Top 10 Mysterious places in the USA
                     TOP 10 MYSTERIOUS 
PLACES IN THE USA
THE LALAURIE MANSION, NEW ORLEANS,  
LOUISIANA
• During the early 19th century, 
Madame Marie Delphine LaLaurie 
was a socialite from Louisiana 
renowned for holding ritzy soirees 
in her luxurious French Quarter 
mansion in New Orleans. 
• In 1834, when local police rushed to 
a kitchen fire, they found the 
remains in the attic of some badly 
mutilated slaves.
Source: www.nationalgeographic.com 2
THE SHANGHAI TUNNELS,  PORTLAND, 
OREGON
• The epicentre of an illegal maritime 
activity known as shanghaiing, a 
form of human trafficking, was one 
of the most dangerous ports in the 
U.S. during the early 19th century.
• The tradition of abducting men to 
serve on ships became known as 
shanghaiing because the ships on 
which they were sold were mostly 
bound for East Asia.
Source: www.nationalgeographic.com 3
EASTERN STATE PENITENTIARY,  
PHILADELPHIA
• In Philadelphia in 1829, this 
threatening Gothic-style jail opened 
and became the first in the U.S. to 
introduce solitary confinement, a 
highly debated procedure. 
• Prisoners lived with almost no 
physical touch in stone jails.
Source: www.phillyvoice.com 4
R.M.S.  QUEEN MARY,  LONG BEACH, 
CALIFORNIA
• From 1936 to 1967, this former 
ocean liner navigated the Atlantic 
Ocean. 
• The Queen Mary held dignitaries 
and Hollywood actors during its first 
three years at sea, including General 
Dwight Eisenhower, Elizabeth Taylor, 
and Audrey Hepburn. 
Source: www.nationalgeographic.com 5
LIZZIE BORDEN BED AND BREAKFAST,  FALL 
RIVER,  MASSACHUSETTS
• On August 4, 1892, bludgeoned 
beyond description in their house, 
the bodies of Andrew and Abby 
Borden were found. 
• The primary suspect: Lizzie, their 
youngest daughter.
• When it got a Hollywood makeover 
in the 2014 movie Lizzie Borden 
Took an Ax, starring Christina Ricci, 
the 19th-century murder hit 
headlines again.
Source: www.nationalgeographic.com 6
THE STANLEY HOTEL ,  ESTES PARK,  
COLORADO
• The best-selling book turned horror 
film, The Shining, influenced 
Stephen King one night at this hotel 
nestled in Colorado's mountain 
wilderness. 
• Massachusetts couple, F.O., in 1909 
And the remote resort was opened 
by Flora Stanley and supposedly 
never left.
Source: www.nationalgeographic.com 7
TRANS-ALLEGHENY LUNATIC ASYLUM, 
WESTON, WEST VIRGINIA
• Construction of this foreboding 
asylum started in 1858 and opened 
to patients in 1864. 
• Architect Richard Andrews designed 
the colossal construction to harness 
sunshine and fresh air, and the 
architecture itself was claimed to 
act as a therapeutic setting.
Source: www.nationalgeographic.com 8
WINCHESTER MYSTERY HOUSE,  SAN JOSE,  
CALIFORNIA
• The Winchester Mystery House may 
be one of history's most unsettling 
building sites. 
• After the death of her husband and 
child, a seer told Sarah Winchester 
that her family had been murdered 
by the spirits of gunshot victims. 
• Staircases leading straight through 
the ceiling, doors opening into brick 
walls and windows that can take 
you to underground corridors are 
some of the creepier elements.
Source: www.traveldarkly.com 9
HOTEL MONTE VISTA,  FLAGSTAFF,  ARIZONA
• The Hotel Monte Vista of Flagstaff 
has a fair number of paranormal 
visitors who have genuinely 
overstayed their welcome, including 
a long-term boarder who used to 
hang raw meat from the chandelier 
in Room 210; and two people who 
were thrown from the third floor 
and are now attempting to 
asphyxiate male guests while 
sleeping. 
Source: www.arizonacapitoltimes.com 10
ST.  AUGUSTINE LIGHTHOUSE,  FLORIDA
• The St. Augustine Lighthouse is 
visited annually by almost 225,000 
people, but with its otherworldly 
tourists it is just as well-known. 
• At the historic site, many horrific 
incidents happened that have led to 
the suspected paranormal activity. 
Source: www.nationalgeographic.com 11