LEAP CASTLE: THE MOST HAUNTED PLACE IN IRELAND

Dubbed the world's most haunted castle, as well as the most haunted place in Ireland, Leap Castle was built sometime in the 13th century, with additions coming through the years, in Coolderry, County Offaly, Ireland by the O'Bannon Clan. Its original name was a Celtic translation for "Leap of the O'Bannons." The castle was built on land believed to have been occupied in some form since the Iron Age and even possibly dating as far back as the Neolithic Age.

 

Gerald Fitzgerald, Earl of Kildare, tried to seize Leap in the 16th century twice and failed. But, the castle did fall to the control of the O'Carroll Clan, whom the O'Bannons actually served under. But, after Mulrooney O'Carroll died in 1532, a bloody family feud over leadership ensued, turning the brothers against one another, even causing one of the brothers to kill the other, who was a priest, right at the altar during a service.

 

The Darby Family gained ownership in 1639 after marrying into the clan. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, Mildred Darby, whose husband was Leap owner John Charles Darby, began holding regular séances in the castle. Mildred was a well-known Gothic novelist who used the pen name Andrew Merry. Her input and claims about the house's haunted nature helped propel Leap to being known as one of the most haunted places in the world.

 

Parts of the castle were burned during the Irish Civil War in 1922, and many believe it to be because rents on the land and within the structure were raised to pay for extensions made on Leap at the time. In 1974, historian Peter Bartlett purchased the castle and conducted restorations until he died in 1989. A man named Sean Ryan has owned it since 1991 and he oversees the continuing repairs.

 

Leap Castle is also on the cover of Tim Winton's The Riders, which is a very good novel.

 

There are several ghost stories emanating from Leap:

THE BLOODY CHAPEL

This is the aforementioned incident where the priest was slain by his brother during a mass he was performing in one of the upper halls. It was a brutal killing, causing blood to soak the altar. Since then, the priest has been seen wandering about the room, exiting the western door before descending the stairs, and lurking in the shadows about and around the chapel.

The Oubliette in the room was once used by the O'Carrolls as a dungeon to hold captured and dying prisoners when they would attack the castle. The O'Carrolls would also hire other clans to eliminate nearby threats, and afterward would invite them back to Leap Castle to celebrate, only to poison them and slash their throats. They would then dispose of the corpses in the Oubliette and forget about them. Charles O'Carroll also had the entire MacMahon Clan killed and thrown into the little dungeon. When the area was cleaned out, numerous skeletons were found there, lending credibility to the stories, even if they may or may not be embellishments.

Many manifestations and strange occurrences have been reported in the Bloody Chapel as well as the great hall. A lot of ghosts are reported to wander aimlessly about the area, never interacting with the living. It is also said that a man's spirit lives in the Oubliette and will attack anyone who enters without permission. He has been known to strike, grab, shove, and choke trespassers.

The Bloody Chapel

The Oubliette, or possibly the Murder Hole



Two young girls--Charlotte and Emily--once lived at Leap Castle. Emily fell off a battlement atop the castle when she was 11. Emily's ghost is sometimes spotted replaying her death from the battlement, sailing to the ground below. Both spirits can be seen and heard playing in stairwells and hallways. They have sometimes been accompanied by an old nanny that likes to supervise them as they play and sit with them at lunch.

A woman was allegedly held captive and violated by the O'Carroll Clan, then committed suicide after her child was killed; she is seen wandering the home holding up a dagger in a threatening manner. A strange light glows within her and she creates a drastic drop in temperature in her surroundings. This supposed specter is called the Red Lady.

There is also a ghostly woman who was murdered by the O'Carrolls wandering the grounds, reported by Mildred years ago. Shadows and apparitions have been seen moving about the remnants of the Priest's House, which was burned during the Irish Civil War. There have been reports of people having their hands and legs grabbed by unseen forces in areas were gruesome murders transpired. An older gentleman has been seen lounging in a chair by the fire in the main hall.

