EP 29: The Most Haunted Houses in America.

In our 2nd and final Halloween edition of the podcast, we’re exploring some of the Most Haunted Houses in America. Along with the spooky stories behind each one and why you can or can’t visit them. Click the play button above to listen to the episode.

The Logan Inn

First on our list is the Logan Inn. Built in 1722, it’s one of the oldest inns in America, and also the most haunted.

Built during the colonial era, this modest building was said to be one of many stopping points for soldiers during America’s war for independence.

Some say George Washington himself stayed the night here in between his many battles. It was here during the height of the Revolutionary War that the inn became the eerie place it is today.

The building’s strategic location along the Delaware river made it a convenient place for wounded American troops to receive care. During the winter months, the dark and cold basement of the Logan Inn was used as a temporary morgue, being the perfect place for storing the bodies of dead soldiers.

George Washington leading troops through the winter.

In the spring time the deceased were removed, when the ground would thaw enough to bury them. There was nothing unusual about this practice here, until one fateful spring.

When revolutionary soldiers arrived to remove the dead, they were shocked at their discovery. They found the bodies stacked neatly right where they left them, laying down on their backs with their arms to the side.

Except for one.

One of the bodies was discovered on its stomach at the base of the stairwell, an arm reaching out onto the steps as if he had been trying to escape.

Early that winter, believing he was dead, soldiers accidentally put the wounded and unconscious man among the deceased and locked him in the basement.

Legend has it, that the spirit of the soldier still can’t seem to find his way out of the Logan Inn.

Today, guests and staff often report seeing the apparition of a man in a Revolutionary War era uniform, wandering the narrow halls of the Logan Inn.

Other’s have even heard a shallow voice at night whispering, “I’m not dead.”

The Logan Inn is known for more ghosts than just the soldier. There’s a ghost by the name of Emily who supposedly lived and died in room six, which is now a popular go-to spot for ghost-hunters.

A little girl is also said to haunt the building. She may have made an appearance in 1946 at the annual street fair held in the parking lot. Several people at the fair heard the loud uncontrollable screaming and weeping of a child. A small crowd had gathered to try and locate the source of the crying, but no child was found.

Onlookers suspect the crying could have come from the ghost of a little girl who drowned in the river nearby. She used to play in that very same parking lot.

The experience was so unsettling, that they stopped holding the fair in that location.

Guests of the Logan Inn often feel like they are being watched and in the evening, windows that were once locked, randomly throw themselves open. Nearly 300 years after it was built, the Logan Inn is still in operation. Today, you can eat and stay at the inn if you’re brave enough.

You can find more information about the Logan Inn, here and here.

If you’re not interested in spending the evening at a haunted house, the next one on our list is a place you definitely can’t stay the night in.

The Amityville Horror House

The Village of Amityville, New York, got its name when locals declared the place as needing ‘amity’. Amity being the word for peaceful-harmony.

It seems the village had been overcompensating for what it lacked, and maybe it still does. Because Amityville is home to one of the most infamous houses in America.

112 Ocean Ave. doesn’t stand out as unusual or particularly infamous, but the neighborhood and its former occupants beg to differ.

The story starts in the 1965, when the Defeo family moved into the seemingly normal house in the affluent neighborhood.

The family of seven lived in this home for nine seemingly normal years.

The father, Ronald Defeo Sr. owned and ran a car dealership. His wife would pick up their younger children from school and have dinner ready by 6 p.m.

They seemed like the typical 1970s suburban family.

That is, until the evening of November 13, 1974, when the eldest son, Ronald Defeo Jr, did the unthinkable.

In the middle of the night, the young Defeo went room to room, with a high-powered rifle, shooting his mother and father, two brothers and two sisters as they slept. The only survivor was the dog, Shaggy.

Defeo confessed to the murders, claiming that he was possessed by voices coming from the house itself. He’s currently serving six life terms in prison.

But the Amityville home’s reputation as a horror house was just getting started. After the gruesome murders it remained empty for some time; no one seemed interested in buying the property on Ocean Avenue.

That is until George and Kathy Lutz, purchased the home a little over a year after the incident, and moved in with their 3 children.

They bought the house at a steal, much cheaper than similar homes in the area. It was a dream come true for the family, to afford to live in such a nice neighborhood.

Being a religious family, the Lutz’s asked a priest to bless the home the day they moved in, but the blessing didn’t seem to have any positive effect on the house.

