Inventor Spot

Continuing this month's apropos theme of all things haunted, I bring a list of 13 of the most haunted places in the world. Paranormal activity is an international affair, and ghosts and apparitions toy with the living everywhere from California to Mumbai. This list will have some familiar names, and some places you never expected to be haunted (The White House?!), but each one comes with tale after tale of weird and terrifying experiences with the phantom world.

13. Ballygally Castle - Ballygally Bay, Ireland

Though now a newly renovated hotel, Ballygally Castle was built in 1625 by James Shaw. True to most castles in Europe, it is, of course, haunted. The most notable ghost in Ballygally is that of Lady Isobel Shaw, who was locked in a room by her husband James and starved to death. Said to be friendly, she amuses herself by knocking on doors and then disappearing. Another apparition is Madame Nixon who can be seen and heard walking around in her silk dress. When Ballygally was actually a castle it came under attack several times and many soldiers lost their lives. Consequently, their restless souls frequent the castle grounds in military uniform toying with guests, and perhaps searching for their enemies.

12. The Crescent Hotel - Eureka Springs, Arkansas, US

I admit to a guiltless plug here because I am from Arkansas and have actually stayed in this hotel. Nonetheless, this place is renowned for its possession and I have friends who can attest to its haunts. This 78-year old hotel is haunted by a number of ghosts, including Michael, an Irish stones man who worked in the hotel and took a fatal fall off the roof into an area that is now room 218. His ghost is said to still roam the halls surrounding the room. Also roaming the grounds is a gentleman in Victorian clothing who haunts the lobby, the confused ghost of Doctor Baker (who ran the facility in the 1930s when it was a hospital/health spa), and the ghost of a nurse dressed in white who wanders the entire hotel. A good friend of mine, who claims he has a knack for getting into trouble with the paranormal, swears that while he was staying in room 202 (a notably haunted room in the hotel) he saw the nurse ghost briefly when he entered his room. He also said that the nurse ghost played with the lights, touched his arm and shook the antique mirror that hung above his bed. When my mother remarried in Eureka Springs, I tried to talk her out of having the family stay in this hotel. She didn't listen but, luckily, we had a ghoul free weekend. Click here to read more history about the Crescent.

11. The Rose Hall Great House - Montego Bay, Jamaica

The Rose Hall Great House is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Jamaica due in no small part to the legend of its mistress, Annie Palmer. Palmer came to Rose Hall in 1820 and was known for her gruesome treatment of slaves. Considered a Black Witch by locals, she brutally tortured slaves and killed many of them simply because she was bored by them. She is also said to have murdered three of her husbands: the first by poison, the second my stabbing and then pouring boiling oil in his ears, and the third my strangling. All of Annie's victims are said to haunt the grounds and tourists come armed with instant cameras in hopes of snapping a picture of ghosts such as the ones in the picture. There is also rumored to be secret underground tunnels on the grounds and visitors have spoke of bloodstains smeared in numerous places. It should also be noted that the included picture was taken without a flash or sun exposed windows. Find out more about the history, hauntings and personal experiences here.

10. Singapore

Ok, I know Singapore is an entire country, but I was reading about some pretty disturbing stuff that goes on around there. Considered Asia's most haunted city, Singapore is home to many locations that register high numbers in paranormal activity. Strange lights glitter through Hougang School near East Coast Beach and one ghost actually goes around slapping people at the Changi Beach House. Near the coast at Lor Halus, ghosts of the poor beg for food and money along the streets. Many years ago at the Bedok Tenant House, a ghost apparently killed a resident and now the woman is herself a screaming ghost who disturbs the residents at the Hou Gang Tenements. In the Fort Sentosa district, the Punggol White House is haunted by a whole family who committed suicide together, while headless apparitions terrorize passengers as they pass through certain MRT mass transit stations in the city. As you can see Singapore has a slew of hauntings that are ceaseless in their disturbance to the living.

9. The Catacombs Museum - Paris, France

If you know about Haussmannization, the grand remodeling of Paris in the 1860s, you may or may not know that the Catacombs of Paris were reconstructed in order to support the sprawling housing developments and massive boulevards that would come to define the city. Underneath the beautiful façade of Paris is a structural support system built of human bones. In order to strengthen his structure and alleviate the sanitation issues that were being caused by past improper burial, Haussmann had his team of workers dig up the remains of many of Paris' graveyards and use them as building materials for his project. And what, if anything, do we know about disturbing graves? Right, it pisses the dead off. Though only a small part of the catacombs are open to the public, there are many secret entrances and tourists and trespassers alike have attested to its haunting with stories and sightings of run-ins with ghosts of a bygone Paris. Expect to see apparitions ranging from the ancients to the revolutionaries and don't forget your flashlight if you go hunting. It's dark down there. Here is a nice history of the catacombs and a personal ghost hunting story.