It's hard to say how many of the claimed incidents were actually experienced by people in this castle. They all could just be the imagination of a Gothic novelist looking to sell books, furthered later by people who wanted to capitalize off the supernatural legends that survived the century. Or, maybe all the outrageous tales of the O'Carrolls' supposed brutality have merit and a lot of angry ghosts remain thanks to the savagery they felt at their hands. Sounds like a plot for an incredibly frightening film. But, they do say that sometimes real life is stranger than fiction. Maybe it's scarier, too.

 

 

For more frightening accounts of supposed real life haunts--and other cool ghostly things--follow our page at https://www.facebook.com/LouisvilleGhosts/.





 



THE STORY OF THE BELL WITCH

The folklore of the Bell Witch is pretty well-known in the south. John Bell, Sr., of Adams, Tennessee was a farmer who lived along the Red River in the early 1800s. Between the years of 1817 and 1821, it is alleged that the area was under attack by a poltergeist that came to be known as the Bell Witch.

This entity, who author Martin Van Buren Ingram said in his book, An Authenticated History of the Bell Witch, was named Kate Batts, was able to speak, touch, move things, change shape, travel great distances quickly, and even supposedly be in more than one place at the same time. Kate focused a lot on John Bell's youngest daughter, Betsy, who was engaged to a man the witch did not approve of.

In the summer of 1817, it all began with John Bell shooting at what he believed was a dog with the head of a rabbit. After firing on the strange creature, it disappeared. This incident seemed to spark the aggressive activity as the Bells began to experience acts of violence against them. Members of the family were hit, pinched, their hair was pulled, and they had pins stuck into them, primarily Betsy.

The story of the Bell Witch spread and people traveled some distances to see old Kate Batts in action. During this time, the specter would carry on conversations with people, making threats, jokes, and even repeating sermons. John Johnston, son of a family friend, asked the witch a very personal question about something his grandmother would say in a certain situation, and the entity repeated it back word for word, even impersonating his grandmother's accent.

A man from England heard the story and came to the farm to debunk it. Once Kate was able to perfectly mimic the voices of his parents, waking him one morning, making him think that his parents had heard his voice as well, so he quickly left and returned home. A while later, the Bells received a letter from the Englishman apologizing for his skepticism because he stated that the being, whatever it was, had visited his farm.

Though "Kate Batts" adored John's wife, Lucy, bringing her fresh fruits, singing her hymns, and referring to her as the "most perfect woman to ever walk the Earth," she apparently despised John. She called him "Old Jack" and would cuss him, hurt him, and make threats to kill him. Eventually, she made good on her threat and poisoned John, then brought her malevolent rambunctiousness to his funeral, making a scene by singing drinking songs. When Betsy broke off her engagement with the man the witch didn't like, the wicked force said she would leave, but vowed to return in 1828. When she did return, the rest of the family ignored her as best they could and she disappeared again.

Through the years, a lot of theories as to where the Bell Witch story actually came from have been made. Some believe it was just a tale to scapegoat bad things that were done by people in that town. Others think maybe a great trickster had been the culprit behind the incidents, manipulating the situation to make others believe there was an angry spirit at work because he sought some sort of vengeance upon John Bell and his family. There are also those who believe the story to be real and that the witch was maybe someone John Bell had murdered. I don't know how much evidence supports any of these explanations. It's very possible this could all just be a sensationalized tale woven to sell a book. If it wasn't and these accounts are accurate, I don't think there was a witch or a vindictive ghost intending ill-will on the Bell Family. I think there was something more devilish and dark at play, because a lot of what this creature supposedly did seems demonic. But who knows? The Bell Witch is a popular folktale either way.

For more paranormal tales, visit and like our page at https://www.facebook.com/LouisvilleGhosts/.



THE WINCHESTER MYSTERY HOUSE



One of the most outlandish structures in the entire world has to be the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, California. Built by Sarah Winchester, wife of William Wirt Winchester--creator of the Winchester Rifle--this home is a veritable labyrinth of lunacy. There are many insane and inexplicable features of the house, such as trapdoors in floors, doors that lead to nowhere, and secret passages hidden in the walls of twisting hallways.

The house was built on a floating foundation which allows it to shift freely, giving it some reinforcement when earthquakes strike. The sprawling architectural jigsaw puzzle has about 160 rooms, 47 fireplaces and only 17 chimneys, three elevators, two basements, and over 10,000 panes of glass. 

