The Halloween holiday is fast approaching. This October 31, people will be celebrating in a variety of ways. There are those few adventuresome spirits, who yearn to go out and find other spirits…of the other-worldly sort. The sort that haunt old hospital buildings, or state prisons, or residential houses, or in some cases-entire towns. Perhaps one will be lucky, or not lucky depending on how one looks at it, and have one of these sites located close to home. But if that is not the case, the following is a Top Ten list of the most visited haunted attractions in the United States. Gas up the car, check the oil, the rims , and the tires…pack a road-trip picnic basket and head out on a real, “live” Halloween holiday adventure.
First stop is of course, the city of New Orleans. The Sultan’s House is located amongst the wrought iron fences and over-grown gardens of the French Quarter. He was said to have had many wives and many children, and other poor souls who were held against their will. His entire family was murdered and he was buried alive in his own courtyard garden. Not far from this house of the Sultan, there is a haunted courthouse in the town of Saint Charles. In the 1940′s, Toni Jo Henry, killed a man who had offered to help her one night. She was finally convicted of the murder and became the first woman to sit for a short time in Louisiana’s electric chair. The Courthouse of St. Charles and the Sultan’s House of New Orleans will send Halloween chills, as people report strange noises and odors, and general uneasy feelings.
Sites 3, 4 and 5 are also located in the South. The Moundsville State Prison is located in the state of West Virginia, and is known to this day as one of the most torturous and violent prisons in the country. The prison was in operation from 1895-1995, and during those hundred years more than 1,000 men were tortured, executed in the electric, or fell victims to the hands of each other. The Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum, in the West Virginia town of Weston is no different. In both facilities, the spirits of those once captive roam the halls and torment visitors strolling through the halls. And in Savannah, GA it is at the Moon River Brewery that is haunted today. Once the building was a hotel, and workers in the brewery today are often taunted by the spirits of the past.
In Villisca, Iowa, at 508 E. 2nd Street, sits a house in which a man murdered his entire family with an ax. The wife and children of Josiah B. Moore are said to still be lingering about and frightening unsuspecting visitors. In Tampa, FL the Cuban Club is also a current spot said to be haunted by spirits of the past. Back East, in NY, NY there is a SoHo bistro famous for scary apparitions, and that is the Manhattan Bistro. One state over, in Philadelphia there is Fort Mifflin. Many haunts wander this area, from Revolutionary War soldiers to those who loved them long ago. And finally, out West, the town of Jerome, AZ is haunted. The entire town. So if the mood strikes for haunted holiday travel, replace worn Firestone tires and wiper blades, head out on the road and enjoy safe, albeit haunted travels…Happy Halloween!