When people visit the Grand Canyon, many fall for the temptation of taking a memento with them back home. But according to many stories, many people are said to believe some of the tokens from the Canyon are cursed and bad luck follows them who take cursed artifacts from the park.
In the rugged wilderness of the Grand Canyon, legends and curses are as deeply rooted as the ancient rock formations. In many national parks there are stories about stealing that makes what you steal and yourself cursed.
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The Grand Canyon is said to receive many misplaced items from the park back through mail from people claiming that the objects and artifacts must be haunted. Many claim to have experienced bad luck after taking the objects and trying to rid themselves of the curse by returning them back. There are many stories from the park, from sacred or cursed artifacts from the Natives, Egyptian treasure hidden in caves and a traditional national park curse of the land, even a simple rock.
The Grand Canyon: The National park of the Canyon encompasses over 1.2 million acres of rugged landscape, with the Colorado River carving a mile-deep gorge that stretches 277 miles long and up to 18 miles wide around 5 or 6 million years ago. The park’s striking geological formations, vibrant hues, and dramatic vistas attract millions of visitors each year, offering opportunities for hiking, rafting, and exploring the highs and lows of the Canyon. It is also said to have several haunted places.
The Cursed Navajo Blanket
One of the most haunting tales involves trader Don Maguire, who in 1879, stumbled upon a beautiful but cursed Navajo blanket during his expedition through Arizona by the Colorado River.
Woman weaving a traditional Navajo rug around 1900.// Source
Maguire met Emma Lee at the ferry, a widow who offered him the blanket in exchange for some of his goods. She warned him of the blanket’s dark past after they had made the deal, explaining how it had brought misfortune and ultimately death to her husband who was executed after the Mountain Meadows Massacre. Undeterred, Maguire accepted the blanket and continued his journey, only to suffer a series of relentless calamities over the next two years. The curses ceased only when he lost the blanket, leading him to finally heed Emma Lee’s warning.
When a writer traced the blanket back to its weaver, he found the Navajo weaver Mariana who fell in love with the same man as her 17 year old daughter. Mariana was said to weave spells into her blankets, spending 3 months on it. But after realizing the man was only stringing them both along, not wanting to marry either, it was said it was cursed. The daughter was said to have died and the man’s horse returned home empty with a bloody saddle and the blanket hanging on a juniper branch, said to curse everyone it ended with.
How much of the now legend that is true is today uncertain as the story has passed many versions of it.
Many now claim that the objects stolen from the park are cursed, and it is even said that many treasure hunters have disappeared mysteriously. What is really behind the legend of the cursed Canyon?
The Cursed Artifacts from the Park
Tales of cursed Native American relics are plentiful, especially in the Grand Canyon. Park rangers regularly receive letters from tourists desperate to return artifacts stolen from sacred Burial grounds like pottery or certain stones and from the forbidden zone in the Grand Canyon.
The letters invariably describe extreme bad luck, plagues, and mysterious illnesses that befell the thieves after taking the artifacts. The park rangers often find the reasoning chillingly consistent: the stolen items bring about a curse that can only be lifted by returning them to their rightful place.
People fearing cursed artifacts after stealing them from National Parks is a well known phenomenon, and in the same thing with people sending back stuff they took from the parks fill up the park rangers mailboxes. Often the rumor of objects being cursed comes from park rangers being fed up with tourists taking things with them, and the rumor is put out to deter the thieves. But could it be something more behind the rumors when talking about the Grand Canyon National Park?
Where does the Legend about the Cursed Objects come from?
According to an elaborate hoax, there are legends about cursed artifacts from the Egyptians. The legend of an ancient Egyptian civilization in the Grand Canyon emerged in the early 20th century, fueled by an article published in the Arizona Gazette in 1909 when an Egyptomania swept over the western world. The article claimed that an explorer named G.E. Kincaid discovered an extensive network of caves filled with Egyptian artifacts, including mummies, hieroglyphics, and statues, within the forbidden zones in the Grand Canyon.
This sensational story captivated the public’s imagination, suggesting a mysterious link between ancient Egypt and North America. However, subsequent investigations revealed no evidence to support these claims, and the story was debunked as a hoax. The Smithsonian Institution, which was reportedly involved in the supposed discovery, denied any knowledge of the expedition or the artifacts. Despite its debunking, the legend persists as an intriguing, albeit fictitious, chapter in the folklore of the Grand Canyon.
Many legends about cursed tombs and Egyptian artifacts come from Egypt, and perhaps this has only fueled the legends of the curse in the Grand Canyon as well.
The Cursed Objects of the Canyon
Visitors are thus warned: the Grand Canyon, while breathtakingly beautiful, holds ancient secrets and curses according to more than one legend. The cursed artifacts of the Grand Canyon are more than just historical treasures; they are reminders of a profound respect owed to the land and its original inhabitants. So, if you ever find yourself tempted by the allure of a beautiful relic, remember the story of Don Maguire and the many others who have learned the hard way that some things are best left undisturbed.
In a souvenir shop in the Grand Canyon based on a traditional Hopi House, employees and visitors claim the place is haunted by a couple of mischievous ghosts they often call the Brown Boys.
On the South Rim of the Grand Canyon stands an adobe-style structure known as the Hopi House found on the trails next to the El Tovar Hotel that are also said to house some ghosts of their own. Built in 1904, this historic building was designed by architect Mary Colter to resemble a traditional Hopi pueblo, inspired from Hopi dwelling at Oraibi in Arizona.
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Its purpose was to showcase and sell the art and crafts of the local Hopi Indians. Over the years, Hopi House has continued to serve as a gift shop and as a living museum, attracting countless visitors with its unique charm and rich cultural heritage. What wasn’t planned however were the haunted rumors about the ghost of the “Brown Boys” said to linger around the house.
The Grand Canyon: The National park of the Canyon encompasses over 1.2 million acres of rugged landscape, with the Colorado River carving a mile-deep gorge that stretches 277 miles long and up to 18 miles wide around 5 or 6 million years ago. The park’s striking geological formations, vibrant hues, and dramatic vistas attract millions of visitors each year, offering opportunities for hiking, rafting, and exploring the highs and lows of the Canyon. It is also said to have several haunted places.
The Hopi Tribe
The Hopi are one of the oldest Native American tribes in North America, with a history that dates back over a thousand years. Originating in the southwestern United States, the Hopi are descendants of the ancient Puebloan cultures, including the Ancestral Puebloans, who inhabited the region long before European contact.
Known for their sophisticated agricultural practices, they built terraced fields and intricate irrigation systems to sustain their crops in the arid environment. The Hopi people have maintained a rich cultural heritage, marked by complex religious ceremonies and the Kachina spirit system, which involves elaborate dances and masked performances. Despite facing numerous challenges, including forced relocations and pressures from modern development, the Hopi have preserved their traditions, languages, and way of life, continuing to live on their ancestral lands in northeastern Arizona, particularly on the Hopi Reservation.
Hopi Dancer at the Hopi House: There have also been shows for people showcasing the Hopi people. Here from a performance for his Majesty, Shah of Iran, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, Brigadier General Abdol Hussei Hedjazi, military aide, and Park Superintendent H.C. Bryant, watch a Hopi Indian dance presented at the Hopi House in 1949.
The Hopi Natives have a profound and ancient connection to the Grand Canyon as well as it being their ancestral land. According to Hopi tradition, the Grand Canyon is the site of their emergence into the world, where they ascended from the lower worlds through the Sipapu, a small hole in the canyon’s floor. They believe that the canyon and its surrounding landscape are inhabited by deities and ancestral spirits, such as Maasaw, the keeper of death. This profound spiritual connection underscores the Hopi’s respect for the natural environment and their enduring stewardship of the Grand Canyon’s sacred spaces.