A bird's-eye-view of this modern day madhouse.

 

The Winchester fortune was massive. After William Winchester died from tuberculosis in 1881, Sarah inherited more than $20-million, which, back then, would have been like receiving $23,000 a day today. This excessive wealth allowed for Sarah to begin building the Victorian Nightmare in 1884 and keep it going until her own death in 1922. Sarah spared no expense during the house's construction. There were numerous luxuries contained therein that were not commonly found in homes back then: indoor plumbing and toilets, push-button gas lights, forced air heating, and her own hot-water shower.

 

The décor of the home was nothing short of extravagant. Many of the windows were made by Tiffany's and valued at about $1500 a piece; a lot of the doors were worth twice that as they were inlaid with German bronze and silver; there were even Swiss molded bathtubs throughout the home as well--and all of this is really just a very minute collection of the opulence contained in the wacky Winchester warren.

 

Gorgeous insanity.

Splendor within the Winchester House.

Another outrageous design inside Sarah's opulent opus.

 

But, why did Sarah Winchester create such a zany home? And why did she let it go on for the rest of her life, like Bob Dylan's Never Ending Tour? Well, the popular answer to that is that she was haunted by the spirits of many people who were shot down by a Winchester Rifle. These ghosts supposedly haunted her till the end of her days, and the only way to keep them from driving her mad was to grant their request, which was to build a home that was never finished. So she did.

 

Some people believe Hell is repetition, and if that is true, then perhaps this diabolical demand was designed as atonement for the Winchester widow.

 

But, building the house wasn't enough and the angry spirits kept haunting Sarah. This is why the layout of the house became so bizarre: Mrs. Winchester used the wiles of her wits to stay on constant run from the ghosts, and this backwards manor was her armor against their otherworldly onslaught. When being chased by the specters, she could duck into a secret passage and erase her path. She often vanished into mysterious rooms, through small hallways, and across oblong, awkward staircases, tricking the trackers off her trail. It was even alleged that a room on the upper-floor, surrounded by doors with only one leading to a true exit, was the séance room where she would go to converse with the unwelcomed inhabitants of her home. It seems that Sarah Winchester remained in a never-ending struggle against these poltergeists until the day of her death.

 

The Séance Room at the Winchester house where Sarah allegedly tried to speak to the entities in her home.

 

Through the years, many employees of and visitors to the Mystery House have reported haunts and strange activity taking place. A lot of them are very mundane, garden variety incidents, such as turning doorknobs, footsteps, whispers, and lights turning on and off, all of which could be attributed to the usual explanation of the "house being old." But, there are some stories that come from between the walls that are a bit more specific.

 

A former caretaker claimed to have heard very specific footsteps clopping about the place, accompanied by long, drawn, heavy breathing while he was presumably alone in the building. One night, he heard what sounded like a screw being turned, followed by the rattling of something small hitting the floor. When he looked around, he found nothing strange. The caretaker did have a friend who caught the image of an unknown man in workman's overalls in a photograph he took at Winchester. Maybe it's the spirit of one of the workers who toiled to create this marvel.

 

One man had trouble getting the exterior doors to remain locked. When he would close up the house at night, he would do his rounds and check all the doors, finding many of them to be unlocked even though he remembered locking them before. Upon returning to the front doors, he would find them unlocked as well. Sometimes, he would go back in to check around for intruders, but would find nothing peculiar. When he would start checking doors again, many that he had just locked would be unlocked once more and he'd have to start all over again.

 

The man later had the same problem with lights coming back on in the house. After he would shut off the lights, he would be getting ready to get in his car, look up, and see all the lights on the third floor blazing. So, he'd go in, turn them off, and as he was passing back through the house to leave, he would find other lights on that had been previously off. Sometimes, he'd get outside and see the lights back on, other times he would not. Sometimes he would go back in and turn them off, other times he would not.

 

People have also heard voices talking to them from dark corners; the hayloft is supposed to be haunted by some shadow that roams about, trying to carry on conversations with people. The aroma of an assortment of foods has been smelled when nothing is cooking. People have seen apparitions walking through walls, opening doors and entering rooms, and just randomly hanging about the hallways. There are many other reported haunts dating back thirty years or more.

