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The Soiled Dove Haunting the Red Onion Saloon in Skagway

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A former prostitute by the name Lydia is said to haunt her brothel, The Red Onion Saloon in Skagway, Alaska. The bar, still catering to its heyday as a pleasure house, intends to keep her memory alive. 

Walking past the corner of 2nd and Broadway in Skagway, Alaska, the Red Onion Saloon stands as a relic of the Klondike Gold Rush after they found gold in Yukon. Over the bar is an oil painting of madams over the bar, a nod to the “doll system” that used to be in place to show off the goodtime girl that used to work there when it was a brothel.

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Still today the waitresses serve pizza, nachos and drinks under an extensive display of bedpans to the many cruise tourists coming to town. The waitresses of course do it in their corset and petticoats, not forgetting the start and the history behind the boozy establishment said to be haunted. 

Red Onion Saloon: The name has been given to many saloons for miners during the Gold Rush, but in this part of Alaska, none was bigger than this one. A popular myth about this bar is that it is haunted by one of the prostitutes that used to work there. Source: Flickr/Quinn Dombrowski

Brothels in the Gold Rush

Established in 1898, this saloon was once a bustling brothel catering to weary miners. Over 100 000 people tried to find gold, few ever did. It was said to have been one of the finest Bordellos in town! What set it apart was its unique system involving dolls: ten dolls representing the working women, also known as ‘Soiled Doves’, were displayed on the bar. When a client selected a lady, her corresponding doll was laid flat, signaling her unavailability. Once her client left, the doll was returned to an upright position, indicating she was ready for the next.

The price was $5 for 15 minutes. Girls made $1.25, the bouncer made $1.25, and the madam made $2.50.

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Fast-forward to today, the Red Onion Saloon has transitioned into a vibrant bar and restaurant, yet it maintains its historical essence as a woman owned business. 

Keeping the style: Even though the time of the Gold Rush and the brothels is a time passed, the place still pays homage to it. Notice the bedpans decoration by the windows. Source: Flickr/Jimmy Emerson, DVM

The upper floor, preserved as a museum, offers visitors a glimpse into the brothel’s past, complete with original furnishings and artifacts and where you can learn about the characters like Soapy Smith, Skookum Jim, and Klondike Kate. However, it’s not just the artifacts that linger—ghostly tales abound, most notably those of Lydia, a former madam of the establishment.

The Haunting of the Red Onion Saloon

Lydia’s spectral presence is a common theme among guests and staff alike and has even been made into a ghost tour. Reports of cold spots, unexplained footsteps, and the distinct aroma of floral perfume wafting through the halls add to the saloon’s eerie ambiance. As restoration has preserved much of the furniture, dresses, fans and decorations, there is definitely a vibe of history lingering as well as a ghostly one. When they removed the floorboards they found many of the women’s prized possessions tucked away, forgotten for so many years. Could this be something that keeps them here?

The Upstairs Rooms: On the second stair, the prostitutes worked from tiny rooms. Small dolls downstairs showed customers who were available. It is on the upper floors that most haunted reports come from. Source: Flickr/Jimmy Emerson, DVM

But who was she? Although much talked about, not much is really known about her, not even if Lydia is really her name as it is a name passed down from the employees. Who was she? A madam who worked her way up in the establishment? Who just stayed for a while or who died while working at the brothel?

It is said she first made an appearance to an employee with a marked face, much like what untreated syphilis can give you, although this is more speculation. There are also stories about her taking her own life when she found out about her untreatable disease. 

Lydia the Ghost: Many establishment have tragic ghost stories of women who worked as prostitutes still lingering as ghosts. It was a rough life and many didn’t make it to an old age. Could this be the case with Lydia who is said to haunt the Red Onion Saloon? Source: Flickr/Jimmy Emerson, DVM

Some have even claimed to see her apparition, elegantly dressed, gliding through the corridors. She is said to be haunting the upstairs and wearing a black dress, smelling of perfume, sometimes helping with watering the plants. 

It is said that the police have been called on her, thinking it was someone breaking in when they heard something going on upstairs. The police went to check and saw something running down the hall and into a room said to have been hers. When they further investigated, they found nothing. 

Did this happen? It is worth noting that there hasn’t been an actual police rapport about this call out and the details are vague. 

