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Wherever you go in the United States, there is always a good ghost story to be had. These haunting tales stem from true crimes, urban legends, and tragic events that have left an imprint on the land. From coast to coast, these shocking tales of ghosts and hauntings linger on, sometimes centuries later.
Who Are Some of the Most Famous Ghosts In The U.S.?
The most famous ghosts in the U.S. have backgrounds as diverse as the country itself. Some of the most notable spirits include:
- The Bell Witch, a Tennessee ghost who took credit for murdering a man.
- Andrew Borden, the father of Lizzie Borden, who was killed with a hatchet in his Massachusetts home.
- The Greenbrier Ghost, an Appalachian spirit who helped get her killer convicted.
- Resurrection Mary, a young woman who wanders a Chicago highway, forever trying to get home.
- The Gray Man of Pawleys Island, who warns South Carolina residents of impending hurricanes.
- Peg Entwistle, a tragic starlet, who lingers by the Hollywood sign.
The stories of these famous spirits are ones any ghost enthusiast should know by heart.
The Bell Witch
Between 1817 and 1821, a spirit known as the Bell Witch terrorized the Bell family in Red River, Tennessee. The Bell family had moved to the area in the early 1800s, and patriarch John Bell had built a large log cabin on a sprawling farm. However, strange things began happening in 1817, and they would escalate into murder by 1820.
The activity first began with the family waking up in the middle of the night to the sound of something banging against the sides of the cabin. John and his sons would investigate, but find nothing.
The children were terrorized by the sound of what they referred to as rats gnawing on their bedposts. John’s daughter, Betsy, became a prime target for the unexplained activity, including having her hair pulled and being scratched.
Things escalated further when the entity began speaking. This spirit would sing hymns, recite scripture, and hold conversations with the Bell family. As time went on, the Bell Witch took a special dislike to John.
He fell ill and slowly wasted away. When he died in 1820, the Bell Witch took credit for poisoning him. At his funeral, all in attendance heard the hysterical laughter of the Bell Witch.
Today, visitors can go to the Bell Witch Cave, where a few items belonging to the Bell family are on display. Visitors have reported hearing disembodied voices and seeing flickers of light in the field. Photographs also come out weirdly distorted.
Although the Bell Witch has not been heard from in two hundred years, it seems something strange is still very much at play.
Andrew Borden
On August 4, 1892, 70-year-old Andrew Borden was found bludgeoned to death in his home in Fall River, Massachusetts. His daughter Lizzie was put on trial for both his murder and the murder of his wife, Abby. Lizzie was later acquitted, but questions about her innocence linger to this day.
Today, the Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast is a popular tourist attraction for fans of the supernatural and crime. Over a century after Andrew’s murder, guests and staff claim to still feel his presence.
Visitors often report an overwhelming sense of heaviness in the parlor where Andrew was violently killed by 11 blows to the head with a hatchet. Some have even had the terrifying experience of seeing the shadowy figure of a man slumped over on the sofa where Andrew took his last breath.
Other guests have reported hearing a man screaming in the middle of the night. Some guests have even made contact with Andrew via Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVP).
Whether Andrew’s spirit is trapped in his former home or he chooses to stay there, his ghost remains incredibly active.
The Greenbrier Ghost
In 1897, a young bride named Zona Heaster Shue was found dead at the bottom of the stairs in her home in Greenbrier County, West Virginia. Her husband, Edward Shue, was grief-stricken and held her head as the doctor examined her.
When the doctor attempted to perform a complete exam, Shue begged him not to further disturb the body. The doctor determined Zona’s death to be the result of heart failure.
At Zona’s funeral, Shue stayed near the casket whenever it was open. He had dressed Zona himself in the burgundy dress she had worn to their wedding. Shue also placed a piece of cloth on one side of Zona’s head and an article of clothing on the other. Around her neck was a scarf tied in a bow that Shue said had been Zona’s favorite.
She was buried in a cemetery near her mother, Mary’s, home. That should have been the end of Zona’s story, but it was only just beginning. In the days following Zona’s funeral, her ghost appeared to Mary.
