Scary Haunted Ghost Towns
Ghost towns are a point of fascination for many. Having been well established at some point in time, only to meet a rapid demise into abandonment. Many of these ghost towns are in remote, inhospitable locations where harsh living conditions and lawlessness typically resulted in many deaths. These deaths are often thought to leave behind traces of the paranormal and many of these ghost towns are considered to be haunted. Here is where you can find 5 of the most haunted ghost towns in the world.
5. Humberstone, Chile
The first ghost town on this list brings us to the driest place on Earth, Chile’s Atacama Desert. Here, lies the abandoned former mining town of Humberstone. This now ghost town dates back to 1872 when it was founded as a prime saltpeter mining community. Peaking at 3,000 people, Humberstone was thriving right up until the 1930s when a synthetic alternative to saltpeter caused its rapid decline into abandonment.
Since the former residents left the town to rot, many eerie stories have formed about this ghost town. Plenty of reports of sighting shadow figures and full-bodied apparitions have come out of Humberstone, leading to its reputation of being one of the most haunted places in South America. One of the creepiest and most active places for paranormal activity is within Humberstine’s old schoolhouse. Still furnished with old school desks, this unsettling environment is made all the more creepy by the many encounters with child spirits reported here. Countless people have claimed to sight the ghosts of children in this building, as well as hear the unmistakable sounds of children playing and giggling.
Another of the haunted hot spots within town is the grand, old theater building. Visitors to this space have reported seeing a large, black mass moving through the building at pace, before suddenly disappearing.
4. Farina, Australia
The next haunted ghost town on this list brings us to the remote reaches of the South Australian outback. It is here that the former town of Farina still continues to stand. Farina started its life in 1878 as a farming community. Its residents were soon to discover that the harsh conditions of the outback were no place to nurture crops. Failed attempts at mining and eventually being cut off from the main rail line in the area, sealed Farina’s fate of becoming a ghost town.
Rumors exist the Farina and its crumbling stone ruins could be haunted. The many deaths experienced within town due to the harsh nature of life in the outback support these claims and ensured that the town’s cemetery was well filled.
During my own visit to Farina, my cameraperson claimed to have been touched by something unseen in this very cemetery. Other strange occurrences were also captured on camera while conducting a paranormal investigation in the former town.
3. Misnebalam, Mexico
Misnebalam is one of the most notorious haunted locations in all of Mexico. It lies on the outskirts of Merida and was once a profitable Hacienda farming community. While no one truly knows the real reason for the town’s demise, there are plenty of rumors that state its abandonment was due to containing too many spirits.
There are two main ghost stories circulated about Misnebalam. One of the details a young 9-year-old boy named Juliancito. Legend has it that this unfortunate child was raped by another villager. This led a distraught Julaincito to take his own life, hanging himself from a tree within the town. Ever since he is said to have stayed to haunt Misnebalam and remains its most sighted ghost. The second story relates to Misnebalam’s former landowner, Don Marquez. This story states that one day as Don was driving back into town his car was intercepted and he was assassinated on the spot. His ghost is another that is thought to linger within town.
While there are no other well-established ghost stories centered around Misnebalam, there are many other ghosts thought to remain resident within the abandoned town. One of these is that of a priest who is commonly sighted upon the roof of his former church sporting a flowing black robe. Additionally, many others have heard unexplained sounds, voices and footsteps throughout town. Then there are some others who have reported lights impossibly turning on within decrepit former homes now disconnected from all electricity.
2. Bodie, USA
Bodie is one of the best-known ghost towns within the USA. It exists in California, close to the border of Nevada and today functions as a tourist attraction. The town was founded back in 1876 and was once home to more than 7,000 people. Bodie saw a rapid decline after its residents were drawn out by more prosperous gold mining locations and it had reached ghost town status by 1915.
Today, Bodie is a hub for supernatural stories with its most prevalent being that of a curse it possesses. It is said that anyone who removes an item from Bodie, no matter how obsolete it may seem, will be plagued with bad luck until that item is returned to town. Interestingly, this curse becomes all the more plausible by reading through the countless letters addressed to Bodie accompanying items sent back to town in the hopes of quelling bad luck.
Plenty of ghost stories also exist about Bodie. It is said to hold an aggressive poltergeist who targets women, child spirits and even elderly apparitions who have been spotted knitting within their own homes. The mines of Bodie are another hot spot for paranormal occurrences, with many reporting to hear voices and screams emanating from them. Perhaps Bodie’s best-known ghost can be found in the cemetery. This is the spirit of young Evelyn Myers who saw an untimely death after being accidentally struck in the head with a pickaxe. Today, many visitors to the cemetery, especially children, have reported encountering Evelyn’s spirit around her tombstone.
1. La Noria, Chile
The most disturbing ghost town anywhere in the world resides in the Atacama desert of Chile. La Noria is extremely remote and today, cut off from road systems. Formed in 1826 as a saltpeter mining town, La Noria saw its demise when tougher times led to the end of mining in the area. It would eventually be completely abandoned, left to steadily deteriorate in the desert. This was not before many lives were claimed within the town from the extremely brutal living conditions. These deaths contributed to the overcrowded and extremely large cemetery that lies just to the side of town. It is this cemetery, which holds the most sinister legend related to La Noria.
Ghost stories aside, La Noria’s cemetery is terrifying. Thousands of wooden crosses scatter a steep, sandy hill. The ground beneath these crosses is cracked and penetrated by wooden coffins revealing skeletal remains of La Noria’s past resident. Some say that the graves are exposed due to grave robbers, yet it is also possible that the desert has rejected these burials. For this reason, there is a legend that states those buried within La Noria are disgruntled that their graves and place of rest have been disturbed. They therefore rise from their graves each night and make their way into town, a truly terrifying form of zombie ghost hybrid.
In addition to this legend, countless other reports of ghostly activity centering on the town of La Noria exist. People have claimed to sight apparitions in town as well as hear unexplainable screams, footsteps and voices.
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