#1- All hallow's eve..

#1- All Hallows Eve..

                      "THIS IS HALLOWEEN, THIS IS HALLOWEEN, PUMPKINS SCREAM IN THE DEAD OF NIGHT!"

                            Happy Halloween, everybody! I hope you have enjoyed my month-long celebration of all things creepy, scary, strange and spooky....

                           

         Tonight's final Halloween themed entry will be Halloween itself. Let's take a look at how it all began.....

                                All Hallows Eve is a pagan holiday that dates back to the ancient festival of Samhain, celebrated on October 31st , and marked the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter. It is believed that this is the night when the spirits of the dead can come back to the world of the living. People would leave offerings of food on their doorsteps hoping to prevent these spirits from entering their homes. Another possible origin may have come from the poor and hungry who would go door to door asking for food in exchange for a prayer and would then given a "soul cake."  Today it's just kids demanding sugar and threatening to pound you if you refuse to give it to them.  Hence, the candy industry was born. They also wore costumes as a disguise to fool the spirits. The jack o'lantern comes form the old Irish tale of Stingy Jack and goes as follows:

        "Stingy Jack was a mean and greedy man who liked to steal and play tricks on everyone. He was eventually punished, and stuck in  great darkness. In order to see, Jack had to use a hallowed-out turnip as a lantern.  The Irish carved turnips to retell Jack’s story. In America, the pumpkin replaced the turnip because it was easier to carve."    

              ....Hence, the pumpkin industry was born. 

                   The ancient Druids and pagans would  also sit around and watch "Friday the 13th" "Nightmare on Elm Street" and of course..."Halloween." Hence,  the horror film industry was born.  You know, I'm noticing a lot of hence -ing and born -ing going on here. Halloween has spawned pumpkin patches, candy companies, horror movies, and  ludicrously expensive costume shops. Holy crap! a little polyester suit no heavier than a hospital gown and they charge you $50! What a racket...but, what are you going to do? 

                      Well, this gives you a few basic facts of our favorite holiday. Thank you for joining me and I'll see you next year when we explore some more spooky sites and haunted houses....I'm going to go watch one more scary movie and raid the kids candy buckets for the good ones...and then collapse in a candy coma.....good-night!

                                   *footnote*

                                            You do realize that Halloween also marks the beginning of the Christmas season.....Hence the retail industry was born.....Fa La La La La La La La La...

#2- Count Dracula or Vlad the Impaler

#2 - Vlad III Tepes, Transylvania, Hungary

                           This is it. We have reached the end of our countdown of the scariest places on earth. And I have saved the best for last. You have no idea how much I have looked forward to this all month long. Yes, yes. I know. Before you politely bring to my attention that this is indeed NOT the end of the countdown, that this is in fact only #2, I would like to politely tell you to mind your own business.....I know what I'm doing...

                             Nothing screams Halloween like Count Dracula, otherwise known as Vlad the Impaler. He ruled Wallachia from 1456 to 1462. (wherever the hell that is) and spent most of his reign fighting the Ottoman Empire. As his name suggests, he brought flowers and candy to his enemies and treated them so nicely. What a lovely man Vlad was! ....HE WAS AN IMPALER!! What do you think his name suggests? He is believed to have killed between 40,000 to 100,000 people by impaling them on stakes and displaying them in public to frighten his enemies. 

                            His father, Vlad II was admitted to an organization called the Order of The Dragon in 1431, which was founded to protect Christianity in eastern Europe. "Dracul" is the Romanian word for "Dragon", thus he became known as Vlad Dracul. Which means Vlad II  became known as Vlad Dracula, son of the dragon. Bram Stokers 1897 novel is inspired by Vlad. We don't know where the vampire legend comes in and if there's any truth to it. What we do know is that Mr. Impaler hated everyone. He hated his younger brother Radu for converting to Islam,  he hated the Ottoman Turks, and he was jealous of his fathers preference for his older brother  Mircea II and his half-brother Vlad Calugarul. So he went on murdering rampages..like you do, when you hate everything. 

