Top 10 Haunted Sites In Maryland
There are hundreds of haunted sites in Maryland, but some have stood out over decades as being especially creepy. They are linked with sightings of apparitions, sudden changes in temperature, unexplained noises or the feeling of being watched. Here are 10 ghostly spots that are open to the public.
Antietam Battlefield
Visitor Center
5831 Dunker Church Road
Sharpsburg, Md. 21782
(301) 432-5124
Hours: Labor Day to Memorial Day 8:30 a.m.- 5 p.m.
Memorial Day to Labor Day 8:30 a.m.- 6 p.m.
Price: 3 Day pass - $4 per person, $6 per family. Annual Pass - $20
www.nps.gov/ancm/index.htm
Antietam Battlefield could possibly be the most haunted place in Maryland. It's the site of America's bloodiest single-day battle, with more than 23,000 lives lost on this battlefield. Hundreds of visitors and locals have reported seeing soldiers in uniform still on the field, wandering as if they're lost. Many hear the distant fire of guns and cannons. According to many paranormal groups who have done investigations, sightings seem to be most prevalent at dawn and dusk.
Photo Credit: Samuel Mudd Society- somd.lib.md.us
Dr. Samuel A. Mudd's House
3725 Doctor Samuel Mudd Road
Waldorf, Md. 20601
(301) 645-6870
Hours: March through November - Wednesday and Saturday, from 11 a.m.- 4 p.m. Sunday, noon-4 p.m.
Price: $6 for adults, $2 for children (6-16)
Reviews, Directions & More Info
Dr. Samuel A. Mudd was the doctor who treated John Wilkes Booth for a broken leg. Booth broke his leg by falling immediately after he shot President Abraham Lincoln. Law enforcement caught up with Dr. Mudd while on the hunt for Booth. They unjustly tried Mudd in court for being a co-conspirator in Lincoln's assassination. Mudd was jailed for years, and known to have compassionately treated prison victims of yellow fever. His wife fought vehemently for a pardon which she finally gained from President Andrew Johnson. Tragically, Dr. Mudd died in his home just a short time after he gained his release having been exposed to the unhealthy conditions of prison life. Many believe his restless spirit haunts the house and roams the surrounding fields. Now the house is a museum operated by the Samuel Mudd Society.
Photo Credit: AppalachianHistory.net
Jonathan Hager House
110 Key Street
Hagerstown, Md. 21740
(301) 739-8393
Hours: Thursday – Saturday,10 a.m - 4 p.m. Sunday – Wednesday, by appointment only
Price: $3 for adults, $2 for Seniors, $1 for children (6 and older), Under 6 - free
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Jonathan Hager, founder of Hagerstown, presented this house to his new bride around 1740. He spent the next 35 years making history in Washington County until he died tragically in a building accident. People have reported seeing a man dressed in black walking the porch of Hager House. Voices are heard inside the house, as well as footsteps ascending the stairs. A psychic has also reported a strong presence in the basement.
Maryland State House - Annapolis
Visitor Center located on 1st Floor – Archives Room
State Circle
Annapolis, Md.
(410) 974-3400
Hours: Monday through Friday 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Second Sunday of each month Visitor Center is open from 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Price: Free
Website: www.msa.md.gov/msa/mdstatehouse/html/home.html
The Maryland State House in Annapolis is the oldest continually operational state house in America, and it's full of spirits. The old Senate chamber where George Washington resigned his commission is said to be haunted. Locals report seeing a revolutionary soldier on the grounds as well as a man up on the state house dome, believed to be a worker (who fell to his death) trying to finish a job.
Bachelor's Point - Denton
Wharves at Choptank Crossing
10219 River Landing Road
Denton, Md. 21629
(410) 479-0655
Hours: Any time
Price: Free
Website: www.tourcaroline.com
There are several places designated as Bachelor's Point along the Chesapeake, but this one, on the Choptank River in Denton, is known as the site of a great Indian massacre. The warriors of a local Algonquin tribe left to fight a battle and nearly all were killed. A few returned to the settlement near Bachelors Point where the women and children were waiting. To avoid being taken into slavery by the opposing tribe, they joined hands and walked into the river chanting. All were lost. Locals still hear the faint sound of the death chant floating across the river.
Decoursey Bridge - Cambridge
Decoursey Bridge Road (at the Transquaking River crossing)
Cambridge, Md. 21613
(410) 228-1000
Hours: Any time
Price: Free
Website: www.writingthevision.com/hauntedeasternshore/biglizz.htm
Big Lizz was a slave in Dorchester County whose master believed she was trading information with the Union Army – specifically information about his stash of money. Her master had Big Lizz follow him into the swamp to re-bury the money. Then he cut off her head. Shortly afterward he died. Today people see Big Lizz near Decoursey Bridge holding her head in her hands motioning to come follow her to her master's treasure which has never been found. All who have followed have never returned.
St. Paul's Cemetery - Chestertown
7579 Sandy Bottom Rd.
Chestertown, Md. 21620
(410) 778-1540
Hours: Dawn to Dusk
Price: Free
Website: www.stpaulkent.org/churchyard
St. Paul's Cemetery in Chestertown dates back to the 1700s. Tallulah Bankhead's grave is said to be haunted. Locals say if you press your ear to her grave slab you can hear Tallulah's raspy voice speak and sometimes sing. Tokens – beads, empty vodka bottles and mementos -- are often mysteriously left on the slab. Also, the bridge at the edge of the cemetery is said to be haunted by Tench Tilghman. His lantern is seen on especially dark nights crossing the bridge.
Kitty Knight House-Galena
14028 Augustine Herman Highway
Georgetown, Md. 21930
(410) 648-5200
Hours: Restaurant open daily – 8 a.m.-8 p.m.
Price: cost of dinner
Website: www.kittyknight.com/index.htm
Kitty Knight House in Georgetown is not too far from St. Paul's Cemetery. Kitty Knight persuaded the British not to burn her house during the War of 1812. She now haunts the house which serves as an inn and restaurant. Guests have seen an apparition of a woman dressed in 19th century clothing descending the stairs. Nearly all of the staff has had an encounter with Kitty Knight.
Baltimore County Almshouse
Baltimore County Historical Society
9811 Van Buren Lane
Cockeysville, Md. 21030
(410) 666-1878
Hours: Friday noon to 4 p.m. Saturdays from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Second Wednesday of each month, 7- 8:30 p.m.
Price: $5 per adult. Members of the Historical Society are admitted at no charge.
www.hsobc.org
Also known as the Third and Last Almshouse in Baltimore County, this house once served as the poor house where children would be housed temporarily when parents couldn't properly care for them. Faces are seen in and around the house. Voices of women are heard on the third floor, as well as the sound of children playing and throwing things. The house now serves as the headquarters for the Baltimore County Historical Society.
Fort McHenry-Baltimore
2400 E Fort Ave
Baltimore, Md. 21230
(410)-962-4290
Hours: Daily 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Price: $7 for a 7-day pass – Adults (16 and over)
Reviews, Directions & More Info
Most know Fort McHenry as the site of one of the most deciding battles in American history, but many don't know that it is the site of many unexplained events. Fort security guards have reported seeing soldiers in uniform walking around the Fort with weapons in hand. Strange noises are heard from the dungeon areas where prisoners were held. Many visitors report a feeling of being watched. Fort McHenry is now a National Park.
Mindie Burgoyne is an author, travel writer and tour guide living on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Her blog, The Travel Hag shares information on outdoor travel for women. She is the author of Haunted Eastern Shore: Ghostly Tales from East of the Chesapeake.
