ‘dead one’. There are a couple of reasons why this was his nickname. It could be because of his joyless temperament, the fact that he looked ghostly or his peculiar hobby of exploring crypts and burial grounds. 

Pietro Luzzo da Feltre’s legacy though is his demise because of an unrequited love rather than his art. The woman was known as La Bella Cecilia and it was said she had a cherub face and was also a singer. She however was Giorgione’s lover and model, another painter during that time and rejected Pietro Luzzo da Feltre when he fell for her.

According to some variations of the legend, he simply disappeared one day. It is believed that he killed himself in the annex he lived in that would be known as Casino degli Spiriti, unable to go on. 

It is said that once, his artist friends saw him through the window a few days after his disappearance, and they hurried over to talk with him. But when they entered the room they thought they saw him in, it was empty. 

Strange noises were heard at night after the place was abandoned. Could it be the ghost of Luzzo? Or perhaps it was religious cults gathering to invoke demons and do magic. According to legend his ghost is still in that house, still pining for the woman he could never have.  

The Murder House

Later, after the artist of the Renaissance had left and the grandieu of the place started decaying overtime, it was used for various purposes. Casino degli Spiriti was the place venetian died from the plague as the house was used as a hospital. It was also used as an anatomical theater where they did autopsies. So a lot of souls came and left in this building. 

In 1929, four people were found dead in the house: a priest, two brothers and a gondolier. There was no explanation of this random gathering of people or what had happened. They were apparently all missing their heads and their right hands, but they never got the ones that did it. 

In recent years, the house is still not rid of its ghosts and gruesome history. Linda Civetta lived in Belluno and managed her family’s bar. She went to Venice in 1947 to resell cigarettes on the black market which was big business after the second world war.  She was never able to return home. She was killed, cut up and thrown into the lagoon in a trunk. She was found right in front of this cursed building two weeks after her murder by a local fisherman. 

Apparently she was carrying large amount of money and this was the motive behind her murder. The murderer was Bartolomeo Toma, a gambler and a gondolier named Luigi Sardi. 

Even to this day, the local Venetian fishermen don’t go near that place to fish. 

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Haunted Venice – Legends, Mysteries and Stories

The Casino of the Spirits — ArtCurious 

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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 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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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/

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The Haunted House of The Seven Gables in Salem

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In the eerie mansion in Salem of The Haunted House of the Seven Gables, also known as the Turner-Ingersoll Mansion, discover what lurks in darkness and uncover secrets behind its perpetual terror.

Step inside The Haunted House of the Seven Gables and explore its halls of perpetual terror and darkness. The house is a 1668 colonial mansion in Salem Massachusetts, a place known for being a place of mystery and witchcraft.  

From ghostly figures roaming the corridors to mysterious tales of hauntings, prepare to discover what lurks in this fascinating haunted house.

“But as for the old structure of our story, its white-oak frame, and its boards, shingles, and crumbling plaster, and even the huge, clustered chimney in the midst, seemed to constitute only the least and meanest part of its reality. So much of mankind’s varied experience had passed there,—so much had been suffered, and something, too, enjoyed,—that the very timbers were oozy, as with the moisture of a heart. It was itself like a great human heart, with a life of its own, and full of rich and sombre reminiscences.”
― Nathaniel Hawthorne, The House of the Seven Gables

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Novel

The House of the Seven Gables is a real house that was known as The Turner House or the Turner-Ingersoll Mansion before the novel inspired by it came out. The thing that made it famous was the American author Nathaniel Hawthorne when he wrote a gothic novel inspired by the house in the 1850s. 

Nathaniel Hawthorne: (July 4, 1804 – May 19, 1864) was an American novelist and short story writer. His works often focus on history, morality, and religion. He wrote the novel The House of the Seven Gables inspired by the house in Salem Massachusetts he used to visit.

The novel follows a New England family and their home where he explores guilt, retribution and atonement. The story is filled with hints at the supernatural and witchcraft and influenced horror writers like H.P Lovecraft. 

Read Also: Find some novels about witchcraft like The House of the Seven Gables: Here

Hawthorne, most known for the novel The Scarlet Letter, was himself born in Salem and grew up hearing stories about the house. His great-great-great grandfather was one of the judges in the Salem Witch Trials which the house also had a connection to. 

Explore the Legends of The Haunted House

From legendary tales of cursed spirits trapping guests to mysterious hauntings that have been reported through the ages, explore the legends that make The Haunted House of the Seven Gables one of the most haunted locations in the world. Learn about the curses that lurk in its dark corners, and find out about the secrets this house has been concealing for centuries.

The house was built as a place for peace and quiet, but ended up being in the center of one of the most notorious witchcraft trials in 1692 to 1693 were over 200 people in the puritan New England town were accused of witchcraft. 

