Ghost Stories

via Pinterest From the 1850s to the early 20th century, wealthy families built elaborate mansions in Newport to be used for entertaining during the summer season. In 1907, liquor millionaire Edson Bradley built a French-Gothic mansion known as Aladdin’s Palace because of its size, on the south side of Dupont Circle in Washington, D.C. It covered more than half a city block, and included rooms imported from France, a Gothic chapel with seating for 150, a large ballroom, an art gallery, and a 500-seat theater. Bradley decided to move his mansion to Newport, Rhode Island in February 1923. This move was so impressive it caught the attention of Ripley’s Believe it or Not. At the age of 71, he began having his mansion dissembled and relocated to an already existing Elizabethan-revival mansion known as SeaView, built in 1885 and previously owned by James Kernochan. The new was incorporated in to the old building and took two years to finish the exterior. The interior was completed in 19...

An 18.5-acre island in Narragansett Bay off Newport, Rhode Island, Rose Island allegedly received its name due to appearing like the shape of a rose at low tide. Fortifications were constructed during the American Revolution on island due to its strategic location at the entrance to Newport Harbor. British and colonial soldiers alike used the island to defend Newport. From 1798 to 1800, the U.S. government began constructing Fort Hamilton but never finished it. The U.S. Navy stored explosives during World Wars I and II as part of the Navy Torpedo Station on Rose Island. The government stopped using the land after World War II (except for the lighthouse) and declared it government surplus. Today, the only inhabitants of the Torpedo Station are three species of snakes, plus thousands of nesting birds that are protected by the State. The stone barracks from the fort still remain. Many of these buildings are in danger of collapsing and is considered unsafe for visitors to explore in o...

On many occasions I have warned readers to not trespass on private property. If you want to investigate a haunted location, go through the right channels. The experience of ghost-hunting teenagers visiting Ladd School in Exeter, Rhode Island is an excellent example as to why you should listen to such warnings. In the last three months, five men allegedly armed with knives, clubs, BB guns and axes held up a total of 12 teenagers. They allegedly stole money, credit cards and cell phones. They were held without bail pending a a hearing on May 6. The Ladd School opened in 1907 as a mental rehabilitation hospital. Much like Essex, it saw it share of overcrowding. At one point, the population reached 1,000 patients. Ladd School was ill-equipped to handle such conditions. Dr. Joseph H. Ladd was the only certified doctor on staff. The remaining staff had little training to care for patients. There were no dental care, morgue, recreational facilities, chapel or "functional" hospit...

I'm declaring October Vampire Month here at Ghost Stories! Throughout the next four weeks, I will be writing about various vampire folklore and myths across the globe. The first vampire story is that of America's most well-known and last North American "vampire", Mercy Brown. New England was the center of vampire folklore in the United States, especially Rhode Island. During the 1800s, consumption or pulmonary tuberculosis plagued the townspeople of Exeter. One out of four people died from it. Unfortunately, the Brown family didn't escape it. The disease first took Mercy's mother, Mary Brown. The next victim was her sister, Mary Olive. Edwin was the next to contract consumption, but fearing for his only son's life, George Brown sent him to live in Colorado, to stop or slow the disease. He returned in late 1891 because it had progressed. However, Edwin wasn't the next the person in the Brown family to die. Mercy had the "galloping" variet...