Buzz
Ghost stories often bring to mind eerie images of ancient fortresses and burial grounds, where spectral figures are said to roam. For most, these tales are dismissed as mere figments of imagination.
However, there are those who approach the supernatural with curiosity, seeking to unravel its mysteries. Could these apparitions be remnants of bygone eras? If they are, what binds them to this realm?
These 10 women, whose lives were marked by sorrow, hopelessness, rage, and unrelenting energy, seem destined to linger, haunting the living for generations.
10. Miss Elizabeth and Her Newborn Child - Goldfield, Nevada
In the early 1900s, Goldfield, Nevada, thrived as a bustling mining town, attracting thousands hoping to find fortune. Constructed in 1908, the Goldfield Hotel still stands atop an old mine shaft, rumored to house lingering, vengeful spirits.
Beyond a documented suicide at the hotel in 1915, linked to spectral apparitions, the most harrowing tale revolves around Room 109. George Winfield, the hotel's founder, engaged in an affair with Elizabeth, a prostitute who became pregnant. Fearing scandal, Winfield shackled Elizabeth to a radiator in Room 109, concealing her from society.
Following the birth of their child, Winfield reportedly tossed the infant into the mine shaft beneath the hotel and abandoned Elizabeth, leaving her to perish. Since then, numerous guests have claimed to encounter Elizabeth's ghost in Room 109, sensing her chilling aura. The sound of a crying baby has also been reported emanating from the room.
9. Miss Sammie Dean - Jerome, Arizona
During the 1920s and 1930s, Jerome, Arizona, epitomized the charm of the Old West as a quaint mining town. Its streets were filled with saloons, rowdy miners, and brothels in the infamous red-light district.
Among the women working in the red-light district was Sammie Dean, whose beauty was remarkable even by modern standards, earning her numerous admirers. On July 10, 1931, Dean was discovered dead in her room located in an area called “Husbands’ Alley.” She had been brutally assaulted and strangled.
At first, authorities believed robbery was the reason behind her murder, as Dean was known to carry substantial amounts of money. Upon discovering her body, her purse was empty, with all the cash gone.
After Dean’s tragic death, tales of ghostly activity in “Husbands’ Alley” began to emerge. Witnesses reported sightings of a female ghost wandering at night, along with unexplained voices in deserted inns and alleys, doors slamming on their own, lingering perfume scents, eerie shadows, an unsettling sense of being watched, and phantom footsteps echoing through the streets.
Today, Jerome is renowned as a haunted town that convinces even the most doubtful skeptics. The person responsible for Sammie Dean’s murder has never been identified, leaving her killer’s identity shrouded in mystery.
8. Miss Lilly - The Franklin Hotel
Since the mid-19th century, the Franklin Hotel in Strawberry Point, Iowa, has welcomed countless guests, some of whom may never have left. The hotel’s storied past attracts many visitors eager to catch a glimpse of Lilly, the town’s most famous spectral inhabitant.
Local lore tells of Lilly, a prostitute who once worked in Room 7 of the hotel. While the details of her death remain unclear, her restless spirit is said to linger.
Numerous guests have described feeling a sorrowful, uneasy energy in Room 7, accompanied by unexplained sounds. A man who resided in the hotel for 42 years frequently heard singing and moaning from the room above, despite it being unoccupied.
One of the most fascinating accounts comes from Doug Schmidt, a co-owner of the hotel and a self-proclaimed skeptic. Late one evening, he encountered a woman dressed in a flowing lavender gown moving from the lobby to the dining area. When he informed her that the hotel was closed, she stepped into the next room and inexplicably disappeared.
Even now, Schmidt remains unable to explain the encounter, but he is certain of what he witnessed.
7. Miss Peggy - Zimbabwe
Peggy, a ghostly figure from Zimbabwe, is said to wander the streets at night, seeking both transportation and male companionship. While some dismiss it as folklore, this story has become one of Zimbabwe’s most enduring mysteries, supported by numerous eyewitness accounts of the enigmatic nighttime apparition.
Legend has it that Peggy was a famous prostitute in Highfield, one of Harare’s oldest neighborhoods. In her late twenties, she was tragically killed by a jealous client, leaving her restless spirit to wander the streets, hitchhiking after midnight.
Those who stop to give her a ride often experience one of two outcomes: they are either terrified when she suddenly vanishes from their car, or they awaken in the local cemetery, believed to be her burial site.
6. Miss Rosie - The Silver Queen Hotel
In the 19th century, Virginia City, Nevada, was a major mining hub between Denver and San Francisco. Today, it is renowned for its ghost stories, which inspire countless tours through its eerie historic streets.
One of the most chilling spots is the Silver Queen Hotel, constructed in the 1800s. Room 11 is rumored to be the most haunted, where a prostitute named Rosie took her own life.
Many believe Rosie’s spirit still inhabits the hotel. Countless guests have reported hearing faint whispers in the halls late at night, doors slamming on their own, footsteps echoing on the deserted balcony, and growls emanating from Room 11. Objects also seem to fall from shelves without explanation.
