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The Case of Frederick Ransom: The Woodstock Vampire

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How did a Darthmount student from a prominent family in Woodstock, Vermont end up as a vampire? The story of Frederick Ransom shows that the belief in vampirism or the fear of the undead was not just for the simple and uneducated country folks. 

When you hear the term “vampire panic”, your mind might conjure up foggy rural graveyards, torch-wielding villagers, and folksy farmers digging up their loved ones by lamplight. But history, as it often does, has a way of proving us wrong. This was the case with Frederick Ransom — a well-educated young man from a respected New England family whose story reminds us that fear, especially of death and disease, respects neither class nor education.

Read More: Check out all ghost stories from USA

The American writer, Henry David Thoreau wrote in his journal of 26 September 1859: “The savage in man is never quite eradicated. I have just read of a family in Vermont—who, several of its members having died of consumption, just burned the lungs & heart & liver of the last deceased, in order to prevent any more from having it,”

Most likely he was referring to the vampire case of Frederick Ransom. In the early 19th century, in the cold hills of Vermont, the so-called “vampire panic” wasn’t just superstition; it was desperation along the New England coast. And not even a Dartmouth College education could save Frederick from becoming a posthumous scapegoat for a disease no one yet understood.

A Life Cut Short by Consumption

Frederick Ransom was born into a prominent family as the second son and had seemingly his whole life ahead of him. He grew up in South Woodstock, Vermont with his father Richard Ransom and Elizabeth Mather with loads of siblings. By the standards of his day, he was part of New England’s educated elite — a college student at Dartmouth. But tuberculosis, known ominously as consumption, didn’t care about family names or academic ambitions.

In 1817, at the age of 20, Frederick succumbed to the wasting disease. It wasn’t uncommon — tuberculosis was the grim reaper of its time, claiming more lives in the 18th and 19th centuries than just about any other illness. Entire families were ravaged by it, and lacking the scientific knowledge we have today, people turned to folklore and desperate measures.

Grave of Frederick Ransom

The family doctor, local physician Dr. Frost tried his best, but there was no cure for the disease yet, and as a result, desperate attempts and alternative cures based on the supernatural grew forth. 

His little brother, Daniel Ransom, wrote this about him: My remembrance of him is quite limited as I was only three years at the time of his death… It has been related to me that there was a tendency in our family to consumption…

Vampirism by Another Name

Vampire panics were a tragically real response to tuberculosis outbreaks, especially in rural New England. The belief was that a deceased family member could, from beyond the grave, drain the life from surviving relatives. The “solution” was grim: exhume the suspected corpse, check for signs of unnatural preservation, and burn the heart or organs to stop the so-called vampire’s deadly influence.

Frederick’s family was no exception. Despite their standing and education, fear trumped reason. After Frederick’s death, his father, desperate to protect the remaining family from the slow death of tuberculosis, had his son’s body exhumed. He was worried that his son would rise from the grave and attack the rest of the family. 

In accordance with folk belief, they removed his heart and burned it in a blacksmith’s forge. It was in Woodstock Village Green and a public place where all could see. It was common that the ashes of the remains would either be inhaled or mixed into a medicine. It isn’t confirmed that this happened to Frederick, although some sources said that his remains were given to his family. He was buried in Ransom-Kendall Cemetery.

Daniel wrote about his father: It seems that Father shared somewhat in the idea of hereditary diseases and withal had some superstition for it was said that if the heart of one of the family who died of consumption was taken out and burned, others would be free from it. And Father, having some faith in the remedy, had the heart of Frederick taken out after he had been buried, and in was burned in Captain Pearson’s blacksmith forge. 

A Futile, Tragic Attempt

Unsurprisingly, the ritual didn’t work. Tuberculosis isn’t a vampire’s curse; it’s a contagious bacterial disease. As Frederick’s surviving brother, Daniel Ransom, would later write:

“However, it did not prove a remedy, for mother, sister, and two brothers died afterward.”

In a touch of dark irony, Daniel would go on to note that it had been said the family was predisposed to consumption, and that he, too, would likely die young. But in a final, satisfying twist to this grim tale — Daniel Ransom lived to be over 80 years old. But although he was young, he would never forget the fear and desperation that had his family and community in a tight grip. 

The Legend of Corwin in Woodstock

Another vampire story often seen in connection of the Ransom incident is that of Corwin in Woodstock. The story was retold in 1890 in The Vermont Standard, many years later, and some now believe that this story was actually a retelling and much changed version of Ransom. An old woman told about the case that had happened fifty years earlier and that she had witnessed the burning of his heart herself.

According to the story, a young man with the surname Corwin died of “consumption“, “ and was buried in the Cushing Cemetery in June of 1830 corner of Cloudland Road and River Road. Six month later, the young man’s brother became ill. The newspaper claimed that local physicians, including the respected Dr. Joseph Gallup and Dr. John Powers from the Vermont Medical College, was the ones claiming this had to be the work of a vampire.

The first brother’s body was dug up and examined. His heart, which was found filled with blood, was removed, boiled in a pot, and buried in a hole with a seven-ton block of granite on top. To complete the grisly ritual, the site was then sprinkled with the blood of a young bullock.

Although not verified, it looks eerily similar to the case of Frederick. There was no boy named Corwin in the records who died, but the names of the physicians did actually exist.

Frederick Ransom’s Legacy

Two years later, The Vampyre by John Polidori was published and is considered to have kickstarted the undead and vampires in modern literature. His death and exhumation was not the first, and it would not be the last during the Vampiric Panic that threw New England back to the dark ages. 

His grave lies quietly now in South Woodstock, a reminder of the fragile line between reason and superstition, and how grief can drive even the most educated people to light the funeral pyres of old legends.

So next time you hear a ghost story about New England’s vampire past, remember Frederick Ransom — the Dartmouth scholar whose heart was fed to fire by those who loved him most. Not because they were ignorant, but because they were human.

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References:

Woodstock’s Vampire

Valley News – Among the Undead in Woodstock

Fredrick Ransom (1797-1817) – Find a Grave Memorial

Hunting Vampires in Vermont

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The Mercy Brown Vampire Incident in Rhode Island

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When the whole Brown family succumbed to tuberculosis, the townsfolk in New England started to become suspicious. They believed that one of the dead, 19 year old Mercy Brown was behind it all as an undead in the middle of the vampire mass hysteria that seemed to plague the East Coast. 

After a tuberculosis breakout in New England in the late 1800s, there was a mass hysteria growing among the people living there. The cause for tuberculosis was unknown at the time, and in some cases, people thought it was because of supernatural causes. Although the term vampire was not widely used then, this would spread and later be known as the New England Vampire Panic.

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One of the most famous “real-life” vampires from this period was Mercy Brown, a young woman from 1800s Rhode Island who had died of tuberculosis and was believed to be preying on other members of her family as a vampire. 

Following was one of the most well documented cases of exhumation of a corpse to perform rituals and banish the alleged undead manifestation that seemed to have taken hold of her. Contrary to popular belief about being puritanical, the rural New Englanders in the 1800s were not overly religious and 10 percent belonged to church in these parts. They were however superstitious. Many years later, they found her newspaper articles in the belongings of Bram Stoker, who wrote Dracula.

Exeter: The countryside of Rhode Island were plagued with a belief that consumption was caused by the undead, and the locals went through plenty of exhumations of their dearly beloved and used them for rituals trying to cure themselves. // Source: Flickr

History of Mercy Brown: The Last Vampire in America

Mercy Lena Brown lived together with her family in Exeter, Rhode Island, a place populated by Europeans since the mid 1700s. After years of civil war, the number of people living there had dwindled to a few thousand. By some, this was known as Vampire Capital of America. 

The Brown family lived on a small farm in a place with barely fertile soil and were her parents and her four other siblings. People used to call her Lena when she was alive, but has been immortalized as Mercy Brown. Over the years, sickness took the lives of many as an epidemic of tuberculosis swept through the northeastern states. Her 36 year old mother, Mary Eliza was the first to die from consumption as tuberculosis was known back then on December 8, 1883. 

Mercy Brown: A historical portrait of Mercy Brown, the young woman at the center of the New England Vampire Panic.

So did the eldest daughter, Mary Olive, six months later on June 6, 1884 when she was 20 years old. She was working as a dressmaker before she got sick. She started having terrible dreams about her life being drawn out of her. 

Two weeks before she died, she joined the church. When she died the whole village came out and sang her favorite hymn, One Sweetly Solemn Thought. Mercy was only a child then and knew little that she would be blamed for her family’s misfortune.

Chestnut Hill Baptist Church: The historic church in Exeter, Rhode Island, near the site of the Mercy Brown vampire legend. //Source: Swampyank/Wiki

After the initial deaths, it seemed like the sickness had passed through their home, but then it came back and struck her 24 year old brother, Edwin. He was seen as a strong and healthy man working as a store clerk, so it was a shock to everyone when he fell ill, becoming sickly and frail. To help, he went to Colorado Springs in hope to be cured by the mineral waters there. 

The Death and Exhumation of Mercy Brown

In 1891 the daughters Marcy got the TB disease as well. She might have had the “galloping” kind that had been inside her for years before it broke out. And when it did, it took her quickly as the doctors told her father that there was nothing to do. 

Before her death, Mercy had worked on a quilt of fabric scraps. The pattern she used is sometimes called the Wandering Foot in Rhode Island and rare. According to superstition it is said that those who sleep under it, will be lost to her family and doomed to wander forever. 

On January 18, 1892, only 19 years old she succumbed to her illness and died. As the ground was frozen, she was put inside a crypt as they had to wait for it to thaw in the spring to bury her. The feelings toward the Brown daughters had shifted, and the whole village never showed up to sing her hymns. They thought something was strange, and that something unnatural was happening. Could it be that little Lena was actually an undead?

