13 Houses In America That Might Legitimately Be Haunted Gallery

Haunted house attractions are entertaining on Halloween, but have you ever considered stepping foot inside a home haunted by real ghosts, spirits and otherworldly apparitions? We're not talking about your kind of weird neighbor Dirk, who wears a burn mask, striped sweater and fedora once a year to scare the kiddos with a plastic knife covered in ketchup. We mean business! We're talking about actual houses (and other buildings that were originally built as homes or small inns) that are reportedly legitimately haunted.

OK, you caught us. We didn't physically go to any of these places because we're big giant fraidy cats. Instead, we did a little digging and found a bunch people who reported paranormal happenings in residences across the nation. You may even recognize some! Take for example the uber spooky Amityville House, which inspired "The Amityville Horror" book and films. Rumor has it that in 1974, Ronald DeFeo Jr. shot and killed six members of his family in this house. A year later when George and Kathy Lutz and their three children moved in, they experienced hellish supernatural activity and — well, you know how the rest goes.

Scared yet? Whether you believe in ghosts or not, there's no denying that these accounts are terrifying and otherwise unexplainable. If the dead aren't to blame, who is? You might want to reconsider your stance on who — or what — is causing such a fright at these 13 houses in America that might legitimately be haunted.

Matt Sulem and Taylor Rock contributed to this article.

Established in 1810, this bed and breakfast is steeped in Civil War history. When it housed Confederate soldiers during a three-day battle, one of them accidentally shot Mary Virginia "Jennie" Wade, a 20-year-old civilian, whose spirit is now said to haunt the place. Take advantage of ghost stories in the cellar, ghost walks in the cemetery, and even a ghost hunt with professional equipment in order to see if the stories are true. The inn also offers an outdoor beer garden for guests — probably to help them forget their fears and get some sleep at night.

With a name like "Coffin House," we'd be disappointed if this place wasn't haunted. Originally built in 1845 by Jared Coffin (one of the most successful ship owners during the island's prime whaling days) as a home for his family, this building — now an inn — is said to be haunted by the ghost of Coffin himself. He is rumored to appear in room 223, and guests of room 609 have also claimed to see an apparition of a little girl. Other ghosts are also believed to roam the halls and rooms of this historic property, including that of an old man who sometimes sits near fireplaces when a fire is roaring. But hey, at least the hotel has a great restaurant in Nantucket Prime. You may leave scared, but you won't leave hungry.

The story of the "Blue Lady" precedes even the Story Inn's current owner. Accounts of seeing the ghost in the former Garden Room (now the Blue Room) have been written in guest books for years, noting that if the room's blue light is turned on, a woman (thought to be Dr. George Story's wife) will appear with hypnotic blue eyes. If you smell cherry tobacco, she's already come and gone. The Inn is now a bed and breakfast, so don't just take our word for it — go see for yourself.

Ever see "The Amityville Horror"? If so, then you're probably familiar with the fact that the film's story was based on a real haunted house in Long Island, New York.  (Well, actually it's based on a book by the same name — but that is based the actual house.) On Nov. 13, 1974, Ronald DeFeo, Jr. shot and killed six members of his family in their Ocean Avenue home. A year later, George and Kathy Lutz and their three children moved into the house and claimed to have been terrorized by paranormal phenomena the entire time they lived there. These incidents involved a priest hearing "get out!" when he arrived to bless the house (he later allegedly experienced a fever and stigmata on his hands), the house was constantly plagued with flies even though it was wintertime, a mysterious red room was discovered behind shelving in the basement, cold spots and odors appeared where no wind drafts or piping existed, green slime oozed from the walls, a crucifix revolved on the wall until it turned upside-down, there were numerous sightings of demonic pigs and other figures, George saw Kathy suddenly transform into an old woman of 90, and all sorts of door slams, banging noises, windows opening and closing, and mysterious music from unknown sources. The Lutz Family lasted 28 days before moving out.

This antebellum plantation was established around 1796, apparently built on an ancient Tunica Indian burial ground (always a good start). Since then, numerous mysterious illnesses, poisonings, and murders have reportedly occurred at the house — including that of William Drew Winter, an attorney who lived at the house from 1865 to 1871. He was shot by a stranger, staggered into the house, and died trying to climb the stairs. Visitors and employees say they still often hear his dying footsteps. Another of its most famous legend concerns "Chloe," purportedly a slave girl from the early nineteenth century, whose image was "captured" in a photograph in 1992. Additionally, guests have woken up completely tucked into their beds, furniture has moved on its own, a grand piano has played by itself, and handprints have inexplicably appeared in various places.

Not long before Thomas Whaley built his dream home in San Diego, the property was the sight of a gallows, where many of the ghosts that haunt the house today were hanged. Today, Whaley House visitors claim to hear heavy boot steps in the attic and say they've seen ghosts of "Yankee Jim" Robinson (who was hung on the property in 1852) and the Whaley family and their dog wandering the home. Even television personality Regis Philbin claims to have seen the spirit of Anna Whaley.