Numerous visitors have been so frightened that they’ve fled the hotel in the early hours of the morning, suggesting that Rosie’s unsettled spirit remains.
5. Miss Julia Lowell - Bisbee, Arizona
In southern Arizona lies the tranquil town of Bisbee. Built in 1902, the four-story, Victorian-style Copper Queen Hotel stands as Arizona’s oldest continuously operating hotel.
Residents and visitors alike are well-acquainted with tales of ghostly apparitions within the hotel’s walls. As highlighted on the hotel’s website, the most renowned sightings are those of Miss Julia Lowell.
During the 1920s and 1930s, Miss Lowell was a prostitute who operated within the hotel. She eventually fell deeply in love with one of her clients. When her feelings were unrequited, she tragically took her own life in her room.
Even today, many guests report eerie supernatural occurrences, particularly on the hotel’s third and fourth floors. Some have heard faint whispers or felt an unexpected touch on their shoulders. Others have seen keys floating in the air or doors locking and unlocking on their own.
While the paranormal activity initially draws visitors to the hotel, many end up fleeing the premises in fear before their stay is over.
4. Miss Josie Arlington - New Orleans
After her mother’s death in 1868, Josie Arlington faced a life of hardship, becoming an orphan at just four years old. Finding no solace in her hometown of New Orleans, she entered the world of prostitution in the red-light district during her teenage years.
She gained notoriety for her violent and aggressive behavior, including an incident where she allegedly bit off the ears and lips of another prostitute. Later, her brother was killed by a pimp who worked in the same brothel as her.
Determined to transform her life, Josie shifted from despair to prosperity and respect. She eventually established the most luxurious bordello in New Orleans, catering to the city’s elite and amassing significant wealth.
Despite her success, she was never embraced by the upper class, a status she deeply desired. Bitter about her treatment in life, she resolved to be buried in one of the most extravagant tombs in Metairie Cemetery.
After her death in 1914, strange occurrences began at her tomb, which soon became the most active paranormal site in the cemetery. Witnesses reported seeing her tomb erupt in flames, earning it the nickname “the flaming tomb.”
Over time, people claimed the statue in front of her tomb would move on its own. Despite the lack of concrete evidence, crowds continued to gather at her grave, hoping to witness something supernatural.
Eventually, cemetery officials removed Josie’s body and relocated it to an undisclosed location. Even today, some visitors report seeing the urns at her former tomb glow red, and gravediggers insist the statue shifts from its original position.
3. The Lady in Red - The Mizpah Hotel
Built in 1907 during Nevada’s mining boom, the Mizpah Hotel served settlers and remained the state’s tallest building until 1929. It hosted notable figures like Wyatt Earp and Howard Hughes, but its most famous guest is Evelyn Mae Johnson, known as “The Lady in Red.”
Legend has it that Johnson resided in the hotel and worked as a prostitute under the alias “Rose.” In 1914, a former lover, consumed by jealousy, caught her with another man, sparking a violent outburst.
Rose fled her room into the hallway, where she was strangled and repeatedly stabbed. Since her death, her ghost has been spotted roaming the hotel’s hallways, inside the elevator, and in Room 504, her former residence.
Encounters with the Lady in Red are often marked by a mysterious token—a single pearl left on a nightstand or pillow, possibly as a reminder of her lingering presence.
2. The Headless Woman - The Glen Tavern Inn
Since its opening in the early 1910s, the Glen Tavern Inn in Santa Paula, California, has welcomed celebrities like Clark Gable, Carole Lombard, and Rin Tin Tin, the famous German shepherd. However, the inn’s allure lies more in the tales of ghosts that haunt its halls than its famous guests.
Tales include a young girl with blonde braids who enters the rooms of unsuspecting guests, often mistaken for a lost child. Contractors have also abandoned the property after witnessing children playing in the halls before vanishing into the walls.
Those hoping to experience the supernatural are particularly drawn to Rooms 218, 306, and 307. Reports claim the doors of these empty rooms have locked themselves from the inside on multiple occasions.
The most terrifying accounts come from Room 307, where the ghost of a woman is said to remain. She was reportedly a prostitute who was murdered and decapitated.
Days later, her body was discovered by a maid, hidden in a closet. To this day, guests report cold chills, knocking noises, disembodied voices, and an unsettling mist.
1. The Ole Tavern - Jackson, Mississippi
In Jackson, Mississippi, the historic Ole Tavern on George Street buzzes with loyal customers on weekends. However, after closing hours, when only a handful of staff remain, the tavern becomes a playground for restless spirits from the past.
Countless tales suggest that employees and owners have occasionally doubted their sanity, fleeing the premises in terror. Reports include chairs and desks moving on their own upstairs, lights flickering in empty rooms, and mysterious female voices heard over the phone.
In the early hours, when the tavern is locked and deserted, staff members have spotted someone—possibly a ghost—sitting at the bar. In the 1970s, when the tavern operated as a brothel, a prostitute was found dead on the premises.
The cause of her death remains a mystery, with the tavern’s owner speculating it could have been suicide or murder. Is it her voice that echoes through the phone, reaching out from the afterlife in anguish?
