Buzz
As Halloween approaches, many Americans are ready to wrap up warm for an evening of trick-or-treating. The thought of taking a late-night swim might seem absurd, unless you're a daring individual seeking a thrill. If you reside near any of the places mentioned here, why not take a chilling plunge into one of these ten reputedly haunted waters? It could turn into a Halloween you'll never forget!
10. Lower Yellowstone Falls—Wyoming
Waterfalls can be both stunning and frightening. They provide a sense of peace, yet the idea of tumbling over the edge is the stuff of horror stories. In 1870, a group of five American soldiers and their Crow guide ventured deep into Yellowstone's canyons. Native American tribesmen in the area stole all their horses during the night. The soldiers gave chase and caught up with the tribe as they were crossing the river near the Lower Falls. The raft the tribe had built wasn't sturdy enough to handle the powerful currents, though most of the horses had already swum across.
The men and women paddled desperately as the raft started to sink, heading towards the falls. They began to sing a death chant as they neared the edge. It's said that the explorers tipped their hats in a final salute as the raft went over. Legend has it that two eagles screamed as they flew by at that very moment. Today, visitors claim they can hear the tribe's death chant while standing near the falls.
9. White Rock Lake – Dallas, Texas
Opened in 1911, White Rock Lake offers a variety of activities such as hiking, biking, picnicking, fishing, and event hosting. It officially became a Dallas city park in 1929. However, many locals hesitate to visit due to the legend of the Lady of the Lake.
Tales of the Lady date back to the 1930s, with the first documented account in 1953 by Guy Malloy, a former Neiman Marcus display director. He recounted picking up a young girl near the lake, dressed in one of his designs, who claimed to have been in a car accident with her boyfriend. Malloy lent her a raincoat, but upon arriving at the address she provided, she vanished. Since then, numerous others have reported similar encounters. Descriptions vary: sometimes she wears a nightgown, other times a wedding dress. The circumstances of her death also differ, ranging from a boating accident to suicide or murder-suicide. However, the core experience remains consistent.
The Lady is often seen standing near White Rock Lake at night, frantically signaling for a ride. She prefers the backseat due to her wet dress. She remains mostly silent, often crying during the ride. Upon reaching the destination she provides, she either vanishes or leaps out of the car. Those who investigate the address discover she closely resembles a former resident who drowned years ago.
Haunted Rooms America organizes monthly tours where participants can delve into the legend of the Lady and possibly encounter her presence.
8. Saco River—Maine
The Saco River in Maine stretches approximately 50 miles from Lovewell Pond to Saco Bay, where it meets the Atlantic Ocean. In 1675, three intoxicated white men rowed up the river after disembarking their ship. They encountered a Native American woman in a canoe with her infant son. Believing a myth that native babies could swim, they threw the child into the water. The woman jumped in to save her baby, but tragically, the child died a week later. The baby’s father, as it turned out, was the chief of a local tribe.
Enraged, the chief cursed the river, calling upon the spirits to claim the lives of three white men who enter its waters each year. While I couldn’t find specific statistics on annual Caucasian male deaths in the river, I’m certain I’ll never take the plunge.
7. Devil’s Pool – Australia
In the past 60 years, at least fifteen men have met their end at Devil’s Pool in Australia. According to legend, the cause of these tragedies is rooted in forbidden love.
Legend has it that Oolana, a young woman from the Yidinji tribe, married Waroonoo, a respected elder. However, she soon fell in love with Dyga, a man from a neighboring tribe. The two fled into the valleys but were quickly captured. Oolana broke free and leaped into the water, calling for Dyga to follow. While Dyga’s fate remains unknown, Oolana vanished among the boulders and rapids. Today, warning signs advise against venturing near the rocks and currents. Those who disregard the warnings claim to hear Oolana’s mournful cries for her lost lover.
6. Higbee Beach – New Jersey
Craig McManus, a psychic and author, has spent years documenting the ghostly phenomena of Cape May, New Jersey. He often senses, and occasionally sees, spirits while walking along Higbee Beach. One such apparition is a man in a long coat, sometimes accompanied by a black dog.
According to McManus, the Higbee family constructed the Hermitage Hotel near the beach in 1823. After both Higbee brothers passed away in the 1870s, their niece Etta Gregory assumed control of the hotel. Thomas Higbee, one of the brothers, had specific burial wishes to ensure his eternal rest remained undisturbed. When Etta died in 1937, her final request required exhuming Thomas to bury him alongside her in a different cemetery. McManus speculates that the man with the dog might be Thomas Higbee, restless and discontent. Sightings often occur at dusk, but he disappears when approached.
5. Lake Ronkonkoma – Long Island, New York
In the 1600s, Tuskawanta, a Setauket Indian princess, fell deeply in love with Hugh Birdsall, a white woodsman who reciprocated her feelings. However, her father forbade their relationship. For seven years, Tuskawanta wrote love letters on tree bark, attempting to send them across the lake that separated them. After receiving no response, she succumbed to despair, rowed to the lake’s center, and took her own life by stabbing herself through the heart.
According to legend, the heartbroken princess vowed to claim one young man’s life each year. Over a century, the lake’s drowning statistics show an average of more than one death annually. A former lifeguard reported that during his 34 years of service, 30 male victims drowned. However, a researcher’s findings over two centuries indicate more drownings among women and children than men. Recently, the lake was closed to swimming due to algae blooms, forcing the “Lady of the Lake” to seek new ways to claim her victims.