Other Ghosts of the Saloon

Over the years, Lydia is not the only ghost visitor and staff talks about. Some say that next to the caring energy Lydia gives off is the dark and malevolent ghost known as John. He is believed to be a former bouncer who was stabbed to death by one of the prostitutes he was harassing. 

Ghost tours: Enjoying visitors from the many cruise tourists, Skagway can also offer a haunted history as a side with a beer. Source: Flickr/Jimmy Emerson, DVM

Nothing like this has ever been proven though, but the stories of the Saloon seem to be growing. Ghost tours of the saloon often leave visitors with chilling stories, from flickering lights to objects moving on their own. 

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References:

Red Onion Saloon 

Red Onion Saloon | ALASKA.ORG 

Red Onion Saloon & Brothel Tour in Skagway – Saint Greg’s Travels 

Red Onion Saloon – Atlas Obscura 

The Haunted Red Onion Saloon, Skagway, Alaska

Lydia’s Ghost at Red Onion Saloon | Into Horror History | J.A. Hernandez 

Skagway staff befriend, placate ghosts: Three local businesses that coexist with their specters

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Calcutta High Court and the Ghost Seeking Justice

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The sound of anklets is heard throughout the old building of Calcutta High Court, thought to be the ghost of a woman who is still seeking justice in her afterlife. 

In Kolkata, lies the imposing edifice of Calcutta High Court in its red colored colonial architecture. While by day it’s suppose to serve as a symbol of justice and legal proceedings, by night, whispers abound of spectral apparitions and eerie phenomena that haunt its corridors. 

Read more: Check out all of the ghost stories from India

The building was built in 1872, ten years after the court itself was established. Calcutta High Court is the oldest high court in India. Among the most chilling tales is that of the ghosts of convicts, their restless spirits lingering within the court’s walls, the story about the ghost of the woman wearing anklets is looming larger than the rest.

Calcutta High Court: With its recognizable red building, the Calcutta High Court is thought to be haunted and is said to house more than one ghost. //Source: Wikimedia

The Headless Woman Haunting Calcutta High Court

Among these tormented spirits, none are more feared than the ghost of a convict who met her fate at the gallows. Legend has it that her execution was a spectacle witnessed by scores of onlookers. In death, her presence lingers, her restless spirit haunting the very courtroom where his fate was sealed.

Witnesses who venture into Calcutta High Court after dark speak of chilling encounters with the convict’s ghost. Most stories come from those that have worked at the court for years. Some claim to have heard his disembodied cries echoing through the empty corridors, while others swear they’ve seen his phantom form lurking in the shadows. 

Perhaps most notably is the sound of her steps, as you can hear the sound of her ankle bracelets as she walks down the corridors. When they see her though, they see that she is missing her head. 

There is one story told from two people that worked at the court, Manamohan and Vajahari Paitandi. It was a winter night and they were working later than the rest. Manamohan went to the toilet that was at the end of a long and dark corridor. That is when he heard the sound of the ankle bracelets. 

When Vajahari went to find his college, he found him lying on the floor. A woman was sitting beside him, trying to wake him by splashing water in his face. It was the headless ghost and she just disappeared when Vajahari came closer. He managed to wake him and together they ran out of the place.

The Prostitute Seeking Justice

Haunted Hallways: Several of the staff members claim to have seen the ghost of the headless woman haunting the halls. //Source: Wikimedia

But who was this woman who was haunting the halls without her head? If we are to believe the stories, she was a prostitute named Nistar Raut. She wanted to start fresh and remove her name from the registered sex workers. 

She had fallen in love with Shalikhram, a businessman dealing with diamonds and wanted to marry him. The judges of the court didn’t like this though, as she was a beautiful woman. They didn’t want to lose access to her and the men tried to talk her out of it. She refused though and they turned their eye on Shalikhram. 

He too refused to listen to them and one of her former clients, a very influential man, accused the couple for a robbery and he was arrested in 1881. 

What really happened after this is a bit of a mystery. The police found Nistar’s body after a few days in the garden of her lover with her head cut off. She wore nothing except for her ankle bracelets. 

After this, it is said that her ghost is still roaming the court that denied her the life that she wanted for herself. 

The Ghost Looking for Water

But the headless woman is not the only ghost said to haunt Calcutta High Court. From the eerie sound of rattling chains to inexplicable cold drafts that chill the air, countless reports of paranormal activity have fueled the court’s reputation as a hotbed of supernatural phenomena. 