                       Vlad's life is quite detailed, so it's more than I can put here. But you get the gist. He reigned and impaled..and then reigned and impaled some more. He was assassinated in 1476 in Bucharest. Most Romanian historians believe the Comana Monastery is his final resting place. I hope he's resting on a stick....just like his victims. 

                        *footnote*
                                      Bran Castle, located in the Carpathian Mountains and the residence of Vlad Tepes... .. the #1 scariest place on earth. Care to spend the night? 

                               

                      
                                 

#3- jersey devil

#3 - The Jersey Devil, the Pine Barrens of Southern New Jersey

               "It was said that Mother Leeds had 13 children and, after giving birth to her
13th child, stated that if she had another, it would be the Devil. In 1735, Mother Leeds was in labor on a stormy night. Gathered around her were her friends. Mother Leeds was supposedly a witch and the child's father was the Devil himself. The child was born normal, but then changed form. It changed from a normal baby to a creature with hooves, a horse's head, bat wings and a forked tail. It growled and screamed, then killed the midwife before flying up the chimney. It circled the villages and headed toward the pines. In 1740 a clergy exorcised the demon for 100 years and it wasn't seen again until 1890."

                  ....Or so the legend goes. It is believed that Mother Leeds is Deborah Leeds and she and her husband Japhet, lived in the Leeds point section of what is now Atlantic City. 
                     
              Alrighty then. So there is this really icky nobody-knows-what thing flying around the woods of Jersey. Cool. Joseph Bonaparte, the eldest brother of Napoleon Dynamite, said to have witnessed the devil while hunting on his estate in 1820. I guess it decided to come back early or the clergy's exorcism just plain didn't work. In 1840, it was blamed for killing livestock. 1909 saw a record number of reports. The newspapers published hundreds of claimed encounters. Some from as far away as Delaware. Sightings continued on and off from 1925 to 1960. An unknown animal with red eyes, a 'monster' matching the devils description, tracks were seen and noises heard....all believed to be this Jersey Devil. So what is it really? Nobody knows. I bet it's just one of those rodents of unusual size that escaped from the fire swamp and decided New Jersey looked like a fine place to settle down. Call Wesley- he'll take care of it. 

                 Well, I don't care what it is and more importantly, I don't WANT to know.  I'm staying away. With my luck, it would be something that would try and eat my face off. No thanks. 

                                   *footnote*
                                             Cryptozoologists think it's a species of Pterosaur such as a Dimorphodon. Oh sure. That's much more believable. A dinosaur. My theory of an over sized rodent doesn't sound so strange anymore, does it? 

#4 - mummies!

#4 - The Mummies of Guanajuato, Guanajuato, Mexico

                              We're not exploring haunted houses tonight, but mummies are equally creepy. And with only 4 more nights to go, what could be more appropriate for our countdown? Vampires, werewolves and mummies, oh my! 

                               
                          These mummified bodies were buried during a cholera epidemic in Mexico in 1833. Well, they weren't mummified bodies when they died. They were just bodies. It took awhile for them to become mummies...like..a LONG while. The cemetery was discovered in the 1860's and the bodies dug up, because the law required loved ones to pay a tax in order to keep the body buried there. About 90% of the bodies were evicted because families couldn't pay. "HEY! you didn't pay the tax! - you get grandma back!"  And they  would proceed to dump  her right then and there on your front porch. "MOM? Grandma's back again!" .....sigh...poor grandma...no final resting place for you! Bodies were being dumped on front porches left and right from 1865 clear through 1958. Grandma, Grandpa and even weird Uncle Ted were told to get their dead asses out. Oh wait, this is Mexico. His name would've been weird Uncle Pablo.
Anyway, the bodies were eventually stored in a building and in 1900, they began to attract attention from tourists. The cemetery workers noticed this and got the great idea of charging people to view the bones and mummies. What an easy way to make a buck! (excuse me, a peso) and they made pesos hand over fist! The building eventually became El Museo De Las Momias. Or "The Mummies Museum" to the lay person....

                    So if you feel the need to take a break from haunted houses and want to experience something new and different, then these mummies are for you! ...Tell Uncle Pablo I said hello...

