Haunted World

The Labadie Mansion is a 19th century Victorian style mansion located in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. This mansion is located far out in the woods with nothing nearby. It is also located on the top of a huge hill that overlooks all the countryside for miles around. Early in the 20th century there were four deaths in the house. One man apparently murdered his wife and a man named Enos Parsons. The house has burnt down twice since with only the rock walls and foundation remain.
Those who make it up to the top of the hill have had their flashlights suddenly stop working. People have also seen apparitions and people screaming their names out of the dark. There have been strange smells coming from the top of the hill, which is strange because it is so isolated. Their have also been sightings of abnormal animals or creatures running in the dark that get very close. There have also been reports of there being fires where the fireplace used to stand in the house. There have been gravestones found of the past owners and occupants as well.

Lake Compounce Amusement Park is the oldest running amusement park in the entire world. It’s located in Bristol, Connecticut and has been haunted since it opened. Back in the late 1800’s the owner of the land, Chief Compounce, drowned in Lake Compounce the day before he was to hand over the property to the new owner. Ever since Chief Compound has been haunting the grounds of the amusement park. Every building in the amusement park has had reported paranormal activities at some point in time.
There have also been numerous horrific deaths that have occurred at the park. Recently, a child nearly drowned in the lake. A worker was killed while underneath of a rotor ride. Another worker was decapitated from a roller coaster. It’s reported that the majority of the paranormal activity occurs in the Star Light Ball Room. It’s also said that the head of the Norton family, who bought the property from Chief Compounce, died mysteriously soon after buying the land. It’s said he died after falling from a ladder. Employees of the amusement park who had no prior knowledge of the haunting have all reported sightings and other odd events.

Located in Atlanta, Georgia is Metropolitan Avenue. Some years ago a young woman was killed in a car accident under a bridge along the road. Since then there have been many paranormal sightings of the woman who died. The young woman has been spotted several times, standing under the bridge in a white dress, trying to hitchhike.
For those who have unknowingly picked her up, all have reported that she requests to be taken to her home. When you come to her house, she thanks you and then proceeds to exit the vehicle, but as soon as she gets out she vanishes into thin air. This startles most people and many have gone to see if she made it inside. A woman then answers and explains that the young woman you had just given a ride was her daughter who had passed away years ago under the bridge where you had picked her up. The mother says that every year people drive up to the house unknowingly trying to drop off her daughter.

The Tazlina Lodge is believed to be haunted by a man who was killed in a police standoff that occurred at the lodge. The man had been staying on the third floor of the lodge when this occurred and it’s believed he spends a good deal of time in the room where he died. In the 1950’s a family was hired to act as housekeepers for the lodge. The family reported that they had experienced some paranormal activity while staying at the lodge.

Recently, a family decided to go on a tour of the Tazlina Lodge. It was a rather warm day when the family went, and they noticed the air seemed to get colder and colder as they made their way up to the third floor where the ghost is rumored to stay. When the family entered the room where the man died they noticed a small dusty chair. It looked as though someone had recently been sitting on it because their was an imprint in the seat. The air also was said to smell like a cigarette had recently been lit. The owner says that the ghost had been responsible for the smoke in the air. The Tazlina lodge is no longer in use today.

The Charles Looff Carousel was once part of an amusement park and ballroom with a history of over 100 years.  The carousel is now the only remaining structure because of a fire that occurred in 1960.  It’s believed that people were killed during the fire and now haunt the grounds of the carousel.  An employee of the carousel states that when she opens up in the mornings, the music will sometimes turn on all by itself.  She also said that the lights will flicker randomly.  Their have also been reports of people seeing a lady walking around in a bell-hooped skirt down by the water.  This site was also the location of train tracks, but is now only used as a bike trail.  It’s said at night you can sometimes hear trains going through and strange flashes of light even though the train tracks are no longer in use.

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The University of Tampa’s academic and administrative center was formerly the Tampa Bay Hotel and to this day remains a symbol of Tampa and its heritage.  Many historians credit its builder, Henry B. Plant, railroad and shipping tycoon, with the cultivation of Tampa from the fishing town it was, to the vibrant city it has become today.  Construction began on the building in 1888 and was completed in 1891.  The hotel was ornately designed to be a symbol of luxury and wealth.  Many historic visitors stayed in the hotel including Teddy Roosevelt and his Rough Riders, Sarah Bernhart, Babe Ruth (who signed his first baseball contract in the hotel’s grand dining room), Clara Barton, Stephen Crane, Mrs. Ulysses S. Grant, the Prince of Wales, the Queen of England and many other celebrities of their day.  This historic building today is still the heart of the University but it has become to be considered one of Tampa’s notable haunted locations as well.

Haunting activities have been reported in numerous parts of the building including the mailroom, McKay Hall, and Plant Hall.  In the Plant Hall and McKay Hall there have been sightings of apparitions in the windows.  Cold spots have been felt also, which is unusual in a building with no central a/c, only wall units.  During the summer in Florida the building would tend to be warm, so a cold spot is especially noticeable.  Doors open and close by themselves, and many people including students and faculty say they feel a sense of being watched.  The mailroom has been reported to have items move on their own and cold drafts with no explanation or source.  Floating orbs have been spotted in these locations as well.  The numerous sightings and experiences make this one of the most notable haunted sights in Tampa to this day.

The Alliance theater  is believed to be haunted by a past actress who died at the end of a show.  The ghost has come to be known simply as “Mary.”  The night  Mary died she was playing the role of a bride in a love story.  The story goes that at the end of the play Mary was walking up the stage for to take a bow and be showered with applause.  As she began walking across the stage a light fixture dislodged and fell from the ceiling- landing directly on Mary.  She was immediately killed by the sheer weight of the light fixture and the electric shock that ensued.  