The Legend of the Brown Boys
While the Hopi House is renowned for its architectural beauty and cultural significance, although not built by the Hopi themselves, it is also famous for its ghostly inhabitants, known as the “Brown Boys.”
These two spirits are often seen and felt within the walls of the historic structure. The “Brown Boys” are said to be mischievous spirits, making their presence known by causing disturbances and playing tricks on those who enter.
Who they are people don’t know. And like the authentic Hopi art in the reconstructed house, they remain as the artist, nameless. Could it be someone from the Hopi that perhaps worked or lived around the area? Could it even be some kids or tourists that once only passed through the Canyon? The answer to the question will most likely remain unanswered.
Paranormal Activity at Hopi House
Witnesses have reported seeing the spirits running around the structure during the evening hours. Electrical items are mysteriously turned off, and objects are thrown about seemingly of their own accord. Some mornings, employees also claim to have found the dolls they sell rearranged. These disturbances have led many to believe that the “Brown Boys” are perhaps some type of poltergeists.
Interior of Hopi House: Upstairs sales room in hopi house where the Brown Boys are said to haunt. Benches around room draped with navajo rugs. Circa 1905. // Source: Flickr
Employees of the Hopi House have grown accustomed to the presence of these spirits, often referring to them by name. Despite the playful nature of the “Brown Boys,” their antics can be unnerving, especially when experienced after dark.
The sense of being watched, the sudden cold spots, and the inexplicable sounds all contribute to the eerie atmosphere that surrounds the Hopi House after dark. Perhaps it is the “Brown Boys” out and about on their usual haunting mischief.
The fine restaurant, One If by Land, Two If by Sea in the old building in New York are said to be haunted by more than one ghost. The staff have even tried to appease the spirit over the years, even by serving them food, but still, they continue to linger.
If you’re a fan of history and fine dining, then you must have heard of One If by Land, Two If by Sea in the West Village in Manhattan. This iconic restaurant, marketing itself as one of the most romantic spots in the city, has been a staple in New York City’s culinary scene for over four decades.
The name “One if by land, and two, if by sea,” is from the poem Paul Revere’s Ride by Henry W Longellow. The saying was a secret signal to alert patriots about the route the British troops went on their way to Concord, perhaps a hint to all the secrets and hidden passageways the building at least used to have. Because this elegant eatery has a dark and mysterious past.
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One If by Land, Two If by Sea is said to be haunted by several ghosts, perhaps as many as twenty different ghosts. This includes the ghost of Aaron Burr’s daughter, Theodosia, who disappeared mysteriously at sea. The restaurant’s eerie ambiance, complete with antique chandeliers, flickering candles, and dark wood paneling, only adds to its haunted reputation.
One If by Land, Two If by Sea: Restaurant at 17 Barrow Street in Manhattan as it looked in 2024 said to be haunted by as many as twenty ghosts. // Source: Transpoman/Wikimedia
The History of the One If by Land, Two If by Sea Building
One If by Land, Two If by Sea is housed in a historic building that dates back to 1767. Originally built as a carriage house, the building has also served as a brothel, a speakeasy, and a residence for several prominent New Yorkers. Some even believe that the strange passageways down to the shore were used for forbidden contraband, or perhaps even used during the Revolutionary War. It was also used for runaway slaves in the underground railway.
The building’s storied past from carriage house, silent movie theater, bars and restaurants are reflected in its architecture, which features antique chandeliers, original brick walls, and dark wood paneling. But it’s not just the building’s physical attributes that make it unique; it’s also the ghosts that reportedly haunt its halls.
Ghostly Encounters and Haunted Tales
One If by Land, Two If by Sea is said to be haunted by several ghosts, including the ghost of Aaron Burr and his daughter, Theodosia. Theodosia was known for her beauty and intelligence, and her father, Aaron Burr, was one of the most controversial figures in American history.
In the 1790s, Aaron Burr kept his horses there when he was the Attorney General of the State of New York. Burr’s Wife, Theodosia Bartow Prevost had died early and he was raising his daughter by himself. His enemies said the daughter and father were too close.
There were many rumors floating around about their relationship being too intimate and many say that a famous duel between Burr and Alexander Hamilton started because of gossip about the father and daughter.
The two were rivals and tried to ruin each other’s reputation for years. On July 11, 1804 they held a duel in Weehawken in New Jersey. At this time, Burr was the Vice President of the United State, and Hamilton, a war hero as well as the first American Secretary of the Treasury. In the duel, Hamilton died and Burr lost everything. His carriage house was taken away from him and the building was used as an engine house for the fire station next door.
Aaron Burr Jr: (February 6, 1756 – September 14, 1836) was an American politician, businessman, lawyer, and Founding Father who served as the third vice president of the United States from 1801 to 1805 during Thomas Jefferson’s first presidential term. He is also said to haunt the restaurant as he owned the building when alive.
So what happened to his daughter? Theodosia married her husband, Joseph Alston, Governor and one of the most powerful and wealthy men in South Carolina, in 1801.
Theodosia Burr Alston: (June 21, 1783 – January 2 or 3, 1813) was an American socialite and the daughter of Aaron Burr. After she was lost at sea, she is said to haunt the restaurant with her father.
However, tragedy struck when Theodosia disappeared mysteriously at sea in 1813. She lived in Charleston, South Carolina after her fathers downfall, and she used to visit her father with her ship, the Patriot. She had just lost her ten year old son to malaria, and was only 29 years old. The ship sailed into the fog close to Cape Hatteras, one of the barrier islands of North Carolina and was never seen again.
Could it be enemies of her father or perhaps her husband who did something? Was it wreckers that had lured the ship to shore to rob them and kill the crew? Was it stormed by pirates and was she forced to walk the plank? Or was it just taken by a storm as her father insisted on until his death?
Her fate remains a mystery to this day, but many believe that she haunts the restaurant as well as her father. He died in a Staten Island boarding house in 1836, and they are often seen together in the restaurant’s mezzanine.
It is said that the ghost of Burr throws glass and plates around as well as moving chairs around. People claim to have seen his apparition, a hefty looking man in period clothing.
The ghost of Theodosia is said to walk up and down the stairs and one of the restaurant’s maître d’ quit after spotting her ghost. Earrings of women sitting in the bar are also said to keep disappearing, and people blame this on the ghost of Theodosia. This is said to have been most frequent in the 90s and it seems a long time since someone has made this claim.
Other Ghosts Haunting the Restaurant
The carriage house was sold in the late 1890’s and was used as a brothel and saloon as the area became an up and coming neighborhood. The building has several hidden passageways, running all the way to the Hudson river, making it a perfect place as a discreet meeting locale.
The ghosts of Theodosia and her lover are not the only spirits said to haunt One If by Land, Two If by Sea. Guests and staff working at the restaurant since it opened in 1973, have reported a variety of ghostly encounters over the years, including unexplained noises, cold spots, and the feeling of being watched. Some have even reported seeing apparitions of women in period clothing, which they believe to be the ghosts of former residents or prostitutes who worked in the building.
A woman wearing black is seen coming down the stairs as well. She is never seen going up them and some say that a strong stench of sulfur has come from the stairs. Some mediums claim she was a woman who tripped over her dress and broke her neck falling down the stairs.
A Flo Ziefield Follies girl is said to haunt the restaurant in the Constitution room. The term “Ziegfeld Follies Girl” is used broadly to describe the “singers, showgirls and dancers” who appeared in Florenz Ziegfeld Jr.’s theatrical Broadway revue spectaculars known as the Ziegfeld Follies from 1907 to the 1930s. The staff is said to light a candle for her ghost.