 

In recent years, it has been claimed that these stories were all made up by people working for the Winchester Mystery House in order to sell tickets for tours and gain publicity, and that nothing paranormal ever took place in the home, nor were any ghosts ever hounding the matriarch of the Winchester empire. The explanation comes from someone who has done a lot of research into the home and its history. They have deduced that due to the Winchesters' tie to Freemasonry and her Rosicrucian beliefs, the home is simply a giant canvas of symbolism that pays homage to the Masons and Rosicrucian ways. Though this reasoning is ultimately conjecture, there's no denying the peculiar design of the home and the décor do suggest some Masonic influences.

 

There is a lot to the Winchester Mystery House, and though this particular blog may seem a bit lengthy, it still does not come close to covering the complexity of one of the world's most fascinating homes. Whether or not ghosts haunt the house, or whether angry spirits drove Sarah Winchester to near madness, or if she was simply showing her devotion to her spiritualism, one cannot deny that the Winchester House definitely emanates a singular and awe-inspiring aura.

 

William and Sarah Winchester

 

For more cool stuff that is weird and spooky, like our page at https://www.facebook.com/LouisvilleGhosts/

 







CHINA'S HAUNTED FORBIDDEN CITY

China's Forbidden City was the Imperial Palace of China from 1420 to 1912, beginning with the Ming dynasty and ending with the Qing dynasty. There are 980 buildings total on the complex and it took fourteen years to complete. It has been named a World Heritage Site and now the palace, known currently as the Palace Museum, is the most visited art museum in the world with well over 14-million tourists stopping by annually.

Construction of the palace began in 1406 when Yongle Emperor Zhu Di moved the capital city from Nanjing to Beijing and would employee over a million laborers and utilize the many resources from the surrounding land. The Ming dynasty reigned from 1420 to 1644 when Li Zicheng, self-proclaimed Emperor of the Shun dynasty, lead a rebellion on the palace and was able to usurp the seat. However, he soon abandoned the Forbidden City when Wu Sangui, former Ming general, lead Manchu forces against Zicheng and set fire to sections of the palace. This lead to the rise of the Qing dynasty in Northern China.

Anglo-French forces seized control of the city during the Second Opium War in 1860 and held their position until the end of the conflict, which came soon after. When the anti-Imperialist uprising known as the Boxer Rebellion began in 1899, Emperor Dowager Cixi left the palace a year later, leaving it to the control of the rebels. The palace ceased being the political center of China after the last Emperor, Puyi, abdicated his post in 1912; he and the Republic of China then reached a new political agreement that would end Imperialistic dynasties.

With all the years of battle, bloodshed, rebellion, and concubine murders, the Forbidden City is believed to be haunted by many spirits. In the 90s, a guard by the name of Fat Fu told a story about two of his co-workers who experienced a ghost, saying they rushed into the guard shack around 9pm, flustered and nervous, and claimed they had seen the ghost of a black-haired woman in a long white gown somewhere on the compound. When they tried to get her attention, the woman fled, so they pursued her, suspecting she may be a thief. When they finally caught up to her, cornering her by a locked door, she turned around and, to their horror, they saw, in the beams of their flashlights, that the woman had no face, only long, unruly hair hanging down. Fat Fu went to find the woman, but never saw her. Another guard reported seeing this same woman walking along one of the courtyards, but she was not running. She was weeping as she floated through the night, up towards one of the walls, and out of sight.

Shadows move along the walls when no one is around. There are also the sounds of animals running back and forth through rooms when none are there. Dark shapes drift along the steps leading to the palace, and the figures of transparent people have been seen lingering in windows of various buildings.

There is also the very disturbing story of General Yuan, the man who defended the city from the Manchu armies in 1630. He fought back the forces and was known to be a loyal servant who would do whatever it took to support and protect his Emperor. But, his successes drew jealousy and some of those who envied his status began to spread vicious rumors claiming betrayal about the general. Eventually, these words reached the ears of the Emperor and he had Yuan tortured and his body chopped into several pieces and spread throughout the land; all that remained was his head and it was saved by one of the troops who did not believe the lies. From here, the tale only becomes more harrowing: many people believed the accusations brought against him and found his severed limbs and ate them.

