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Key Points
Famous Real Ghost Stories
Winter is a wonderful time for a good ghost story. In the long hours of darkness and twinkling lights of the holiday season, it’s easy to imagine more shadows than there should be. Most of the spine-tingling stories, however, are sworn to be true.
The following are examples of these ghosts: specific sightings witnessed by several people at different times in the same location.The more witnesses and the more witnesses who are respected, the better. Whether you believe in ghosts or not, these stories capture the imagination.
1. Kate Morgan, Hotel del Coronado
The Hotel Del Coronado is a stunning Victorian beachfront resort hotel located in Coronado, California. a very southern California city just south of San Diego. It had only been open for four years when a beautiful young woman named Kate Morgan entered on November 24, 1892. During her time at the hotel, she was very ill, and it is assumed that she had taken a large dose of quinine. Try to induce abortion on unwanted children. There was little argument that she was distraught, so when she was found on the outside steps leading to the beach on November 29, with a single bullet hole in her temple and a gun nearby, the death was quickly ruled a suicide. Since then, strange phenomena have been reported at the Hotel del Coronado: strange noises, lights turning on and off, and even the occasional ghostly woman in Victorian dress roaming the halls. What stood out in my research on this story was a particular room. The number of sightings of most phenomena varies from account to account. Whether the confusion is because the accounts are second-hand (and there are many of them), or because the room number has changed over the years as the hotel has expanded, I can’t tell.
2. Ghosts of the Stanley Hotel
If you’re staying at the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado, and your guest room television is tuned to Channel 42, you’re watching one of my all-time favourite movies, The Shining. It doesn’t matter whether it’s day or night or what time of year; it’s always on. That’s not supernatural, of course—a nod to their role as the inspiration for a Stephen King novel. Employees reported hearing the commotion of a grand party while no one was in the grand ballroom. Children can be heard playing in the halls during off-hours, and many guests have reported seeing ghostly figures in their rooms at night, just standing and watching. The fourth floor seems to host a lot of activity, and there is one ghost in particular, purportedly Lord Dunraven, the previous owner of the land on which the property was built, who can be seen standing on the bed or looking out the window of room 407. He was widely blamed for missing jewellery or other valuables from the hotel over the years.
3. The Brown Lady, Raynham Hall
Raynham Hall in Norfolk, England, has one of the most famous ghost photos ever captured: the Brown Lady, so named because she appears in a rich brocade brown dress. She is widely believed to be Lady Dorothy Walpole, sister of Sir Robert Walpole, who married Charles, 2nd Viscount Townshend, in 1713. She died in 1726 under mysterious circumstances, and sightings began shortly thereafter. Although reports of sightings have decreased dramatically since the photo was taken in 1936, earlier sightings were reported by some reputable sources. My favourite account comes from Major Loftus, who stayed at Raynham Hall in 1849. While going to bed one night, he and a friend named Hawkins notice a woman in brown brocade who disappears as Major Loftus approaches her. Determined to face the scene, he returned to the same spot the next night and saw her again. But when he looked into her face, he was horrified to see only two black sockets where her eyes should have been. To say the least, it’s disturbing!
4. Clifton Hall
If you have £2.75 million, you can be the proud owner of Clifton Hall in Nottinghamshire, England. The property dates back to the 11th century and was in the hands of the Clifton family from the 13th century until it was sold in 1958. From there, it evolved into a school, then another school, and then a plan for luxury apartments before finally settling down as a private residence owned by Mr. Anwar Rasheed, his wife, and their four children. It has 17 bedrooms, 10 bathrooms, 10 reception rooms, a private gym, and a cinema. Oh, and some ghosts. Rashid’s family experiences unsettling phenomena on their first night at home, including the sound of kicking and “Hello, is anyone there?” The caller’s voice In one incident, Anwar’s wife, Nabila, went downstairs at five o’clock to prepare some milk for their 18-month-old son.
In the morning and her eldest daughter sat in front of the television and observed. Her call went unanswered, Nabeela got a strange feeling and went back to her daughter’s room where the elder was still fast asleep on his bed. Rashid ran away from home after enduring 8 months of harassment. Their accounts are very recent and easy to find during research
Although the property is for sale, there have been rumours and sightings on the property for as long as anyone can remember, including crying children and a woman walking through a window in a bricked-up and inaccessible room.