A Blacksmith is seen in the stairways in the upper stories of the building where he lived. Many years ago he was seen by a staff member who used to work there. Despite these spooky tales, One If by Land, Two If by Sea remains a popular destination for those looking to experience the restaurant’s haunted history firsthand.
The Haunted Restaurant: Over the years, guests and staff have claimed that something supernatural is going on in the old building. How much of the haunted rumors are true?//Source: Melanie Levi/Flickr
Ghostly Happenings in the Restaurant
Lights flicker in the restaurants, and some that have come to have a meal claim to have been shoved by an unseen force. In the kitchen there are strange and angry whispers of ghosts that want them out of the room. Ghosts are said to linger by the fireplace as well as the front door. Seemingly over the whole restaurant as the sound of glasses clink in empty rooms.
According to Rosanne Martino who was the manager of the restaurant, paintings and pictures put on the walls of the restaurant are also said to keep falling off and machinery malfunctions and goes off at odd times. At one point the staff has even tried to appease the spirits by serving them some Beef Wellington.
One If by Land, Two If by Sea is more than just a restaurant; it’s a piece of New York City history. From its haunted past to its famous guests and events, this iconic eatery has a story to tell.
The ghost stories about the cigar smoking cowboy, the two suicide brides as well as the playful ghost of a little girl has haunted the pristine rumor of The Driskill Hotel in Austin, Texas. But how much of the stories are true, and how many ghosts are still checked into the hotel?
Downtown in Austin, Texas, stands a grand hotel with a dark and mysterious past. The Driskill Hotel, built in 1886 by cattle baron Jesse Driskill has been a staple of the city’s skyline for over a century and is the oldest operating hotel in the city. But behind its impressive architecture and luxurious amenities lies a darker side.
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Over the years, the Driskill has gained a reputation as one of the most haunted hotels in the country, with countless ghostly sightings and eerie occurrences reported by guests and staff alike. From the ghost of a young girl who fell to her death down the hotel’s grand staircase to the spirit of a cowboy who met his untimely demise in one of the guest rooms, Driskill’s history is steeped in supernatural lore.
History of The Driskill Hotel
The Driskill Hotel was built in 1886 by Jesse Driskill, a wealthy cattle baron who wanted to create a luxurious hotel that would be the jewel of Austin’s social scene. The hotel was designed by Jasper N. Preston, one of the most prominent architects of the time, and its grand exterior and opulent interior made it an instant icon after its grand opening close to Christmas that year. The Driskill quickly became the center of Austin’s social and political life, hosting events and galas that drew the city’s elite.
But the hotel’s fortunes took a turn when Jesse Driskill lost his fortune in a high-stakes poker game. He was forced to sell the hotel, and it changed hands several times over the years. By the 1920s, the Driskill had fallen into disrepair and was in danger of being demolished. That’s when a group of Austin citizens banded together to save the hotel and restore it to its former glory.
Driskill Hotel: The lobby of the Driskoll Hotel in Austin Texas, a portrait of the founder by the stairs believed to still haunt the hotel. // Source: Kenneth C. Zirkel/Wikimedia
Today, The Driskill Hotel is a beloved landmark in Austin, known for its rich history and luxurious amenities. But the hotel’s past is not all glamour and elegance – it’s also steeped in ghostly legends and spooky stories.
Ghostly legends of The Driskill Hotel
The Driskill Hotel is no stranger to supernatural activity. Over the years, countless guests and staff members have reported eerie encounters and ghostly sightings. Disembodied voices, apparitions, strange noises, mysterious leaks and cold sensations are only some of the rumors people staying and working at the Driskill have experienced.
The Haunted Song: “Ghost of a Texas Ladies’ Man” is a song from rock band Concrete Blonde, from 1992. Napolitano was inspired to write “Ghost of a Texas Ladies’ Man” after a supernatural experience she had during an overnight stay at the Driskill Hotel, in March 1991, on tour as the opening act for Sting: “There’s this horny ghost there that goes for women. ‘I wanna see you naked,’ that was the vibe. The minute I took my clothes off, I felt like there was someone watching me.He kept turning the lights on and off in my room. I finally unplugged all the lamps. Then he turned on the light in the closet and really slowly opened the closet door, just like a hand was opening it. The light in the closet shined out into the room onto the bed. Then I knew for sure he was there. I just said, ‘I know you’re here, but I know that you’re not going to hurt me, so I’m going to go to sleep now.’ I just got this feeling of amusement, like he was playing. He was just like a rascal. It was like a game. I guess I’m lucky he was in a good mood.”
The amount of information that has been passed down through the years have created many different variations and at times conflicting ghost stories. Here are just a few of the most chilling legends associated with the hotel.
The Ghost of Colonel Driskill
Jesse Driskill, the hotel’s founder, is said to haunt the halls of the Driskill to this day. Right after the hotel opened, he fell under financial stress as he had spent it all on alcohol, women and gambling as well as hotels. Besides the harsh winter and drought the following year after opening killed his cattle. Because of this, he had to give the Driskill up almost as soon as it opened and sold it to his brother in law. He had lost his fortune and built it up again many times, but this time, he wouldn’t recover financially. He died in May, 1890 of a stroke.
Legend has it that his restless spirit wanders the hotel, checking on the guests and staff and making sure everything is running smoothly. Some guests have reported hearing footsteps and the sound of a cane tapping on the floor, as if Colonel Driskill himself is still in residence. Driskill’s portrait hangs in the hotel’s grand lobby and some claim that this is the man they interacted with.
It is especially the room that was his favorite, overlooking 6th Street & Brazos that is haunted according to the stories. He has been seen by visitors, smoking a cigar as he looks out the window.
The smell of cigar is most connected with his haunting, the smell lingering in the lobby he used to greet guests. Security guards also claim to have heard his voice, asking for a match behind them, although nothing was there except the smell.
The Suicide Brides of The Driskill
Some of the more well known ghost stories from the Driskill are about the brides supposedly haunting it. The staff have reported about a woman crying on the floor when it is empty. Even the singer Annie Lennox claimed that one of the ghost brides had helped her choose a dress when she put two on the bed before taking a shower. When she came back, one of them was back in the closet.
Some say that perhaps in the 1950s, a bride stayed in room 525 when the fiance called the wedding off the day before. According to the lore, she hanged herself in the room.
The same thing happened several years later in the same room twenty years later on the same day. Or was it really the same room? Was it even a suicide the first time? Some claim that both brides killed themselves in room 525, but one of the stories is also said to have taken part in Room 329, and at least one source claiming it was in room 427 or 29.
One story goes like this: A bride checked into her room in the early 1990s. Or was it in the early 1980s? 1989 as some claim it was? This was by the way during a time when room 525 was shut off before it reopened for guests in 1998.
According to the legend, she was a socialite who had just been left by her fiance. She booked a five day stay at the Driskill. She had one final day where she went shopping for around 10 to 40k the second day she stayed there, all on her fiance’s credit card.
On her third day, she put up a “do not disturb” sign on her door. She lined up all of her new stuff by her bed before shooting herself in the head with a pillow muffling the sound. Some say they found her in the bathtub after they broke into the room after they suspected something was wrong.
The True Story of the Ghost Brides
How true this story is, is uncertain. There are many dates, room numbers and little detailing of the incidents, especially the first. According to the Austin Ghost Tour, this version was written by an employee in India for a company in New York that has never been to Austin. So what is the true story then?
Police reports talk about Tara, and she was not a socialite. She was said to have bought alcohol, cigarettes and a people magazine, instead of shopping goods. It is said that she would have died of alcohol poisoning if she hadn’t shot herself.
