Types
of Hauntings
General Hauntings
Hauntings occur with no regularity and for
no particular reason. Some weird occurrences
may manifest on occasion or even continually
for a few days or hundreds of years; others
may only occur on certain anniversaries; and
others may be totally random.
It is generally assumed that hauntings involve
apparitions, or ghosts, of the deceased. In
fact, apparitions are seldom seen. Most hauntings
involve noises like footsteps, a tapping or
knocking sound, strange smells, sensations
like the cold prickling of the skin, cold
breezes, and the feeling of being touched
by an invisible hand. Other hauntings involve
poltergeist-like activity such as solid objects
being moved, broken glass, doors that open
and close by themselves, and manipulation
of lights and electrical devices.
People who visit haunted locations also report
a variety of overpowering emotions, including
anger and fear. Many cases like this are mistakenly
called "evil" or "demonic."
Other places seem to involve friendly, or
at least harmless, emotions.
Poltergeist Activity
A variety of phenomena can be connected to
poltergeist activity: knocking and tapping
sounds, noises with no visible cause, disturbance
of stationary objects like household items
and furniture, doors slamming, lights turning
on and off, fires breaking out, etc.
The widely accepted theory behind poltergeist
phenomena is that it's usually caused by a
person. This person is usually an adolescent
girl who is going through an emotionally troubled
time. The theory is that this person may be
unconsciously manipulating the items in the
house by psycho kinesis, which is the power
to move things by energy generated in the
brain.
Kinetic energy remains unexplained, but even
mainstream scientists are starting to admit
that it may exist. It is unknown why this
energy appears in puberty-age girls, but it
has been documented. When the activity begins
to occur, the girl is usually in the middle
of emotional or sexual angst. It is also possible
for young boys, and even adults, to manifest
this odd ability. The majority have no idea
they're causing the activity.
Of course, not all hauntings can be so easily
explained. In some cases, people aren't the
cause of the situation. Sometimes it's possible
that the source of the activity is an intelligent
spirit. These entities try to make their presence
known by moving objects. (If this is the case,
then it's time to think about moving).
Residual Hauntings
This type of haunting is much more common
than people realize.
The easiest way to explain this type of haunting
is to compare it to an old film loop. Imagine
an old movie tape is stuck in the VCR and
the same clip keeps repeating itself. In locations
where these hauntings take place, a powerful
event or a series of events may be imprinted
on the atmosphere. It can then suddenly pop
up and play itself at random. But it's not
necessarily visual; they are often replayed
as unexplained sounds. The famous "phantom
footsteps" reported in many haunted locations
are a perfect example of this.
How does this kind of thing happen? The sounds
and images are related to traumatic events
that took place at the location, causing some
sort of disturbance sometimes called a "psychic
impression." This is the reason why so
many battlefields have become famous for their
hauntings over the years. In other situations,
the images have been created by events or
actions that were repeated, which caused an
impression. Reputedly, that is why so many
haunted staircases exist, because of the number
of times people go up and down them and the
amount of energy that is expended in doing
so.
These kinds of haunted places act as giant
storage batteries, saving up the impressions
of sights and sounds from the past. As time
goes by, these impressions appear again as
if the VCR had been turned on. While apparitions
are most commonly connected to these types
of hauntings, much of the activity may be
in the form of sounds, and even smells.
Portal Hauntings
The idea of a "portal" or a "doorway"
to another dimension is not a new one--though
it may be a wild one. These doorways may provide
access for entities to enter our world. They
may be the spirits of people who've died,
or they could be something else altogether--perhaps
otherworldly beings from another dimension?
Hmmm...
One of the most common locations for these
"doorways" seems to be in cemeteries.
As a rule, most cemeteries are not haunted,
but recently, ghost hunters have collected
dozens of anomalous photographs taken in graveyards.
There seems to be no explanation why many
of these cemeteries would become haunted unless
they provide access for spirits, or entities,
to pass from one world to the next.
It is possible that these sites were "haunted"
long before a cemetery was located there.
It is also possible that the psychic draw
of the area was what caused our ancestors
to locate a cemetery there in the first place.
Native Americans chose their burial grounds
in this manner, although they did it consciously.
They found a place to bury and honor the dead
that they felt was more closely connected
to the next world.
Traditional or Intelligent Hauntings
This type of haunting is perhaps the most
widely accepted kind of ghostly activity,
although it's not as common as you might think.
Here, the spirit or entity involved is an
"intelligent" presence in a haunted
location. It is there because of a connection
to the site or to the people in the location.
This ghost is best (and most simply) described
as the personality of a person who once lived
and who has stayed behind in our world instead
of passing over to the other side.
This sometimes happens in the case of a murder,
traumatic event or unfinished business. At
the time of death, the spirit refuses to pass
over because of these events. The spirits
often linger because of emotions that tie
them to the earth, from anger to love. Or
perhaps the person does not pass not because
they couldn't, but because they did not want
to. In other cases, there is the chance the
spirit does not even realize they are dead
(like Patrick Swayze in Ghost). This can occur
when the death is sudden.
These spirits are made up of the energy that
once made up the personality of a living person.
These intelligent spirits are not evil or
demonic, as some would have you believe. Spirits
are simply human personalities, or souls,
and if the spirit was a kind and caring person
in life, the spirit will most likely be in
death. On the other hand, angry and cruel
people will also keep those same nasty qualities
as spirits. These negative spirits can be
frightening, especially to people not trained
in the paranormal. In very rare cases they
have been able to harm the living, but that
is generally not the case. It is much more
common to hear of an encounter with a benevolent
spirit than with a negative one. That's a
relief, isn't it?