Consumption: Before it had a scientific explanation, TB was a horrifying, slow-moving plague. Victims grew pale and thin, their cheeks sunken, eyes glassy. They coughed blood. It was contagious, of course, though no one knew why or how. When one family member died, others often followed. And so the imagination of rural folk—grounded in a stew of folklore, fear, and grim necessity—did what it does best: It reached for reasons. They began to believe that the dead were not staying dead.

The time in Colorado seemed to work for a while for Edwin and he got better. But when he returned when he heard about his sister’s passing, it was like a switch, and he got worse. It is said that he screamed out “she was here,” and “she wants me to come with her,” when he was dreaming. 

People started to talk about the undead, and that there had to be a supernatural cause for all the deaths in the Brown family. Stories about Mercy having been seen walking in the cemetery and through fields started to circulate. 

The last left alive was their father, George Brown and Edwin. George started to get desperate as his only son was withering away as he had already seen his wife and oldest daughter do. He decided to dig up members of his family to check, to appease his neighbour, and maybe, just maybe, save his son.

The Crypt: The eerie, weathered stone structure was the crypt that Mercy Brown was put inside until the ground was thawed enough to bury her. //Source: Flickr

A bunch of the villagers, the local doctor from Wickford called Dr. Harold Metcalf and a reporter from the newspapers went to Exeter’s Chestnut Hill Cemetery and dug the bodies up on March 17 in 1892. It was said that the dr. did not’ believe in the vampire stories, but tagged along to check it out, and would confirm signs of TB in her lungs. George stayed home, not wanting to see his family dug up, but desperate enough for his son to let other people do it. 

Both his wife and his eldest daughter were as expected, but Mercy, who had been buried for a couple of months, looked like she was affected by the undead. She still had blood in her heart and showed almost no sign of decomposition. They also claimed that her position had shifted since they put her down in the coffin. 

The Ritual of the Undead

As the ritual demanded, Mercy’s heart and liver were burned on a nearby rock and the ashes were mixed with a tonic. Where this ritual came from is uncertain. Did it travel from Europe through the immigrants? Was it something they had heard from the Native Americans?

This tonic made of the ashes of his sister was given to the sick Edwin to drink. It was thought to cure his illness that the undead had infested him with. Edwin died of his disease two months later on May 2 and so would two of his younger sisters as well.

The Truth Behind the Legend

After the ritual, the remains of Mercy’s body were buried in the cemetery of the Baptists Church in Exeter. What really happened when they decided to open up her grave? 

Of the decomposition it was a coffin kept in an above crypt  in the winter months in Rhode Island in the two months after her death. Her body had been kept in an almost freezer like environment and slowed the decomposition. 

The Tombstone of Mercy Brown: Gravestone of Mercy L. Brown, marking her death on January 17, 1892, at the age of 19, amidst the vampire hysteria in New England. The stone has probably been replaced over the years.

It  seems like her father didn’t even believe in the stories, he only wanted to appease his neighbors. 

What happened to the other Brown kids though is almost never mentioned. It seems like the other children Jennie Adeline Brown and Myra Frances Brown also died of consumption, although there wasn’t much talk about vampires or the undead then. 

Only Hattie May Brown seemed to have made it out alive and died at 79 in 1954. 

The Enduring Legend and Haunting

George Brown never contracted the illness and lived until 1922. By then he lived to see Calmette and Guerin discover the BCG vaccine that could have cured his family of the very non-supernatural disease they had. 

And for Mercy, her grave is still standing at the same graveyard she was dug up. During Halloween, her grave is guarded as people sometimes try to steal her headstone and vandalize her final resting place. Many rumors and legends have flourished from this cemetery, especially about the strange blue lights hovering over the family plot. She is also said to show up on a particular bridge nearby, followed by the smell of roses. She is also said to show up to the dying, telling them that death isn’t as bad as they think. 

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References:

Mercy Brown vampire incident – Wikipedia

Vampire Mercy Brown | When Rhode Island Was “The Vampire Capital of America”

Grave of Mercy L. Brown | quahog.org 

Mercy Lena Brown (1872-1892) – Find a Grave Memorial 

Have Mercy… – The Rhode Island Historical Society

Mercy Brown was 19 when she died of tuberculosis. Her town thought she was a vampire. 

The Great New England Vampire Panic 

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The Ouija Board Murder in Buffalo

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Many horrible things have been blamed on the Ouija Board over the years. One of the most famous cases was the murder often named The Ouija Board Murder in Buffalo were a woman in Buffalo was killed after the Ouija Board pointed her out in a mission for revenge. 

In 1930, Buffalo, New York, was the backdrop for a chilling murder case that intertwined themes of jealousy, manipulation, and supernatural beliefs. This case, often referred to as the “Ouija Board Murder in Buffalo,” involved the tragic death of Clothilde Marchand, a respected artist and wife of sculptor Henri Marchand.

The Ouija Board Told them to do it

Lila Jimerson

In the fall of 1929, 66 year old Nancy Bowen and 36 year old Lila Jimerson had a Ouija Board session. The Seneca Native women lived on the Cattaraugus Reservation where Bowen was a tribal healer and Jimerson worked at the reservation school. 

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Not long ago, Bowen’s husband had died and they tried to contact the afterlife to get an explanation. The loss of Bowen’s husband had really affected her and she was looking for answers in all the wrong places. The board started to move, and according to them, the spirit of her husband, Sassafras Charlie Bowen spelled out: “They killed me.”

When the women asked who they were, the answer was Clothilde and an address on Ripley Street in Buffalo. The board also added that she had short hair and was missing teeth. Since Bowen couldn’t read herself, Jimerson was guiding the planchette and spelled out the words. Turns out, the Ouija Board pointed them in the direction of someone they already knew. 

The Marchand Family

Henri Marchand, a 53 year old French-born artist renowned for his dioramas and wax models, relocated with his wife, Clothilde, and their children to Buffalo in 1925. She was a tiny woman who had given up her life as a painter to take care of their children. 

Henri was commissioned to create dioramas for the Buffalo Museum of Science, a project that required close collaboration with local communities, including the Seneca Nation. During this period, Henri developed a professional relationship with Lila Jimerson, a young Seneca woman who served as a model for his work. Little did Clothild know, his affairs would become the death of her. 

After the Ouija Board session, Bowen started to receive letters signed from a certain Mrs Dooley that no one knew who was. In the letter, it said that Clothilde Marchand was actually a witch who had hexed Sassafras Charlie, who was also a tribal healer, because she was jealous. After her witchcraft didn’t work, she had to kill him herself, the letter claimed. Bowen started to fear that she was next.

The Murder of Clothilde Marchand

Nancy Bowen

On March 6, 1930, the Marchand household was shattered by violence. Bowen had tried to kill Clothilde with hexes and witchcraft instead, but when this didn’t work, she showed up to do the job herself. She knocked on the door and was let in as Clothilde recognized her from the reservation. Clothilde was found dead in their home on Riley Street, having suffered fatal injuries from a hammer and chloroform stuffed down her throat. She was found by her 12 year old son when he came home from school. 

The neighbors led the police to the reservation as many natives working as models came and went to their house and Jimerson was arrested. The investigation quickly led to Nancy Bowen, after Jimerson gave her name to the police, who confessed to the murder. 

Bowen revealed that she had been manipulated by Jimerson into believing that Clothilde was a witch responsible for the death of Bowen’s husband, Charlie. Driven by these manipulations, Bowen confronted and killed Clothilde. 

The Trials and Aftermath

The subsequent trials for the The Ouija Board Murder in Buffalo garnered significant public attention. Henri Marchand’s testimony revealed his numerous affairs, too many to count as he said in court, including his involvement with Jimerson.  He claimed getting romantically involved with the native women were necessary for his artistic endeavors as they would much easily take off their clothes for his modeling then. He also said that his dead wife was fully aware and supportive of his affairs, although nothing but his testimony says this. According to Jimerson, Marchand had said that he was tired of his wife and that this led to her planning to rid them of her. At the time of his wife’s murder, he was actually driving around with Jimerson. 

Jimerson faced two trials; the first ended in a mistrial due to her health issues, and the second concluded with her acquittal. Bowen pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to time served. Henri Marchand relocated to Albany, remarried his 18 year old niece, and continued his work until his death in 1951. Jimerson lived out her days in Perrysburg, New York, passing away in 1972. Clothilde Marchand was laid to rest in an unmarked grave in Buffalo’s Forest Lawn Cemetery. 

They never found out who wrote the letters, but it didn’t match up with Jimerson’s handwriting. If they ever tested it at Marchand’s is unclear, but doubtful. Although the murder was convicted, was it really justice served in The Ouija Board Murder in Buffalo?

The Ouija Board Murder in Buffalo

This case highlights the complex interplay of cultural beliefs, personal relationships, and societal prejudices. A lot of the focus on The Ouija Board Murder in Buffalo ended up being on the Ouija Board and witchcraft and not about how an innocent woman lost her life, and the manipulation from external forces that led to it.

The Ouija Board Murder in Buffalo underscores how deeply held superstitions and manipulations can lead to tragic outcomes, and it serves as a poignant reminder of the consequences of jealousy and deceit. Still today, you can see the sculptures in many museums to this day, including the Buffalo Science, the Smithsonian as well as the State Museum. 

