Most Haunted Places in America (Part - 6)

The Stanley Hotel, Estes Park, Colorado

When the Stanley Hotel opened in 1909, tourists have been drawn to Estes Park by its grand Georgian architecture and legendary whisky bar. Yet, the Stanley rose to new heights of fame after serving as the model for Stephen King's fictitious Overlook Hotel in The Shining. Aside from that unsettling association, the hotel has also been linked to numerous additional ghost sightings and creepy piano music. The Stanley Hotel smartly capitalises on its notoriety by providing nightly ghost tours and psychic readings from the on-site Madame Vera.

St. Augustine Lighthouse, Florida

Over 225,000 people visit the St. Augustine Lighthouse each year, but it is also well-known for its extraterrestrial guests. At the now-historic location, a number of sad incidents took place that are thought to be related to the reported paranormal activity. One of the first occurred when the lighthouse keeper died after falling while painting the tower; since then, his ghost has been seen patrolling the area. Three little children tragically drowned when the cart they were playing in collapsed and plummeted into the ocean. This incident was another. Visitors today claim to hear noises of kids playing inside and outside the lighthouse.

Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum, Weston, West Virginia

In spite of being built to house only 250 patients, the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Hospital in West Virginia reached its capacity of more than 2,400 patients in the 1950s, when it first welcomed patients in 1864. Patients were acting increasingly violently, from starting fires to attacking staff members, as a result of the extreme congestion, which resulted in terrible conditions (such as lack of heat and convalescents put in cages). The asylum was finally shut down in 1994, although some prisoners' souls are rumoured to still be there. For those who are interested in learning how some patients lived—and passed away—in the claustrophobic halls, ghost tours are offered.

Whaley House, San Diego, California

On the site of the first public hanging in San Diego, Thomas Whaley constructed this family estate in 1857. Shortly after he moved in, he claimed to have heard "Yankee" Jim Robinson's heavy footsteps. Robinson was a thief and vagrant who was hanged on the property four years before the home was constructed. Tragic deaths and suicides eventually plagued Whaley's family history, many of which took place inside the house. Several of the family members are said to still haunt the site, frequently accompanied by the smell of strong perfume and cigar smoke.

Winchester Mystery House, San Jose, California

One of the most eerie building undertakings in history may be the Winchester Mystery House. Sarah Winchester (the wife of a rifle-son) maker's was told by a seer that her family had been murdered by the ghosts of gunshot victims after the passing of her husband and child. She commissioned the Victorian amusement park-turned-macabre residence that you see today in order to ward off the furious spirits. The more unsettling elements include windows that can lead to hidden passages, doors that open onto stone walls, and staircases that go straight up into the ceiling.

Conclusion

Modern ghost stories are a genre that explores historical trauma, how it is remembered, and how it affects the present. In these tales, the ghost is a presence from the past that bursts into the present, upsetting both its supposed independence from the past as well as its secure inheritance from it. The modern ghost story is a reaction to two standard historical traumas. The first is the change from feudalism to capitalism, which resulted in the aristocracy losing power to the bourgeoisie. The brutal transition to modernity that occurs in many parts of the world as a result of imperialism makes the second effectively a replay of the first. Yet, the first transition—if it qualifies as a historical event—took place.