                             *footnote*
                                      They repealed the law in 1958 prohibiting the cemetery workers to dig up any more bodies. What a relief! The townspeople got sick and tired of walking over dead people just to get to their cars, so they could go to work.  I also have to say that one part of me finds this sick and twisted, but another part of me finds this absolutely fascinating and I would actually go see them.
                            Here are some pictures. I refuse to show the children. They're heartbreaking

                          

#5- ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED??!!!

#5 - The Colosseum, Rome, Italy

                            Are you not entertained?......ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED??!! 
                             
                            Yes I am....Maximus can entertain me any day. What a sexy gladiator! If you don't know where we are, Mr. Crowe should've given you a big flaming hint. We are at the Colosseum. 

                    Construction began in 72 AD during the reign of Emperor Vespasian and was finished in 80 AD under  Emperor Titus. It was used for  the gladiator contests, re-enactments of famous battles, dramas based on classical mythology and even executions. But it's main purpose was to give Russell somewhere to ooze Maximus Decimus Hotness while filming "Gladiator"..

                 The games are simple. A bunch of guys are thrown in to an arena, armed with swords, bows & arrows, guns, tanks, bazookas and flamethrowers. Basically they fight to the death or until someone starts crying. It's all fun and games until someone loses an eye! Many eyes were lost in the Colosseum. If fighting each other wasn't  bad enough, animals would be tossed in for added fun.. lions, tigers, fish and weasels were the most common. If you weren't skewered right off the bat by another gladiator, you would face a most certain death when the weasels were released.  As was the custom of the time, the spectators decided if a losing gladiator was to be spared. Usually, they were not....because this would be boring. However, some gladiators succeeded in winning all their matches and became popular enough that they were able to win their freedom as well. YAY! 

                         Needless to say, the Colosseum abounds with the spirits of dead animals and gladiators. The sounds of weeping, moaning, swords clashing, and the roar of the crowd can be heard. Figures are seen walking up and down the stairs, and seated in the stands as if watching the spectacle down below. Roman soldiers still guard the exits. 
                  
                         Well, I've definitely been entertained...weasels and lions, lost eyes and bazookas. What a pleasant way to spend an afternoon!

                                 *footnote*
                                        I think we should start up the games again. I've got some great ideas of who our first batch of gladiators should be!  I say Justin Bieber vs. Kim kardashian....and let's throw in a porcupine.... talk about losing an eye...

                                           
                            

#6 - Amusement park of death

#6 - Lake Shawnee Amusement Park, Princeton, West Virginia

                            That's not something you hear every day. Amusement park of death. Amusement parks are supposed to be happy, fun places...filled with... amusement. That's why they're called amusement parks. Death is not supposed to happen while you're having fun. 

                        Lake Shawnee was originally the site of an ancient Indian burial ground and the Clay family massacre. Mitchell and Phoebe Clay were some of the first white settlers in the county. In 1781, they were attacked by Indians and 2 of the Clay children were killed. An older boy was captured and taken to Ohio where he was burned at the stake. This property is not off to a good start. 

                       Sometime during the 1920's, the amusement park was opened by C.T. Snidow. It included a boathouse, swimming pool, rides and log cabins surrounded the lake. It was closed in 1966 after several mysterious deaths happened, including a 6 year old girl who was riding on a swing. She was hit and killed by a truck that was backing up. 2 boys drowned in the swimming pool. Still more drownings are believed to have occured in the lake. See? Death is bad while you're having fun swimming or riding on the swings. Ghosts are seen on the Ferris wheel and you can hear children laughing. The swing can be seen moving by itself. I bet she's still there -or more like she never left. 

                    However, the more sinister spirits are thought to be those of the settlers and indians that fought so violently. You know, if they'd just taken turns, they all would've had a chance to ride the merry-go-round and no one would've gotten hurt. But no...they had to kill each other. And now they wander the not- so- amusing amusement park and scare the crap out of the people who come to visit. Dirty pool, settlers and indians! Dirty pool....

                        Well, this has been enough amusement for me. A family massacred, drownings and death.  So NOT the happiest place on earth....I'm leaving..

                                      *footnote*
                                               I'm going to give you just one small piece of advice. If you must build an amusement park, that's fine... just make sure you don't build it on ancient indian burial grounds....unless you're specifically going for an amusement park of death...