According to guests staying there, they claim to sometimes see the ghost of the woman dragging her many bags from her shopping day up and down in the halls of the hotel. There is also said to be a ghostly wailing coming from the rooms the brides died in.
The Child Ghost Playing at the The Driskill Hotel
On the fifth floor of the hotel is a mysterious portrait that is said to have caused supernatural occurrences. The portrait is unnamed, but based on a painting by Charles Trevor Garland (1855-1906) known as “Love Letter” by or for a Richard King.
It depicts a little girl with flowers in one hand and a letter in the other. Some claim it is haunted by the four year old daughter named Samantha Houson, of the US Senator Temple Lea Houston, who died in a horrible accident at the hotel.
The girl often called Samantha was playing in the Grand Staircase of the Mezzanine in 1887. This is before the painting was created though, or perhaps around this time. That May the hotel also closed its doors, so it had to have been before this.
Driskill hosted a function that year for a Legislative Session that year. US Senator Temple Lea Houston had seven children. Only four of their children survived childhood and one of them who didn’t was said to have been Samantha. The Senator had given his daughter a ball to play with. Skipping in the staircase she reached for her ball to bounce, but she fell and died of a broken neck.
People claim to have heard the sound of the ball bouncing from the walls as well as hearing the giggles of a little child. Guests have reported seeing apparitions of children playing in the hallways. When children come back from playing, they often claim to have played with a little girl called Samantha.
It is especially heard around the stairs, but as mentioned, the portrait on the fifth floor is also said to have strange things like dizziness and strange sensations around it that people often claim is connected to the girl. It is said that the painted girl looks eerily similar to Samantha. Perhaps the wildest story is how the girl’s expression in the painting seems to change when looking away.
The Presidential Ghost
One of the more famous ghosts said to haunt the hotel is Lady Bird and Lyndon B. Johnson, often referred to as LBJ. The couple first met in the Driskill Dining room in 1934 and returned every year for special occasions. It is said that the hotel was Lyndon B. Johnson’s favorite place in the city. It was even here he waited for the results of his 1948’s Senate run, his 1960’s Vice President run and in the presidential election in 1964.
According to those visiting the ballroom, they sometimes claim to see the late president with his wife in the mirrors as they pass by.
The Ghost of a Mrs. Bridge Minding the Front Desk
One of the former employees of the hotel said to haunt it, is Mrs. Bridge. She worked at the hotel for many years in the early 1900s and it is said she is sometimes still working. At night, people claim to have seen a woman in a Victorian dress, fussing over flower arrangements in the lobby. It is said that her apparitions are often accompanied by the smell of roses as she loved flowers when she was alive. She has also been seen walking from the vault to the lobby where the old front desk used to be.
The Ghost of Peter Lawless
One of the ghosts haunting the hotel is said to have a more poltergeist presence than the other. Peter Lawless worked as a ticket agent for the Great Northern Railroad in the early 20th century. Peter Lawless was born July 23, 1851 and died in Austin on June 29, 1931. After his wife passed, he moved into the Driskill.
From 1886 to 1916, he lived and worked from the fifth floor where he set up shop. Years it is said he lived there vary. Ever since his death people claim to have seen Lawless coming out from the elevators, looking at the time and his railroad watch and greeting the staff at the front desk before vanishing into thin air.
Housekeeping claims he is watching them as they are cleaning and there have even been those claiming to have seen him stepping in front of a bus outside the hotel. His ghost is said to have dark hair and pants with a white shirt and a pocket watch.
The Royal Haunting in the Mirrors
The Driskill Hotel is also said to be the place of a certain royal haunting.This haunting legend tied to Empress Carlotta of Mexico. She was born Charlotte and was a princess of Belgium. In the 1850s, Carlotta and her husband, Emperor Maximilian, ruled Mexico, seen as a puppet regime, but their reign ended in tragedy when Maximilian was executed, and Carlotta descended into madness. Heartbroken she survived with the support from European courts, suffering paranoid delusions.
The Ghost of an Empress: Empress Charlotte in mourning clothes. Photography by Eugène Disdéri, 1867.
After their fall, eight ornate gold-framed mirrors, originally meant as a belated wedding gift for Carlotta, made their way to the Driskill in 1930. It is not known if Empress Carlotta knew about the wedding gift at all, but some say that she is now haunting the mirrors. Adorned with a color palette of gold and white, the Maximilian Room features unique accents such as eight lavish gold leaf mirrors, originally discovered in the 1930s. This charming space has since been converted into an area for premium dining events, with 1,500 square feet of space and room for 20 to 150 attendees.
Since their installation in the hotel’s “Maximilian Room,” guests and staff have reported eerie experiences, including sightings of Carlotta’s ghost. One photographer claimed to see a woman in a white gown appear in the mirrors but vanish when he turned around, leaving only her reflection. Many believe Carlotta’s spirit haunts the mirrors, watching over the last remnants of her lost empire.
Why did the Hotel Become Haunted?
The Driskill has had many faiths coming through its doors throughout the years, but could it be another reason for it being haunted? Something older perhaps? One of the many reasons the hotel was built on this exact spot was because of the artesian water right by it. Driskoll thought that this would supply the hotel with water for years to come.
This artisan water used to be hollow ground for the native Americans though. Both the Apache, Tonkawas as well as the Comanche used to believe that the water from the spring had the power to hold spirits. Many believe this is the foundation that started the haunting.
Many paranormal investigators have spent numerous nights in the hotel in search of ghosts. Could the hotel really be haunted? Could it be that the ghost of Driskill is still smoking in the lobby, or could it actually be from the tobacco shop that used to be in the lobby still lingering? Could there be something lurking within the mirrors and paintings as well as the rooms not of this world?
Inside the Grand Canyon Caverns you can explore, have dinner in their restaurant or even sleep in their overnight suit. According to the stories, there are also stories about the possibility of encountering ghosts within the deep dark caves.
Venture to the western expanse of the Grand Canyon, and you’ll find yourself within the mystical embrace of the Hualapai Indian Reservation, home to a haunting mystery that unfolds in the depths of the Grand Canyon West Rim near the Peach Springs in Arizona along Route 66.
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Amidst the expansive terrain lies a subterranean wonder known as the Grand Canyon Caverns, discovered by Hualapai woodcutters in the year 1917, revealing itself as the largest dry cavern system in the United States. Some also claim they are some of the most haunted ones.
The Grand Canyon: The National park of the Canyon encompasses over 1.2 million acres of rugged landscape, with the Colorado River carving a mile-deep gorge that stretches 277 miles long and up to 18 miles wide around 5 or 6 million years ago. The park’s striking geological formations, vibrant hues, and dramatic vistas attract millions of visitors each year, offering opportunities for hiking, rafting, and exploring the highs and lows of the Canyon. It is also said to have several haunted places.
The Grand Canyon Caverns History
These dry caverns, situated 220 feet below ground level, were formed 65 million years ago through the action of an ancient inland sea that covered the area. Visitors can explore the extensive underground network of rooms and passageways, which are known for their stunning geological formations, including stalactites and stalagmites.
The cave system is the largest dry caverns in the U.S and visitors can both tour, eat at the restaurant as well as stay the night. The caverns house the unique Grand Canyon Cavern Suite, a luxurious hotel room that provides an extraordinary and eerie overnight experience.
Yet, beneath the surface beauty of these colossal caverns lies a veil of spectral enigma, where shadows dance with the echoes of a bygone era, and the whispers of restless souls seem to linger in the eternal darkness.