Within days they began experiencing strange phenomena, like unusual odors that came and went at random times, throughout the house. Kathy began having vivid nightmares about the murders, and George claimed to wake up every night at 3:15am. Supposedly the same time that Ronald Defeo Jr, heard the voices coming from the home. The ones that told him to kill his family, a little over a year ago.

Hit play below to listen to the episode:

Even stranger, was the presence of a swarm of flies in Defeo Jr.’s old bedroom. No matter how many the Lutz's killed they couldn’t get rid of them.

Believers in the occult claim that this is proof of a demonic presence, in particular, that of Beelzebub. The demon who makes seven different appearances in the Bible.

In fact, Beelzebub, is a Hebrew word which translates literally to, 'lord of the flies.'

Another sign of a demonic presence is the sensation of cold spots through out the house. The Lutz’s experienced this sensation almost constantly. Despite running the fire place day and night, the home was always cold.

Then Kathy began having eerie sensations that someone was touching her, and on one particular night the Lutzs' heard the beds in their children’s room slamming up and down.

That was the breaking point for the family.

Just 28 days after moving in, the Lutz’s ran out of the home, leaving all of their belongings behind.

Things returned to normal for the family as soon as they left, leaving them to believe that the home was in-fact haunted or possessed.

They sold the home for much less than what they bought it for.

A few years later, the best selling book, The Amityville Horror, a story based on the family’s experience was released. It has since sold over 10 million copies, and 15 film adaptions have been made.

New owners of 112 Ocean Ave, worked with the post office to change the address of the property to prevent curious on lookers from stopping by.

And unlike other scenes of mass murder, which are torn down, the house on Ocean Ave. remains standing till this day.

The Amityville Horror House is not open to visitors, but if you’re looking for a haunted house to visit and one you can spend the night in, you might want to consider this next place...

The Lizzie Borden House

The story of this house begins with a young woman by the name of Lizzie Borden.

Lizzie had a relatively religious upbringing. For much of her life she was involved in church activities, including teaching Sunday-school to children.

So, it was quite a shock to the community when she was accused of brutally murdering her father and stepmother, in what is known as the Lizzie Borden Axe Murders.

In the days leading up to the August 4th, 1892 murders, tensions ran high in the Borden household. The patriarch, Andrew Borden, was known to be extremely frugal, despite owning several homes and properties. Lizzie began to grow angry with him after he was gifting property to his new wife’s family. Prosecutors later claimed that Lizzie feared losing the inheritance to her stepmother.

It seems like Lizzie took matters into her own hands when she took an axe to her stepmother’s head, then continued to strike her lifeless body 17 more times.

She later went downstairs and took the axe to her father’s face, who was taking a nap on the couch. Striking him 11 times.

Although Lizzie claimed innocence, police were suspicious since she was the first person to discover the bodies, and the first to notify the family’s live-in-maid.

In the official statement given by the maid, when she saw Andrew Borden’s body, he was still-bleeding from his wounds, suggesting a very recent attack.

After learning that she was a suspect in the case, Lizzie was seen suspiciously destroying a dress in the kitchen stove, claiming there was paint on it.

She was later put on trial for the murders, but was acquitted. Even later receiving the inheritance from her father. Since her stepmother died before him, her estate went first to the father and then, at his death, passed on to Lizzie.

Today, 92 Second St. in Fall River, Massachusetts, is listed as one of the most haunted houses in America. The current owner Lee-ann Wilber, was too spooked to sleep in the home when she first bought it. Often leaving to sleep in her car in the middle of the night.

Wilber currently runs a bed and breakfast out of the Lizzie Borden House. You can stay the night here in one of nine different rooms, including the ones where the murders took place.

Guests often claim to hear strange sounds at night and see human-shaped shadows moving across the house.

What would you do if your home was haunted? Would you move out and sell the home?

In some states you’re required by law to tell potential homebuyers if your house is possessed by ghosts or demons.

Such is the case in the State of New York, when in 1990, Jeffery Stambovsky put a down payment on a victorian home in the town of Nyack.

When he found out the house was haunted he refused to close on the sale and wanted his money back. He took the home sellers to court and the state ruled in Stambovsky’s favor.

If you come across a haunted house this Halloween, don’t go inside. If it’s your home that haunted, well... I’d make sure to sleep with the lights on.

Be sure to subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, tell a friend or family member about us, and visit our Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook for more content.

Don't forget to hit play below to listen to the podcast:

Check out our awesome sponsors: