Olde Towne Ghost Walk (Portsmouth, Virginia)
The ashbug recommends this Halloween-only ghost walk: “If you’re ever in Virginia around Samhain (well, Hallowe’en), go through the Ghost Walk in Portsmouth – – it’s the BEST set of ghost stories I’ve ever heard, complete with star-crossed lovers, suicide, and plenty of grisly murders!”
Old Courthouse (Portsmouth, Virginia)
The ashbug advises a visit to the Old Courthouse: “Visit Portsmouth, Virginia if you get a chance. There’s an old courthouse on Court Street (how original our ancestors were), complete with the ghost of a wrongly-accused criminal. It’s a cliche, I know, but it’s a tingly-good place. Even on hot days the courtyard is usually cool. Trinity Church is across the street, full of morbid tidbits.”
Old City Cemetery (Lynchburg, Virginia)
Shonagh recommends this site: “If anyone is heading toward Lynchburg, Virginia, there is a great cemetery to visit. It has a huge civil war section, not to mention one German soldier from World War Two. Also right in the cemetery are two small museums. One is a pest house and medical musuem from the Civil War. It is really interesting to see how medicine advanced. then then other is simply a museum chronicling how people were buried in the 19th Century. There are two great things in this museum: a horse-drawn hearse all clad in black. It is open. We have a picture of my mom laying in the back. The second is a wicker casket. That fascinated me, seeing as that anything left outside for a day in Lynchburg instantly rots. I am guessing that wicker caskets weren’t popular. Anyway, it is one of the best cemeteries I have ever been to.”
William13 has additional information to offer: “I had the opportunity to visit the Old City Cemetery in Lynchburg, Virginia. A beautifully maintained cemetery dating from the golden age, it boasts a sizable contigent of Confederate dead, a renowned collection of rose bushes as well as a pond and ‘scattering’ garden for the ashes of the cremated. But most exciting was the ‘Pest House’ where the poor sufferers of smallpox were treated during the great smallpox epidemic of 1862 – 1864. One could almost hear the desperate groans of the blighted souls as the doctor and nurses coated their rotting flesh with various balms and unguents.”
Hope Cemetery (Barre, Vermont)
Roadside America has a nice feature on this cemetery, with its crazy, elaborate stone carvings. Looks fascinating! (Thanks to Bruce for the suggestion.)
Hatch City Cemetery (Hatch, Utah)
Val suggests this site: “Hatch, Utah – where life is short and the cemeteries haunted.
Go up to Hatch cemetery, where you will find the entire cemetery, save three or four people, is under the age of fifteen. I would assume epidemic of some kind, but this goes on from the 1800s all the way up to the eighties. Here is the find a grave listings for Hatch. Look at it and you will see it is true. They are almost all children. There is one family that lost their children, if I recall, all at the same time, at an inn. I believe it was a fire that took their lives, but I am not sure. Of interest to me is the grave of infant tourist, whose grave only reads “Infant Tourist C-BOK. “
Fort Concho (San Angelo, Texas)
Shana writes to tell me of this old frontier fort: “My father does a lot of volunteer work at the Fort here….It’s called Fort Concho. It’s the oldest in Texas. I just got back from a visit there. I think you would LOVE this place. My family and I spent the night over, and although nothing major happened, we saw chairs that were out of place, noises coming down the stairs, and a rug that turned over. For $174 a night you can stay in a real barracks that has had many sightings of the girl that passed away in there. Even if you see nothing, it is BEAUTIFUL inside….rock walls, wood tables, even the bed spreads are from the 40s…. even a cool old spinning wheel that freaked me out.” Sounds like a good night to me!
Texas Prison Museum (Huntsville, Texas)
The highlight of this museum is Old Sparky – the electric chair that escorted 361 prisoners to their deaths between 1924 and 1964.
National Museum of Funeral History (Houston, Texas)
I haven’t been here, but I’ve been told this place is “exceptionally cool”. It certainly sounds like it, based upon the offical website’s description: “Experience unique national treasures and the country’s largest display of funeral service memorabilia in the 20,000 square foot National Museum of Funeral History. The museum is the home of rare artifacts and interesting historical information about one of our important cultural rituals.” Check out the online gift shop too! (Special thanks to Del Rhea Watson for the suggestion.)
The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza (Dallas, Texas)
Look out the window where Lee Harvey Oswald allegedly shot JFK. See the Grassy Knoll. And all that good awful stuff.
Mount Olivet Cemetery (Nashville, Tennessee)
Mount Olivet has been continuously operated since its initial establishment in 1856. It serves as the final resting place for many of Middle Tennessee’s political and business leaders, including several former governors of Tennessee, U.S. Senators, and U.S. Congressional Representatives. Additionally, “Confederate Circle” honors many who served on the Confederate side in the American Civil War. About 1,500 soldiers are buried there.