Sources: The Encyclopedia of Ghosts and Spirits
by Rosemary Ellen Guiley & The Enchanted
World of Ghosts
Haunted
Places To Investigate in the United States
Popular tourist destination
for ghost hunters, parapsychologists, and
paranormal enthusiasts
112 Ocean Avenue
in Amityville, Long Island, New York, is reputedly
haunted due to a mass murder that took place
in the house on the evening of November 13,
1974. The new family that moved into the house
thirteen months later only managed to stay
there for 28 days until they fled one night.The
Amityville House of Horror
Alcatraz -
an American prison, no longer used, where
visitors and tour guides have made claims
of hearing screams, slamming jail doors, and
footsteps.
Chickamauga Battlefield in Northwest Georgia.
Site of one of the bloodiest battles of the
American Civil War. According to some, Chickamauga
is haunted by the ghosts of killed soldiers
and a frightening entity known as "Green
Eyes"
Driskill Hotel
in Austin, Texas - One of the most famous
hotels in the state of Texas, and long a gathering
place for the state's political players, it
is said to be haunted by at least half a dozen
ghosts, including the spirit of a young girl
heard bouncing a ball down the main stairs;
the ghost of founder Jesse Driskill himself;
and a "suicide bride" who killed
herself in room 427 in 1989.
Franklin Castle
- Mansion in Cleveland, Ohio. This one is
commonly thought to be a favorite of wine-os,
as those are the most likely ghosts in there.
Moonville, Ohio - A forgotten mining and railroad
ghost town, left behind little to mark its
place except a railroad tunnel haunted by
potentially three spirits. The town's cemetery
is also suppose to be haunted.
New Orleans,
LA - Numerous sites in this city, especially
in the French Quarter, claim multiple hauntings.
Lalaurie house, Saint Louis Cemetery number
1. Arnaud's and Brennan's restaurants, the
Hotel Monteleone, City Park and Saint Louis
Cathedral at Jackson Square, and most of Royal
Street are among the French Quarter's most
famous haunted sites. Since Hurricane Katrina,
many residents report higher paranormal activity
than usual.
Ohio State
Reformatory - nineteenth century prison reputedly
haunted by a Mrs Glattle, who was killed in
1950 when a gun accidentally fell, went off
and killed her.
The 'Old Town' section of Spring, Texas hosts
many ghosts, including spirits from Spring's
days as an American Old West town, and a bank
robbery credited to Bonnie and Clyde.
The Lemp Mansion
Restaurant and Inn in St. Louis, Missouri
is said to be haunted by ghosts of the members
of the Lemp family. Four of the Lemp family
members committed suicide. Glasses have suddenly
flown off the bar, feeling of being watched,
apparitions, etc.
Sunnyvale,
CA - Many Toys 'R' Us employees have reported
seeing unusual rearranging of toys in the
aisles, and reported sightings of a man dressed
in old clothing and in his 30's. His name
is believed to be Johan, and the store still
remains opened today. In fact, most customers
are completely unaware of this legend.
The White House
- its kitchens are reputedly haunted by Mamie
Eisenhower, wife of President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Mrs. Eisenhower had a difficult relationship
with household staff who worked in the kitchens.
After her husband left the presidency, kitchen
staff during the Kennedy and Johnson presidencies
reported finding the kitchen reorganised overnight
back to the way Mamie had demanded. After
the death 'Mamie reorganisations' were reported
by a number of staff in the kitchen who could
find no explanation for the changes and none
of the security staff on duty saw anyone entering
or exiting the kitchens at night. Some staff
claimed to have seen Mamie on occasion in
the kitchen rummaging through cupboards.
The Winchester
Mystery House in San Jose, California, USA
is supposedly haunted by the ghost of its
eccentric builder, Sarah Winchester. Ironically,
she built the rambling mansion to protect
her from the spirits of all those killed with
her late husband's famous line of rifles.
The Whaley
House in the "Old Town" section
of San Diego, California, is a reportedly
haunted house. The house was one of the regions
first court houses as well as hanging grounds
before being converted to a residence.
The Lizzie
Borden House in Fall River, Ma, which is now
a Bed and Breakfast, may possibly be the most
haunted house in America. The sight of a double
murder, one of the most famous in US history,
has produced sightings, noises and the feeling
of a cat walking across them have all been
reported.
The Old jail
house of St. Augustine, Florida, which is
haunted by the prisoners there.
A field just to the northwest of Chicago's
O'Hare International Airport was the site
of the crash of American Airlines Flight 191,
and residents of a nearby trailer park have
reported specters of the passengers approaching
their homes or walking up to them, as well
as knocking sounds and strange lights.
Several buildings
located at Church Street Station in Orlando,
Florida are reported to be haunted. While
the attraction itself has been closed down
for a few years, many of the remaining local
businesses have moved elsewhere because of
the paranormal phenomenon. Church Street Station
is now, however, a very popular tourist destination
for all local and visiting ghost hunters,
parapsychologists, and paranormal enthusiasts.
The Masquerade,
a now-defunct performance theatre/music venue
located in the historic entertainment district
of Ybor City, Florida, is said to house ghosts
whose moods were dictated nightly by the quality
of music played.
Hollywood, California has been home to many
of the great stars and there are those who
believe that their ghosts remain there after
death, earning it the name Haunted Hollywood.
Boone County,
Illinois has several intersecting roads south
of the city of Belvidere with a reputation
of being haunted, most notably Bloodspoint
Road. Stories circulated by the surrounding
populace include a phantom vehicle that chases
cars, a vanishing farmhouse and various apparitions.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_haunted_locations"
