The United States harbors a trove of chilling ghost stories. In West Virginia, the case of Elva Zona Heaster unfolds as her spirit revealed a murder concealed by her husband, marking the sole instance where a ghost’s testimony convicted a murderer.
South Carolina’s Pawley’s Island is home to the Gray Man, a benevolent apparition warning locals of hurricanes for two centuries. Resurrection Mary, a spectral figure in Chicago, stems from a hit-and-run incident in 1920, with sightings persisting along Archer Avenue. California’s RMS Queen Mary, now docked in Long Beach, is renowned for paranormal activities and apparitions of past crew members.
The Bell Witch, haunting Tennessee since 1804, bewildered the Bell family with mysterious voices and predictions. Albuquerque’s Kimo Theater hosts the mischievous ghost of Bobby Darnell, a young victim of a tragic accident.
In 1848, New York’s Hydesville Park witnessed the Fox sisters communicating with a spirit, leading to the discovery of bones in the basement. New Orleans’ Jean Lafitte’s pirate lore ties to a mysterious shop with red eyes peering through cracks. Buckskin Joe, a mining town during the Colorado Gold Rush, tells the tale of Silverheels, a ghost appearing in a nearby cemetery.
Top image: The United States has many famous ghosts. Source: Lario Tus/Adobe Stock
By Robbie Mitchell
Robbie Mitchell is a graduate of History and Literature from The University of Manchester in England and a total history geek. Since a young age, he has been obsessed with history. The weirder the better. He spends his days working as a freelance writer researching the weird and wonderful and firmly believes that history should be both fun and accessible.