October has finally arrived and with it, the imminent excitement of the Halloween season. If you’ll be traveling this month–or if you’re lucky enough to have one of these real haunted houses in your own backyard–be sure to visit these terrifying locales before the 31st. After all, there’s no better time of year to be on the lookout for ghosts.
The Winchester Mystery House in San Jose California
With staircases to nowhere and motifs centered around spider webs and the number thirteen, the Winchester Mystery House is undoubtedly one of the most surrealistic places on earth. The house was built by Sarah Winchester, the widow of gun-making giant William Wirt Winchester. Sarah feared she was doomed due to her husband’s connection to the murders of countless Native Americans that were executed using Winchester rifles. Susceptible to mystics and so-called mediums, Sarah left the East Coast and settled in San Jose where construction on her house continued twenty-four hours a day year-round for close to forty years. Her ghost as well as countless others are said to haunt the property to this day.
Lizzie Borden Bed and Breakfast in Springfield, Massachusetts
Almost everyone knows the rhyme about Lizzie Borden and her ax. For the truly intrepid, you can tour the very rooms where Lizzie’s father and stepmother were murdered. For the most courageous, you can even stay the night in the former crime scenes. Ghosts regularly appear throughout the property, and a few of them aren’t even connected to the murders, such as the child’s rocking chair that moves on its own. This quaint house is that creepy.
The Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina
The Biltmore Estate has the distinction of being the largest privately owned home in America. It also has the distinction of being one of the most haunted. Constructed in the late nineteenth century, the Biltmore was the work of famous heir George Washington Vanderbilt. After his death, his family was forced to sell portions of the property and open the house to tours to cope with the financial constraints during the Great Depression. These days, visitors might still see Vanderbilt and his wife Edith roaming the house and enjoying their wide collection of books and art.
Lemp Mansion in Saint Louis, Missouri
As purveyors of the once thriving William J. Lemp Brewing Company, the Lemps were a preeminent turn-of-the-century Missouri family. But after a series of personal and professional tragedies, one by one, members of the clan began to commit suicide. Although the last Lemp died of natural causes in 1970 at the age of ninety, he supposedly demanded many family artifacts and artwork to be destroyed upon his death. Today, the family home is a restaurant and inn as well as a major pilgrimage sight for the most devoted ghost hunters.
Franklin Castle in Cleveland, Ohio
Located in the Cleveland suburb of Ohio city, Franklin Castle is a glorious four-story mansion complete with a ballroom and carriage house–along with more irregular features such as secret rooms and passages. Some say original owner Hannes Tiedemann is to blame for the haunted history of Franklin Castle. This patriarch was rumored to be a cruel man, especially after his mother, daughter, and wife all died during their tenure at the castle where they supposedly still remain to this day. Over its century-plus history, Franklin Castle has changed hands many times, but no one can turn the place into a successful venture–in fact, this is the only house on the list that is not currently open for regular tours.
What’s your favorite real haunted house in America? Let me know in the comments below!
All of today’s images are from the Winchester Mystery House and the Lizzie Borden Bed and Breakfast, two of my personal favorite haunted locales in America.
Happy haunting!