5 of America’s most haunted homes

Whether you believe in ghosts or not, the stories behind haunted houses can give you the chills.

The following five houses have been reported to have some seriously eery energy. Events that have happened at each home have backed up their haunted reputation.

Winchester Mystery House — San Jose, California

After her husband’s death in 1881, Sarah Lockwood Winchester moved from Connecticut to California and began construction on what came to be known as the Winchester Mystery House in 1884. Construction on it stopped when she died in 1922.

Allegedly, Sarah had sought out a medium to help her commune with her deceased husband, William. During their meeting, William told her that their misfortunes were due to the family business, which was making and selling rifles. He said that if she continued to build her home she would live, but “stop and you will die,” per Mental Floss.

The mansion is 24,000 square feet and has 160 rooms, 10,000 windows, 2,000 doors, 47 stairways, 13 bathrooms and six kitchens, per the home’s website.

The Devereaux House — Salt lake City, Utah

Built for William Staines in 1857, the Devereaux House was the first mansion built in Utah. William Paul was the architect for the project, and it used to boast vineyards, stables, a carriage house and a kitchen garden, per Utah Historical Markers.

Brigham Young’s son Joseph A. Young lived in the home, as did Salt Lake City mayor William Jennings. It was Jennings who named the home the “Devereaux Mansion” in honor of where he grew up in England.

Through the years, rumors have circulated that a young girl dressed in 1850s clothing haunts the home. Utah Haunted Houses reported that some have heard singing, humming and muttering from something unseen. Other sightings of the girl allegedly involved poltergeist behavior, like doors slamming shut and objects falling for no clear reason.

Lalaurie Mansion — New Orleans, Louisiana

Madame Delphine MacCarthy Lalaurie moved into the Lalaurie mansion with her third husband in 1832, per New Orleans Historical. In 1834, a fire broke out in the home, and firefighters discovered “seven slaves, more or less horribly mutilated” locked in the building.

Historian Carolyn Marrow Long believes that Lalaurie was investigated for slave cruelty in 1828, and though there there are no court records of the investigation, documentation has been recovered disclosing that she “paid for legal services” and sold several slaves after the alleged investigation.

The ghost tour company French Quarterly Phantoms claims that tenants of the building have experienced consistent paranormal activity since the Lalaurie fire.

Lizzie Borden Mansion — Fall River, Massachusetts

Lizzie Borden was 32 years old when her father and step-mother were murdered in their home, according to Famous Trials. In August of 1892, Lizzie’s sister, Emma, was out of town and the maid was washing the windows outside when her step-mother was hit 19 times on the back of the head with an ax.

University of Missouri-Kansas City law students compiled a timeline of the tragedy, and noted that the maid heard a “muted laugh from upstairs” after letting Lizzie’s father into the house. Lizzie’s father was murdered several hours later while napping on the living room sofa.

Lizzie Borden was the primary suspect for her parents’ murders, but was found not guilty.

The Lizzie Borden House now acts as a bed and breakfast and offers tours, ghost tours and a ghost hunt.

The Sallie House — Atchison, Kansas

Paranormal activity at the Sallie House allegedly stems from a girl dying of a ruptured appendix in the home, per Visit Atchison.

In the late 1800s, a “frantic mother” brought her daughter experiencing sever abdominal pain to physician Charles Finney, who lived in the Sallie House, Visit Atchison says. Worried that he needed to act quickly to keep Sallie alive, he began an operation before the anesthesia set in.

Visit Atchison describes some paranormal activity experienced in the home including “video and investigative equipment that stop working,” “batteries that are full immediately and completely draining,” and “mysterious coldness.”