From a Former Royal Palace to Abandoned Mines: The Most Haunted Place in Every State
Industry and abandoned towns
Sloss Furnaces, now a historic national landmark, produced iron in the late 19th century. With no labor laws and furnace temperatures often above 100 degrees, 47 men died while Wormwood was their boss. Wormwood also died at the furnaces after slipping into iron ore, where his body melted, Travel South USA reported.
Kennecott, a remote Alaskan town, has been mostly abandoned since 1950. Its remaining wooden buildings are believed by many to be haunted by former miners and railroad workers, the Anchorage Daily News reported.
In Colorado, St. Elmo flourished as a mining town before its mines closed and the community was abandoned, History Colorado reported. A popular local story says Annabelle Stark stayed there after the town was deserted.
Prisons and wartime history
The Old Newgate Prison was Connecticut’s first prison, operating from 1773 to 1827, Connecticut History reported. It also held prisoners of war during the Revolutionary War. The Old St. Johns County Jail in St. Augustine no longer holds inmates. The spirits of many of the city’s violent criminals are reportedly said to haunt the historic jail.
Hotels, theaters and landmarks
The Crescent Hotel in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, embraces its reputation as a haunted hotel. In Georgia, Savannah is also said to be haunted, and visitors to its historic theater have reported shadowy figures and applause when nobody is present, according to a local tour company.
Bodie, California, is a former gold-rush ghost town that became a state park, according to the California Department of Parks and Recreation. The Lost Dutchman gold mine is believed to be in a state park in Apache Junction, Arizona, though its exact location is unclear.
Hawaii’s ‘Iolani Palace was once home to royalty and now operates as a museum of Hawaiian history. The sites described across the country include places with reported paranormal activity as well as locations marked by significant histories.
Key points
- Sloss Furnaces saw 47 worker deaths during its late-19th-century iron production.
- Kennecott has been mostly abandoned since 1950, with former workers said to haunt its buildings.
- Old Newgate Prison operated from 1773 to 1827 and held Revolutionary War prisoners.
- The ‘Iolani Palace, once a royal home, now serves as a museum of Hawaiian history.