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References:

MURDER INCITED BY JEALOUS MODEL; Killing of Artist’s Wife Is Confessed by Two Indian Women in Weird Story of Witchcraft. CONSULTED OUIJA BOARDHer Love for Marchand Led Her to Induce an Aged Friend to Beat Mrs. Marchand to Death. Woman Served as Indian Model. Artist Said Love Was Not Returned. MURDER INCITED BY JEALOUS MODEL – The New York Times

OUIJA BOARD MURDER TO GO TO GRAND JURY; Indictments Will Be Sought Against Indians for Slaying Buffalo Artist’s Wife. – The New York Times 

Henri Marchand (sculptor) – Wikipedia 

The Ouija Board Murder, 1930 : r/HistoricCrimes

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The Spiritualist Movement: The Fox Sisters Who Started a Ghostly Revolution as a Prank

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It’s impossible talking about communicating with the dead without talking about The Fox Sisters and their impact they had on the Spiritualism movement as well the enduring popularity ghosts and the afterlife have on people, even when its well known fraudsters performing. 

At a public demonstration at the New York Academy of Music, Maggie Fox takes the stage. She had all her life been one part of the most popular medium duo in the world at the time. She had since she was a little girl held public seances where she and her sister would communicate with the dead. Now she was telling everyone in the crowd that it had all been a fraud.

She was met with hissing and cheers from the crowd. People had spent their money on her, been comforted when she said that their dearly departed was at peace in the afterlife and with her help, she could communicate a message from the spirit world to the world of the living. All a lie. 

“When I began this deception I was too young to know right from wrong,” Maggie told the crowd, according to the Herald. “That I have been mainly instrumental in perpetuating the fraud of Spiritualism upon a too-confiding public, many of you already know. It is the greatest sorrow of my life.”

The Fox Sisters: Portrait of Kate and Maggie Fox, Spirit Mediums from Rochester, New York. Along the bottom edge of the daguerreotype “Kate and Maggie Fox, Rochester Mediums, T.M. Easterly Daguerrean” is inscribed. Portions of the daguerreotype are colored with pink pigment.

Spiritualism and the Hunt for Ghosts and Communicating with the Dead

The 19th century was a time of grand discoveries, scientific advancements, as well as talking to ghosts.

Enter Spiritualism, a movement that swept through the Western world like an eerie whisper in the dark. It promised communication with the dead, answers from the great beyond, and (let’s be honest) a fair share of parlor tricks.

At the center of it all? Two young girls from upstate New York, Margaretta and Catherine Fox—better known as the Fox Sisters. Their story is one of mystery, deception, and perhaps a little too much ambition. Were the Fox sisters truly gifted with the ability to communicate with spirits, or did they accidentally start one of the biggest hoaxes in history?

Light a candle, keep your ears open for unexplained knocks, and let’s step into the shadowy world of the Fox Sisters and the rise of Spiritualism.

A Knock in the Night: The Birth of a Phenomenon

Our tale begins in Hydesville, New York, in 1848, in a modest farmhouse occupied by the Methodist Fox family. It was here that 14-year-old Margaretta (Maggie) and 11-year-old Catherine (Kate) first encountered what they believed to be messages from beyond the grave.

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The family had been experiencing strange noises—knocking sounds in the walls, unexplained raps on furniture, eerie disturbances in the dead of night. 

The Fox Sisters Childhood Home: Original Cottage before it was moved to Lilydale in 1916. This is where the alleged haunting started.

Instead of running for the hills, the Fox Sisters leaned into it when they scared their parents. One fateful evening, they wanted to share it with a neighbor. They said they heard the rapping every night on the walls and furniture. The neighbor was curious and wanted to see for herself and came to visit the small bedchamber the sisters shared with their parents. Their very superstitious mother, Margaret started, asking the knocking to count to five.

Five heavy knocks answered. Then followed her command when asking for fifteen knocks. 

“What is our guest’s age,” she asked and the entity in the room answered with thirty-three knocks. 

Convincing even the adults in the room, they didn’t even consider that the night was going into April Fool’s day. The young girls called the knocking for Mr. Spitfoot, a nickname for the devil, and the parents genuinely thought the house was haunted by something evil. They then called it Charles B. Rosna, the name of a man allegedly killed on the property. 

There was a rumor that a peddler had been murdered in the same farmhouse five years before and that this was the spirit trying to communicate with them. It’s uncertain if the story started before or after the Fox sisters started to hear the knocking. There was a whole ordeal of whether or not there actually was a dead man buried on their property haunting it, but after excavations, it has, as with everything else, said to be a hoax.

The Rise of Spiritualism: Talking to the Dead Becomes Trendy

The 19th century was the perfect time for a movement like Spiritualism to explode. Death was everywhere, and people were desperate for comfort. High infant mortality rates meant grieving parents longed to speak to lost children. The Civil War (later on) would create millions of mourning families, looking for closure. Scientific progress made people more open to the idea that maybe there was something beyond the grave that could be studied.

And then came the Spiritualist Movement—an alluring blend of religious belief, science, and just enough mystery to keep people hooked. It promised proof of the afterlife, making it one of the most compelling belief systems of the era.

The Fox Sisters weren’t just two kids from New York anymore. They were the pioneers of an entire industry—one that would dominate the world for decades.

The Fox Sisters Take the Stage

With their newfound fame, the sisters—along with their older sibling, Leah Fox—decided to take their act on the road. They moved to Rochester, New York, a place where all kinds of spiritual movements flourished. This area gave birth to Mormonism, Millerism that would become Seventh Day Adventism – As well as Spiritualism. 

The Fox sisters: Kate (1838–92), Leah (1814–90) and Margaret (or Maggie) (1836–93). They were famous mediums in Rochester, New York. Taken around 1852

They began holding public séances, demonstrating their “spirit communication” abilities to packed audiences. Where they could have been condemned to death for their claims to be communicating with the dead a couple of centuries ago, now they could make money from it. Leah had seen that this act could turn into a nice business venture.

The formula of the Fox Sisters was simple but effective:

A darkened room for maximum spookiness and where you could hide details your audience shouldn’t see. A table where spirits could “manifest” through knocks and tilts. A crowd eager for messages from beyond. And just like that, a supernatural empire was born.

They traveled from city to city, performing for skeptics and believers alike. Even respected intellectuals and politicians found themselves drawn into the movement. In 1849, 400 people came to see them at Rochester’s Corinthian Hall. After the performance they were taken to a backchamber and undressed to be examined by skeptics, finding no evidence of a hoax.

A physician from New England named Dr. Phelps claimed that his windows had shattered during one of their seances and that his clothes had been torn off by an unseen entity and objects were dancing on his floor. Even turnips had sprung from the carpet, inscribed with mysterious hieroglyphs. 

The Medium Madness: When Talking to the Dead Became Big Business

By the 1850s, Spiritualism was in full swing, with thousands of people across America and Europe attempting to communicate with the dead. In upstate New York there were forty families claiming to have the same gifts as the Fox sisters, and hundreds of more throughout Virginia and Ohio. 

They were not the first to claim to be able to communicate with the dead, and there were already many thinkers and philosophers who were exploring the idea around the same time. Franz Anton Mesmer from Australia was healing people in the States in the 1840s by putting them in a hypnotic state where some who woke up, thought they had been visited by a spirit. Philosopher and mystic, Emanuel Swedenborg from Sweden described a world of spirit and claimed to have seen and talked with them. 

And then things got really out of hand.

Séance: After the Fox Sisters, the séance and spiritualism got a boost in popularity that changed how the western world would see the ghosts and afterlife. The alleged clairvoyant medium Erik Jan Hanussen (middle) at a an illuminated séance.

With the Fox Sisters’ success, everyone and their ghostly grandmother wanted a piece of the action. Suddenly, mediums were popping up everywhere, offering séances, table-tipping sessions, and spirit photography.

It was a belief system with a show, filled with lighting, music and drama feeding on people’s curiosity of death and longing after their death. The mediums like The Fox Sisters became celebrities. Some of the most famous names in Spiritualism came out of this boom, including:

Daniel Dunglas Home, a medium who could allegedly levitate. There was also Eusapia Palladino, known for “spirit hands” appearing out of thin air. This is where the notion of Ectoplasm was coined. 

Read More: Spiritualism and the Occult: The History of Ectoplasm and Gooey Ghosts

The Bangs Sisters, who produced “spirit paintings” of deceased loved ones. But with fame came skepticism. Scientists, magicians, and journalists began questioning whether these supernatural events were real or just elaborate hoaxes.

Read More: Georgiana Houghton and her Spirit Drawings in Watercolor

Not to say that this went on without controversy. They had from day one people suspecting them for fraud. One time Maggie was almost kidnapped by a group of men who didn’t like the childrens show. They tried as early as 1849 to end the charade and said that the spirit bid them farewell during a show. But Leah pushed them onward.

And unfortunately for the Fox Sisters… things were about to fall apart.

The Fall of the Fox Sisters: Confession and Collapse

By the late 1870s, the Fox Sisters’ once-glorious reputation was crumbling. Throughout their career they had noted mistakes they made. Like when they conjured the ghost of Benjamin Franklin through writing and one observer noted how the former president’s spelling and grammar had diminished since he died. On a show in Buffalo the girl’s had cushions placed under their feet and only silence came through that night. 

Maggie struggled with alcoholism as she was mourning the death of her sort-of-husband in 1857. His family hated her and she wasn’t even allowed to attend his funeral. She had by then converted to Catholicism to honor her belated husband and promised to abandon Spiritualism forever. 

Kate on her side had married a devoted Spiritualist and wanted to expand and cash in on the grief the Civil War left in society. She was also accused of fraud and drinking heavily under the pressure to constantly summon spirits and perform.

The final blow came in 1888, when Maggie Fox did the unthinkable—she confessed and was scheduled to publicly denounce Spiritualism.