                   

#7- Arrrrrr, matey...a pirate's life for me!

#7- The Pirates House, Savannah, Georgia

                   We're down to our final week. I can't believe we only have 7 more nights of scariest places left. I don't know about you, but all this scary sight-seeing has made me hungry. Let's get some dinner and a pint of rum at the Pirate's House! I love pirates, so this is going to be awesome...

                     The Pirates House is a restaurant and tavern established in 1753. It quickly became the hang-out for seamen, pirates and all your unsavory characters. And I'm sure there was all sorts of wenching going on. Hey, these are my kind of guys! Many a captain would come to the tavern looking for drunk men to take on as crew for his ship. They would wait until an unsuspecting sailor was so sloshed out of his mind, that he could be bonked easily over the head and dragged out through the underground tunnels. The poor guys would wake up the next morning  to find they had been outfitted with an eye patch, a parrot, an earring, and a wooden leg....and suffering from one hell of a hangover. They also discovered they could talk with way cool pirate accents! They were never seen or heard from again.

                       It was rumored the tunnels were also used as a morgue and to hide the bodies from public view who had died during a yellow fever epidemic. Some say they were used as hideouts for the underground railroad system during the 1840's-50's. 

                   Claims have been made that the Pirates House inspired Robert Louis Stevenson's book Treasure Island and the ghost of Captain Flint haunts the second floor, where he supposedly died in an upstairs bedroom. 

                     Well, that was a wonderful meal! I'm full and ready to move on to our next nightmarish neighborhood....but I need to go look for my friends before we head out. They all got wasted and have disappeared......Huh. That's interesting.

                       *footnote*

                               You do realize that all pirates were this sexy....I volunteer to be his wench! 

                                                                

#8 - Road Trip!

#8 - Clinton Road, West Milford, New Jersey

                        Sorry, but this is one road trip I do NOT want to take. A seemingly innocent stretch of highway by day - pitch black, 10 miles of terror at night.  Surrounded by deep woods, It runs north to south, starting at route 23 near Newfoundland and ends at upper Greenwood Lake. None of which means anything to me, since I have never been to New Jersey.  

                  Clinton Road has become famous over the years for it's ghosts and gatherings of Satanists, witches and the Klu Klux Klan. Serial killers have been known to dispose of bodies here. There are very few houses along the way and it is mostly undeveloped. This must be why Satan worshippers, witches, Klan klowns and serial killers love it. This must be why I do not. 

                    Phantom trucks appear out of nowhere, chase drivers to the end of the road and then vanish. Strange creatures are seen at night. The ghost of a young woman haunts one area of the road,  who supposedly died in a car crash in 1988. So yes, bad things happen on Clinton Road. One local police chief was quoted as saying: "It’s a long, desolate stretch and makes the imagination go nuts.” I guarantee you my imagination would go beyond nuts. My imagination would conjure up every horrible thing known to man, and I would be paralyzed with fear and most likely wet myself. Don't judge me. With my luck, my car would break down right at the worst possible spot and my phone would be dead rendering it impossible for me to call for help.  This would not be my idea of a good time. 

                    Hey! I just got a great idea! I'm sure you remember Robert the freakin' creepy doll from last night's entry. After we run him over with my car and shove him down the wood chipper, we can scatter his freakin' creepy remains along the road. This would be a perfect resting place for him...or  we could just wrap him up and leave him as a present for the satanists, witches, and  the kooky klan kluxes...

                         *footnote*

                                     The words of Robert Frost come to mind:

                                         

                                       Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,

                                            I took the one less traveled by,
                                        And that has made all the difference. 

                I won't make that mistake again. Never EVER take the road less traveled by. You'll be paralyzed with fear and most likely wet yourself, too. 

                

#9 - Robert the freakin' creepy doll

#9 - Robert the doll, Key West, Florida

                 Sometimes it isn't a place that is haunted, but a thing. Meet Robert, the freakin' creepy doll. It is said he is possessed by evil spirits and has a frightening reputation.

