The Franklin Castle can be found in Cleveland, Ohio. While all castles are probably a bit eerie simply due to age, the Franklin Castle is a bit creepier than most and thought to be one of the most haunted castles in the world. The Franklin Castle was built in 1865 for Hannes Tiedemann. Tiedemann was German and perhaps he was just homesick when he had a castle built in America. His daughter Emma died of diabetes in 1881 and his mother Wiebeka died shortly after. Within the next three years, three more Tiedemann children would die. That seems like an … Continue reading →

What’s worse than a haunted prison? How about a haunted asylum? Rolling Hills Asylum, located in East Bethany, New York, opened in 1827. The massive building, 53,000+ square feet, was originally a poorhouse. The Genesee County Poor Farm included a mix of the elderly, vagrants, orphans, handicapped people, drunkards, the mentally ill, and minor criminals who had nowhere else to go. Despite the fact that it wasn’t a prison, the resident were referred to as “inmates.” The able-bodied worked raising animals and food. Some even made coffins in the wood shop and it’s believed there was a cemetery – a … Continue reading →

When you think of a southern plantation, you may think of women in white dresses and bonnets, gentleman farmers, and sweet tea, but do you think of ghosts? If you don’t, you might want to visit the Myrtle Plantation in St. Francisville, Louisiana. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the plantation is currently a bed and breakfast, but it may not be for the faint of heart. It is known as one of the most haunted homes in America. The plantation dates all the way back to 1796 when it was built by General David Bradford, only he … Continue reading →

Maybe it’s just because I am a law abiding citizen, but I think prisons are pretty creepy in general. Maybe it’s the barbed wire fences, maybe it’s the road signs warning you not to pick up hitchhikers, or maybe it’s just my imagination running away with the horrible crimes committed by those inside. But, can an abandoned prison be even creepier? Maybe, especially if it reportedly haunted! The Eastern State Penitentiary is located in Philadelphia. It opened in 1829 and held bad guys behind bars until it closed in 1971. Then, it was abandoned. For 20 years, the prison just … Continue reading →

Not long ago, I blogged about the Roosevelt Hollywood, a hotel reportedly haunted by the likes of Marilyn Monroe and Montgomery Cliff among others. But, the Roosevelt Hollywood isn’t the only haunted hotel in town. The Knickerbocker Hotel was built in 1925 as a luxury apartment building. It later became a hotel, with its Renaissance Revival Bar a favorite among the Hollywood crowd. Over the years, the Knickerbocker saw its share of fame, but also its share of scandal. Famed director D.W. Griffith died of a stroke in the hotel in 1948. Once a Hollywood big wig, Griffith had been … Continue reading →

What could be scarier than a haunted hotel? You check it for a little R&R and suddenly, there is a spirit in your room! I’ve already talked about the Stanley Hotel, where the movie The Shining was filmed and the Farnsworth House Inn, where founded Confederate soldiers were taken during the Civil War. I’ve also blogged about The Hotel Chelsea in NYC where many celebs either died, committed suicide, or were murdered. Let’s go back to the west coast for the Roosevelt Hollywood hotel. Located in the heart of Hollywood, the Roosevelt was first opened in 1927. It was financed … Continue reading →

When we lived in San Diego, I loved to visit dead celebrities. That is, I love to visit cemeteries filled with celebrity burial sites and there is probably no better placed to do that than in Los Angeles. Unfortunately, we left there in 2001, just as a now famous cemetery was making its comeback. Hollywood Forever is located in – well, Hollywood as you might imagine. It sits on 62 acres with large lots that were sold to Paramount and RKO Studios. A look around is like looking into Hollywood itself. You will find Don Adams of “Get Smart” fame, … Continue reading →

I’ve been to a lot of spooky place, but I’ve always wanted to visit Bachelor’s Grove in Chicago, IL, the home of the infamous White Lady. Bachelor’s Grove is a cemetery located in southwest Chicago. At first glance, it might appear to be a normal graveyard, one that hasn’t received the best of care over the years. But, Bachelor’s Grove is reportedly haunted. So much so that is has its own little list of ghastly residents and even a phantom building. The most famous is undoubtedly the White Lady. The White Lady or the Madonna as she is sometimes called … Continue reading →

Once again, it is one of my favorite times of the year – Halloween. Or, at least the lead up to Halloween. Each October, I like to do a special blog series on scary places. Unfortunately, I’ve only been to one (the Whaley House in San Diego), but I have many more on my to-do list (the Winchester House and the Hotel Chelsea). On my quest to find yet more scary places, I realized – what could be scarier than a underground burial chamber that you can walk through? Yes, I am talking about the Catacombs of Paris. I’ve never … Continue reading →

It’s Black History Month and I dare to say that few places in America hold the amount of black history that the Apollo Theater in Harlem does. The names of those who started there reads like a Who’s Who of American music. Billie Holiday Like Vandross, Holiday left us much too soon (she died at age 44). But, before she died, she left us with a catalog of incredible recordings and still serves as an inspiration for jazz and pop singers today. Smokey Robinson Robinson first performed at the Apollo in the ‘60s as part of the Motown Review. As … Continue reading →