Creepiest Places On Earth, part 2 of 2

Creepiest places—those words conjure up an image of eerie, disturbing, unnerving, and maybe even spine-chilling. This week's blog is a continuation of last week's list.

Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary In San Francisco Bay, California

Located in San Francisco Bay, California, the island has a long history dating back to the Civil War when it was a lighthouse, a fortress, and military prison. It's also been a bird sanctuary, site of the American Indian Red Power movement, and—most famously—a federal penitentiary. It's now part of the National Park Service with tours open to the public [an interesting tour, I've taken it]. It opened as a penitentiary on August 11, 1934, was nicknamed The Rock, and was considered escape proof due to its location on a 22 acre island in San Francisco Bay surrounded by cold water and treacherous ocean currents and tides. It housed many infamous criminals, but probably the two most famous were Al Capone and Robert Stroud (the Birdman of Alcatraz). Numerous creepy incidents have been reported over the years, many relating to hauntings, and to this day unexplained happenings still occur. The prison was closed on March 21, 1963, because it was too expensive to operate. Everything, including such basics as drinking water, had to be brought in by boat.

Ed Gein's Home In Plainfield, Wisconsin

Following the death of his mother, Ed Gein started digging up graves of recently buried middle-aged women, taking their bodies home, tanning their skins and using them to make various items. Soon after that, he began to abduct and kill women. Police were eventually led to Gein's farmhouse where they made horrific discoveries—chairs reupholstered with fatty human skin, a soup bowl made from a human skull, a shade pull made of lips, masks made from human faces, and a vest made from a woman's torso. The remains of 11 women were found in his house. His horrendous crimes have been the inspiration for films like Psycho, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and The Silence Of The Lambs.

The Dakota In New York City

The building was constructed in 1884 on Manhattan's Upper West Side, an area so remote at that time that it was named The Dakota after the vast Dakota Territory. It was the inspiration for the 1967 film Rosemary's Baby included witchcraft, Satanism, cannibalism, and murder. Common occurrences at The Dakota include phantom footsteps, mysterious rumblings, and elevators moving on their own. Over the years, The Dakota has been the home of many celebrities. John Lennon lived there at the time of his murder in 1980.

The Winchester Mystery House In San Jose, California

The sudden smell of chicken soup, apparitions from other eras, and doors that magically unlock are just some of the reported paranormal occurrences in the Winchester Mystery House. After her husband (heir to the Winchester rifle fortune) and only child died, Sarah Winchester consulted a psychic in Boston who said her family was haunted by those killed by the rifles. She was instructed to build a house to appease those spirits and as long as the construction continues, she would be safe. In 1866 she bought an unfinished farmhouse in what is now San Jose, California, and hired a construction crew to work around the clock. The house now has 160 rooms, 2000 doors, 10,000 windows, 47 stairways, 47 fireplaces, and 6 kitchens. Stair that lead nowhere, doors that open to a wall, other doors that open to a drop from the second floor to the first floor. She was also obsessed with the number 13—staircases with 13 steps, windows with 13 panes of glass, she even had a light added to a chandelier so it would contain 13 lights. Sarah Winchester died on September 5, 1922. 

The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado

The Stanley Hotel actually enjoys its reputation. Their in-house paranormal investigator called it 'a Disneyland for spirits.' The hotel was built in 1909 and sports a varied roster of spirits including a maid who climbs into bed between unmarried couples, a maintenance man who enforced a strict 11PM curfew, a musical spirit that hums along the concert hall, and an affectionate ghost named Eddie who's known to stroke women's hair and kiss their cheeks. In 1974, author Stephen King and his wife stayed there. That stay was the genesis for his classic 1977 novel, The Shining, where he renamed the Stanley Hotel as the Overlook Hotel for the book. 

The Amityville Horror House On Long Island, New York

The Amityville massacre has become one of the most famous crimes in American history, due in part to the novel and movie depicting the crimes and focusing on demonic forces some believe were involved and responsible. Heroine and LSD user Ronald DeFeo, Jr., was found guilty of murdering his family November 13, 1974. He claimed he heard voices telling him to kill his family. A year after the murder, the Lutz family moved into the house. Soon after, they reported some supernatural occurrences such as red eyes at windows, swarms of flies, the imprint of cloven hoofs in the snow, and voices screaming at them to get out. Less than a month after moving, they fled and left all their possessions behind. Many questioned DeFeo's and the Lutz's claims of paranormal activities. DeFeo later rejected his initial defense. The Lutz's maintained their claim until their deaths.

Hmm…now that I look back over this part 2 list, I realize that all the places mentioned here are in the U.S. rather than international. The American Revolutionary War began on April 19, 1775, with the battle at Concord and Lexington. We officially put the British on notice of our intensions on July 4, 1776, when we issued The Declaration of Independence. The Revolutionary War ended October, 1781, when Cornwallis surrendered British troops at Yorktown, Virginia. Two years later, September 3, 1783, the Treaty of Paris made it official. Our history as an independent country is relatively short compared to many other countries.

I apparently need to look into creepy places in other countries.  😊