Inside the Caves: Grand Canyon Caverns was designated a fallout shelter in 1961 and is believed to be haunted. // Source: Lauri Väin
It is said that the Grand Canyon Caverns are so dry that no bacteria or viruses can survive there for more than 72 hours. But could ghosts still be lingering here? According to the stories they do. The question that perplexes both visitors and locals alike is: Who are the spectral inhabitants of the Grand Canyon Caverns? Some believe that the ethereal presence of Native Americans, who found their final rest within these rocky chambers, continues to wander among the subterranean labyrinths.
It is said that many Hualapai tribe members were buried in the caverns centuries ago as an ancient burial place. It is the spirits of these tribesmen that haunt the caverns today. In the past 50 years, there have also been at least 8 people who have died or at least been buried on the property around the caves. Could some of these also be haunting the caves?
Other chilling accounts tell of a ghostly mine worker, a phantom of the past whose apparition has been glimpsed standing beside the cavern’s eerie elevator. His spectral form, frozen in time, echoes the tales of labor and sacrifice that once resonated within the subterranean depths.
The Haunted Grand Canyon Cavern Suite
For a truly haunted experience, there is also the Grand Canyon Cavern Suite found in the caves where a lot of the haunted rumors come from. This subterranean hotel room, situated within the expansive Grand Canyon Caverns, provides guests with an extraordinary opportunity to sleep in a lavishly appointed space surrounded by ancient rock formations. The room dates back to the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, when a corner of the caverns was set up as a fallout shelter.
Grand Canyon Caverns Luxury Suite: For around 1000 dollars you can stay underground in the caves. Several of the guests that have stayed the night claim to have experienced what they believe to be paranormal. // Source: Flickr
Haunting of the Cave Hotel
One of the most common reports from the cavern suite involves rocks inexplicably whizzing through the air, especially after the Grand Canyon Caverns appeared on an episode of “Ghost Adventures.”.
Many guests have been disturbed by strange noises emanating from around the bed’s headboard. These sounds range from soft whispers to loud thumps, and often occur in the dead of night when the caverns are at their quietest. Some visitors have even reported feeling an unseen presence moving near the bed, as if someone—or something—is watching them as they sleep.
Dancing Shadow Figures
Shadow figures are another common sight within the cavern suite. Guests have described seeing dark, humanoid shapes dancing along the walls of the room, moving in eerie, fluid motions. These shadowy apparitions often vanish as quickly as they appear, leaving behind an unsettling sense of unease and the feeling of being observed. Could it be the pressing feeling of being placed deep in a dark cave or could it be something else?
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Perhaps the most unnerving reports involve the sounds of chanting that echo through the cavern’s depths. These chants, often described as rhythmic and otherworldly, seem to emanate from deep within the earth, reverberating through the suite’s stone walls. Some believe these chants are connected to ancient rituals or spirits that dwell within the caverns, adding to the suite’s mystique and haunted reputation.
Who are Haunting the Caves?
As mentioned, there are not many names attached to the possible hauntings said to go on inside of the Grand Canyon Caverns.
Some believe one of the ghosts to be that of Walter Peck, the man who turned the cave into a tourist attraction after he stumbled over it in 1927 on his way to a poker game. Perhaps it could be the two brothers of the Hualapai woodcutters who died of the flue when they discovered it in 1917 and were buried there after being trapped in a snow storm in 1917?
Or could it perhaps be something more ancient and unknown, lost in the darkness and deepness of the Grand Canyon Caverns?
The ghost town of Cahawba is a remnant of southern antebellum life that died with the Civil War. It is said that the former state capital still has some ghosts living in Cahawba Town the rest of the world abandoned.
Along the confluence of the Cahaba and Alabama rivers lies Cahawba, Alabama’s first state capital and one of its most haunted places if we are to believe the legends. Established in 1819 not far from Selma, Cahawba Town thrived as a bustling antebellum river town for years. Today it is a ghost town in what is called Old Cahawba Archaeological Park.
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Cahawba Town is listed on many most haunted lists, and they also provide haunted ghost tours around the place. But what are the haunted legends from the ghost town said to be one of the more haunted places in the country?
The History of Cahawba Town
Let’s first have a look at the history of the town and those who lived there. Cahawba Town or Cahaba as it is sometimes spelled, used to be fertile tallgrass prairies before the 1830s. Then, as mentioned, it was the first permanent capital of Alabama from 1820 to 1825 as well as being the country seat of Dallas Country until 1866.
This was during the wealthy antebellum years, based on cotton money, made on the back of slaves. Even though it was wealthy it still had a reputation of not being the best place to live because of the location. The floods were said to be big and happened too often. The very air was thought to be bad, as they believed that miasma in the air caused diseases like malaria, yellow fever and cholera. In reality it was the mosquitoes who carried the diseases.
Cahawba Town: Kirkpatrick mansion on Oak Street, burned in 1935. The two-story brick slave quarters remains intact. // Source: Leigh T Harrell/Wikimedia
By the time the Civil War started, the town had around 2000 residents, where around 64 percent of the population were the black slaves. The Civil War changed everything here though, and during it, the prison known as Castle Morgan held more than 3000 Union soldiers.
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Its prosperity was short-lived, however, as the Civil War and subsequent flooding led to Cahawba Towns abandonment because it lost the businesses and jobs that were associated with it being the county seat. Some say that the story about the flooding was exaggerated, or even a lie seeing that 1925 was a drought year by the media because of the competition of becoming the capital.
The Selma newspapers called ‘The Mecca of the Radical Republican Party,’ after the white residents left and more black communities started to grow in town. Although it became a popular place for the freed slaves after the war for a while, they too soon left for a better place in the Reconstruction Period.
Today, the Cahawba Town is a ghost town, its empty buildings, slave burial grounds, and eerie cemeteries providing a chilling backdrop for tales of the supernatural.
The Legend of Pegues’s Ghost
Christopher Claudius Pegues
Among the many haunted tales of Cahawba Town, the most famous is that of the luminous floating orb known as “Pegues’s Ghost.” Shortly after Colonel C.C. Pegues, who was the head of Alabama’s Fifth Rifle Regiment. He was killed in the Battle of the Seven Pines in Virginia on July 15th in 1862, witnesses reported seeing a mysterious glowing light appearing in the garden maze of his former home and favorite Magnolia trees.
When the news of his death reached the village, a slave boy rang a bell, walking from his house with the funeral notice as well as a black streamers known as ‘weepers’ from his shoulders, a custom now gone.
One evening in 1862 a young couple was walking close to the cedar maze. It was then they saw a white orb floating past them. When they tried to touch it, the ghostly orb vanished into the green, although it appeared again. Because of its timing, the strange orb was named after the colonel.
The maze is now gone, and so is the house that used to be located on a lot that occupied a block between Pine and Chestnut streets. The unexplained phenomenon of the Will’O’the’Wisp like light has captivated locals and visitors alike, with many seeking out the ghostly light that continues to manifest to this day.
The Haunted Cemeteries
But “Pegues’s Ghost” is not the only source of eerie activity in Cahawba Town. The cemeteries of Cahawba are another focal point for ghostly encounters, especially the one known as The New Cemetery.
Eerie whispers, phantom footsteps, and shadowy figures are frequently reported by those who dare to venture into these hallowed grounds after dark. Many believe that the souls of the town’s former residents remain tethered to this place, unable to find peace.
It is especially around the burial grounds for the slaves many of the haunted reports come from. It was created in 1819 and many of the graves are unmarked and without headstones. It is said that the last burial was in 1957.
The abandoned streets and structures have given rise to numerous reports of ghostly apparitions and unexplained sounds. Visitors often speak of feeling a chilling presence while walking through the ruins of the once-grand statehouse and the numerous homes that have long since been vacated. The town’s slave burial ground is particularly noted for its paranormal occurrences, where the anguished spirits of those who suffered in life are said to roam.
