From murals on the walls, to statues of saints and gardeners, to chandeliers, sconces, and statuary around the interior of the chapel, human bones are the main material used for construction and decoration. The chandelier in the entry contains at least one of every single bone in the human body. It is a masterpiece of construction and is beautiful even in its somewhat macabre fashion.

Exhuming the skeletons began around 1511, and the organization and construction using the bones began in 1870 by a woodcarver named Frantisek Rint, hired by the Schwarzenberg family to bring order to the massive heaps of exhumed bones. Though morbid in its use of material, the chapel is a thing of beauty and one has to see it in order to truly appreciate its masterpiece.

It has over one hundred and fifty rooms, almost fifty fireplaces, and modern conveniences like heating and a sewer system. There are also three working elevators and gas lights that would operate when you pressed a button.

There are so many different things in the house that it’s almost unexplainable, but it’s certainly a marvel of creativity, ingenuity, and engineering. You can find stairs that lead to the ceiling, parquet floors, Tiffany art glass windows and much more. It consumed the lives of many carpenters for almost forty years until Sarah Winchester finally passed away.

The house was preserved, and now remains for all to see the intricacies and the creativity that took place there, as well as the money that was spent and the sheer size of the project.

Centralia, Pennsylvania should be your first stop. A coal mine caught fire there, and the town was destroyed from underneath.

Bodie, California is another great place to go. It’s deserted, desolate, and pretty much just like it was when everyone left, except for the ravages of time. Money, alcohol, and gold were the killers of this town.

Tombstone, Arizona is a quintessential ghost town and the subject of a lot of films, too. People still live there, but that doesn’t make it less eerie.

Calico, California has tours and gold-panning, among other things. It’s a great place to go, like most old mining towns.

Last but not least, go and see Belmont, Nevada. There are saloons still there, and it’s a working ghost town full of history and maybe something more.

Well, yes and no. The man who lived through it all – George Lutz – will readily admit that everything that happened in the book and the movie isn’t true. There was some poetic license taken, of course, like there is with most things. However, many of the things that were said to take place in that house actually did occur, and there were problems with the home long before Lutz moved in there.

The previous owner had killed his entire family because of the voices that he heard, and whether he was schizophrenic or whether there were actually malevolent spirits talking to him is something that’s going to be left up to debate for many years to come.

The Tampa Theater in Tampa, Florida is a beautiful sight. In the 1970s it was restored and renovated, and it remains a very popular attraction. It’s a bit eclectic but works well and some say it’s haunted.

From 1930 to 1965, the projectionist at the theater was so dedicated to his job that he basically lived there. Now that he’s passed on, many people say that his spirit still remains at the theater. There have been many manifestations seen by a lot of people, and some of these have been so strong that they are almost impossible to ignore. These include doors opening and closing and music playing when no one is around, as well as cold spots and odd noises that aren’t related to anything happening at the time.

For those who believe in ghosts, this is more than enough to convince them that the Tampa Theater is haunted.

Apparently she was taken in by a family under circumstances that are lost to history. She had a good time with them and they treated her really well. Another girl was eventually brought to live with them, and was said to be the sister of the woman who adopted the girl. She was later found to be having an affair with the man who adopted them and the first girl, out of jealous, killed her with poison.

Only after she was dead did the girl find out that the young woman she killed was really her biological mother. She went insane at that point and lived the rest of her life in a mental institution. Because she had such happy times at the home until that point, however, she is said to remain there, skipping along the corridors and laughing.

Toys R US

In Sunnyvale, California this popular franchise store is situated on the foundation of what used to be a mansion where a former resident chopped off his hands while cutting wood. Rumors say his spirit still haunts the premises, knocking over merchandise in the facility late at night. One night, management set up cameras to capture the occurrences and were startled at the sight of a shadowy figure lurking through each aisle.

Bernardsville Library

In Bernardsville, New Jersey lurks a library ghost named Parker. At the time of the Revolutionary War, she was set to marry a young man, one whom her father did not approve. After losing her love to her father’s blade, the lady went insane and concealed herself in the library; the place where her soul still remains.

1890 House

The 1890 House is located in Cortland, New York. Erie noises have led many people who’ve lived their along with the entire city to believe the house is haunted by ghosts.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The Ghost Car swerves and weaves in and out of traffic.  The driver is “like a man possessed” and all hell breaks loose.

Inmates who broke the simplest rule received the harshest castigation. Hence, the Water Bath, this is when inmates are dunked into a tub of ice cold water, and then are hung from a wall for the night. In the winter months, this was the common chastisement used. It was reported that the water on the inmate’s skin would form a layer of ice by the morning time.  Next, was the Mad Chair. It was named such because it was not uncommon for an inmate to go mad before his punishment ended. Inmates would be strapped into the chair with leather strips, so tightly that it was impossible for them to make the smallest of movements. They would sit for days, without food, until the circulation in their body almost stopped from the tightness of the straps and the lack of movement. One would think that with these two punishments that there would not be a need for anymore, however, this was not the case. In fact, they had two more unconventional penalties for their unfortunate prisoners. The Hole, dug under cell block #14, was nothing but a pit in the ground where the incorrigible inmates would stay locked, sometimes for weeks. There was no light, little air, and those thrown into its tortuous grip would receive water and a slice of bread, if they got to it before the rats and roaches. Lastly, there was The Iron Gag. It was the most deadly punishment known and was specifically designed for those inmates who refused to obey the no communication policies. An iron collar was clamped onto the tongue of the inmate, and then chained to his wrists which were strapped high behind their back. Any movement resulted in the tearing of the tongue and severe bleeding. Many inmates who suffered this horrendous torture died from loss of blood before their torment ended.

With all of the cruelty that was being done at this facility, it is no shock that there have been findings of paranormal activity. One major paranormal episode reported occurred to a locksmith doing restoration work in cell block #4. According to the tale, he was working to remove a 140-year-old lock from the cell door when a massive force overcame him so powerfully he was unable to move. Some believe when he removed the key it opened a gateway to the horrific past and offered the spirits caught behind its bars a pathway out. The man spoke of experiencing an out-of-body state as he was drawn toward the negative energy which burst through the cell.

Today the penitentiary is opened to the public. In a typical year, maybe two dozen paranormal investigations take place in the cell blocks, and according to Assistant Program Director Brett Bertolino, they almost always find evidence of activity.