5. The White Lady – Balete Drive
Oh, ghosts of the Philippines! A lady in white is arguably the most common type of ghost anywhere in the world, and for this story, it joins the laundry list of spirits in the Philippines. I will say that in my research, I have come across two accounts from locals of Quezon City, in the Philippines, that say it’s just a hoax, but I’ll stick with the majority opinion that there is something out there. Believers have reported a white woman with long black hair and her face completely blank or obscured by blood standing in the middle of the road on Balete Drive. You’re told not to drive there at night, but if you do, make sure your back seat is full of passengers. Apparently, the White Lady rides in the empty back seats, spotted by the hapless driver in their rear view after experiencing a terrible, ominous feeling.
6. Chloe and Myrtle’s Plantation
According to legend, Chloe was a slave at Myrtles Plantation in St. Francisville, Louisiana, who had a bad habit of eavesdropping on the residents through the keyholes. Caught in the act one day by the House of Masters, he plucked her ear as punishment, forcing her to wear a green scarf over her head to cover the wound. As punishment, she bakes a cake with oleander leaves, a common plant in the South that is extremely poisonous. Although the owner of the house was her target, her victims became his wife and two daughters, who died in agony two days after eating the cake. Chloe runs away from home and is beaten by field slaves on the plantation for the evil light she casts on the rest. Fortunately or not, there is no historical evidence to back up this story, just an intriguing photo. True or not (probably not), there are plenty of other ghosts to keep you company, including a young woman who often appears in the upstairs mirror and another young woman who chants voodoo over anyone who dares sleep in her room. The Myrtles is currently a bed and breakfast that offers regular tours to those who want to see the house—not alone after dark.
7. Resurrection Mary
Young men travelling northeast on Archer Lane between the Willowbrook Ballroom and Resurrection Cemetery in Justice, Illinois, may be tempted to pick up a young woman riding on the side of the road. She has light blonde hair and blue eyes, wears a white party dress, and has been dead since the 1930s. If you pick her up, she will pull over in front of Resurrection Cemetery and exit the car. She is a classic example of the “disappearing hitchhiker” legend, a type of ghost story that has existed for at least a few hundred years. The consistency of the story makes this one very typical—the girl looks the same, wears the same clothes, and disappears in the same place. These unique hitchhiker stories sprung up suddenly in the mid-thirties and have been going strong ever since, and not just for those in the know. A 1973 account shows a cab driver inquiring about a girl who ran away from his cab without paying his fare at Chet’s Melody Lounge across from the cemetery. Only his description of her seemed familiar to customers: “Mary’s resurrection struck again!”
8. The Flying Dutchman
It was in 1641 that Captain Hendrik van der Decken vowed to round the Cape of Good Hope if it took him to Doomsday. At his current rate, it probably will. A captain’s ship known as the Flying Dutchman is often seen around the area. A phantom ship is often so close that witnesses swear it is on a crash course for their ship, only to see it disappear before them. Seeing a ship is always considered a bad omen. The future King of England, George V, witnessed such a sight in 1881. He wrote: “At 4 a.m. the Flying Dutchman crossed our arrows.” A strange red light shone all over, like a phantom ship, 200 yards amidships, where the brig’s masts, spars, and sails stood in strong relief as she came up on her port bow. That morning, the sailor who spotted the ship fell to his death.
9. Abraham Lincoln
According to legend, Lincoln saw his destiny before his assassination.
d. He reported a dream to his cabinet in which he attended a funeral at the White House and, when questioned by one of the deceased mourners, the man responded, “The president… he was killed by an assassin.” Many visitors and residents of the White House have been spotted, including First Lady Grace Coolidge, Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, and even Winston Churchill, who were smart enough to make the occasion. As he walked into the bedroom, fresh from the shower and naked (what a picture! ), he saw Lincoln standing by the fireplace. He said, “Good evening, Mr. President.” You are negative towards me.
“It appears,” Lincoln said softly before walking away.
10. Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn, the second wife of Henry VIII and mother of the future Queen Elizabeth I, was queen consort for three years before Henry tired of her. Accused of adultery, obscenity, and witchcraft (which many historians agree are false), she faced the executioner’s sword on May 19, 1536. The hangman was reported to have asked, “Where is my sword?” She still had a few moments to spare, trying to ease Anne’s anticipation before striking a single blow. Her ghost has been spotted by many people in various locations: Hever Castle, Blickling Hall, Salle Church, Marvel Hall, and perhaps most famously, the Tower of London. Although most often she appears as if she were alive—a beautiful woman in a beautiful gown—some of the sightings are a little disturbing. Many unlucky people see her after death—headless, often with the head tucked under one arm. It has become an iconic image often parodied in movies and television, as well as in more elaborate Halloween costumes. However, don’t forget what you would think if such a sight came upon you in a dark corridor some night.