In a public lecture at the New York Academy of Music, she admitted that their ghostly communications had been faked all along. Leah had distanced herself from the younger sisters and Maggie was mad at her and the other Spiritualists who ridiculed Kate for her drinking and calling her an unfit mother as all of her children had been taken from her because of her drinking. Kate herself was in the audience to support her. 

Their secret? Cracking their toe joints to produce the knocking sounds. They also used their knuckles.

Yes. The entire phenomenon that launched Spiritualism had been created using nothing more than clever deception and a few well-placed toe pops.

Maggie even demonstrated the technique on stage, proving that the rapping noises could be recreated without any supernatural assistance. She confessed to the New York World in 1888 that the childhood prank had spun out of control. 

“My sister Katie and myself were very young children when this horrible deception began. At night when we went to bed, we used to tie an apple on a string and move the string up and down, causing the apple to bump on the floor, or we would drop the apple on the floor, making a strange noise every time it would rebound. Then we started to crack our bones. A great many people when they hear the rapping imagine at once that the spirits are touching them, It is a very common delusion.”

She then went on to expose her sister, Leah, who had known it was fake all along and exploited them. The audience was horrified. The Spiritualist Movement had been built on a lie.

But here’s the kicker—even after the confession, people still believed in Spiritualism that had by then spread around the world. Many brushed off Maggie’s words, claiming she was coerced or simply bitter. After all, people had claimed to talk with the dead before the Fox sister’s ever existed and types of mediums have been around in all cultures at all time. The movement was too big to die, and it continued to thrive long after the Fox Sisters faded into obscurity.

Maggie later recanted her confession the year after confessing it all, but the damage was done. What was the hoax? The confession or their entire career? According to Spiritualist she had been lying at the confession performance as she needed money and they paid her 1500 dollar for it. She then said that her spirit guides had told her to do so. Still, she spent the rest of her life to reveal the tricks behind her profession and the lies of other mediums. 

Maggie never reconciled with her sister who died in 1890. Her sister Kate died two years later, Maggie eight months after that. Both sisters died in poverty, their once-glorious reputations reduced to whispers of fraud and scandal.

Legacy: The Fox Sisters’ Impact on the Paranormal World

So, were the Fox Sisters frauds? Yes. But did they also accidentally launch an entire paranormal movement? Also yes.

Their “discovery” of spirit communication led to:

The rise of modern-day mediumship, the popularization of séances, spirit boards, and paranormal investigations. An entire industry of ghost hunters, TV psychics, and supernatural tourism. Even today, we see echoes of the Fox Sisters in every ghost-hunting show, every psychic reading, and every flickering candle during a séance.

Whether you believe in ghosts or not, one thing is clear: the Fox Sisters left their mark. Even when confessing to lying people refused to believe in the power of communicating with the dead. It was something that people desperately needed to believe in. 

They may have started with toe cracks and lies, but their influence? It’s undeniably haunting.

So, the next time you hear a mysterious knock in the night, ask yourself—

Is it just the wind?

Or is Mr. Splitfoot still knocking?

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References:

How a Hoax by Two Sisters Helped Spark the Spiritualism Craze | HISTORY 

The Fox Sisters and the Rap on Spiritualism | Smithsonian

The Paris Review – How the Fox Sisters’ Hoax Gave Birth to Spiritualism

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The Demon Zozo: The Mysterious and Terrifying Entity of the Ouija Board

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A collective memory of people summoning an entity called Zozo has taken over the Ouija Board sessions. The demon who goes by many names is said to be conjured from the human mind, but there are still those claiming that the demon Zozo is something real to fear.

For as long as people have attempted to communicate with the spirit world, there have been warnings about entities that should never be contacted. Among the most feared is Zozo, a sinister and enigmatic presence said to haunt those who dare to use a Ouija board. 

The stories of the demon Zozo have become almost like a Christian symbol of what evil the occult and Ouija can bring from the darkness. Reports of encounters with Zozo stretch back centuries, some saying its older Sumerian or African origins, perhaps ancient Babylonian, but in the modern age, its legend has gained notoriety thanks to chilling firsthand accounts and online discussions. But who—or what—is Zozo? And is it truly a demon, or a product of human fear and suggestion?

Demon Lore: The first mention of a demon named Zozo comes from a French book of demonology. Detail from the frontispiece to the 1863 edition of Collin de Plancy’s Dictionnaire infernal — Source.

The Legend of the Demon Zozo

The name “Zozo” with this particular spelling, first appeared in historical texts in 1816, when a French occultist named Jacques Collin de Plancy documented a demon by that name in his book Le Dictionnaire Infernal, a sort of encyclopedia of demons. This is decades before the Ouija Board we know today existed, but there did exist other planchette writing said to communicate with spirits.

In the text, Zozo was described as a minor demon capable of possessing people and told about a girl in Teilly in France, possessed by no less than three demons called Mimi, Crapoulet and Zozo. Someone from the church reported it to the authorities and she was hospitalized. However, Zozo’s notoriety skyrocketed in recent decades due to countless accounts of individuals encountering the entity through the Ouija board.

The demon’s rise to infamy largely began in the early 2000s when Darren Evans, a paranormal enthusiast from Oklahoma, claimed to have been tormented by Zozo after using a Ouija board. Evans shared his experiences online, recounting how the entity terrorized him and his loved ones, leading to unexplained injuries, psychological distress, and even suicidal thoughts. Perhaps the worst was his claim that the demonic entity had almost drowned his baby daughter and infected her with an illness.

His accounts were disturbing enough to catch the attention of paranormal researchers, and since then, Zozo has been considered one of the most dangerous entities that can manifest through Ouija sessions.

Today there are countless alleged encounters retold on forums and throughout popular culture. Some are more haunting than others. 

How the Demon Zozo Manifests

Zozo Lore: Some sourcers will put the divorce of Laura Brooks Ellwanger and Walter K. Martin was a part of the Zozo lore from the early 1900. He was a famous palmist and fortune teller who often went by the name Zozo. And according to Laura, one of his many ex-wives, he “stole her soul” as she put it in the article. Although it was from marriage, not demonic possession. Source

Zozo allegedly communicates with people through Ouija boards, often spelling out its name repeatedly—”Z-O-Z-O”—in rapid succession. Some believe the name itself is a trick, meant to lure the unsuspecting into prolonged communication. Once engaged, Zozo’s behavior can range from mischievous to malevolent. Users have reported the following eerie patterns:

The planchette moving in rapid figure-eight motions, often associated with dark entities and them wanting to take control over the board.

Repeatedly spelling “Z-O-Z-O” or variations like “Zaza” or “Zo”

Sudden temperature drops and feelings of dread

Threats and violent messages appearing on the board

Physical attacks, such as scratches, bruises, and unexplained illnesses after contact

Disturbances in the home, such as shadow figures, nightmares, and poltergeist activity

Some who have encountered the demon Zozo claim that even acknowledging its presence can open a door to further hauntings. Others say that breaking contact improperly—such as not saying goodbye on the Ouija board—can result in lasting consequences.

Theories Behind the Demon Zozo

Zozo’s existence is a hotly debated topic among paranormal researchers. There are several theories about what, exactly, this entity might be:

Could the Demon Zozo be a True Demon from Ancient Times?

Many believers claim that Zozo is a malevolent demon that thrives on fear and negative energy. They cite the consistency of its manifestations and the similarities in reported encounters as evidence of a real supernatural force.

Those believing the demon is real says it goes under more than one name, where Mama, Zaza and Zoso are some of them. 

Those claiming that the demon Zozo is real, most often claim that it really is a misspelling and that his true name is Pazuzu. This is a Mesopotamian deity of the wind and said to be the king of demons and believed to be evil by the Babylonians and Assyrians. Also, interestingly, a protector demon for pregnant women in some of the mythology lore. The demon caused famine and attacked people by summoning locusts.

Being so old in mythology, there are plenty of variants and meanings the ancient people put on him. This is also the demon who possessed Reagan in The Exorcist and has perhaps become most known in the modern world as a demon seeking to possess people. 

Pazuzu (𒅆𒊒𒍪𒍪): In Assyrian and Babylonian mythology, Pazuzu was the king of the demons of the wind, and son of the god Hanbi. He also represented the southwestern wind, the bearer of storms and drought.

The Real Exorcism of Roland Doe

Talking about the demon Zozo and the Exorcist, we must revisit the exorcism of Roland Doe who the Exorcists was said to be inspired by. The name was a pseudonym, but his exorcism by the Catholic Church in the late 1940s in the US really happened. He was a 14 year old boy said to be possessed. His family was Lutheran, but his aunt was a spiritualist who showed him the Ouija Board. The aunt died and the family claimed that strange things started to happen and he went through several exorcisms.

Was he truly possessed? Or was he simply a disturbed boy throwing temper tantrums? Although most of the story behind the exorcism of Roland Doe was based on hearsay, it created the foundation of how the western world would look at demonic possession in the modern world. 

The Exorcist: Much of the demon possession and the story of Zozo comes from the book and movie The Exorcist based on the allegedly true possession of a boy playing with the Ouija Board.

Some occultists suggest that Zozo is not a demon but rather a malevolent spirit or trickster entity that delights in scaring and deceiving Ouija board users.

Mass Hysteria Through Popular Culture

Mass Hysteria and the Ideomotor Effect: Skeptics argue that the demon Zozo is nothing more than an urban legend fueled by the power of suggestion. The ideomotor effect—a psychological phenomenon where unconscious movements guide the planchette—may explain why so many people “contact” Zozo. The letter Z and the number 0 are located right next to each other, and chances that Zozo was created by random muscle motions is high. That is also why so many come back with spirit stories about Mama or Abba from the board as well. 

