By Kathy Murray
H is for
HOTEL CHELSEA
This hotel in New York City is said by some to be haunted by the Sex Pistols’ former bass player Sid Vicious. His spirit is often seen in and around the elevator.
HANNAH HOUSE
Located in Indianapolis, Indiana, Hannah House was built in 1858, but it wasn’t until 1967 that reports of paranormal activity were recorded. The ghosts of a man, woman and baby haunt the upper floors while the spirits of numerous slaves keep to the basement. A second-floor room reeks of death and objects move by themselves there.
HOLIDAY INN (BUFFALO, NEW YORK)
This particular Holiday Inn hotel was built on top of the remains of an incinerated house. A little girl named Tanya, who lived in the house, was burned to death, and is now a popular resident of the hotel. Managers and guests have seen her ghost playing in the halls or jumping on the beds.
HARPERS FERRY (WEST VIRGINIA)
John Brown was a famous abolitionist who was hanged in 1859 for his violent efforts to make slavery illegal. Now he walks down the street, disappearing once he gets to the town’s firehouse. No one pays much attention because he looks like any other man. Those who do take note of his old-fashioned clothes ask to take pictures with him before he vanishes in front of their eyes.
HOPKINSVILLE GOBLINS
The towns of Hopkinsville and Kelly, Kentucky, were visited by five floating, silver colored beings in August 1955. The creatures hovered above the ground and gave off an eerie glow. The aliens were shot at after approaching several townspeople, but seemed to go unharmed as if the bullets had bounced off them. This case has never been discredited, meaning it is possible that this really was a close encounter of the third kind.
HIMEJI CASTLE
This castle is the setting of a Japanese legend, which tells the story of a young woman named Okiku, a servant to a samurai. The samurai, Aoyama, had a crush on Okiku, but she did not return his love. He hid one of his family’s ten special blue and white plates (known as delft plates) and accused her of breaking it. If she admitted to it then he would forgive her, but she would have to marry him. Okiku rightfully denied that she broke the plate. Aoyama became enraged and murdered her by throwing her into a well. After her death, she began to haunt the samurai, repeatedly counting to nine and then letting out a blood-curdling scream. The numbers signified the plates left after Aoyama had hid the tenth. The haunting ended when a neighbour finally yelled “ten” before she could scream after her countdown to nine. She was never seen or heard from again.