          The doll belonged to a boy named Robert Eugene Otto, known as Eugene. It was given to him by a Bahamian maid in 1906, who was skilled in the art of black magic and voodoo. Legend has it, she was displeased with the family and placed a curse on the doll. It soon became clear that there was something eerie about  Robert the freakin' creepy doll.  Eugene talked to it, and he appeared to talk back. Neighbors said they saw it move between the windows while no one was home. The family claimed they caught glimpses of him running from room to room, emitting a terrifying giggle. Eugene would wake up screaming in the middle of the night saying "Robert did it!" when his parents found  that furniture  had been knocked over. 
           
          Ok, I have to stop here for a minute and wonder why the hell no one thought to get rid of Robert the freakin' creepy doll!! Seriously! As soon as it was even brought in the house, I'd be taking the stupid thing and chucking it. Better yet, burn it! IT'S A FREAKIN' CREEPY DOLL! How did no one notice this?

                  When Eugene died in 1974, the doll was left in the attic until the house was bought again. A 10 year old girl became his new owner and soon she too, awoke screaming in the middle of the night. She said he moved across the room and attacked her on several different occasions. Even now, 30 years later, she still insists he was alive and tried to kill her. And I still say why? Why didn't anyone run him over with a car or send him through a wood chipper? stupid creepy doll...

               Today he is on display at the Fort East Martello Museum in Key West.  I guess this means he was spared a wood chipper death...

                          
                          *footnote*
                                   If you want to take a picture of Robert, you must first ask politely for his permission. If he doesn't agree, legend says he will tip his head to one side. And if you decide to take it anyway, you're screwed. He will curse you and your family. I would like to ask Robert, extremely politely of course, to bite me....I'm not afraid of him and I will be more than happy to  run his ass over with my car. ..several times even....stupid freakin' creepy doll...

. 

#10 - A true house of hell

#10 - The McNeill home, West Valley City, Utah

                        AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! ...NOT THIS HOUSE!  PLEASE, ANYWHERE BUT HERE!! NOOOOOOOOO!!! 

                     Yes, I have brought you to my home. A home so horrifying, it can truly be called "the scariest place on earth". You don't want to know what lurks behind that front door. Terror beyond imagining and sickening displays not to be believed....all because of the people who inhabit this dreadful place...

        Sadie 
           the scary....

          Hayley the Horrible

   
      Ethan the Henchman      



             







.....and Dane the Snarky

Do not enter here under any circumstances. Run fast, run far..... and never return...but if you do decide to come and visit, just don't ever say you weren't warned...

                           *footnote*

                                      Don't ask me where these strange little people came from. I had nothing to do with it...

#11 - Villisca victims

#11 - Villisca axe murders, Villisca, Iowa

                       This story is the stuff of true nightmares. A family brutally murdered in their sleep and the killer never found.

                During the night of June 9, 1912,  some say an unknown assailant broke into the home of Josiah and Sarah Montgomery. Others say a man was already in the house, hiding in the attic and waiting for them to go to bed.   Every family member was killed along with 2 neighbor girls who were spending the night. Lena and Ina Stillinger, Josiah, Sarah and their children Herman, Katherine, Boyd, and Paul. The oldest was Lena, age 12 and the youngest was Paul, only 5 years old. Their skulls were crushed and a bloody axe was found in the front parlor where the Stillinger sisters had been sleeping.  No suspects were ever arrested and even today, 100 years later, the crime has remained unsolved. No one knows why this particular family was the target of such violence. 

                      Although there have been no reports of actual hauntings , people who visit the house do say they feel uneasy and there is a definite "creepiness" to it as they walk around.  I can't help but think their spirits still dwell in the parlor and bedrooms where their bodies were found, unable to rest in peace after suffering such traumatic deaths. 

                           *footnote*
                                 I just read that in fact there was an arrest made. Rev. Lyn George Jacklin Kelly was charged and tried in 1917, but was acquitted. The crime will always remain a mystery...


                                                   4 of 6 of the Moore family members

                                                         

                                 

#12- A ship of spirits

#12- The Queen Mary, Long Beach, California

                     Let's take a cruise! I'm in the mood to sail around the world, visit exotic ports, enjoy midnight buffets, and have hunky cabin boys attend to my every need. And look here! I found  the perfect ship!  Complete with luxury staterooms and the hunky cabin boys I asked for....Anchors Aweigh! 

