First of all, many people don't believe in ghosts. If you're one of them, then consider this a list of the places that are often reported as haunted by visitors, employees, and/or ghost hunters. Whether or not you actually buy into it all, some of these tales are truly creepy.
ALABAMA: SLOSS FURNACES, BIRMINGHAM
Sloss Furnaces is a National Historic Landmark - the only blast furnace ever turned into a museum - and it's pretty damn haunted. The 50-acre industrial plant operated from 1882 until 1970, and was notorious for its high number of worker deaths via steam explosions, burns, and falls in underground tunnels. One specific ghost known to haunt the premises is that of James “Slag” Wormwood, a cruel and unpleasant graveyard shift foreman from the early 1900s, who was in charge when a total of 47 crew members lost their lives. In 1906, Wormwood fell into an enormous pool of melted iron ore and died. From that point on, workers felt a strange presence at Sloss, and in 1926, a night watchman was mysteriously pushed from behind and injured. In 1947, three supervisors were found unconscious in a locked boiler room. According to the men, a badly burned worker had approached them just prior to the incident and told them to get back to work.
A paranormal team from Syfy's Ghost Hunters (along with Meat Loaf) investigated the site in 2010.
ARKANSAS: CRESCENT HOTEL, EUREKA SPRINGS
Not only is Eureka Springs' Crescent Hotel a haunted hotel, but an entire website is devoted to it being “America's Most Haunted Hotel.” It was once a hospital where patients would rarely leave alive due to faulty medical practices, and some of their spirits still linger around the property. Common ghost sightings include that of a worker who fell to his death during the initial construction in 1885, a cancer patient who needs help finding his room key, a man in a white suit, a patient in a white nightgown, and even a cat named Morris. The hotel offers ghost tours that are so popular, this year they suspended late-night theater performances during the month of October in favor of additional “Late, Late Ghost Tours.”
COLORADO: STRATER HOTEL, DURANGO
Generally, employees of so-called “haunted hotels” are probably amused by the local ghost stories - especially when they come from current guests. But when the hotel workers themselves fear the ghosts, that's when you know you're in trouble. Such is the case at the Strater Hotel in Durango, Colorado, where staffers often refuse to work alone on the upper floors due to constant harassment by menacing, shadowy apparitions, as well as a transparent lady in white. People have also seen the figure of a man standing on the adjacent railroad tracks (who suddenly vanishes), a little girl, a bar maid, and an old-timey railway engineer who can be spotted in the hotel lobby. Each room even comes with a “ghost diary”!
DELAWARE: FORT DELAWARE, DELAWARE CITY
Not only does Fort Delaware have year-round ghost tours - it's so haunted that people on these tours routinely claim to see ghosts, and a few have even been captured in tourists' photos. Apparently, most of the spirits belong to dead Confederate soldiers who were once imprisoned at the fort, and who now spend their time creating cold spots, cannon explosion sounds, and disembodied voices.
FLORIDA: STRANAHAN HOUSE, FT. LAUDERDALE
After the former owner of Stranahan House, Frank Stranahan, drowned himself in the river outside of his home during the Great Depression, people have claimed to see his ghost wandering around the property. Years later, the sister of Frank's widow also passed away in the house due to bleeding from prematurely giving birth to a stillborn baby. In all, six entities are said to haunt the house. Now open for public tours, this home gives unique insight into the history and culture of the early 1900s, as well as the chance to spot one of the ghosts, which are often seen moving about, randomly changing temperatures of the rooms, and rearranging objects and furniture.
IDAHO: OLD IDAHO STATE PENITENTIARY, BOISE
Also known as “Old Pen,” this former jail - which operated from 1872 to 1973 - is now the home of numerous apparitions (likely former inmates) stirring up all kinds of trouble. Visitors have reported feeling touches, sudden emotions of dread or despair, hearing whispers in the hallways, and seeing unexplainable flashing lights. The Travel Channel's Ghost Adventures team investigated Old Pen a few years ago, and not only did they hear mysterious bangs and voices, but they photographed what appeared to be a male apparition.
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