Scary Places: Eastern State Penitentiary

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

Scary Places: The Knickerbocker Hotel

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

Scary Places: The Roosevelt Hollywood

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

Scary Places: Hollywood Forever

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

Scary Places: Bachelor’s Grove

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

Scary Places: The Stanley Hotel, Estes Park, Colorado

When I mention the name “The Stanley Hotel,” you may think “But Libby, I’ve never heard of this place.” Perhaps not, but if you have ever seen the classic Kubrick/King horror The Shining, you have gotten a sense of The Stanley. (This file is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 License) This hotel is a 138 room Georgian hotel located in Estes Park, Colorado. It was built in 1909 by Freelan O. Stanley (co-founder of Stanley Steamer), hence the name. Many famous people have stayed there – Theodore Roosevelt and John Philip Sousa just to name a few. But, perhaps … Continue reading

Scary Places: RMS Queen Mary

While thinking about scary places, I remembered the RMS Queen Mary. When I think of the word “ocean liner,” usually something along the lines of the Love Boat comes to mind. But apparently, there are some disturbing happenings going on in the Queen Mary. The RMS Queen Mary sailed the North Atlantic for 31 years (1936 until 1967). Like the RMS Queen Elizabeth, her running mate, the Queen Mary helped transport troops during World War II. She was the third largest ocean liner in the world and at times, could carry as many as 16,000 men to war. In 1942, … Continue reading

Scary Places: The Hotel Chelsea in New York City

Ever notice how ghosts tend to haunt old dwellings where many tortured souls lived? Such is the case of the historic Hotel Chelsea in New York City. The Chelsea was built in 1883, when that particular area was the center of the theater district. Maybe that is why it always seemed to attract talented, yet troubled artists. It was first divided into private apartments, and then turned into a hotel, but regardless, it has seen its share of celebrities. (This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.5) Sir Arthur C. Clarke penned “2001: a Space Odyssey” while … Continue reading

Scary Places: The White House – Part II

Yesterday, I was talking about the ghosts at the White House. Abraham Lincoln is a spirit that many have claimed to have seen. But, what other ethereal apparitions may be hanging out there? Mary Todd Lincoln claims to have heard President Andrew Jackson stomping around the Rose Room, which he used as a bedroom. If you remember, then General Andrew Jackson was supposed to have stayed at the Bell house in Tennessee after hearing of the Bell Witch haunting. Poor William Henry Harrison has the distinction of being the first president to die in office and having served only 30 … Continue reading

Scary Places: Alcatraz

Let’s face it – when Alcatraz was open as a prison, it was a scary place. But now, even though the maximum security prison is open for tourism, it is still scary. Maybe because it is so isolated, sitting out there in the middle of the San Francisco bay, Alcatraz, also known as The Rock, has been used as a military fort, a military prison, and a federal prison. (This image from PD Photo.org has been released into the public domain by its author and copyright holder, Jon Sullivan.) The federal government acquired the island back in 1846 and the … Continue reading