An Internet-Age Myth: The rise of online storytelling, horror forums, and viral ghost stories may have amplified the legend of Zozo, turning it into a modern folklore figure much like Slender Man or other creepypasta legends.

Read Also: The Philip Experiment: The Spirit Created by Scientists 

Some of the earliest entries of the demon Zozo was in 2009 from True Ghost Tales, an online forum telling allegedly true ghost encounters. Darren Evans who originally made the post told about an entity seemingly friendly, turning evil, threatening to hurt his loved ones. His post went viral, and although people chimed in with similar experiences, his became the foundation of a new urban legend. 

The Led Zeppelin connection: Further, a symbol etching out the name “Zoso” as a code for the god Saturn appeared in a banned occult book in 1521. This would later be copied by Led Zeppelin as the symbol for their guitarist Jimmy Page. Did he invoke a demon, or was he simply channeling the planet ruling his zodiac, Capricorn? The origin of the symbol remains a mystery for now.

Darren Evans appeared on TV-shows and also published a book based on his experiences, adding more and more details to his encounter with the legend. In 2012 a movie based on tales of the demon Zozo also was released and truly cemented the Zozo lore in popular culture.

Back to the story from 1816, many skip the part about the book where the author talks about how untrue the story the girl told, as she had previously been publicly whipped as punishment for telling false demon possession stories. She was sentenced to life imprisonment. Even though the author himself denied its existence, people still use the book as proof, elevating the lore to something older than a 2009 urban legend.

The Book of Demonology: Although the author of this book claims that the demon Zozo was nothing more than an elaborate lie centuries ago, he still believed demonic possession was real. Read the book here.

Evans’ story has also changed over time, now claiming he first met the demon in 1982 when he found a Ouija Board in a basement with the name engraved on the back of the board, sometimes he said on the front. He has since spent his time trying to find further proof that the demon Zozo is indeed older than what the urban legend it created was. 

How to Protect Yourself from the Demon Zozo

I AM ZOZO: A horror film based on the legend was made about five young people who play with a Ouija board and attract the attention of the malevolent Ouija demon ZoZo. Watch here

Although the truth of the matter is built on rather flimsy evidence, the belief in Zozo is today widespread and countless people across the world now believe it and claim to have encounters with this particular demon. Whether the demon Zozo is a genuine demonic force or a psychological phenomenon, its presence in paranormal lore remains undeniable, and you can now buy the proper Zozo Ouija Board specially designed for a demonic encounter. 

For those who believe in the supernatural, avoiding Zozo means exercising caution when using Ouija boards. Paranormal experts offer the following advice:

Never use a Ouija board alone.

Do not ask for a spirit’s name, as this can invite malicious entities.

Always say goodbye before closing a session.

If the demon Zozo appears, immediately end the session and cleanse the space with sage or protective prayers.

Do not challenge or provoke the demon Zozo, as this is said to increase its influence.

Because true or not, better to be safe than sorry, eh?

More like this

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References:

Zozo, the Ouija Board’s Most Famous Demon

Zozo Demon Legend & Link to Ouija Board and Led Zeppelin – Thrillist 

Who Is Zozo, The Demonic Spirit Supposedly Summoned Through Ouija Boards? 

Dictionnaire infernal/6e éd., 1863/Zozo – Wikisource

Dictionnaire infernal/6e éd., 1863/Possédés – Wikisource 

Dictionnaire infernal/6e éd., 1863/Possédés – Wikisource

Zozo phenomenon documented in new book | Paranormal Corner – nj.com 

Pazuzu – Wikipedia

Zozo the Demon – Believing the Bizarre 

Zozo Demon (episode) | Ghost Adventures Wiki

The Zozo Phenomena 

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The Haunted Ocean Beach in San Francisco: The Ruins of Sutro Bath and Mysterious Cliff House

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Could the entire Ocean Beach in San Francisco be haunted? And could the haunting come from all the mysterious and tragic occurrences around Cliff House and the now ruins of the once grand Sutro Bath? Could the very foundations, even the caves underneath be cursed? 

San Francisco’s Ocean Beach may be a peaceful escape for visitors, but beneath the tranquil waves and scenic cliffs lies a darker story that covers everything from mystical ghostly woman on the shore, occult artifacts and curses, satanic rituals and monsters hidden abandoned caves. 

Read More: Check out all ghosts stories from USA

From the iconic Cliff House built upon and damaged by the many wrecked ships to the eerie ruins of the Sutro Baths, this coastal stretch is woven with tragic history, ghostly apparitions, and a deep-seated curse that seems to haunt every crumbling stone. 

The Haunted Beginnings of the Cliff House

Overlooking the entire Ocean Beach is The Cliff House, which had originally been built by Samuel Brannan, an ex-Mormon from Maine in 1858 using materials salvaged from a shipwreck. In 1883, the Cliff House was bought by the engineer and developer, Adolph Sutro, who would be the one to develop the whole area of land we see today and where the mystery started. 

The Parallel, a schooner heading into the bay loaded with 40 tons of dynamite and black gunpowder, tragically crashed against the rocky shore. The explosion of the boat was heard across the whole bay and it destroyed the entire north wing of the house. It was not the only ship wrecked there and the ships of The King Philip, SS Ohioan, & SS City of Rio De Janeiro, all met their end on this craggy cliff.

This fueled rumors that the cliffs were cursed by the spirits of those who had met their end there. Some say that they see the ship of the Parallel heading for the rocks before vanishing into thin air right before impact. The victims of the other shipwrecks are also said to wander the rocks on the cliffs below.

In 1896, Adolph Sutro rebuilt the Cliff House from the ground up as a seven-story Victorian chateau, called by some “the Gingerbread Palace”.

The Cliff House would go on to survive a series of devastating events. On Christmas Day in 1894, a fire from the chimney ravaged the structure, only for it to be rebuilt in 1900, only to fall to flames again in 1906 and 1907 — both during times of tragedy and chaos in the city. Could the series of disasters be linked to the haunting curse? Many locals think so.

Today it-s a restaurant with a full view over the sea. Still, many claim that spirits are still trapped around the house.  

The Curse Deepens: The Sutro Baths and its Tragic Legacy

In 1894, Adolph Sutro built the Sutro Baths, a grand swimming complex perched along the edge of the ocean. The eccentric millionaire and former mayor wanted to build the largest indoor swimming area in the world. Though it stood as a marvel of the time with seven pools and could house 10 000 people, it also became a site of haunting tales. 

After Sutro died in 1898, the bathhouse started to struggle. The Great Depression took away its guests, and stricter health codes made it harder to run a public bathhouse. They tried to turn it into an ice skating rink, but this also struggled financially. 

In 1887 when the schooner Parallel hit Cliff House next door, it exploded and demolished part of the house as well as the baths. In 1966 they had decided to turn the building into high rise buildings, but on the first day of construction, a new fire erupted, demolishing the remains of the bath and they abandoned the plans of building. It was found that the cause of the fire was arson.

By the early 20th century, reports of strange occurrences and ghost sightings around the Sutro Baths were common. These ruins — now a quiet monument to decay — are rumored to have seen unspeakable acts within their walls, including ritualistic human sacrifices. Even now, visitors report strange occurrences in the area: sudden cold spots, shadowy figures emerging from the ruins, and a sense of being watched by unseen eyes.

The Ghosts of Ocean Beach

As if the curse of the Cliff House and Sutro Baths weren’t enough, the Ocean Beach area itself is teeming with spectral inhabitants, even when the bathhouse was still in operation. According to them, there was just something that was a little off about the place. 

Over the years, visitors have reported seeing ghostly women wandering along the beach — some dressed in flowing Victorian-style gowns, others carrying parasol umbrellas, as though they are lost from another time.

Among the most famous spirits is Natalie Salina Harrison, a woman whose tragic love story haunts the cliffs. Natalie’s fiancé, a soldier in World War I named Sean Eric Anderson, was lost in battle, and she is said to have waited for his return along the cliffs for decades. In the end, she was petrified to stone and made into a statue, and she is still standing there. It is believed that Natalie’s ghost still haunts the shoreline, waiting for the man she loved, her form sometimes spotted wandering by the ocean with a look of eternal longing in her eyes. There are also those claiming she is luring men down to the rocky shores, and that any men have vanished after trying to follow her. 

Read Also: Check out The Siren Ghost of San Francisco’s Baker Beach where a similar story about the ghost of a woman is haunting the beach. 

But it isn’t just women who haunt Ocean Beach. The spirit of Frank Denvin, a 16 year old boy who tragically fell from a ladder head first into an empty cement tank and died in 1896, has also been seen along the cliffs, his shadowy figure still visible near the site of his untimely death. Over the years, workers and visitors have reported hearing the sound of his footsteps echoing across the beach at night, but when they turn to look, he is gone.

There is also the former lifeguard Theodosius who is said to have drowned as he was trying to save someone in the ocean, his shadow appearing in the bath and on the beach. 

What Makes Sutro Bath and Ocean Beach Haunted?

What is it about the place that has fueled the haunted rumors? What could be the cause of it? Some point to the eccentric founder of Sutro Bath to be the cause. Adolph Sutro brought strange things back to the place it is said, either with a sacred or occult story behind them. Some believe that these artifacts have affected the spiritual energy of the place. He had among other things an extensive taxidermy collection, a 3500 year old mummified head and two Egyptian mummies. 

A lot of information about Sutro’s mummy collections disappeared in the 1906 San Fran earthquake, but there are still his collections displayed in the city. 

One of the mummies is called Nes-Per-N-Nub, a mummy whose rare, triple nesting sarcophagi indicates a former great import, as the doorkeeper in the temple of Amun. He dates from between 945 and 783 BCE He was once a high priest of the Temple of Karnak. The mummy  is thought to come from Thebes who died from natural causes. 

