The World’s Most Haunted Houses
Haunted Houses are places that capture our imaginations. Many of them seem inviting, lived in and a place where families have bonded and been kept safe from the elements. So how do some become places of murder, cursed and haunted by their pasts? Below are some of the most haunted houses I have visited in the world, some are quite infamous, while others are places you may not have heard about.
5. Slender Man House, Australia
The first house on this list is not a well known haunted location. It has no worldwide reputation for its paranormal activity nor does it have a history that is public knowledge. The dilapidated and abandoned farmhouse lies just outside of Gawler in South Australia. Shielded by heavy overgrowth it isn’t a place known to many and was brought to my attention by a subscriber who requested I investigate the property.
After visiting, I dubbed the property the ‘Slenderman House,’ simply for some creepy graffiti that was present on one of the walls left standing within the home. It was apparent that the house had been vandalized, abandoned for an extremely long time and was dangerous for how deteriorated it had become.
During a paranormal investigation within the house results that were of a surprising nature were gained, considering no previous history of the building was known. For me personally, this is one of the locations that affected me the most. During our first investigation, I had extreme feelings of anxiety and got generally distressed within the home’s bathroom. The feeling seemed to hit me out of nowhere and dissipated just as fast as it came about. It was also paired with some rather sinister noises coming from within the room, which was not able to be explained.
4. Whaley House, USA
Next up is one of the most notorious haunted locations in the world, the Whaley House in San Diego. This former family home is commonly cited as being the most haunted house in the USA. It was built by Thomas Whaley in 1857 and contained a general store, courthouse and theater, in addition to being a home for the Whaley family.
Ever since the house was built it is said to have been haunted. Apparently many people have seen a man known as Yankee Jim Robinson within the Whaley House. They have even reported hearing the sound of his heavy boots walking around inside too. He is thought to remain at the property after being hanged on the land the Whaley House now stands on, back in 1850.
Thomas and his wife, Anna Whaley, are both also thought to haunt the home since their deaths, with many people sighting them around the building. The couple’s young son, Thomas Jr., is also thought to remain within the home after dying at just 18 months old. Another of the Whaley’s children, Violet, is said to haunt the house. She became depressed after having many issues with her husband and took her own life on the second floor of the building. The home is even rumored to have a ghost dog and cat who have been sighted many times in the yard.
Countless reports of the paranormal within the Whaley House exist. Poltergeist activity is one of the most common, as well as unexplainable noises that range from voices having conversations, to music playing. Phantom smells are another occurrence that is commonly reported and it’s also commonly believed that the house contains some kind of portal.
3. Laperal White House, Philippines
Our next location is one of the scariest haunted places in the Philippines, the Laperal White House. This location was built in Baguio during the 1920s by a wealthy family who intended it to be used as a summer getaway house, though it became more of a curse and burden to the family. Don Roberto Laperal and his wife Dona Victoria introduced their family to the home and would come to regret that decision.
One of the most tragic tales from the house relates to the Laperal’s three-year-old daughter. This young girl died after wandering out onto the street in front of the house, being hit by a car and dying instantly. This event was witnessed by the family nanny who felt personal guilt over the incident, for she was supposed to be supervising the young girl. Shortly after the incident the nanny also took her own life inside the White House’s attic. Many have sighted the little girl on the front porch of the house and some say the nanny still resides on the property along with the little girls’ spirit, trying her best to look out for the little girl in the afterlife.
Eventually, all of the Laperal’s children died, with a number of their deaths occurring inside the house. Then, following the death of his wife, Don Roberto also died, having a heart attack as he attempted to leave the house for the final time before selling it.
The Laperal’s aren’t the only ones said to haunt the home, as it was taken by the Japanese during WWII. Here it was used as a temporary garrison where torture and executions supposedly took place. Many to enter the house have claimed to sight Japanese soldiers with plenty more describing experiences of physical attacks such as pushes and scratches by the unseen.
2. Lizzie Borden Murder House, USA
Our next haunted house is the location of a crime that shocked many and continues to gain attention to this day, remaining a mysterious unsolved case. The Lizzie Borden Murder House saw atrocious crimes committed within it on the morning of August 4, 1892, with 2 of the home’s occupants being hacked to death with a hatchet. On this day, Abby and Andrew Borden were murdered within the home. Abby was killed in an upstairs bedroom while Andrew was killed in the downstairs living room. This left Lizzie Borden, Andrew’s daughter and Abby’s stepdaughter, the prime suspect in the murder case. To this day, the murders remain unsolved, though many have speculated that Lizzie could have been involved in some way.
As far as ghost stories go, many say the Bordens continue to haunt the home. Countless people have claimed to sight both Abby and Andrew within the home. Some have even claimed to feel their presence or even hear them speak. There have even been some pretty eerie photographs captured within the home that could display their ghosts.
Light anomalies and EVPs are other popular pieces of ghostly evidence that people commonly claim to capture within the building. It’s also interesting to note that many have also interacted with the spirits of children within the upstairs parts of this home, thought to potentially be children murdered by their own mother on the property next door.
Special Mentions:
Before we get into the number one spot on this list of haunted houses, a few other notorious properties are worth a mention. There’s the Witches’ House in Salem, Massachusetts, the last remaining home with links to the Salem Witch Trials. There’s also the La Moira House in Mexico City, a cursed place that provided a young man with a death prophecy. Finally, we have the Merchant’s House in New York City, a grand old home where some very strange paranormal events have occurred.
1. Glenbarr Homestead, Australia
The final haunted house on this list exists in Strathalbyn South Australia. This property is known as Glenbarr and dates back to the 1840s when it was built by early Scottish settlers to the area. The home was originally owned by the Rankine family and extends to include a barn, which was later converted to a church, and other buildings that even contain a rather creepy underground cellar.
Having such a long history and being a place where death had been experienced in the past has led to many rumors that the Glenbarr property is haunted. Plenty of people have claimed to sight, and hear ghosts of the past within the old house. A lady gazing out of the front window while holding a lantern has been sighted and others who have seen spirits here have even been able to match them to historical photos of people linked to Glenbarr.
The property’s church and underground cellar are also said to be haunted, with many people having had experiences there. Our own paranormal investigation of the house seemed to provide us with some relevant responses linked to the home’s history. We also had a fright inside the church when our equipment case was slammed shut, with force, while we were attempting to communicate using a spirit box.
For this reason, I place Glenbarr right up there as one of the most haunted places I have ever investigated.
Thanks for reading!
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