A cold chill creeps down your spine. As the wind howls you feel as though you’re being watched. Something lurks behind unseen to the eye. Goosebumps run up and down your arm as you continue on your walk.
The city of Philadelphia holds in respect many aspects that have happened throughout history. It’s filled with historical buildings and our nation was formed here. Philadelphia also holds a secret and mysterious side. There are many things that lurk in the darkness that the normal eye usually does not capture.
You might think that there aren’t unusual occurrences but there are. Many places can be found that have been designated as haunted places. This city happens to be one of the most haunted. Some people have misconceptions about these earth-bound spirits. Why do they stay on earth? Some reasons are complicated and unique with each ghost. Usually they stay near or at the site of their death. They remain there because they’re confused and don’t realize they’re dead. So they carry on trying to contact the living of the planet. Some ghosts stay behind due to a sense of guilt or some unfinished business to carry out. Not all ghosts are evil. They don’t mean to scare people they just want to be noticed. Ghosts are all around us; it’s just some that choose to make themselves known.
Many places in the United States and around the world are considered haunted places. Some of the more famous spots close to home include the Byberry Memorial Hospital. This facility was shut down in 1990 due to its mistreatment of patients in poor living conditions. It’s said to have ghosts walking its not empty corridors and supposedly you can still hear screams from the basement. Another familiar site is the Eastern State Penitentiary where the most famous sighting is of a prisoner who murdered 27 people. Many prisoners that have been executed, committed suicide or were beaten to death still roam the building.
Another place that was interesting to find haunted is the New Orleans 8 Movie Theater. A few years ago, a young girl was killed during a drive-by shooting. It is said that she still haunts the projection booth and some have even heard her giggles some late nights in the movie house.
There have been some sightings at Friends Hospital as well. The building was built in 1813 where the superintendent and his wife lived along with the quarters of the patients. Some have seen a female wandering the halls and others have seen doors open and close without any explanation. The Bolton Mansion is said to be haunted by a woman who roams around as well as a little girl who is also still bound to the structure.
Numerous college campuses have been sites to ghost hauntings. There have been reports from Immaculata University, Cabrini College, Arcadia University and Temple University. Gettysburg College is said to be the most haunted because of how close it is to the battlegrounds of Gettysburg. Certain soldiers that have died in battle have been seen around the campus and the town. The castle tower of Arcadia is said to inhibit ghosts and a dormitory at Temple University is also haunted. Immaculata has been witness to an old-fashioned nun roam its corridors and a strange little boy who plays marbles on the steps of the building.
Cabrini is said to be haunted by ghosts. The story goes that the daughter of a wealthy father that lived in the mansion fell in love with the stable boy. She became pregnant and when her father found out he march out furiously in the snow to go after the stable boy in the stables. The stable boy had already hung himself before the father arrived. It’s said that the daughter jumped off the balcony of the mansion falling to her death. She’s said to be roaming around campus looking for her child that she had buried. When the first snowfall arrives, numerous students and professors have seen a tall manly figure walk furiously through the grounds of the college toward where the stables used to be. Another story is that there used to be a tunnel that connected Grace Hall with the mansion where people hid during the war. The tunnel caved in trapping those inside of it. No one has ever been to the basement of Grace Hall.
Radnor Hotel is even a site of a few ghosts. In the one hotel room hotel guests have reported that a ghost creeps through their room at night and then lurks on the ceiling waiting for the guests to wake up and to be frightened. There have also been sightings of ghostly figures walking around the hallways of the hotel.
Some of you may believe that the spirits of the long past do still leave their presence in certain areas and others may not. Ghosts can be found in the most unlikely places. So keep an eye and ear out. You never know when one will pop up.
Posted to the web by Ryan Norris