Frozen in time, the Bodie Ghost Town, once a big mining town in the Sierra Nevada mountains during the Gold Rush, now only sand, dust and ghost lives. It is also said to be cursed.
“Goodbye God! We are going to Bodie.” Prayer from a little girl moving to Bodie
High in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California, Bodie was once a bustling gold-mining town in the 1870s and ’80s Gold Rush, drawing thousands of hopeful prospectors with gold fever. As the gold dried up, the people left the town to die. Now there are only tumbleweeds, dust and ghosts left.
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Today, Bodie Ghost Town stands as a State Historic Park and has done so since 1962, preserved in a state of “arrested decay,” where the remnants of its vibrant past remain eerily untouched. Visitors wandering through the abandoned streets of over 150 buildings still standing as they did the day the people left, they can peek into homes with tables set for dinner and shops still stocked with supplies, as if the townsfolk might return at any moment.
History of Bodie Ghost Town
Founded after gold was discovered in the hills surrounding Mono Lake in 1859 by W.S. Bodey, the town rapidly grew, especially during the 1870s and ’80s, reaching a population of around 10,000 at its peak, becoming one of the most successful gold mining places in California.
Bodey searched the area for 10 years in the area and the mining camp he and his friends founded in 1859 soon grew into a prosperous town. The same year though, he was caught in a blizzard on his way to Monoville. The next spring his friends found him and named the town after him, although the painter did misspell his name on the sign and they never changed it.
The Gold Rush really kicked off in 1876 when the Standard Company discovered a large deposit of gold ore and people flocked to the place to get a piece of it.
Brodie Ghost Town: Bird’s Eye View photograph of Bodie, California in the 1890s when people still lived there. Looking east from the cemetery. // Source: William Thompson – Heritage Auction Gallery
Bodie became infamous for its lawlessness and rough reputation, filled with 65 saloons on the Main Street stretching for a mile down the road, brothels, and gambling halls in the red light districts on the northern end of town. As a true Wild West town it had a Wells Fargo Bank, several fire departments, a railroad and its own Chinatown with several hundreds of Chinese residents, a Taoist temple and plenty of Opium dens.
Life could be rough in the town with gunfights and murders as well as the harsh working conditions in the mines took many lives. The weather was harsh and the winters could take hundreds of lives in blizzards, exposures and other diseases.
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However, as the gold veins were exhausted and mining operations became less profitable, the population dwindled, and by the early 20th century, Bodie was in decline. After the second world war, they never resumed mining and only six people lived there at the time. The last residents left by the 1940s, and Bodie became a ghost town.
As mentioned, Bodie Ghost Town stands as a State Historic Park, preserved as a ghost town where everything is left, offering a glimpse into the past with its abandoned buildings. The term used to describe the stillness of the town, arrested decay, means the state park only intervenes to prevent the remaining buildings from collapsing and no more restoration will be done. Around 10 % of the original buildings are still standing, and perhaps soon, they too will only become a distant memory.
The Haunting of Bodie Ghost Town
Bodie’s ghostly atmosphere is more than just a preservation effort; it is a place steeped in supernatural lore. Many who visit the Bodie Ghost Town report ghost sightings, particularly of miners and townspeople from the town’s heyday. A woman in a white hood and black and white dress holds a basket in her hand and wanders the town at midnight. Around the mines a tall figure is said to hold a light as he enters the mines and walks them until dawn.
Phantom music sometimes drifts from the shuttered bars, evoking the rowdy nights when saloons were filled with the sounds of clinking glasses and laughter. There are also particular ghost said to haunt the houses mostly named after the families who lived there.
Storm over Bodie Ghost Town: Dave Bradford Condit/ Flickr
Ghost of the Last Residents of Bodie Ghost Town
But what happened to the last people living in Bodie? According to the legends, they are now haunting it. One of the men named Ed shot his wife dead, but then three other men came and killed the murderous husband, beating him up and leaving him to drown in a creek.
It is said the ghost of the murdered man came two months after his death back to haunt his killers, shaking his fist and trying to attack them. The three men soon died themselves, said to be from different strange diseases. One died from a huge cut on his face, the other died from a hemorrhage that made his head blow up like a balloon. The third walked off and died in a ravine.
The three men remaining in town thought it had to be because of the curse put on them by the man they murdered. Sometimes, people claim they still haunt the Bodie Ghost Town.
The Angel of the Bodie Cemetery
Many of the lawless people and prostitutes were not buried in the local cemetery, but in the Boothill Graveyard known as the Bodie Outcast Cemetery.
This is also where they buried the Chinese residents, often in unmarked graves. The idea was to be buried in the ground until the bones were clean so they could be sent back to their homeland and family. However this has not been the case for many of them, and the unrest people think must be over these graves are thought to be the paranormal reason to many of the strange things happening around the old Chinatown that are no longer standing.
In the Bodie Cemetery though, you can find the grave marked with a child angel. This is the grave of Evelyn, now known as the Angel of Bodie, said to haunt the cemetery. She was a three year old child, the daughter of general shop owner Albert and Fanny Myers. She died when she was hit in the head with a miner’s pick by accident.
The Angel of Bodie: The grave of Evelyn, said to haunt the cemetery. // Source: George Oates/Flickr
Now people claim to have heard giggles of a small girl in the cemetery, and they believe that it must be Evelyn, the Angel of Bodie. Parents that have brought their children also claim that they have started playing with a thing the only child sees.
The J.S Cain House
One of the haunted buildings in Bodie Ghost Town is the J.S Cain House. This used to be the home of a banker and businessman at the corner of Park and Green Streets. James S. Cain made his fortune from lumber and banking before finding gold. They were perhaps the riches in town and ended up owning most of the property in it.
Now the house built in 1879 is occupied by Park Rangers and their families. Strange things like doors and window opening by themselves happen from time to time. It is said to be haunted by a Chinese woman, appearing to children who visit the bedrooms on the second floor. This has made people think that she might have been a maid used to taking care of the children of the house.
According to a park ranger staying there, he used to have friends and family with children come to stay with him. One day the children came downstairs and asked who the nice Chinese lady that read them a bedtime story was.
But it is not only children that have felt her presence. Although the ghost is said to be friendly with children, she seems to hate the adults and people talk about being pushed and having a suffocating feeling when staying there.
The wife of a ranger once talked about when she went to bed in the room and woke, feeling something sitting on top of her. She almost suffocated and had to fight her way out, falling to the floor. A ranger named Gary Walter also claimed to have had an encounter with her in the same room. He saw the door open and felt a heavy presence again, giving the same suffocating feeling.
What could the resentment come from though? Some say that there is more to the story, and the maid and nanny working in the house did not have a happy ending. It is said that she was fired when the wife, Martha Delilah Cain threw her out on the street on a cold winter night. The woman wandered off in the snowstorm and was never heard from again. It was also said that her reputation was ruined and the woman killed herself.
The Gregory House
The modest house in Bodie Ghost Town close to the stamp mill Is said to be haunted by the ghost of an old woman, sitting in a rocking chair as she is knitting an afghan. It is also said that at times, the rocking chair has seen rocking by itself.
It used to belong to Nathan Gregory and his son, Spence who were cattle ranchers. Spence was one of the last residents of the town, and a retired mining engineer.
It is also said that park rangers have seen something sitting down at the foot of a bed in one of the rooms, invisible, but leaving marks of leg and hands on the quilt. Could it be Spence Gregory himself haunting it?
The Dechambeau House
The Dechambeau Hotel was first a post office in 1879, but then it became a hotel before it turned into a bar and cafe, operating until the early 1930s as Bodies last businesses. It is said to be haunted by a female ghost said to be looking out from the upstairs window.
