Halloween is one of the most popular days of the year – when revelers dress up in clever costumes and gorge themselves on candy and delicious fall treats. It is not just another modern holiday, however. It can be traced back over 2,000 years to a supernatural Celtic festival called “Samhain.”
When people think of jack-o’-lanterns, they usually think of bright orange pumpkins, lit by candles that shine out of cleverly carved faces. It may come as a surprise that the term “jack-o’-lantern” was first used to describe people.
Before the 19th century, most prisons were filthy, corrupt, and disorderly. They offered lawbreakers little chance to reflect and “repent” of their wrongdoings since prisoners were too busy trying to avoid disease, starvation, and abuse. The Eastern State Penitentiary, located in the residential Fairmount neighborhood of Philadelphia, was designed to remedy the ills of the prison system and offer inmates a chance to be “penitent” for their crimes.
For some, a visit for a few nights at a secluded mountain resort sounds like a peaceful escape. For others, it could be a nightmare-inducing situation straight out of Stephen King’s thriller, “The Shining.” The experience of staying at “The Stanley Hotel,” located less than 90 minutes from downtown Denver, Colorado is likely to fall somewhere in the middle depending on how open guests are to paranormal events.
Marie Delphine Macarty, more commonly known as “Madame LaLaurie,” was a Creole socialite and one of the most infamous serial killers in the world. The “cruel mistress” of Louisiana was born on March 19, 1787, in New Orleans to an Irish gentleman and a French lady of upper society.
Built on top of former gallows in historic Old Town, San Diego, California, “The Whaley House,” is the 1857 Greek Revival style residence of Thomas Whaley and his family. Here are some of the tragic incidents that can well explain why the Whaley House has been dubbed “The most haunted house in the U.S.”
