North Carolina has a long history of ghost stories. Take your Halloween thrills a step further this year by visiting actual haunted places in north carolina a Tar Heel State.
The Great Dismal Swamp’s eerie circle of lights is said to be Satan’s nightly walk. The mysterious lights can be seen bobbing up and down, but they disappear when approached.
Dana Auditorium The Most Haunted Places in North Carolina
The campus of Guilford College in Greensboro, North Carolina, has a long history. Before it became a college, the land served as a bloody battleground during the Revolutionary War, and it later became home to a field hospital that treated wounded soldiers. This is one of the many reasons why the campus has been said to be haunted. Students have reported hearing voices, feeling cold breezes, and seeing ghosts of both British and American soldiers.
The Dana Auditorium is also reportedly haunted by a little girl who likes to hang out in the choir room. Apparently, she likes to play tunes on the piano. The spirit of a man in a brown suit has been spotted as well. The auditorium is used for concerts and lectures.
Other haunted places on the campus include Mary Hobbs Hall, a dormitory for girls. Legend has it that a little girl named Mary had a slumber party in the attic of the house, and some boys tried to scare her. They didn’t succeed, but Mary died in the fire that broke out. Her spirit lingers in the building to this day.
There is also the McGlohon Theatre, which was a church before becoming a theater. It is supposedly haunted by a ghost who likes to move objects around. Another haunted place on the campus is the 1840s Horace Williams House, which was once the home of a University of North Carolina philosophy department chairman and a teacher of the author Thomas Wolfe. The ghosts who reside here are said to cause things like moving furniture and flickering lights.
Ocracoke Light Station
The Ocracoke Light Station is a National Register of Historic Places landmark. The structure is haunted by a mysterious and malevolent presence, according to local legend. A mysterious circle of wiry grass grows within the lighthouse grounds, and many visitors have claimed to see red glowing eyes in this area. A number of ghostly sightings have occurred at the lighthouse, and there are reports of people disappearing on the beach.
The Great Dismal Swamp is beautiful during the day, but it becomes eerily haunting at night. Spanning 112,000 acres along North Carolina’s northern border, the swamp has inspired multiple novels and is known as a burial ground for runaway slaves. There are several legends about the swamp, including one about a ghost ship that is said to sail its eerie waters.
Other spooky hotspots in the state include the Brookstown Inn in Winston-Salem, which is believed to be haunted by the spirit of a slave who fell to her death. The Omni Grove Park Inn is another haunted spot, and it’s home to the Pink Lady, a female spirit that has been seen in the hotel’s atrium.
The Old Davis Hospital in Statesville is also a notoriously haunted spot. Staff members have reported hearing phantom sounds such as doors slamming, a gavel being banged on the table, and keys jingling.
New Hanover County Library
For the fourth year in a row, a group of teens known as “The Scare Squad” are spending their Tuesday evenings this month in the basement of New Hanover County Library, creating and designing a haunted attraction to take place at the end of October. They’ve been building props, perfecting lighting and sound effects, and practicing how they can best surprise visitors to the library.
The library has gained a reputation as one of the most haunted places in Wilmington, thanks to an apparition believed to be the ghost of a former patron. Her apparition has been seen by many employees and visitors over the years, and people have also reported hearing footsteps and books moving on their own. There’s also a second ghost, believed to be a man who was killed in a duel that took place where the library stands today.
The library is also home to a variety of historic documents, photographs and manuscripts that tell the story of Southeastern North Carolina. Its collections include newspapers, maps, letters, pamphlets, postcards and other ephemera from the city and the region. The collections are available for anyone to visit. To access the collection, you must have a New Hanover County Library card. Cards are free for county residents and a small fee is charged for non-residents.
North Carolina State Capitol
With a state that stretches from the Atlantic to the Smoky Mountains, North Carolina is bound to have some eerie locations. From gruesome battles to widowed political figures, the Tar Heel State is full of hauntings and ghostly stories.
The North Carolina Capitol in Raleigh dates back more than 160 years and is rumored to be haunted by the ghosts of past inhabitants. Witnesses have reported hearing screaming, phantom footsteps, doors slamming, books moving, and keys jingling. A former night watchman also reported that the manually-operated elevator went up and down by itself.
Other reports include seeing a man in a top hat and a woman with long, dark hair strolling the rotunda. In addition, people have reported hearing voices and footsteps in the third-story library. Some even claim that a ghost of Etta Rebecca White, who died from a cerebral hemorrhage, wanders the building.
A spirited ghost has also been spotted on the USS North Carolina, which was the first American battleship to see action in World War II. The ghost, who is believed to be a sailor killed in battle, has been seen in the ship’s washroom, as well as walking through passageways. There are also reports of hatches opening and closing on their own, and the sound of running footsteps. This lesson was adapted from Teaching with Historic Places and is sponsored by the National Park Service as part of the Cultural Resources Training Initiative and Parks as Classrooms programs.