It’s said that late at night Mary walks the stage of the Alliance Theater still waiting to be applauded by her audience, but never finding anyone there.

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The old Wyoming state penitentiary is said to be haunted by past inmates who were killed in the prison.  Now known as the “Old Pen”, this penitentiary has received much attention for its paranormal activity.  In fact, its these claims that led a paranormal team of investigators to investigate the penitentiary for themselves.  Their report was pretty weak to say the least, so it can’t be too sure how credulous the team doing the investigation was.

Regardless, employees of the “Old Pen” have reported seeing apparitions of ghosts and strange sounds.  Those going on tour groups have said they felt an odd sense of hostility and unwelcomeness while walking through the building.  Those in tour groups will often report hearing voices coming out of the cells and seeing strange people seemingly vanish around corners.

Certain areas such as the Hold, Death Row, and the Gas Chamber of the penitentiary seem to have some of the most activity.  The shower area has also been said to be oddly cold all the time.  There had been many vicious attacks that occurred in the shower during the penitentiaries operating years until it was shut down in 1980.  There is also the story of one inmate who had to be hung twice.  His fellow inmates tried to hang him, and failed the first time.  So they brought him back up and threw him off again, killing him on the second attempt.

During “Old Pen’s” operating years from 1901-1980 there were several executions that took place.  There were fourteen executions that took place with nine being hung and five being killed in the gas chamber.  Those staying in the prison had extreme conditions to live with as well.  The heating was terrible so inmates would have to struggle to keep warm.  In fact heated water wasn’t even brought to the penitentiary until 1978.  In a small area that has come to be known as the “Dungeon”, guards would put inmates who needed special discipline.  It was used until 1960 when guards found two inmates had frozen to death in the “Dungeon.” 

There are now tours given of the penitentiary and with all the reports from tour groups it appears that “Old Pen” is still very active even after being shut down.

Most Holy Trinity Church was built in Brooklyn, New York between the years of 1882 to 1885, with the addition of its school in 1887.  The actual church was  built upon an old cemetery that was in operation from 1841 to 1853.  Quite the setup for a haunting if I don’t say so myself.  Many believe that some of the bodies in the old cemetery were never dug up.  The church was also built with secret passageways and tunnels between the convent and the church.  This is evident by the sub-basements and mysterious doorways that have been sealed with bricks. It’s believed these tunnels may have been used to hide slaves who were trying to escape slavery in the South.  

Death has occurred within the walls of Most Holy Trinity Church.  In 1895, the church’s second pastor passed away in his sleep while on the second floor of the rectory, which he had built himself.  This room is now used as a guest room for priests living in the building.  It’s not surprising that none of the priests have taken up a permanent residence in the second floor of the rectory.  Guests staying in the room have said they heard footsteps; like someone was walking across the room- back and forth.  There have also been other odd noises heard coming from the room.  There have been other accounts of people hearing footsteps on the stairs of each of the four floors during the late hours of the night.  Everyone seems to feel as though they are being watched and constantly in the presence or someone else.  There are also reports that dogs will freeze and just stare at the stairs heading down to the basement, and in the dining room when its cold.  The lights in the school’s gym reportedly turn on and off randomly.  There have also been footsteps heard in the school when no one else was there.

Another death that occurred in Most Holy Trinity Church was that of George Stelz.  Stelz was the parish sexton and bellringer.  He was murdered in August of 1897 in the vestibule of the church.  The murderer was never found out, but many believe another parishioner of Trinity was to blame.  That same parishioner was later executed for the murder of another person.  It’s believed that Stelz still haunts the building because no one was ever brought to justice for his murder.  It’s said that Stelz’s blood and the bloody hand print of his murderer can still be seen in the stairway leading up to the bell tower.  To this day the bell towers are said to sometimes ring on there own, which many believe is the doing of George Stelz so that his memory won’t fade into time.

Down in sunny central Florida along the Gulf Coast lies the Sunshine Skyway Bridge.  Don’t let this bright and cheerful name fool you though, as this bridge actually has had a very dark past ever since its original creation in 1954.  The notable tragedies really began to occur in 1980.  One night two ships collided close to the bridge causing one of the ships to sink, killing 23 crew members trapped below the ships decks as it sunk.  This became known as the Blackthorn tragedy, for the name of the victim ship and crew.  Later that year, another even more tragic incident occurred as the ship “Summit Venture” ran into one of the bridges main supports causing a large portion of the bridge to collapse killing 35 more people.  In addition, an estimated 51 people committed suicide by jumping off the old bridge before its demise.  

After the bridges collapse in 1980, a new bridge was built next to the old one, which is the Sunshine Skyway bridge you see today.  Since the new bridge has been opened, roughly an additional 100 people have committed suicide by jumping off.  This ominous past has lead to the haunting that has been widely reported today.  On foggy nights, there have been reports that you can hear the screams of the bridges victims.  Even more disturbing are the encounters people driving across the bridge have had.  

These experiences center on a ghost that haunts the bridge.  She is a young female hitchhiker, who will actually climb into peoples cars who stop for her at the bottom of the bridge.  She would very nervously explain that she had to get to the other side of the bridge.  As the drivers would get closer to the top, she would become more nervous and restless.  As the drivers would console her that she would be alright, she would simply vanish at the bridges pinnacle.  The interesting thing about these reports, are that many have involved out of state drivers unfamiliar with the local legends of the bridge.  One truck driver claimed to have picked up a young woman, who was soaking wet and she told him to drop her off on other side of bridge but as with all the other accounts, as he was crossing, she simply disappeared.  There have been many sightings of this woman on the bridge who many believe was a suicide victim, one of many jumpers on the bridge.  With a past that is engrossed around more than 200 deaths by horrible means, it is no wonder this bridge has become as haunted as it is to this day.

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