Which American Ghost Are You?

Vanishing hitchhikers are a staple of American folklore, but Resurrection Mary might be the most frightening. Legend has it Mary was walking home after an argument with her boyfriend at a ballroom dance, only to be killed in a hit-and-run accident. She was buried in Resurrection Cemetery and, since the 1930s, there have been several reports of a young hitchhiker on Archer Avenue asking men for a ride, wearing a white party dress and dancing shoes and holding a small clutch.

In 1974, 23-year-old Ronald DeFeo was arrested for murdering his parents and four siblings. Lying face down in their beds and showing no signs of struggle, police were perplexed how DeFeo could have done the murder, and later tenants of the house reported paranormal occurrences which eventually forced them out. The case was made famous in Jay Anson’s book, The Amityville Horror, and its subsequent films.

The Bell Witch is a famous legend from Southern folklore. The story begins with John Bell Sr., a farmer in Adams, Tenn., who cheated his neighbor Kate Batts out of a land deal. On her deathbed, she swore to haunt the man and his descendants, who subsequently experienced strange and unexplainable activity at their home. Sugar would disappear while children would feel slaps and pinches out of nowhere. Bell himself suffered violent seizures before being poisoned.

Stephen King was inspired to write The Shining after a stay in room 217 of this iconic hotel, though staff will tell you its room 418 that’s the most haunted. Guests regularly complain of children playing in the hallway. One couple reported being kept up all night by the sound of kids in the next room despite it being unoccupied. Many report hearing phantom footsteps and feeling their clothes getting yanked, while others have woken up to find their sheets taken off the bed and folded neatly.

Lincoln actually anticipated his assassination, telling his body guard he had recurring dreams of his own funeral. Since then, many visitors and occupants of the White House have had strange experiences related to the man. Eleanor Roosevelt reported feeling his presence while her dog would bark at empty space. Winston Churchill himself said he saw the ghost walking around his room naked while smoking a cigar. Upon seeing Mr. Lincoln at the fireplace, Churchill politely said, “Good evening Mr. President, you seem to have me at a disadvantage”.