It is said that the general still protects the land, as well as wanders the night in search of revenge against those who wronged him. Near his tomb, a white mist sometimes swirls until the faint image of the betrayed general takes form. People have reported hearing his cries in the night, as well as seeing his headless body stalking the grounds beneath the moonlight. One man even claimed to have saw the General's head hovering in a palace window, with his eyes burning from the fires of rage.

There are numerous smaller haunts reported from the site, such as apparitions, cries, voices, smells, eerie presences, footsteps, bangs, doors opening, shadows moving, and strange-looking creatures lurking in corners. A place that old has to have a lot of energy, and since so many people met bloody deaths there, the Forbidden City seems to have quite the lure for spectral activity. Could you imagine wandering that vast complex in the dead of night? The things you could see and hear...

Strange and eerie presences wander the Forbidden City.

 



For more cool and creepy things, visit (and like) our page at https://www.facebook.com/LouisvilleGhosts/.



THE GHOST OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN



Presidential ghosts are not uncommon, especially in the White House. Many presidents and their wives have been seen, and some presidents and their families have had strange occurrences while living at the nation's capitol. The most common ghost among them is that of the 16th Commander-in-Chief, Abraham Lincoln, who has been reported to haunt the White House since his death in 1865.

Not that he really needs any introduction or biography, I will mention that he presided over the country during the horrific Civil War, was the president who made abolition official, was known for being a highly articulate wordsmith, and was assassinated after supposedly predicting his own demise.

According to Lincoln's friend and biographer, Ward Hill Lamon, the president had a dream three days before he was shot in which he stumbled into his own funeral after being assassinated. He had also confessed to his bodyguard, William H. Cook, that he had dreamt of his death three nights straight. Cook tried to convince him not to go to the play, to which he replied that he had promised Mary Todd they would go. Then, instead of bidding Cook goodnight as he always did, he told him, "Goodbye." That was the last word he ever spoke to his bodyguard.

The weight of the tragedy was pressing enough to keep Lincoln lingering between here and the spirit realm. He has been seen staring out of windows at the White House (Grace Coolidge being the first to witness this), walking across rooms, sitting at the desk in the Oval Office, and has also been heard knocking on walls and doors. Margaret Truman and Lilian Rogers Clark both claimed to hear the knocks and footsteps around his old bedroom. Harry Truman woke to the sound of strange knocks while sleeping in there. Teddy Roosevelt and Maureen Regan had reported seeing his apparition wandering about the house.

Former Queen of the Netherlands, Wilhelmina, encountered his ghost in 1942 when she answered a knock on her door and saw him standing there wearing his top hat. The incident scared her so much that she passed out.

While visiting the White House during World War II, former British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, emerged from the bathroom naked and smoking a cigar only to see Honest Abe sitting in a chair by the fireplace. "Good evening, Mr. President," said Churchill. "It seems you have met me at a disadvantage." Lincoln then laughed and disappeared, as reported by Mr. Churchill himself.

Numerous people have claimed to see his shadow lying in his old bed and even pulling on his boots.

A photo of Mary Todd with her husband's ghost behind her has been widely circulated and often discussed. The photo was taken either in 1869 or in the early 1870s, years after Abe's death, and many think it is his ghost comforting her. Some believe it to be a double-exposure even though that would be one serious coincidence.

Abraham Lincoln's ghost or a double-exposure?

 

 

Eleanor Roosevelt said she had felt his presence there but never had any encounters with him. Press secretary to Eisenhower, James Hagerty, and Lady Bird Johnson's press secretary, Liz Carpenter, made the same claims.

 

Lincoln has also been seen away from the White House. He haunts his grave in Springfield, Illinois, the home of a woman who was at the Fords Theatre when he was shot, and a phantom train that runs the path of his procession. He has also been seen on the grounds of the Farmington Plantation in Louisville, Kentucky. His ghost was last seen in the 1980s sitting in a chair at the top of the stairs in the White House.



Just chillin' in his chair.

 

Maybe everyone sees Lincoln's ghost so much because he is the most famous president of all-time. It could be that they just want, or expect, to see him, so they think they do. Or, maybe all of this expectation for his appearance creates enough energy to draw his ghost. Lincoln was a monumental man (could be why they built a monument for him, eh?), so he may have chosen to remain at the White House to make sure things are running smoothly, or at least not as poorly as they could be.