Another ghost said to roam is the 19th century poet Tapis. He had protested against the British East India Company and the oppression the Indian people faced under colonial rule. He was imprisoned and denied water and food for a long time. 

He was eventually executed after a long time without anything to drink. After his death, the rumor about him haunting the court started to spread where they said that the ghost of Tapis was searching for water. 

The Haunted Room No. 11 at Calcutta High Court

The haunting is said to happen around the whole court, but is especially concentrated inside of a particular room. Room No. 11 has over the years seen many convicts receiving the death sentence. 

Both notorious criminals and Indian revolutionaries are said to have been walked through a secret tunnel below the room to court and there are many people that claim that something paranormal is happening both inside as well as outside of the room. 

Policemen on duty don’t want to be put on guard outside of Room 11, some claiming to have seen the ghosts of prisoners sitting on the benches outside and walking in the corridors. 

So, the next time you find yourself near Calcutta High Court after dusk falls and the city sleeps, tread carefully and listen closely—for you may just hear the whispers of the convicts’ ghosts, their tales of sorrow and despair echoing through the hallowed halls of justice.

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References:

Featured Image: Paul Hamilton/Wikimedia

Ghostbusters coming to Calcutta High Court to probe haunting spirits 

The Most Haunted Places To Avoid After Midnight In Kolkata 

The ghost who loved: Tinkle of anklets from the corridors of Calcutta High Court

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Nam Koo Terrace — The Wan Chai Haunted House

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Inside of the once stately building, horrible crimes were committed against women. The Nam Koo Terrace, otherwise known as The Wan Chai Haunted House in Hong Kong gives a testament to the ghosts of the past. 

There is an old red brick historic building in Hong Kong that the plan is to make into a fabulous wedding venue. The Nam Koo Terrace is also one of the city’s most well known haunted houses and also goes by the name, Wan Chai Haunted House. 

The Nam Koo Terrace (南固臺) is a two storied building on No. 55 Ship Street that is now mostly covered in moss. The historical building in the Colonial Eclectic style was built in 1915 and used to belong to the wealthy To family who were merchants from Shanghai. 

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

The Nam Koo Terrace also used to belong to Chun-man who rented it from the To family, a silk salesman who was also a member of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce. This was until World War Two happened and he was forced to leave his home as the Japanese invaded. 

The Deadly Military Brothel

Back in the day under the Japanese Occupation of Hong Kong the Japanese soldiers used this building as a military brothel as well as a place of torture during the Second World War. 

Comfort women or comfort girls were women and girls forced into sexual slavery by the Imperial Japanese Army in occupied countries and territories before and during World War II. Estimates vary as to how many women were involved, with most historians settling somewhere in the range of 50,000–200,000.

Several of the buildings in the city turned into these so-called Comfort Houses for the imperial army. Luke’s College and the Tung Chi College were also converted into this type of building. Brothel is too nice of a name for it though as many women were brutally raped and according to the legends, also murdered. 

After the war, the house went back to the To family who continued to use the house until 1988 when it was sold off. Perhaps because of the gruesome haunted rumors surrounding it?

The Headless Ghost of the Prostitutes at Nam Koo Terrace

It is said it is the ghosts of the women that had to stay in this place, so called Comfort Women haunt the building, roaming headless in the night. Some even go as far as claiming insanity after staying in the house and once, papers like the Oriental Daily covered one of these cases.

In 2003 on the 30th November, there was a paranormal investigation by a group of eight young middle schoolers that spent the night to test themselves and the haunted rumors. The night didn’t go as planned though and the group saw more ghosts than they bargained for. 

After the night it was said that one of them claimed to have been possessed by one of the ghosts they had encountered. According to the police, three had to be put into psychiatric treatment from the trauma they experienced that night. 

Perhaps in another world this would have been the thing that made people think twice about getting close to this cold spot of tragedy, but the opposite happened. Over the next few days people flocked to the place to get some of the same experience as the middle schoolers did and the house stayed in the headlines of the newspapers for a long time. 

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References:

Students encounter ghosts in Nam Koo Terrace the Haunted House. Oriental Daily: (30 November 2003) (Chinese)

Nam Koo Terrace – Wikipedia 

8 places in Hong Kong you never knew were haunted 

Top 10 spooky stories in Hong Kong

9 of the most haunted places in Hong Kong 

Comfort women – Wikipedia