The second, unnamed mummy is a female who is often referred to as The Yellow Mummy due to her sarcophagus’ brilliant color, and is remarkable for having extra sets of bones within the folds of her wrappings

The Haunted Cemetery and Satanism

Some say that it’s the very ground Sutro Bath is built on that is haunted. The surrounding land used to be the Golden Gate Cemetery where hundreds of bodies were buried. In the 1930s, 18,000 bodies were supposed to be moved to Colma, but the job was not done properly. In 1993, hundreds of bodies were found in unmarked graves around the area of Ocean Beach. 

There is also a cave system under the Sutro Baths that has drawn attention because of its occult connections. The tunnel that once funneled seawater into the baths is another site where paranormal activity is frequently reported. The dark, narrow passageways echo with strange whispers, and some claim to feel unseen hands brushing against them in the deep silence. For those brave enough to explore, the curse of the Sutro Baths seems to reach out from the shadows, eager to claim another soul.

The caves were dug out when constructing the bath. Some claim that a monster is living there, and some say that they have seen strange claw marks inside of the tunnels.

Many people are said to have been sacrificed at the end of the tunnel. If you go in at night and light a candle, the spirits will come and take it from you, throwing it into the dark water. 

It is also in close proximity from where Anton LaVey founded the Satanic Temple. A lot of nearby buildings and places have been seen in connection to the Satanic Temple as the religion was in large portions formed there. This is also the case with The Westerfeld House in the city.  In 1966 he told the S.F Examiner: 

“Ah, the happy hours I spent looking for ghosts in there. So I went out and put a curse on the place. It burned down 35 hours later, which is pretty unusual. It usually takes 36 hours for a curse to work, you know.”

Local lore suggests that the curse may never be lifted. Every year, as the winds howl off the Pacific, the restless spirits of the beach stir once more, seeking revenge for their untimely deaths and the misfortunes they endured in life. Perhaps the Cliff House is fated to burn again, as the curse of Ocean Beach continues to claim its toll.

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References:

The Haunted History of San Francisco’s Sutro Baths 

Raves, Satanic rituals and a journey into the 130-year-old tunnel at San Francisco’s spooky Sutro Baths

https://paranormalghostsociety.org/SutroBaths.htm

https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=SFC18960709.2.108&e=——-en–20–1–txt-txIN——–

The Sutro Egyptian Collection – Atlas Obscura

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Most Haunted Places at the University of Hawai’i

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Here are some of the most haunted places you can come across at the University of Hawai’i a campus spread filled of ghosts lurking in the libraries, hiding in the dormitory rooms. This is a place where people come and go, but the ghosts remain and will never graduate.

The University of Hawai’i is renowned for its stunning landscapes, rich cultural heritage, and vibrant student life. However, beneath this picturesque façade lies a world steeped in intriguing mysteries and ghostly tales. From the eerie dormitory halls of UH Hilo to the haunting whispers echoing through the libraries at Mānoa, the campuses are home to numerous legends of the supernatural. This article delves into some of the most haunted locations across the University of Hawai’i and what to beware of when walking across the campus.

The University of Hawai’i at Hilo

It is one of ten campuses of the University of Hawaiʻi system. It was founded as Hilo Center at Lyman Hall of the Hilo Boys School in 1945 and was a branch campus of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Over the years there have been many ghost legends formed at this campus, most of them around the dorms.

The Haunted Hale Kanilehua Dorms

The University of Hawaii at Hilo is reputed for its scenic campus and intriguing history, particularly regarding its dormitories, notably Hale Kanilehua, often referred to as the “Eerie Dorm.” This dorm is believed to be haunted by the spirit of a young boy who tragically lost his life during the construction of the building. Residents frequently report eerie experiences, including sightings of the boy’s shadowy figure, disembodied laughter, flickering lights, and the unsettling sensation of being watched. These ghost stories have woven themselves into the university’s legacy, prompting ongoing curiosity and caution among students. Despite skepticism from some, the haunting phenomena contribute to the lore of UH Hilo, making it a place where the past seems to linger.

Read the whole story: The Haunted Rumors from the Dorms at the University of Hawaii at Hilo 

The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

The campus at Mānoa is the flagship campus of the University of Hawaiʻi system and houses the main offices of the system. The place was founded in 1907 and plenty of ghost stories have evolved throughout the campus dormitories and buildings.

The Haunted Frear Hall

The Frear Hall close to the Gateway House is said to be haunted by Mary Dillingham Frear. According to the stories, she is wandering around the halls with a key chain she was known for carrying in life. It is also said that she leaves her perfume scent hanging in the air. 

According to stories told by students and staff, they can hear her footsteps in the empty halls, even during daylight. It is also said that you can sometimes see flickering lights in the empty dorms as well as getting a feeling of being watched by someone, or something. 

Source

Haunting of the Ninth Floor at Hale Mokihana

At the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, Hale Mokihana Dormitory is known for its eerie ghost stories, particularly concerning its ninth floor, which is rumored to be haunted by the spirit of a former student who tragically took his own life in the 1980s or early 90s. Numerous reports describe a ghostly figure resembling a young man, seen wandering the halls and often accompanied by sudden temperature drops and mysterious sounds.

Source

Some students have had unnerving encounters, claiming to see a dark figure at the foot of their bed stating, “This is my room. I died here.” While the university hasn’t officially confirmed the suicide, the legend persists, leading to varying accounts about which specific room or area is most haunted, with room 406 frequently mentioned.

Read the whole story: The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa: The Ghost of the Ninth Floor of Hale Mokihana

The Ghostly Tales of Hamilton Library at the University of Hawaii-Manoa

Hamilton Library at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa is not only a study haven but also known for its haunted history. Students and staff report eerie experiences, including disembodied whispers and cold sensations. A notable ghost, referred to as the woman in the pink muumuu, has been sighted in the mauka wing of the library. Described as sorrowful yet serene, she vanishes when approached. Other haunted locations on campus include Hale Mokihana Dormitory, particularly its ninth floor, where a male spirit is said to roam, linked to tragic events in the past. The library’s haunting is thought to be influenced by its history, with some believing that spirits of devoted scholars linger among the books, enhancing its unique atmosphere.

Read the whole story: The Ghostly Tales of Hamilton Library at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

First Floor: Source

Bonus Haunting at the Chaminade University’s

Although a private University not a part of the University of Hawai’i, the Chaminade University in Honolulu is known for its haunting tales spread throughout its campus as well and has become a part of the haunted college lore at Hawai’i. It is particularly in Dorm Lokelani, which is rumored to have been a children’s hospital during World War II. Many reports include disembodied voices of children and mysterious occurrences like doors opening by themselves and flickering lights. Notable stories involve a campus ghost—a former student who died in a car accident, and the unsettling experiences of a faculty member who encountered strange noises and lights that turned on by themselves.

Source

There are also tales of a haunted bridge where Dr. Kralemann’s mother reportedly levitated, and students at the Hale Hoaloka Dorm have witnessed children’s laughter alongside other paranormal activities. Specific rooms like 208 and 319 in Lokelani Dorm are particularly infamous for intense ghostly activity, including a tragic past and the presence of WWII soldiers. Overall, Chaminade University is a site where history and supernatural encounters merge, making it a unique place for those willing to explore the unknown.

Read the whole story: Chaminade University’s Paranormal Past and the Haunting of the Campus and Dorms

The Haunted Places of the University of Hawai’i

As the sun sets over the University of Hawai’i campuses, the shadows of the past come alive and each haunted site, from the ghostly whispers heard in the halls to the apparitions that roam the dormitories, gives life to the stories. Whether one believes in the supernatural or considers these tales mere folklore, they undeniably enrich the experience of campus life. As you walk through these storied grounds, do so with an open mind and perhaps a watchful eye—who knows what secrets the ghosts of the University of Hawai’i might share with those willing to listen?

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Most Haunted Hotels in Hawaii

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Even on the sunny beaches and tropical resorts, ghosts still linger. Many of the hotels you’ll find in Hawaii, come with a haunted history. Here are some of the most haunted hotels from the state.

Hawaii, known for its breathtaking landscapes, rich culture, and inviting spirit, is also home to tales of the supernatural that whisper through its lush valleys and along its pristine shores. Among the islands’ scenic beauty lies a hidden realm of ghostly legends and paranormal intrigues, particularly within the walls of its historic hotels that you can stay in today.

Read More: Check out all haunted hotels around the world

From the shadowy figures that roam the corridors to the scents of jasmine and lilies lingering in empty rooms, each haunted hotel offers a unique glimpse into Hawaii’s past and the spirits that have yet to depart. In this article, we will explore some of the most haunted hotels in Hawaii, delving into their eerie histories, the legends they harbor, and the ghostly encounters reported by guests and staff alike.

Ghosts Haunting Hawaii’s Volcano House and the Volcano Goddess

The Island of Hawaii/Big Island

The Volcano House, situated within the Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park, is steeped in history and myth, believed to be haunted not only by ghosts but by Pele, the Hawaiian goddess of fire and volcanoes. Originally built in 1846, the hotel has seen a tumultuous past, including a devastating fire in 1940 that left behind lingering spirits. Visitors and staff have reported encounters with a ghostly elderly woman and a mysterious white dog, thought by some to be a manifestation of Pele herself. Pele’s legend is deeply rooted in Hawaiian culture, as she is considered the creator of the Hawaiian Islands and is often depicted in various forms. The Volcano House stands as a bridge between history and the supernatural, highlighting the enduring connection between the land and its mythological heritage.