The building itself is named after the miner family Dechambeau, originally from Lonqueil, Quebec Province Canada. Could it be one of those still remaining inside?
On Union Street there is the haunted Mendocini House, that was the house to an Italian family said to still have ghostly gatherings and dinners. It belonged to a man who drove freight trucks from Aurora and several generations of the family lived in the house. Annie Mendocini herself is said to be haunting the house and the smell of her Italian cooking sometimes comes from the window. Park rangers in Bodie Ghost Town claim to have smelled the scent of garlic as well as seen the steam from boiling water.
There are also reports about the sounds like there is a large gathering happening inside, as if they are holding a large meal. It is also said to be haunted by children and people claim to have heard their laughter.
But what about the mines that drew the people to this deserted place in the first place? Over the years it is said many died working the mines right outside of Bodie Ghost Town.
It is said a miner who was killed in the Lent Shaft explosion is still haunting the mines. This came after the story from a park ranger who threw rocks down the shaft when the ghostly voice of the miner yelled back, “Hey you!” at him.
There is also a tale of a white mule who started to haunt the mines two weeks after it died when the mine was still in operation. The workers smelled mule droppings and appeared in front of the miners 500 feet below the ground, making many of them refuse to work there.
The Curse of Bodie
One of Bodie’s most chilling legends warns of a curse that befalls those who take anything from the town, even a simple rock and bad luck will follow those breaking the rules.
Every year there are around 200. 000 people visit the park, and some can’t help themselves and take things from Bodie Ghost Town. Even a whole piano was loaded on the truck before being returned after they heard about the curse. Tales abound of visitors who, after pocketing a memento, experience a string of misfortunes—health issues, accidents, and unexplained bad luck. Desperate to rid themselves of the curse, they often return the stolen items to Bodie, hoping to appease the restless spirits.
The rangers receive letters and packages from the visitors that regret that they stole and believe themselves to be haunted by the curse. Even things like purchased things at the gift shop are sometimes returned. The letters are often anonymous and handwritten, telling the town that they are very sorry and for the spirit to forgive them.
“You can have these godforsaken rocks back. I’ve never had so much rotten luck in my life. Please forgive me for ever testing the curse of Bodie.” – From a letter to Bodie, 2004
Is the curse said to linger in Bodie Ghost Town real though? As with more than one park, there is a curse put on parks where the rangers get frustrated with visitors taking bits and pieces with them. In an attempt to stop people, it is said the Californian Department of Parks and Recreation started the rumor. Perhaps they didn’t realize how big it would get, but it surely did deter people from stealing, or at least giving it back when they think they are cursed.
Although the curse of Bodie Ghost Town is said to have been made as a cautionary tale from a well meaning ranger, it seems to have brought more work than worth. Now people are said to have started stealing, just to see if the curse works or not before sending the items back. Every time an item is returned, they have to file a police report for it, and most often, they can’t put it back as they have no idea where it came from, now only sitting in storage or on display. This is why they have stopped talking about the curse all together.
Leading up to Christmas, the Lefferts-Laidlaw House at 136 Clinton Avenue in Brooklyn got uninvited visitors, knocking on the doors. The haunting lead to a spectacle of onlookers trying to solve the strange case that even the New York Police couldn’t solve.
In the bustling borough of Brooklyn, New York, among the charming brownstones of Clinton Avenue, one address stands out for its eerie reputation: 136 Clinton Avenue, a grand Greek Revival House built around the end of the 1830s, still standing close to the Brooklyn Navy Yard on Clinton Hill. Today it is known as the Lefferts-Laidlaw House and when it was put on the market in 2020, it was listed for 3.4 million dollars after being on and off the market for years.
The residents that have lived there in modern times as well as the agent trying to sell the house all say that it isn’t haunted. But could the haunted ghost story be the reason buyers are deterred from it? The chilling events that took place here in the winter of 1878 have left an indelible mark on local lore, giving rise to one of Brooklyn’s most infamous Christmas hauntings.
The whole story was told in a series of news articles in the New York Times on the 20th and 21st of December.
The Uninvited Guest at 136 Clinton Avenue
It all began a few weeks before Christmas in 1878. Edward F. Smith, a resident of 136 Clinton Avenue, was enjoying a quiet evening at home when the doorbell rang. He answered the door, expecting a visitor, but found no one there. It happened several times more that night, the doors of the house kicked, banged and rattled. It was so loud, but not a single thing was seen and carried on until 10 in the evening. Mr. Smith had to tell himself that: It was only the wind, and went to sleep.
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That was only the beginning of a pre-Christmas nightmare. This seemingly innocent event soon turned into a nightly occurrence, each time with the same perplexing result: the doorbell would ring, but there would be no one outside, and no signs that anyone had been there at all.
Smith and his family were initially baffled and soon grew frustrated. Determined to catch the prankster, Smith sprinkled ash and flour along the path to the door, expecting to find footprints. But the substances remained undisturbed, and the mysterious noises continued unabated.
Escalation of Fear
As the days passed, the unsettling events escalated. The doorbell ringing turned into aggressive banging on the doors. The Smith family, now deeply concerned, decided to seek help. They contacted the police, who began to investigate the strange occurrences as they spent the night, but nothing came of it.
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Despite the police presence, the disturbances did not cease. The ringing and banging persisted, defying all attempts to identify their source. The Police Captain McLaughlin was even there, opening the door as it banged only to find empty air. This was on Monday the 16th of December when things took a darker turn.
The situation took an even more sinister turn one night when a brick suddenly flew through a window from outside. Officers standing nearby saw no one who could have thrown the brick, adding to the growing sense of fear and confusion.
The Paranormal Conclusion
Weeks of investigation yielded no answers. The police were unable to determine the cause of the disturbances, and the relentless noises and inexplicable events continued to plague the Smith family. With no rational explanation in sight, Smith and the witnesses to these bizarre happenings began to suspect a supernatural cause.
The haunting of 136 Clinton Avenue became a topic of local gossip, with many speculating that the house was cursed or that it harbored restless spirits. Some suggested that the disturbances were the work of a mischievous poltergeist, while others believed it was the ghost of a former resident seeking vengeance or closure.
Paranormal seekers and spiritualists begged to come inside to have a look, but Mr. Smith refused them all as he would have none of that nonsense. This didn’t stop them though and it was reported of semi-seances on the sidewalk with a crowd the police had to send away at times. One police officer was even bitten on the fingers by what the paper described as: ‘one powerful German who refused to move.’
Who was the Ghost Haunting the Lefferts-Laidlaw House?
After three weeks of mayhem, the haunting suddenly stopped according to the residence, and no answer was given to what really happened there. The local gossip claimed that it had to be the work of the ghost of a lawyer said to have committed suicide inside of the house years before.
According to Mr. Smith, he was so rattled and annoyed he was said to have said it had to be Satan himself in his home. He claimed it was he who had driven the ghost away with long prayers and had previously said to the newspaper that: ‘we consider ourselves perfectly able to take care of any ghost that comes along.’
There are also stories about the original owner and his chef, where according to this story, the owner murdered the chef when he found out about the affair with his wife.
According to the police, they remained inconclusive. It wasn’t like they could accept the theory about the devil or the ghost of a lawyer, but even they had to stand behind what they saw the things that happened, and that there was no way a living human could have done it without having been seen.
The Legacy of the Haunting
The haunting of 136 Clinton Avenue remains one of Brooklyn’s most enduring ghost stories. Over the years, the house has changed hands multiple times, and each new owner has been regaled with tales of the Christmas haunting. Some residents have reported experiencing strange noises and unsettling events, while others have lived there without incident.