John Turner Jr. lived in the house at the time with his sisters and wanted to protect them from the hysteria of the locals that accused their neighbors, their friends and family for being witches and in league with the devil. A part of the protection was to build a hidden staircase with the fireplace. 

In later years there were also uncovered a hidden dining room and accounting room to hide if any in the family were ever accused of witchcraft. 

The Salem Witch Trials

The Salem Witch Trials was a product of mass hysteria that happened in the British Colonies as well as in Europe at the time. It all started when two small girls started having these fits of contorting bodies, making strange noises and speaking gibberish. 

The Salem Witch Trials: A series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft in 1692 and 1693. More than 200 people were accused. Thirty people were found guilty, 19 of whom were executed by hanging (14 women and five men). One other man, Giles Corey, was pressed to death after refusing to enter a plea, and at least five people died in jail.

This type of affliction seemed to spread to other girls and they were all diagnosed with witchcraft. And when the girls were interrogated, they started naming names about who cursed them, and a witch hunt began. 

A total of 14 women and 6 men were executed in the witch trials by hanging, one by being pressed to death. Another 5 died while in prison. 

Although the Turner family remained safe during those trials, the imprint and trauma of the witch hunt remained in all of Salem and ringed back for generations, something Hawthorne also discusses in his book. 

The Ingersoll’s and Hawthorns Ancestral Sins

After being in the Turner family for 3 generations it was sold to Captain Samuel Ingersoll as there were no remaining heirs. He had a daughter named Susannah, a cousin of Nathaniel Hawthorne who knew well and would come to hang out with. 

When inside the house, Hawthorne was inspired by the house and its quirky features and old history. There they also talked about their families involvement in a dark past. Hawthornes involvement in the Salem Witch Trials and Ingersoll’s involvement in slavery as an example. 

Susannah even advised him to put a W in his last name, which originally was Hathorne, to remove himself from his ancestral sin. Hawthorne often wrote about his guilt for his family’s involvement and in his most famed work, The Scarlet Letter, he even opens up with an analogy for it all. 

Is the House of The Seven Gables Haunted?

Mystery and terror await you as you attempt to uncover the secrets of The Haunted House of the Seven Gables. If you ask many of the tour guides, they will be quick to reply with a no. However, there are many who tell about another side of the story. 

One of the ghostly silhouettes that are reported to be seen is that of Susannah Ingersoll. There are not only one, but many paranormal activities that are said to take place within the old house. 

Today the dark wooden house is made into a museum and gets plenty of visitors that are looking for something paranormal, and many claim to have found it. A psychic visiting the house claimed to see a young boy play near the gables as well. Little footsteps can be heard from the attic followed by giggles and laughs.

A man can be seen climbing up and down the infamous staircase and lights are turning on and off and even the water faucets have a habit of turning on and on on their own. 

so, would you like to visit and see for yourself whether or not the house is haunted?

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House of the Seven Gables – Salem Ghosts

House of the Seven Gables – Wikipedia

The Haunted House of the Seven Gables

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The History and Secrets of The Winchester Mystery House

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One of America’s most iconic homes is The Winchester Mystery House. Inside lies a fascinating history of the eccentric Sarah Winchester who created it as well as a ghost story or two.

The Winchester Mystery House has been an enduring American legend since its construction over a century ago. Located in San Jose, California, the 160-room mansion was created by eccentric heiress Sarah Winchester who believed it would protect her from vengeful spirits. 

Or so the rumors say at least, but is it really true? Uncover the secrets behind its haunted corridors and spooky stories as you explore this iconic landmark.

Who Was Sarah Winchester?

Sarah Winchester was born into a prominent and wealthy family in New England. She married into an even wealthier one that made their money from the gun business. It was said that at the time, she was considered to be one of the wealthiest women in the world.

Sarah Winchester: A rich widow that spent most of her inheritance on building her strange house that has puzzled everyone since she started building it.

She spent her fortune to build the sprawling Victorian mansion to house her vast fortune and to ward off spirits she believed were angry at her due to her family’s gun-making business. This belief that her family was cursed and haunted by those who were killed by the Winchester rifle started even in her lifetime.

Throughout construction of The Winchester Mystery House, Winchester gradually added new wings, staircases that lead to nowhere, doors, and other features that made the home increasingly complex and filled with mysteries until her death in 1922.

The Construction of The Winchester Mystery House

The Winchester Mystery House is today world known for its quirky features and haunted reputation, even before Sarah Winchester passed away herself. In 1895 she started to appear in the newspaper where the writers and the other locals speculated as to why this rich widow kept building the house for no apparent reason.