                       Construction of the Queen Mary began in December of 1930 for the Cunard/ White Star Line. You should recognize that name because they also built the Titanic. If you're not familiar with the story of Titanic, let me sum it up....whoever was in charge thought it was a good idea to ignore ice warnings, so they encouraged the ship to hit an Iceberg and *SPOILER ALERT* ..it sunk. Lots of people died because the idiot sticks at corporate decided 1 lifeboat was enough for 2,000 passengers. I kinda hope this doesn't happen during our voyage..

                 She was finished 3 1/2 years later and launched in September 1934 and her maiden voyage began on May 27th 1936. She was built as part of a weekly express service between Southampton, Cherbourg and New York. Hey! isn't that exactly where the Titanic was going?...Ok, I'm starting to get a little nervous here. After losing money for several years, the Queen Mary was officially retired from service in 1967. My guess is people cottoned on to the fact that their ships kept hitting icebergs and sinking. This made them want to take the bus and not go anywhere near their ships. 

                       During WWII, she became a troopship and transported soldiers from New Zealand and Australia to Britain. She became one of the fastest and largest  troopships, carrying as many as 15,000 men per voyage. She also carried Winston Churchill to meetings with Allied Forces officials on several occasions. After the war, the Queen Mary resumed passenger service.

                       In the years since she has been permanently docked in Long Beach, she has been converted to a restaurant, hotel and museum. And  become home to several spirits and ghosts. Children crying in the 3rd class playroom. Splashing from a drained first class swimming pool. An engineer was crushed by a water tight door in the engine room during a fire and his ghost haunts the ship. An 8 year old girl was murdered in cabin B340 and can no longer be rented out. 2 women haunt the first class pool room. One was killed and another drowned. Women are seen wearing 1930's bathing suits. It's starting to sound like we'll be safe from icebergs. We just need to stay away from the pools. 

                    Well, we survived our cruise and had a wonderful time! I'm heading home and taking the cabin boys with me....

                                 *footnote*
                                         How awesome would this be? http://www.queenmary.com/dark-harbor/  ..If anyone would like to buy me tickets and send me down there, I wouldn't say no. I'll even let you borrow a couple of my cabin boys while I'm gone. I am so all over this...

# 13 - She's a witch!

#13- The Salem Witch Trials, Salem, Massachusetts 

                                   What could represent Halloween better than witches and hangings? NOTHING!!!  Which is why..HAHAHA...which!.. get it? ..Which witch is which? Which is why we're heading to Salem for the Salem witch trials...This would be like one of the greatest trips for me... ever! I would go see Boston first  and then check out cool witch deaths! 
                                
             The trials were a series of hearings and  prosecutions that occurred between February 1692 and may of 1693. Hundreds of people, mostly women, were accused of witchcraft. The hysteria is believed to have started with Rev. Samuel Parris when he became the town's first ordained minister in 1689. He was disliked due to his greedy and rigid behavior.   Rivalry between families who depended on agriculture and those families whose wealth came from the port of Salem, also contributed to the discord within the town. The people were convinced this was the work of the devil. When the Reverends daughter and niece began throwing "temper tantrums" the local doctor claimed the girls were possessed. So THAT's what the problem has been this whole time! My kids are possessed! Why didn't I think of that?  And they so totally are....Anyway, it wasn't long before another girl began showing the same signs of the mysterious illness. The girls blamed 3 women for what what had happened to them. A slave, an elderly destitute woman and a homeless beggar. To make a long story short, all hell breaks loose. This woman is a witch, that woman is a witch...Witches everywhere! People became neurotic freakazoids and the hangings began...It wasn't long before there were was only 1 guy left -the town drunk who staggered around wondering where the heck everyone had disappeared to. 

               24 women were taken to "Gallows Hill" and executed. Their spirits still haunt the hill. 

