Let’s get global in a fun way, shall we? If you’ve ever sat down to watch one of those infamous ghost hunting shows, then you already know that there are other things among us, including ghosts. If you want to really dig into some interesting history and get scared at the same time, you might want to think about checking out this list of the 5 most haunted places on Earth.
1. Borley Rectory
Have you been to what many claim is the most haunted place in all of England? It’s the Borley Rectory, which is located in Borley, England. It’s sitting on the site of an ancient monastery. The way the story goes is that there is supposed an old nun that haunts the place, mourning for her lost love. The story claims that she fell in love with a monk from the monastery and they had attempted to run away to be together. They were tracked down and the man was executed, and the woman was trapped in the cellar of the monastic buildings — definitely a gruesome way to die, to be sure!
2. Parisian Catacombs
Can you imagine what your town would do if you ran out of space to bury your dead? Well, in Paris, France what they had to do was build a maze of tunnels and crypts where the dead were buried. The city grew so rapidly that there just wasn’t any space for anyone to bury their dead in the more traditional way. The catacombs were used for over 30 years. Now, it wasn’t as gruesome as you might expect — the space was blessed before the bones were moved there, and there was always reverence for the dead at every turn. But if you had to walk through the space today, you would definitely feel some real fear — it is estimated that 6-7 million Parisians are buried here!
3. Rose Hall
Ready to head to Jamaica? You might think about lush beaches and tropical sun, but there is also a haunted house here. It’s called Rose Hall and it’s in Montego Bay, where it’s said that the house is haunted by the lady of the house’s daughter, Annie Palmer. The daughter was murdered in her bed, and continues to haunt the place.
The story goes in the way that you would expect — murder, coercion, and more blood spilled than you want to think about. It’s said that there are also the spirits of the men that Annie Palmer murdered that also roam the house at night. This is definitely not somewhere that you want to spend your night — there are reports of people being able to hear the screams of the men that Annie killed! How scary!
4. Stanley Hotel
Ever seen the movie “The Shining”? Well, there really is a Stanley Hotel that the movie was based on. Steven King stayed there and heard ghostly children playing in the hallway. Even the staff says that they’ve heard the piano keys moving when no one is actually sitting there. Unlike the movie, most people report that the ghosts are actually harmless, which is definitely a good thing — what would happen if they weren’t?
5. Tower of London
We can’t think of any better way to fill out the last slot in this story than with the Tower of London — it’s a truly haunted place. People have reported seeing one of the wives of Henry VIII in the Tower Green and in the Tower Chapel Royal, carrying her head. It’s a pretty scary sight, all things considered!
There are other ghosts that are supposed to be there, including Henry Vi, Thomas Becket, and Sir Walter Raleigh. There is also the Countess of Salisbury, whose death was gruesome. Even though she is believed now to be innocent, she was sentenced to death for alleged crimes. She was struggling to the scaffold for a hanging, but she ran from the block. The executioner is believed to have pursued her, caught her, and cut her to pieces instead of leading her back to the scaffold again. Now that’s brutal!
If these haunted places excite and scare you, then you should definitely check them out. Some of these places have guided tours where you can go with a guide and check them out. Some people are skeptical, but other people realize that ghosts walk among us — which one are you?