Famous Ghost Story

From LoveToKnow Paranormal

Most people who have an interest in hauntings and ghosts have their own favorite famous ghost story.

The Elements of a Famous Ghost Story

If you watch television programs like Ghost Hunters on the SciFi channel, or Paranormal State on A&E, it becomes very apparent that hauntings and paranormal activity exist in homes and touch the lives of many people across the world. Any one of those events could easily become a famous ghost story. After all, there are people around the world who experience the same sort of haunting activity that George Lutz and his family experienced at the Amityville house in 1976. Others experience the sort of poltergeist activity that Tennessee farmer John Bell experienced in 1817 at the hands of the famous entity known as the Bell Witch. What makes these stories more remarkable and newsworthy than any others? The elements of the story that appear to capture the interest and fascination of the general public include:

The violent nature of the entity or poltergeist
The extreme number of physical manifestations, such as thrown dishes, the appearance of strange liquids or foul odors that subsequently vanish or the appearance of physical beings or creatures
The level of direct interaction between the victim and the entity
The repeatability of the phenomenon, even under video and sound monitoring
When people walk into the environment as extreme skeptics, and walk out as believers

Famous Ghost Stories

Even folks who have little interest in paranormal phenomenon have probably heard of at least two or three of the most famous ghost stories that have taken place throughout history. Most of these stories have been documented and shown throughout the media, including movies, television, and books.

Alcatraz: The structure known as Alcatraz was a military Fort from 1850 through 1907, built on land which Native Americans believed harbored evil spirits. Since 1861, Alcatraz served as a prison, housing captured Native Americans, soldiers, violent criminals, and many others. Some prisoners survived the ordeal, but a great many died within the stone walls. The story of Alcatraz focuses on the famous D-Block, where prisoners were often isolated, naked, for extended periods. For years, in the Strip Cell section of D-Block, both guards and prisoners reported seeing a man dressed in 1800's prison garb walking down the hallway. Inmates even reported being attacked by the man so often that prison guards began ignoring the screams of the prisoners. In one case, after a night of screaming incessantly, one inmate was found dead the next morning with distinct handprints around his throat. The autopsy confirmed that he'd been strangled.
Winchester House: Owner Sarah Winchester reported seeing ghosts throughout the mansion for years. As the story goes, she even used a bell to tell ghosts when to leave. Ghostly phenomenon apparently still takes place throughout the mansion, and Sarah's ghost has reportedly now joined the host of others.
Queen Mary: The Queen Mary was a transport ship during WWII, and a luxury liner after the war. Over the years, almost 50 deaths occurred on the ship, and it reportedly houses some very scary ghosts. Stories involving the Queen Mary include a young girl who died near the pool when sliding down the banister, and a seaman getting crushed to death while attempting to escape from a fire.
The Tower of London: One of the most famous haunted spots in Britain, the Tower of London is the location for the well-known story of Anne Boleyn who was executed by her husband, Henry VIII. Her headless apparition is often seen throughout the hallways of the Tower.

A Local Ghost Story

While there are a number of ghost stories that are known around the world, some of the more intriguing stories are those that are famous among the locals of a particular community. Almost every region of the world has a location that becomes well-known for eerie happenings, and local legends often tell the tale of why the spot is haunted.

One example of a famous local tale includes the legend of the Lost Hunter, a story known throughout the isolated communities of the St. John Valley section of Aroostook County in Northern Maine. The forests of Northern Maine are unlike many others throughout the country. With the exception of Alaska, the wilderness of Northern Maine remains one of the few great tracts of forest unbroken by paved roads, commercial development and, in most areas, any form of civilization.

This often creates a situation where hunters, unaccustomed to hunting in such a large and isolated wooded area, find themselves lost with little hope of being found. Local hunters have reported to each other, for many generations, that on many occasions while hunting in the middle the dense forest, they could hear a person hollering for help. As they attempted to walk toward the cry of the lost hunter, the sounds would either move away or disappear entirely. Throughout the years, local hunters have speculated that the sounds of lost hunters crying out for help could possibly be the ghostly call of their spirits, still confused and lost, years after dying in the middle of an unforgiving wilderness.

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