                         *footnote*
                                    Just so you are aware, Salem eventually came out admitted the trials were a mistake, and compensated the families of those convicted. As well they should have! Good form, officials of Salem! They even  took the afternoon off work so they could find each and every one of the family members, hand them a check and personally say: "oops."  Wasn't that nice of them? 

#14 - A possessed plantation

#14 - Waverly Plantation, West Point, Mississippi 

                 What is it with "Waverly"? This is  the 2nd place I've come across with that name and it's haunted, too. Apparently if you want to scare the hell out of people or just keep them away, name your house Waverly.  We explored Waverly Sanitorium, and now Waverly Plantation. What a good idea! My house will now be known as the Waverly dump. Enter at your own risk.  Anywho..

                    We were already down south visiting N'awlins, so we'll just hop on over to ole' Mississip...The Waverly plantation was built in 1852 by Colonel Harland Sanders so he had somewhere to fry all his chicken...Kidding! ....it really was a colonel who built it, but his name was Colonel George Hampton Young. He built  it for his wife Lucy and their 10 children. Unfortunately, She died before she saw it finished. 6 of their children were boys who went on to fight in the civil war. When the last surviving member of the Young family died in 1913, the house fell into disrepair and remained deserted for the next 50 years. 

                 In 1962 a family by the name of Snow bought the plantation and began renovations. Mrs. Snow was continually plagued by the ghost of a little girl who called her "mama." Her tortured cries never seemed to stop. Images of a military man appeared in every mirror of the house. Music and laughter can be heard from the ballroom. Objects seem to move by themselves. The feeling of being watched by unseen spirits who suddenly show themselves and then vanish just as quickly. No one knows who the little girl was nor the man in  the military uniform. This only adds to the mystery of Waverly Plantation. 

                               *footnote* 
                                      The child may be the spirit of what local residents call "little girl lost." She fell ill and was taken to the plantation for help, but died soon after. Poor thing. This must be why she cries for her mother. I would love to do some research and find out who she was and what she looked like. I hope she can finally rest in peace...

                

#15- attic of atrocity

#15 - The Lalaurie house, New Orleans, Louisiana

                             What scariest places on earth countdown would be complete without a visit to New Orleans? We could use up the whole list just in Louisiana alone, in point of fact. But I can only pick one, so of course I'll go with the #1 most haunted place. 

                                Leonard and Delphine Lalaurie were part of New Orleans social elite and in 1831 bought property on 1140 Royal St.  By the following year, they had built  a 3 story mansion complete with slave quarters. It wasn't long before rumors circulated about the abuse of her slaves. In 1834, a fire broke out which had started in the kitchen. When firemen arrived, they found the cook chained to the stove by her ankle. She confessed, saying she was trying to commit suicide in an attempt to escape punishment for trying to feed the other slaves. This Delphine sounds like a real charming lady! Just wait..it gets better...

                       The firemen broke down the doors to the slave quarters to make sure they had been evacuated. They found 7 slaves mutilated, suspended by the neck, with their limbs stretched and torn. They had been imprisoned for several months. They were starved, whipped and forced to wear iron collars which kept their heads from moving... See what did I tell you?  Her cup of charm runneth over...

               When the discovery of the torture became common knowledge, a mob attacked the house and destroyed everything they could. Only the walls remained. It's an age-old story....woman tortures slaves...slave sets fire to house...mob attacks and destroys what's left...ya well. I say good form. She deserved it. 

                   Screams of agony can still be heard, the ghosts of slaves are seen on the balconies and in the yards. Vagrants looking for shelter in the ruins were never heard from again. The mansion was converted in the late 1890's as housing for immigrants who were flooding the city. None of them stayed. A black man in chains attacked one resident  and then quickly vanished. A mother saw an elegantly dressed woman bending over her sleeping child. The mansion was deserted again.  

                     The house was renovated once more and today they serve as luxury apartments. I guess it's all good  if people are living there now.  I don't believe it for one minute. Those ghosts are still there. And I hope Delphine is too, suspended by HER neck as her slaves smack her around. See how she likes it! 

                                    *footnote*

                                              She looks so nice. She never could have done that!  I'm sure she was maligned....If you want more details, go to :http://www.prairieghosts.com/lalaurie.html.....It got  too gruesome for me and I didn't want to get into how sadistic she really was....