 

 

For more spooky stories, visit and like our page at https://www.facebook.com/LouisvilleGhosts/.



 

 

MOST COMMON HAUNTS

 

 



Haunts come in a variety of manifestations and are usually filed away into two main categories: intelligent and residual. The latter being defined as a paranormal event that is merely an energy imprint left behind by someone. These usually come in the form of apparitions that appear in specific locations, often performing the same acts, even sometimes happening at the same times. This category is highly favored by parapsychologists as many believe that most acts deemed supernatural or paranormal are caused somehow by the manipulation of existing energy.

The idea of intelligent haunts is not as widely accepted by those who consider themselves rational in modern society. These haunts are spirits of the deceased that can interact with the living by touching, talking, or moving things in real time. People have even reported manifestations that have appeared and spoken with them.

Through our study of ghost-lore and places that are alleged to be haunted, we have found the most common haunts seem residual, but there have been those that have responded to questions asked, and moved things when asked. These would be classified as intelligent. But, a skeptic would say other wise. Logically speaking, if you cannot prove it, then it is not to be believed.

Through our research, it seems that sensory haunts and redundant apparitions come most often. Inexplicable smells and cold spots appearing out of nowhere are among the top experiences, alongside mysterious footsteps and lights flickering on and off. Doors opening and closing on their own seems to happen a lot, as well as eerie lights emanating from places no lights should be. We have also been told of various instances where sounds such as loud bangs, crashes, and broken glass occur but nothing is found to be destroyed upon investigation.

But, in the realm of intelligent haunts, poltergeists seem to be the most observed. When paranormal activity really heats up, people can get pinched and slapped, stuff moves from place-to-place without anyone knowing why, and faint images of the deceased visit people and tell them things. Sometimes it seems these spirits are looking for someone or something, trying to resolve unfinished business.

Depending on where you stand when it comes to the paranormal, some of these theories might help you understand strange occurrences in your life. Others believe there are logical explanations for everything that happens. Of course, many acts can truly be debunked by a house being old, electric being bad, the wind, imagination, and other tricks of the mind. But, some cannot, and they are the occurrences that keep people like us wondering.

Besides, who's to say that one day a haunting won't be the logical explanation? Maybe someone will have a breakthrough and capture hardcore, irrefutable evidence of an afterlife, and spirits still existing there and being able to make contact with us. It might happen.

 

 

For more interesting stuff about haunts, check out our page at https://www.facebook.com/LouisvilleGhosts/.



 

 





THE WHISPERS ESTATE

The earliest records found of the infamous Whispers Estate date back to 1894, so that is when it is believed the house was built. Even if the entire history isn't widely available, everyone who's heard of it knows that it's a supposed paranormal hot spot with a dark and death-filled past.

A 10-year-old orphan, named Rachel, who was adopted by former owners, Dr. John and Jessie Gibbons, died from severe burns after starting a fire in the front parlor. It is said that she has been seen running through the house, trailing the smell of smoke behind her; people have also heard her name whispered in the hallways.

Jessie died of pneumonia in the master bedroom. Guests have reported waking up ill, unable to breathe, and with a relentless cough. The closet door has been known to open repeatedly and the doorknob turn over and over. Jessie has also been seen standing in the corner, watching those in her room.

An infant died in that same bedroom and the smell of baby powder and cries of an infant have been sensed in the room.

Two others who are alleged to have died there are a young boy who fell down the stairs and an old man who was found deceased in an upstairs bathroom; the cause of his demise is unknown. The sound of something tumbling down the steps has been heard in the night.

 

View from the upper window of the Whispers Estate.

The home used to be a bed and breakfast and is rumored to still be full of haunts. Patrons had heard strange whispers at night, fluttering through the various bedrooms and hallways. This has earned the old manor its menacing name. There was once a bed in what was dubbed the "Vampire Room" that was used on the set of the film Interview with the Vampire. The place is now only rented out for paranormal investigations.

 

 

For more cool and spooky things, visit us at https://www.facebook.com/LouisvilleGhosts/.