Read the whole story: Ghosts Haunting Hawaii’s Volcano House and the Volcano Goddess

The Haunting of Coco Palms Resort: Spirits of the Past on Kauaʻi

Kauai

Coco Palms Resort: Exterior of the backside of the Lagoon Terrace Lounge and Heritage Room buildings at the Coco Palms Resort on the island of Kauai. The hotel was destroyed by hurricane Iniki in September 1992.// Wiki

The Coco Palms Resort in Kauai, Hawaii, once a luxurious destination, now stands abandoned and haunted, housing the spirits of its past, including legends of Elvis Presley and a woman named Helen who died under mysterious circumstances. These are just some of the ghost said to still linger. Opened in 1953, the resort faced a devastating decline after Hurricane Iniki in 1992 and has since become a site of eerie stories, with claims of ghostly encounters and haunting sounds of chanting and drumming. The resort’s location is rooted in deep cultural significance, believed to be sacred ground connected to Hawaii’s last reigning queen. Despite ongoing redevelopment efforts, the echoes of lost souls remain at this once-grand escape, capturing the haunting spirit of Kauai’s history.

Read the whole story: The Haunting of Coco Palms Resort: Spirits of the Past on Kauaʻi 

The Lady in Red Haunting of Hilton Hawaiian Village

Oahu

Hilton Hawaiian Village: View from the Tapa Tower. // Source: Joel Solomon/Wikimedia

The Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikiki, Honolulu, is reputedly haunted by a ghost known as the “Lady in Red,” which some believe to be the spirit of Pele, the Hawaiian goddess of volcanoes. Guests and staff have reported sightings of this beautiful apparition dressed in red, often seen wandering the resort’s hallways and the beach. The legend suggests that Pele’s spirit lingers in Hawaii after her violent demise, appearing in various forms. Additionally, the hotel is also said to be home to another ghost, a man in white, who has been spotted by staff on the 14th floor. This rich tapestry of ghostly tales adds an intriguing dimension to what is otherwise a luxurious getaway filled with sun, sand, and pools.

Read the whole story: The Lady in Red Haunting of Hilton Hawaiian Village

The Haunting of King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel

The Island of Hawaii/Big Island

King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel. // Source: W Nowicki/Wikimedia

The King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, is steeped in history and rumored to be haunted by the spirit of King Kamehameha the Great, who united the Hawaiian Islands in 1810. Built on land believed to be his burial site, the hotel reflects his legacy and features eerie sightings reported by guests and staff, including a tall figure in traditional Hawaiian attire and sounds of distant battles. Additionally, a haunted portrait of Queen Liliuokalani on display is said to exhibit strange phenomena, leading to speculation about its haunting.

Read the whole story: The Haunting of King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel

The Haunted Prince Waikiki Hotel and its Blue Lights

Oahu

Jeff C/Flickr

The Prince Waikiki Hotel in Hawaii is reputed to be haunted, with guests reporting eerie phenomena such as moving luggage, strange blue lights, and unexplained whispering voices throughout the property. Built in the mid-20th century, the hotel’s history is intertwined with tales of restless spirits believed to be linked to its past and the land it occupies, which once belonged to ancient Hawaiian tribes. Guests have described encounters with ghostly apparitions, including a man in a red and white Hawaiian shirt and a princely figure, contributing to the hotel’s mysterious and chilling reputation.

Read the whole story: The Haunted Prince Waikiki Hotel and its Blue Lights

The Haunted Ihilani Resort: Does the Spirit Remain at Four Seasons Resort Oahu?

Oahu

Four Seasons Resort Oahu at Ko Olina: Before it became the four seasons, it was the Ihilani Resort. This is when an alledged untimely death of a guest created a ghost story that have lasted through the rebranding as well. // Source: Farragutful/wiki

The Four Seasons Resort Oahu, formerly known as the Ihilani Resort, is intertwined with a haunting tale related to a guest who tragically passed away on its seventeenth floor. Despite the resort’s luxurious reputation and transformation, whispers of paranormal activity persist, with reports of eerie occurrences such as doors opening by themselves, cold drafts, and sightings of an apparition resembling a woman who once occupied that floor. As the hotel’s brand evolved, so did speculation about whether the ghost remained tied to the site of her untimely death, leaving guests to wonder if the spirit still lingers in this now lavish destination.

Read the whole story: The Haunted Ihilani Resort: Does the Spirit Remain at Four Seasons Resort Oahu? 

The Haunted Lodge at Koele: Spirits in Paradise at the Four Seasons Resort

Lanai Island

The haunted resort: Main building of the Four Seasons Lodge at Koele on the island of Lanai, Hawaii. // Terence Faircloth/Flickr

The Four Seasons Resort, formerly known as The Lodge at Koele, is located in the lush highlands of Lanai Island, Hawaii, and is reputed to be one of the most haunted hotels in the area. Despite its tranquil and luxurious atmosphere, the resort is home to numerous ghostly tales, including sightings of a little girl in old-fashioned clothing who appears at night, as well as unexplained phenomena like flickering lights and cold spots. Interestingly, the hotel’s history does not include any documented tragedies to explain these hauntings, leaving the origin of the spirits a mystery. Guests are drawn to the resort not only for its stunning landscapes and elegance but also for the intriguing possibility of encountering the supernatural during their stay.

Read the whole story: The Haunted Lodge at Koele: Spirits in Paradise at the Four Seasons Resort 

The Ghostly Guest of Moana Surfrider: Haunting of a Hawaiian Icon

Oahu

Haunted Hotel: The Moana Surfrider, A Westin Resort & Spa, Waikiki Beach is believed to be haunted by more than one ghost. // Source: Wiki

The Moana Surfrider, A Westin Resort and Spa, is a luxurious and historic hotel in Waikiki, believed to be haunted by the ghost of Jane Stanford, co-founder of Stanford University, who mysteriously died there in 1905 under suspicious circumstances. After surviving a previous poisoning attempt in California, she sought a recuperative escape to Hawaii but met a tragic end shortly after her arrival. Her spirit is said to roam the hotel, often appearing in early 20th-century attire, searching for her former room, which has since been removed. Guests have reported eerie encounters, including flickering lights, cold chills, and the scent of lilies. Additionally, the hotel is purported to host other spirits, including a young girl and a soldier from World War II, adding to its reputation as one of Hawaii’s most haunted locations.

Read the whole story: The Ghostly Guest of Moana Surfrider: Haunting of a Hawaiian Icon

The Haunting History of the Blaisdell Hotel: Spirits Linger in an Old Honolulu Landmark

Oahu

Blaisdell Hotel: Old photograph when the building was still used as a hotel. Although not used as a hotel, most of the haunted ghost stories from the building comes from its time operating.

The Blaisdell Hotel, built in 1912 and now serving as a business building and the Hawai‘i Pacific University Sea Warrior Center, is noted for its haunting tales that stem from its rich history. Once a retreat for sailors during World War II, it is rumored to be haunted by the ghost of a Navy man, alongside spectral appearances attributed to a tragic death of a hotel guest in the 1960s and a former owner who took his life in the basement in the 1980s over gambling debts. While many who work and visit the building may not witness these apparitions, local legend and chilling stories persist, ensuring the haunting legacy of the Blaisdell Hotel is remembered.

Read the whole story: The Haunting History of the Blaisdell Hotel: Spirits Linger in an Old Honolulu Landmark 

The Ghostly Tales of Kona Sheraton

The Island of Hawaii/Big Island

The Kona Sheraton Resort, located on the Big Island of Hawaii, has a haunting reputation rooted in its history on an ancient battleground and the destruction of sacred sites during its construction. Many guests and staff have reported eerie experiences, including sightings of ghostly children playing in the hallways and an apparition at the cliffs. Following numerous accidents and a tragic incident involving a child’s death, the hotel closed in 1988, and subsequent hauntings continued even during its abandonment. Despite the land being blessed and efforts to restore the heiau sites, the specter of its haunted past lingers as the resort reopens as OUTRIGGER Kona Resort & Spa, leaving the question of whether paranormal activity will persist unanswered.

Read the whole story: The Ghostly Tales of Kona Sheraton: Hauntings on the Big Island on Hawaii  

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The Spirits of Kaupoa Beach on the Haunted Moloka‘i Island

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The holy Night Marchers of Hawaii are said to haunt the Kaupoa Beach in Moloka‘i as well as mischievous spirits said to roam around the abandoned resort by the water. The beach, often nicknamed The Place of Thieves holds secrets as well as spirits. 

On the western shore of Moloka‘i, far from the bustling beaches of Maui and O‘ahu, lies a stretch of sand shrouded in legend and dread: Kaupoa Beach. Its name, ominously translated as “the place of thieves,” hints at a history darker than the postcard-perfect sunsets and swaying palms would suggest. 

Read More: Check out all ghost stories from USA

Today it is considered as a ghost village and by many lists calling out the most haunted beaches, Kaupoa Beach are often mentioned. So what is the truth about these rumors and are there really spirits lingering on the sandy shore? 

Molokaʻi Island: The island is the fifth most populated of the eight major islands that make up the Hawaiian Islands archipelago. This is where the Hula dance is believed to have originated. Although not far from Waikiki, the place with the most tourism of them all, Kaupoa Beach as well as the rest of the island has fought hard to not be taken over by tourism.

A Deserted Resort with a Dark Reputation

What makes Kaupoa Beach particularly unsettling is the vacant ghost town that sits near its shore. The island’s agrarian economy has been driven primarily by cattle ranching, pineapple production, sugarcane production and small-scale farming. Tourism comprises a small fraction of the island’s economy and most of it was owned by Molokai Ranch, owned by a billionaire investment firm called Guoco Group in Hong Kong. When they closed down in the early 2000s, so did tourism. 