                                                  

#16 -Hotel Roosevelt

#16 - The Roosevelt Hotel, Hollywood, California

            We have arrived at the very swanky Roosevelt Hotel. It's time to check in, relax by the pool and order some room service. The waiters are ghosts...don't be alarmed..

                             The hotel was named for Theodore Roosevelt and financed by Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, and Louis B. Mayer. Mary and Doug were big film stars during the 1920's and Louis was one of the M's that founded the production company MGM.  I have no idea why they named it after Teddy. Maybe because Hotel Bush didn't have quite the same ring to it.  And the Kennedy's already had a space center named after them, so they don't get a hotel.  Fine....Roosevelt it is....
                         Opened in 1927, it was the host of the very first Academy Awards in 1929. It lasted 10 minutes and only 8 people were there. I mean really...it was 1929...Best picture, best actor, best actress, best director...the end. And it was all for the same movie! It's not like they cranked them out back then like they do today...Which isn't entirely a bad thing. They were spared "The love Guru" and "The land Before Time" and all of it's 200 sequels. 

                          The Roosevelt was known for it's famous guests who now haunt it's rooms. A maid claimed to have seen Marilyn Monroe behind her reflected in the glass of a mirror. When she turned around, Marilyn vanished, but when the maid looked in the mirror again, she reappeared. Montgomery Clift stayed there for 3 months while filming "From Here To Eternity". he would walk the halls while playing a trumpet or rehearsing his lines. Loud footsteps and the sound of a trumpet can still be heard.  A man wearing a suit and top hat sat on a woman's suitcase, staring out the window. In Cabana suite 213, guests check out in the middle of the night. The tv turns on and off, the coffee maker does strange things, and a sink goes on and off. At least 10 people have said they have seen a headless man coming toward them... Ok, now this is some freaky stuff! 

                          Well, I don't know about you, but I'm checking out now. Marilyn wants to be left alone. And I can't afford to stay here, anyway. 

             
             *footnote*
                      I'm hoping my work in the field of zombie defense will be recognized and I will be awarded the Nobel peace prize, which will obviously lead to a hotel being named after me. That's what I'm really after...and this is what I want it to look like...Now I just need a catchy name for it. ...Hotel Awesome! 

                                                             
                      

#17 - Winchester Mansion

#17- The Winchester House, San Jose, California

              This is the mansion of Sarah Winchester, the widow of William Wirt Winchester. William was the son of the lieutenant governor of Connecticut and manufacturer of the famous Winchester repeating rifle. Now I'm sure Miss Sarah was a charming and lovely woman, but let's face it ...she was nuts. Completely mental. I do feel bad for her, don't get me wrong. She lost her daughter in 1866 and her husband in 1881. She never fully recovered from their deaths. 

              Unable to cope with the losses, she went to a psychic who told her a curse had been put on her family by the ghosts of all the men killed by the rifles. She said the only way to calm the spirits was to build a house to confuse them. Doors leading nowhere. Stairs that go to the ceilings and room upon room had to be built. Sarah believed that if she ever stopped work on the house, the ghosts would come and take her life. She held seances every day to get building instructions from the spirit world. So for the next 38 years, day in and day out, she built the house. What a fruit loop! When she died in 1922, the construction abruptly stopped. Ya think?  How would you like to spend the next 38 years building a house for some crazy lady without so much as a lunch break? As soon as they found out she died, they threw their hammers at her head and passed out from exhaustion. 

                     Footsteps, banging doors, mysterious voices and cold spots are common throughout the house. Even Sarah herself has been seen many times. Oh please. I've heard way worse. This is just a big goofy house built by a goofy woman. If there are any construction workers out there who would be willing to work for the next 38 years to build me house, let me know... I can't pay you, but I'll at least let you have a lunch break...

                 *footnote*

                         Sarah just sat back and let the money roll in. Her share of the hugely successful rifle company brought in $1000 a day. That would be $20,000 a day now. So How do I marry one of these Winchester fellows or at the very least get one to adopt me? And I hate guns....but for $20,00 a day, I'll love them all you want....it's disgustingly unfair...