The Winchester Mystery House was built in an almost continuous 24-hour a day state of construction over 38 years. Sarah Winchester hired carpenters, plumbers and other craftsmen to work on the massive project day and night. 

She also employed physicians to keep her healthy during the arduous task of designing and building her fantastic home as her health was rapidly declining over the years as well. Because of this she had to take several breaks from the construction because she tired so easily.

In fact, according to legend, one room was built around Sarah while she slept so that she wouldn’t have time off from the project. Her workers named it the “Martini Room” due to her nonstop working style.

Unique Features in the Winchester House

The Winchester Mystery House contains many unique features, including staircases to nowhere, secret passages and hidden doors. This maze-like way of building her house led people to speculate that she did so to confuse the spirits that haunted her and her family and prevent them from hurting them. 

There are also odd windows, strange symbols on the floor and doors that open up into walls that people have speculated about ever since. In addition to these weird features, Sarah Winchester installed beautiful gardens within the property and added stained glass throughout the home. She even used her wealth to construct a lavish conservatory in The Winchester Mystery House with exotic plants from around the world.

If not to confuse the ghosts, why did she build such a peculiar house? A student writing his master’s thesis on it came to the conclusion that her goal was to keep workers employed and to express her artistic vision although it was ever changing.

Read about more haunted houses around the world: Here

After an earthquake in 1906, the house was severely damaged, and it never really got completely fixed. It was also at that time she stopped working on the house all together by 1910 except from maintenance. When she died in 1922 the house had 160 rooms, 2000 doors, 10 000 windows, 47 stairways and 47 fireplaces.

Just months after her death, her house became a tourist attraction and attracted everyone from paranormal investigators to the likes of Harry Houdini. And then over the years the ghost stories continued and grew.

Ghost Sightings and Supernatural Encounters

It’s not just the architecture of The Winchester Mystery House that has caught the attention of visitors; reports on supernatural encounters also abound. For example, Sarah Winchester’s spirit is said to still haunt reportedly haunt the house, along with other spectral apparitions and spirits of former employees. 

Still to this day the popular belief is that she thought she was haunted by those who died from the Winchester guns, and the guilt she felt from it and the money she got from it kept her as well as her home haunted. 

One of the most popular ghosts in The Winchester Mystery House is a mustached man named Clyde. He can be seen pushing a wheelbarrow down in the basement or trying to fix stuff around the house. Guests have sometimes commented about how they liked the actor in the white overalls and Victorian boater hat. When the staff replies that they haven’t hired an actor they figured that the worker Clyde has been at it again. 

Shadowy figures have also been spotted in corridors and doors have opened and closed without a discernible cause. Some visitors describe feeling an eerie presence when they explore this historic landmark that never seems to be completely at rest.

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A Haunted History – Winchester Mystery House

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The Ghost in Höfði house in Reykjavik

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In Reykjavik, Iceland, there is a haunted house called Höfði. According to local legend it is haunted by the ghost of a woman who poisoned herself. 

One of the most haunted houses in Iceland is Höfði. For the outside world it is perhaps best known for being the location where Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev met up to talk about ending the cold war in 1986. So it is a pretty well known house in political history, but there is something else living in the house at night.  

For the locals the Höfði house was a well known house long before that meeting. The house in Jugendstil was built in 1909 for the French consul Jean-Paul Brillouin at Félagstún and has since been in the hands of powerful and rich people. But none of them have stayed for a very long time.  

In the memoirs of one of the people living there in the early days tells that the Höfði house is haunted by a young woman. She either drowned or died by suicide, were the latter is the most often told one. 

One of the people living in the house with his family was an entrepreneur as well as a poet named Einar Benediktsson. He was the one that named the house when he moved in in 1914 and had his own theory about who the ghost was. 

He claimed that the ghost was of a woman named Sólborg Jónsdóttir. Benediktsson was once a judge on a famous assault case and when Sólborg Jónsdóttir heard the verdict she poisoned herself and died. According to Benediktsson, he always had to keep the lights on at night as she would appear to him during the night, still distraught over the verdict and haunt Höfði, even to this day. 

Höfði house: According to the legend, the ghost haunting the house is Sólborg Jónsdóttir, a woman that may or may not were poisoned inside of it.

The haunting in the house got so bad that John Greenway that lived in the house in 1952 asked to be moved, that the house should be sold and the British consulate should move elsewhere. He was afraid of what he called: ‘Bumps in the night’, and even filed a special permission from the Foreign office to get out of there as quickly as possible. 

The same year Höfði was sold back to the Icelandic government and the official statement by the Foreign Ministry was: “We do not confirm or deny that the Hofdi has a ghost.”

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From Iceland — Time Capsule: Höfði

Höfði House and the poet Einar Ben | Hit Iceland