4. Braley Pond—Virginia
The George Washington National Forest in Virginia is said to harbor several eerie locations, including the serene Braley Pond, popular for trout fishing, hiking, and biking. Tragically, in May 2003, it became the site of a gruesome gang murder. Suicides have also been reported in the surrounding forest.
Many campers report sudden feelings of nausea, disorientation, and dread. Shadowy figures and the sound of children’s laughter have also been noted, with the pond being the epicenter of these strange occurrences. In 2006, the Shenandoah Valley Paranormal Society investigated the area. One member claimed, “Something came home with me that night…it felt like slime, and I could feel it moving on my skin.” Rumors suggest one researcher may have taken their own life after the investigation.
The most unsettling account of paranormal activity at the lake comes from Shea Willis, a paranormal researcher. Willis and a friend, accompanied by a group of twelve teenagers fascinated by parapsychology, decided to explore the pond. Upon arrival, Willis immediately felt a wave of anxiety. Shortly after, two teenagers fell ill. Overwhelmed by the strongest psychic reaction she had ever experienced, Willis chose to cut the trip short.
Later that night, Willis and her friend returned to the pond. A sense of dread enveloped them as soon as they arrived. Willis recounted, “This presence didn’t feel like the others; it didn’t even feel human.” They soon heard splashing in the water and turned to see a green orb floating above the pond. As Willis struggled to grab her camera, the noises grew louder. Deciding it was time to leave, they began to run. Suddenly, Willis’s friend was thrown into the air and landed in the water.
As Willis called out to him, she felt something large crawling on her back. Her friend managed to return to the truck, but when Willis joined him, they found nothing on her body. For months afterward, Willis suffered from nightmares and a lingering sense of unease. She made several return trips to the pond, each time encountering bizarre phenomena. While her story may seem unbelievable to some, it serves as a stark warning about visiting Braley Pond.
3. Lake Superior – Canada (The SS Kamloops)
For those who have watched the haunted-submarine film *Below*, this tale may evoke similar spine-chilling sensations.
In late autumn 1927, the SS Kamloops faced severe trouble during a storm on Lake Superior. The captain of its companion ship, the Quedoc, noticed a massive wave forming and altered course to Fort William. His warning to the Kamloops likely arrived too late, as the ship never made it. After three weeks of searching in harsh winter conditions, the rescue mission was abandoned.
The following spring, the remains of nine crew members and a lifeboat were discovered on a small island near a makeshift fire pit. The SS Kamloops became one of the infamous “ghost ships” of the Great Lakes, joining dozens of vessels that vanished mysteriously. Half a century later, the ship was finally located. The freezing temperatures at the lake’s bottom had preserved the vessel remarkably well. Food supplies remained intact, and crew cabins appeared eerily untouched, as if still inhabited.
Only the most skilled divers dared to explore the frigid depths of the lake. These divers began recounting encounters with a spectral crewmember they nicknamed Grandpa. Some claimed to see him resting in a bunk, observing their exploration. Others reported witnessing him performing routine tasks. The most chilling accounts involved Grandpa following divers underwater, even reaching out to touch them.
During their dives, explorers also discovered the remarkably preserved remains of a crew member in the engine room. The body, kept intact by icy mummification, still retained its flesh. Divers believed this was Grandpa’s body. They noted that the corpse seemed to follow them, much like the ghostly figure. Some divers reported seeing both the ghost and the body during the same dive, though never in the same location. Despite the eerie encounters, Grandpa never posed a threat. Divers described him as content to simply have company. The cause of the SS Kamloops’ sinking remains a mystery, and perhaps Grandpa lingers to uncover the truth behind the tragedy.
2. The Queen Mary’s First Class Swimming Pool – Long Beach, California
The Queen Mary Hotel, once a North Atlantic ocean liner from the 1930s to the 1960s, has operated as a hotel for the past fifty years. Known as one of the most haunted hotels in the country, its First Class Swimming Pool is a focal point for paranormal activity. Two women reportedly drowned in the pool during the ship’s operational years. Today, only female apparitions are seen, including an adult woman and a young girl named Jackie. Guests claim Jackie plays hide and seek at night, and wet footprints often appear around the empty pool’s edge.
1. Hales Bar Dam – Tennessee
Constructed in the early 20th century, Hales Bar Dam was America’s first hydroelectric dam. Unbeknownst to its builders, it was erected on cursed land, marking the start of its troubled history.
The Treaty of Sycamore Shoals, signed in 1775 between Daniel Boone and Cherokee leaders, sparked outrage from Chief Dragging Canoe. He cursed the land, declaring it would remain “dark and bloody” for its inhabitants. The surrounding waters, already sacred to local tribes, were believed to show ancestral souls being drawn into massive whirlpools.
The dam’s construction was plagued by disasters, including accidents and racial conflicts among workers. Hundreds reportedly died during its building. Shortly after completion, the dam began leaking, prompting the decision to flood the area below, which unearthed an old cemetery. In the 1960s, the dam was decommissioned, and the new Nickajack Dam, named after a Cherokee village, ironically flooded the very village it honored.
Today, those who visit the historic Hales Bar Dam may come across Cherokee spirits, the specter of a murdered woman, the ghosts of deceased workers, or even a demon lurking in the tunnels below. Tourists have reported sightings of apparitions and the eerie sound of disembodied footsteps stirring up dust. The cries and shouts of children are also frequently heard. Some brave—or foolish—visitors who venture near the whirlpool have claimed to feel unseen hands tugging at them.
