5 Of The Most Haunted Places in the Northeast

The Northeast’s Spookiest Haunts

Centuries ago, before skyscrapers cast long shadows over the nation’s budding metropolises, the Northeast United States served as the center of progress. While the Thirteen Colonies were spread along the East Coast, most were propped up on the northern shoreline. It’s in cities like Boston, Annapolis, Baltimore, New York, and Gettysburg where key moments of the American Revolution and Civil War played out. From the bloodshed and turbulence each city has seen, echoes of the past materialized.

These five Northeast cities house some of the nation’s most haunted locations. Be it from the tragedies of war or horrors that unfolded years later, spectral manifestations were bound to key locations. Battlefields, murder scenes, and sites of great emotional trauma serve as portals between the spirit realm and ours, allowing unsettled souls to remain behind to ensure their stories are told. If it’s a ghostly encounter you’re looking for, these are the Northeast cities sure to give it to you.

Gettysburg, PA

The Jennie Wade House – Copyright US Ghost Adventures

Arguably the most haunted borough in the nation’s East Coast, Gettysburg was the site of the deadly Battle of Gettysburg during the Civil War. Dubbed the bloodiest battle of the Civil War, with an estimated 51,000 casualties, the Battle of Gettysburg has left the spirits of soldiers and civilians to roam the mortal plane. haunted

Ethereal Confederate and Union soldiers are commonly seen on the main battlefield, where the grass was once soaked in blood. Spotting the wandering apparitions, unaware that their service had ended, is an impossible vision to forget. Not far from where the two sides converged, though, even more haunts tie the city to its past.

Both the Jennie Wade House and the Jennie Wade Birthplace House (which recently opened to the public and where you can now do an overnight ghost hunt) are visited by their namesake. A significant tragedy, as the only civilian killed during the battle, Wade’s presence is well-known to Gettysburg locals. One minute down the road, the Victorian-era Welty House (now part of the Brickhouse Inn) hosts soldiers who have yet to let go. A little further south from both, Devil’s Den resonates with powerful forces as the site of a brutal skirmish during the battle’s second day.

Baltimore, MD

The Horse You Came In On Saloon – Copyright US Ghost Adventures

About an hour northeast of the nation’s capital, on the shores of the Patapsco River, Baltimore seduces spectral enthusiasts with the tragic tales of Edgar Allan Poe. The tortured author spun gothic horror that infested the minds of susceptible readers. Baltimore is home to haunted national treasures like the USS Constellation, the 19th-century warship that supported Union troops during the Civil War, and spectral goldmines like the Lord Baltimore Hotel, but it’s Poe who has a rather strong grip on the city.

The playful girl of the Lord Baltimore Hotel is a stark contrast to the writer’s forlorn spirit. Several locations are said to attract Poe’s ghost, from his favorite tavern, the Horse You Came In On Saloon, to his gravesite in the Westminster Burial Grounds. He’s not the only haunt at the cemetery, though. Sixteen-year-old Lucia Watson Taylor also sits atop her grave, her white gown blowing in a breeze that’s not there. 

On the South Baltimore Peninsula, Fort McHenry serves as a reminder of the men who gave their lives during the War of 1812 and the Civil War. Beyond war, though, the fort also served as a temporary hospital during the Spanish Flu epidemic of 1919. The aftermath left its historic halls echoing with phantom footsteps.

Annapolis, MD haunted

The Middleton Tavern – Copyright US Ghost Adventures

Throughout three major wars, Annapolis, Maryland, proved a pivotal holding point. Each left its imprint on the quaint city, which has persisted even as communities popped up around its inviting historic downtown. Ghosts of the Civil War, echoes of the Revolution, and memories of the War of 1812 contribute to the eerie allure that draws curious travelers. 

Red-bricked facades speak to the age of Annapolis’ downtown, but no more than the ethereal entities and spectral dwellers within. The Middleton Tavern is a particularly active haunt. As Maryland’s oldest bar, the sturdy construction has survived centuries and amassed a number of spirits. Among them lurks Roland Johnston, an unsettling presence known for the scent of cigars and malevolent activities. Many a glass has fallen victim to Johnston’s antics.

Even more brick buildings throughout the city contain secrets and remnants of the dead. James Brice House, often touted as the most haunted mansion in Annapolis, has a gruesome past tied to hoodoo and murder that manifests as a crying girl and the spirit of James Brice himself. Elsewhere, a headless spirit roams Cornhill Street in search of the head he lost when his brother brutally mutilated him. haunted

Boston, Massachusetts haunted

The Lizzie Borden House – Copyright US Ghost Adventures

One of the earliest settlements in the United States, Boston’s legacy got off to a rocky start. The arrival of Captain John Smith brought disease and violence, which had a devastating impact on the indigenous population. Much of that history has been lost to time, but the darkness it manifested never quite left Boston. That corruptive energy may contribute to the tragedies that have unfolded over time. haunted

At the Parkman House, the vengeful spirit of businessman George Parkman seeks justice for his murder. Found burned to his bones in a Harvard laboratory, Parkman exhibits hints of anger and may have even tried flooding his old home. Like the Parkman House, Boston Common sports its own hateful entity manifested when alleged witch, Margaret Jones, was hanged in the middle of the future park. haunted

When it comes to ghostly legends, Boston may have one of the nation’s most well-known. The Lizzie Borden Bed and Breakfast is the site of the gruesome murder of Lizzie Borden’s father and stepmother. Nobody knows what exactly happened that ill-fated night in 1892, but guests can experience the hauntings that were left behind after that horrific event.

New York, New York

Though September 11, 2001, proved to be the deadliest event in New York City, being the nation’s most populous city has always lent to its status as one of the Northeast’s most haunted cities. Its towering contemporary buildings of glass draw the eye, but travelers will want to look closer to the ground for the specters that plague the Big Apple.

Within the ornamental St. Paul’s Church, a horrid sight wanders among the pews. A headless phantom looking to reclaim what he lost has been bound to the place of worship, though his story neither began nor ended here. Legend has it that the spirit is George Frederick Cooke, an actor best known for donating his skull to science, only to have it pop up in a production of Hamlet. He’s bound to St. Paul’s because the rest of his body is buried nearby.

The iconic One if by Land, Two if by Sea may have borrowed its name from Henry Longfellow’s poem, but it’s a different legend that haunts the historic restaurant. Long before becoming a New York eatery, the building belonged to the infamous Aaron Burr, who used it as a carriage house. Disgraced after killing Alexander Hamilton, Burr lost the carriage house. Upon his own passing, though, he returned, and he’s still said to haunt the building today along with his daughter, Theodosia, whose disappearance still remains a mystery. haunted

Make sure to hop on a New York ghost tour to learn more about the Big Apple’s haunted past!