Ghostly Happenings in Rhode Island

The Phantom Monk

The Belcourt Castle in Newport had a phantom monk as a resident. Visitors, beware: the phantom monk prefers two haunted chairs that will eject anyone who tries to sit on them. There is also a haunted suit of armor.

Belcourt Castle was constructed in 1894 for Oliver Hazard Perry Belmont. Renowned architect Richard Morris Hunt designed the 60-room mansion in Louis XIII style. Oliver Belmont was a banking heir and horse racing enthusiast who loved entertainment. The ground floor famously housed his prized horses in elaborate stalls near the main entrance.

The phantom monk appears in a brown-hooded robe, walking with his head bowed. He’s seen in the upper hallways and in the chapel. Whenever the monk appears, staff members report the distinct smell of incense. The scent fades within seconds after the apparition vanishes through solid walls.

In the Grand Staircase area, you can see the ghostly apparition of a woman in a white Victorian gown. She appears solid until she passes through closed doors or just fades away. Some think this is the ghost of Alva Belmont returning to her home.

Scary Paranormal Activity

Located in Providence, the Biltmore Hotel, now known as the Graduate Providence, was named the most haunted hotel in America in 2000. This hotel inspired Robert Bloch’s Bates Motel and played a role in Stephen King’s creation of the Overlook Hotel in his book “The Shining”.

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When the hotel was first built, it was backed by prominent Satanist Johan Leisse Weisskopf. In the early years there were many Satanic rituals performed on this property, some involving sacrifices.

The hotel also became a hot spot during Prohibition, and several high-profile murders took place, with all the rowdy parties involving police officers and even the mayor. This led to paranormal activity, with guests hearing the sounds of rowdy parties in empty rooms.

Among the strangest supernatural happenings here are guests who vanish during the night. Perhaps the guests were ghostly spirits. This started in 2008 when new owners boarded up the basement ritual rooms to clean up the hotel.

The Ghostly Spirit of Alice Vanderbilt

Situated in Newport, the impressive Breakers Mansion was built by Cornelius Vanderbilt during the “Golden Age” (1900-1929). The mansion is surrounded by formal gardens, has a private beach, and amazing views of the Atlantic Ocean. It is now one of America’s largest National Historic Landmarks and one of the most haunted mansions in Rhode Island. (pictured above)

The mansion is haunted by the ghost of Alice Vanderbilt and has been seen regularly since she died in 1934. Since the family who lives there presently knows her, they don’t allow investigators to disturb her and share their home with her ghostly apparition.

The Ghost of a Phantom Monk and the Spirits of Nine Militiamen

The Cumberland Public Library is also known as the Edward J. Hayden Library.

The phantom monk who haunts here is a ghost from the time the property was a monastery.

Among the paranormal activity here are books that move about by themselves.

Not only the library but also the surrounding area is supposedly haunted by the ghostly spirits of nine militiamen who were flayed by Native Americans. Their disembodied screams can be heard.

The Ghost of a Black Dog

Situated in Jamestown, Fort Wetherill is one of the most haunted places in the state.

Since the Revolutionary War era, a phantom dog has been seen here. The story tells that when the British took control of the fort in 1776, they were terrorized by a black dog that roamed the entire fort. In British folklore, a black dog is thought to be an omen of death.

Today visitors can glimpse the ghostly apparition of the black dog as it glares at people and then disappears through a wall. He’s also known to growl, bark, and howl.

Terrifying Apparitions and Paranormal Activity

Situated in Burrillville, the Perron House was made famous in the film “The Conjuring”. The film was based on true events in the home of Roger and Carolyn Perron.

After the Perron family moved into their home, they started seeing terrifying apparitions. Mrs. Perron awoke and saw an old woman in a gray dress standing over her bed with her head hanging at an awkward angle.

Famed paranormal experts Ed and Lorraine Warren were called in and concluded that this was the spirit of Bathsheba Sherman, a Satanist who sacrificed her daughter to Satan before later hanging herself in a ritual to bind her soul to the property.

Meet Mrs. Bradley

Located in Newport, the exterior of Seaview Terrace is very recognizable since it was used for exterior shots in the Gothic horror TV soap “Dark Shadows”. The house looks haunted. Originally built in Washington, D.C., the liquor millionaire Edson Bradley had the house disassembled and moved to Rhode Island. The process took two years, and in later years it was used as an all-girls summer boarding school.

However, Mrs. Bradley chose not to leave her home even after death. Her ghostly spirit has been heard playing her favorite Estey organ. Other paranormal activity includes strange noises, phantom footsteps, disembodied voices, and banging.

Dark shadows have been seen jiggling door handles.

The Bigfoot of Rhode Island

Tower Hill Road in Cumberland is among the most haunted roads in the region. It is surrounded by forests and situated between Diamond Hill Road and Wrentham Road.

The road is notorious for its chilling array of ghostly sightings, including the spirits of children and the eerie presence of zombies. But perhaps the most peculiar of all is the local legend of the “man monkey,” a Bigfoot-like creature that has become a whispered myth among the residents.

Take a drive and see for yourself what or whom you might encounter.