Once a resort though, promising an escape into paradise, the resort abruptly closed, its buildings left to decay beneath salt and sun. The reasons for its downfall remain cloaked in rumor. Some blame financial misfortune or the local population who fought for decades to stop the development of the ranch and preserve their way of living, sometimes ending in violence, poison or arson. Others whisper of a powerful kapu, or ancient curse, tied to the land.

Located on the west shore of Molokai, Kaupoa Beach is made up of two beaches shaped like crescent moons where the Molokai Ranch and the Sheraton Hotels ran for years. Now it’s abandoned, and the tentalows, or the bungalows made of canvas tents are left to be reclaimed by nature. 

According to rumour, the now-abandoned beach camp, which also sits close to many hidden archaeological sites, was once an ancient hideout for criminals who had violated the tribal kapu system and were facing death. There have also been found burial grounds within the campsite. Could this be attributed to the haunting?

Rascal Spirits on the Island

Local elders tell of how the kukui trees, a type of palm trees that used to grow by the Molokai Ranch resort by Kaupoa Beach for shade. Once thought to ward off mischievous and malevolent spirits called kalohe or rascal spirits. The trees were not native to the land, and were felled when Molokai Ranch closed down for insurance reasons so that people passing wouldn’t get a coconut in their head. With the trees gone, it’s believed that protective energies vanished and the rascal spirits got it. Some locals saw it as an ancient Polynesian declaration of war, leaving the land open for restless spirits to claim as their own.

Kalaupapa Leprosy Settlement: Many believe the whole island of Molokai is haunted, and natives have stayed away from the island for multiple reasons. When The Hawaiian Board of Health established a leper colony there in 1886 , it did nothing to help Molokai’s fearsome reputation. Why does the island have such an unfortunate reputation? Some trace it back to a Polynesian war where Molokai used psychological warfare of ghost stories, curses and magic to keep the invaders at bay. Perhaps this is still helping keep the island for the natives to this day?

To counter the spirits the locals thought that the ancestral spirits would love to hear the sound of children playing on the island again. Because of this, they built an entire playground with swings, a jungle gym and a slide. But there are no children to play there, and the only one making the swings screech are the wind and spirits roaming this part of the island. 

Ghostly Footsteps in the Sand

Visitors and locals alike speak in hushed tones about the Night Marchers, known in Hawaiian as Huaka‘i Pō — spectral processions of ancient Hawaiian warriors, clad in traditional battle garb, carrying torches, and moving silently through the night. Legend holds that these spirits roam sacred pathways across the islands, reliving the moments of their former lives.

Read More: Check out more info about the Hawaiian Night Marchers

Those who encounter the Night Marchers are gripped by overwhelming dread, often paralyzed by unseen forces. According to lore, to avoid a terrible fate, one must show proper reverence: lie face down on the ground and never meet their gaze. Disrespect can mean death, or having your spirit ripped from your body, forever joining their phantom ranks.

At Kaupoa Beach, the eerie calm is sometimes pierced by the sound of distant drums and chanting, carrying over the waves when no one else is near. Torch-like lights have been seen flickering across the cliffs, and the ghostly figures of warriors have reportedly marched silently across the deserted beach — their footprints vanishing in the moonlit sand.

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  • The Helhest Haunting Saint Olaf’s Church in Helsingør
    According to old legends and Danish folklore, there are stories of three legged horses haunting the churches and graveyards in the country. in Saint Olaf’s Church, the spirit of the helhest is said to be the omen of death.
  • The Hauntings of Gamle Aker Church Over a Dragon’s Den
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  • The Janissaries Vampires in Veliko Tarnovo
    During a time when Bulgaria was under the Ottoman Empire, there was talk about a vampire haunting the streets of Veliko Tarnovo. The rumours got so bad, that the Islamic rulers had to turn to pagan belief to rid themselves of the bloodthirsty creatures.
  • The Legend of the White Lady of Utstein Monastery
    In the windswept landscape of Norway’s west coast lies the Utstein Monastery, a site steeped in history and haunting tales. Known as Norway’s best-preserved medieval monastery, its ancient stone walls and iconic Gothic windows whisper stories of faith, love, and loss as well as the ghost of a Lady in White.
  • The Lord Edward Pub: The Rebel’s Restless Spirit
    After dying for the cause of Irish Independence, it is said the ghost of Lord Edward is haunting the pub he is buried close to and bears his name.
  • St. Patrick’s Cathedral: The Restless Spirit of Jonathan Swift
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  • The Hauntings of Stortorvet Gjestgiveri Restaurant
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    Haunting Jone’s Road in Dublin, a headless horseman is said to roam after his life turned dark after scheming peers. And the former Dublin Sheriff, Buck Jones has become one of Ireland’s most well known headless horseman ghosts.

References:

Kaupoa: Visiting Molokai’s Haunting ‘Place of Thieves’ – Honolulu Civil Beat

12 Creepy Stories About Haunted Beaches

The top 10 most haunted beaches in the world revealed | Daily Mail Online

Kaupoa Beach 

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/kaupoa-molokai_n_4504859

Kaupoa: Visiting Molokai’s Haunting ‘Place of Thieves’ – Honolulu Civil Beat

Molokai – Wikipedia

TRAVEL MAGICAL MOLOKAI – D Magazine 

Hawaii residents’ ongoing war with billionaire owner of Molokai Ranch

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The Restless Ghosts Roaming Higbee Beach at Cape May

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Who is haunting Higbee Beach in Jersey Shore? Is it because of the disturbed Higbee Grave, perhaps the drowned victims of a shipwreck? 

The Jersey Shore, with its cheerful boardwalks, sun-drenched beaches, and echoing call of seagulls, hides its darker side well. Beneath the bright veneer of seaside towns and saltwater taffy, ancient whispers cling to the sands, refusing to be silenced by time or tide. Nowhere is this more evident than at Higbee Beach in Cape May, New Jersey—a wild stretch of shore where ghost stories gather like mist on the water. And among these, one figure stands out: the Man in Tatters.

Brian/Flickr

A Beach with a History Written in Shadows

Long before Higbee Beach became a sanctuary for birdwatchers and intrepid hikers, it was the home of Joseph and Thomas Higbee, two brothers who operated a hotel known as The Hermitage in the 1800s. This secluded, untamed beach at the southern tip of New Jersey was a world unto itself—remote, windswept, and shrouded in mystery. Following the death of the Higbee brothers in the 1870s, the property and surrounding land passed to their niece, Etta Gregory. But it was Thomas Higbee’s final wish that cemented his name to the land in a way no one expected.

Read More: Check out all ghost stories from USA

In accordance with his will, Thomas was buried on the very island he so loved in a grave lined with brick and flagstone. The grave was sealed with a large marble slab.

But already in 1937, his remains were unearthed and moved to Cold Spring Cemetery by Etta to be next to her, in an act many locals quietly believed to be a grave mistake. The hotel was demolished in 1940. As the legend goes, disturbing the dead rarely ends well, and Higbee Beach soon gained a new, unwelcome reputation.

The Ghostly Figure at Dusk

As daylight fades and the sun sinks beneath the Atlantic, a peculiar chill is said to settle over Higbee Beach. Visitors recount fleeting glimpses of a gaunt, pale man wandering the shoreline. Descriptions are remarkably consistent with an almost luminous gray light. This description was first found in a woman’s recounter of her experiences in the book: Cape May Ghost Stories from 1988. 

His pants were too short and frayed at the cuffs, a sash tied at his waist instead of a belt, and a filthy, tattered T-shirt clinging to his spectral form. Sometimes he’s described with a long coat. His presence is often accompanied by a large, black dog, its eyes glinting unnaturally in the twilight, padding silently at his side.

Some say this ghost is Thomas Higbee himself, forever condemned to search for the grave he was cruelly torn from. Some say it’s his slave who is watching over his master’s grave in his afterlife. The connection between restless spirits and disturbed burial grounds runs deep in folklore, and this story is no exception. Locals claim that the man in tatters appears most often around dusk, when the boundary between worlds softens and the veil grows thin.

Shipwrecked Immigrants

There is not only the man in the tattered clothes that people claim is haunting the beach. There are also those who say that the ghosts haunting this place could be of a ship carrying immigrants to shore from Europe. Many died during the accident. 

Brian/Flickr

Some claim to have heard screaming coming from the water as they stroll along the beach. Could it be that the ghosts of the drowned are still lingering? Some also speculate that there could be soldiers that lost their lives during test bombing during world war two that are haunting the beach. 

Higbee’s Ghost Dog

Adding to the ghostly tableau is the figure of the black dog—an omen of death and misfortune in countless cultures. In Cape May, the creature is sometimes called a hellhound, said to guard the beach’s hidden secrets: lost shipwreck victims, ancient pirate treasure, or the tormented soul of Higbee himself. The dog is always near the Man in Tatters, never leaving his side.

Eyewitnesses have reported watching the man and his hound dissolve into the mist as they approach, leaving no footprints in the damp sand. 

Even today, long after The Hermitage crumbled and the Higbee family passed into obscurity, the ghost of the Man in Tatters persists. Higbee Beach Wildlife Management Area may draw birders and nature lovers by day, but as the sun dips low and the air turns heavy, seasoned locals quietly warn visitors not to linger too long after dusk.

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References:

The Ghosts of Higbee Beach – High Tide

Higbee Beach’s Ghostly Grave

https://eu.courierpostonline.com/story/news/local/new-jersey/2016/04/17/weird-nj-higbee-beachs-ghostly-grave/83168872

Higbee Beach: The Most Haunted Beach in the United States and Its Eerie History – Malorie’s Adventures