Zona told her mother that her death was not an accident and that Shue had murdered her. Over several nights, Zona’s spirit told Mary in great detail about how Shue had broken her neck and attempted to hide the fact. Mary took up the counsel of a lawyer who agreed to look into Zona’s death.
Edward Shue is Put on Trial
It was found that Shue had been in jail for stealing a horse and had been married twice before. His second wife died under mysterious circumstances, leading some to wonder if Shue had killed two of his wives.
Zona’s body was exhumed, and it was confirmed that her neck was broken. Shue was put on trial, and Mary testified about Zona’s spirit appearing to her. A jury found Shue guilty of murder, and he was given a life sentence.
The Greenbrier Ghost is considered the only case where a ghost helped convict her killer.
Resurrection Mary
The Chicago area is filled with folklore, ghost stories, and true crime. Among the most famous is the eerie tale of Resurrection Mary. This ghostly lore began in the late 1920s or early 1930s, and remains strong a century later.
As the story goes, a young woman was walking home from the O Henry Ballroom on Archer Avenue on a rainy night when she was hit by a car. The woman died, but her spirit is said to be tied to the stretch of Archer Avenue where she was killed.
There are multiple versions of the Resurrection Mary story, but the most common starts with a beautiful blond woman in a white dress at a dance hall. She dances with a man all night and asks him for a ride home.
When she asks him to pull the car over, she gets out and heads towards Resurrection Cemetery, located 30 minutes south of Chicago in Justice, Illinois.
In other variations of the tale, Resurrection Mary simply vanishes from the car, much to the shock of the driver. Other accounts describe a woman in white hitchhiking along Archer Avenue, eternally trying to get home.
There used to be a bar across the street from Resurrection Cemetery called Chet’s Melody Lounge. Every Sunday, the bartender would leave a Bloody Mary at the end of the bar for the young woman’s wayward ghost.
Although Resurrection Mary never partook of the drink, paranormal investigators and enthusiasts remain on the lookout for her when driving down Archer Avenue on a rainy night.
The Gray Man of Pawleys Island
Although his name sounds menacing, the Gray Man of Pawleys Island is considered a good omen among locals. The story began in 1822, when a young sailor returned home to Charleston, South Carolina, after a long journey at sea.
Upon his return, the sailor intended to propose to his beloved, who lived on Pawley’s Island. Rather than go the normal route, the sailor chose to take a shortcut through the marshland on his horse. After all, a storm was approaching.
Unfortunately, the marsh was too muddy for the horse to get through, and the sailor was thrown from his saddle. As he attempted to swim out of the pluff mud, he slowly drowned in it, never able to make his proposal.
The young woman the sailor left behind was devastated when he did not return home. On sleepless nights, she would walk along the beach, wondering what had happened to him. One night, she saw a man in a gray cloak standing on the shore.
The sailor’s spirit warned her to leave the island because of an incoming storm that would ravage the city. She quickly left town with her family, and upon their return, they found their house to be the only one standing.
The Gray Man Has Been Seen Many Times
Since then, the Gray Man of Pawley’s Island has been seen prior to some of the most catastrophic storms in South Carolina history. He was spotted in 1954 just before Hurricane Hazel hit, and again in 1989, when Hurricane Hugo’s destructive path ripped through the area. In 2018, the Gray Man was spotted once again as Hurricane Florence made landfall.
Peg Entwistle
Looming tall over Los Angeles, the Hollywood Sign is meant to inspire hope and drive ambition. Yet, within the shadow it casts, spirits of its dark past wander. Among them is a potential victim of the realities of chasing stardom in the City of Angels.
The young British actress chased her demons to the iconic “Hollywoodland” sign, hoping to leave them forever behind.
Why 24-year-old Peg Entwistle killed herself isn’t entirely known. Her suicide note was rather vague, simply referencing cowardice and fear, but never attributing them to a specific aspect of her life.
On September 16, 1932, she climbed to the top of the H and jumped, sustaining fatal injuries when she hit the ravine below. Though she may have thought she’d be free from the difficulties that plagued her, her tragic death simply bound her soul as a fixture of Hollywood.
Hikers and park rangers claim to see the ethereal figure of Entwistle on the pathways near the sign. Her face painted in sorrow, she glides along, leaving a faint trail of her favorite scent, the gardenia flower.
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