Today, the story of the Christmas haunting serves as a chilling reminder of the unexplained phenomena that sometimes invade our lives. Whether a skeptic or a believer, the tale of 136 Clinton Avenue continues to captivate those who hear it, adding a touch of mystery to the holiday season in Brooklyn.
The original owner of the Dorrington Hotel in California is said to be haunting it. One Christmas the ghost of the former mistress of the place went knocking down every fake Christmas Tree the current owner had put up.
In the picturesque and mountainous landscape of Calaveras County, California, the Dorrington Hotel is not just a charming relic of the past, but also a hotbed of paranormal activity. Established in the mid-19th century, this historic hotel of the Gold Rush Time in California, is said to be haunted by its former mistress, Rebecca Dorrington Gardner, whose restless spirit roams the halls, particularly during the Christmas season.
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With its storied past and eerie occurrences, like the very name, Calaveras, Spanish for Skulls after the reported remains of natives, the Dorrington Hotel offers a chilling blend of history and hauntings in the sequoia redwoods.
Dorrington Hotel: The place is still in operation even to this day, even years after the Gold Rush died down. It is however said to be haunted by the original owner today.
The Legacy of John Gardner and his Inn
The Dorrington Hotel was built in 1852 by John and Rebecca Gardner, on top of the Big Valley Road as a coach stop were it served as a depot for stockmen as well as a summer resort. John Gardner, a Scottish immigrant, purchased a small sheep ranch and 160 acres of land from Barnabus Smith when it was still just a trail passing by the Miwok and Washoe Native land. Smith, a former Private Captain in the Massachusetts Militia during the War of 1812, had been granted the land for his military service.
“This is the place!” he wrote to his new bride, Rebecca, who had remained at home in Scotland, waiting for his word. Gardner quickly turned the property known for its cold springs, and he called it first, Cold Spring Ranch, into a profitable roadside business, providing refuge for countless emigrants journeying over the Central Sierra Mountains.
The Lady of the Night: Rebecca Dorrington Gardner
Rebecca Dorrington Gardner, the beloved mistress of the hotel, sailed from Scotland to join her husband in the Sierra Gold Country, and the place was soon called Dorrington, her maiden name. She survived her husband by many years, however, legend has it that she met a tragic end that left her spirit bound to the place she once managed.
It is said that Rebecca suffered fatal injuries in 1870 when she fell down the rear staircase of the hotel. Some also claim she went out in a snowstorm and lost her way as she froze to death. Others say she was massacred by the natives. Though historical records indicate she passed away on October 16, 1910, in Altaville, California when she was 83 years old, her ghostly presence remains a fixture at the Dorrington Hotel.
Visitors and staff have frequently reported encountering Rebecca’s spirit, peeking out threw curtains in unopccupied rooms, not really liking how the new owners keeps interfering in her buisness. Her spectral activities include doors mysteriously opening and closing, lights flickering, and furniture inexplicably moving.
The hotel’s dining room is a common spot for sightings, with many claiming to see or feel her presence as she glides through the space. Many guests also claim that they have seen the ghost of her fall down the stairs as a ghostly reenactment of her death.
Rebecca’s ghost also seems to enjoy interacting with modern technology, often triggering the motion detectors installed around the hotel.
One time it was said she warned the owner at the time og a gas leak in the kitchen. According to the stoy, she woke him up in the middle of the night to warn him.
The Christmas Tree Incident
The Christmas season brings an increase in Rebecca’s ghostly activities. One particularly spine-chilling tale involves the annual holiday decorations. One year, the hotel’s owner decided to place an artificial Christmas tree in every room. To everyone’s astonishment, each night Rebecca would go from room to room, knocking the trees down. Every morning, the staff and guests would find the trees toppled over, a clear sign of Rebecca’s nocturnal rounds.
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In another eerie incident, the owner, Marc Lanthier, experienced something that solidified the hotel’s haunted reputation. One Christmas after this event, Marc took two pictures of the hotel adorned with Christmas lights. When he uploaded the photos to his computer, he discovered something unsettling. One photo was bright and clear, while the other showed a vaporous figure floating over the hotel. Could this be Rebecca Dorrington Gardner, still overseeing her beloved establishment?
Christmas Haunting: Christmas seems to be a season where the haunted occurrences get more frequent. The alleged ghost seems to have a period of adjustments to new owners and new traditions and way of operating the hotel. Could the use of plastic Christmas trees be a trigger this one Christmas?
Other Ghostly Residents at Dorrington Hotel
Rebecca is not the only spirit said to haunt the Dorrington Hotel. Guests have reported hearing the laughter and footsteps of children in the dead of night, despite there being no children present. Could this be some of the four children of the original owners that are haunting the hotel together with their mother?
Many guests visiting the Dorrington Hotel specifically seek out the paranormal, hoping for a glimpse of Rebecca or the other spirits said to reside there. Some overnight visitors have reported finding a single footprint by their beds, believed to be left by Rebecca as she patrols the hotel at night.
A Night In the Gold Rush Country
The Dorrington Hotel remains a captivating blend of history and hauntings, with its rich past and active ghostly presence. And during the Christmas season, the chances of encountering Rebecca Dorrington Gardner increases if we are to believe the stories, not pleased at all about the fake and plastic aspect of the modern Christmas traditions.
David Fee was just going to Christmas Mass in Victoria, Canada when he was shot down by accident by a man waiting for another. After this, he has been spotted where he died as well as his grave site, especially during the Christmas season.
“Just as the clock was striking midnight, ushering in the joyous Christmas day, a crime as dark, cowardly and mysterious as ever disfigured the history of this province was perpetuated,” – The Daily Colonist on Dec. 25, 1890.
On a chilling Christmas Eve in 1890, the quaint streets of Victoria, British Columbia, were forever marked by a sinister event that has left its ghostly imprint on Bastion Square. The story of David Fee, whose life was abruptly and tragically cut short, continues to haunt this picturesque area, drawing both curious onlookers and ghost enthusiasts.
A Night of Festivity Turns to Horror
David Fee, a young man of only 21 years, was full of holiday spirit and was in town to visit his parents. After attending a lively costume party, he set off to join his parents for midnight mass at a nearby church. Inside Victoria’s St. Andrew Cathedral there were already prayers and the Christmas caroling had already begun.
Clad in a white clown costume, he made his way through the festive streets. The bells of the cathedral began to toll at midnight, marking the transition from Christmas Eve to Christmas Day.
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At the same time, Clarence Phelan/Lawrence Whelan, a watchman at the cathedral drank whiskey and waited on a man who had told him to take down his Irish Independence flag. He knew the man was wearing a white overcoat.
As Fee approached the corner where the cathedral stood, the atmosphere suddenly shifted from festive to menacing. A figure emerged from the shadows, a double-barrel shotgun in hand. The assailant’s voice broke the stillness of the night with a chilling declaration: “You challenged me!“
Before David Fee could utter a word in his defense, the shotgun blast echoed through the night, and he fell to the ground, lifeless. It was said by some that it went off accidentally. The people in the church rushed out and saw him in a pool of blood, covered in powder burns.
The attacker, it turned out, had mistaken Fee for another man, leading to a tragic case of mistaken identity. He turned himself in and was convicted for manslaughter.
The Haunting of David Fee Begins
From that fateful night onward, the spirit of David Fee is said to have lingered in Bastion Square on the steps of the Cathedral or in Ross Bay Cemetery were he was buried. Many believe that his soul, restless and wronged, continues to roam the streets where he met his untimely end.
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Visitors to the area have reported sightings of a circling mist and a ghostly figure dressed in white, wandering the vicinity of the cathedral and the nearby graveyard where Fee was laid to rest. His spectral presence is particularly strong during the Christmas season, the anniversary of his death.
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