Maryland Paranormal: 5 of Maryland's Most Haunted Places

From the ocean waves lapping on the Eastern Shore to the Appalachian mountain-tops sprinkled about the Northwestern corner's sky to the welcoming Chesapeake Bay running through the state, Maryland is truly a majestic place. Many people tend to think that Maryland is not an interesting state to visit, but I beg to differ. In fact, Maryland is one of the most gorgeous and historic states in the US, and it also has a darker side...a haunted side. From the ghosts of Natives to the ghosts of soldiers and everything in between, Maryland is truly a state filled with a long history and tragedy. Come with me on a spine-tingling haunted tour of five of Maryland's most haunted places.

If you were ever taught the story of how our President Lincoln was assassinated, then you will know that it was the actor John Wilkes Booth who shot Lincoln. But did you know what happened to John Wilkes Booth after he fled the assassination scene in DC? Booth jumped from the balcony reportedly breaking one of his legs, and then ran on horseback miles from DC through the Zekiah Swamp.

To the demise of a local Southern Maryland doctor, Dr. Samuel Mudd, John Wilkes Booth stopped at his home in order to have his injured leg cared for. After Booth was hunted down and killed, Dr. Mudd was brought to trial for sympathizing with Booth and possibly being a part of the plot to assassinate President Lincoln. He was found guilty and went to jail, but ended up getting pardoned after a number of years serving. Mudd died of pneumonia in 1883, when he was only 49 years old. His home still stands today...and some say his home is very much haunted by spirits of the past, including the ghost of John Wilkes Booth and a couple of unidentified Confederate soldiers. Why would Confederate soldiers be haunting Dr. Mudd's house in the state of Maryland? In the Southern parts of Maryland, there were numerous amounts of Southern Confederate sympathizers, and many people believed that Dr. Mudd was one of them and that he also assisted Booth in his original plot to kidnap President Lincoln. The debate over whether Dr. Mudd was truly guilty of the crime still continues to this day, but the eyewitnesses who have seen the Confederate soldier apparitions have made up their minds.

In addition to the apparitions seen at Dr. Mudd's gorgeously preserved manor are disembodied voices and ghostly footsteps. One of the creepiest and saddest stories told about the Mudd family home is that an eighteen month old baby died in one of the upstairs rooms. Apparently the baby had fallen off of a fence where it had been sitting and then someone in the family laid the baby down in its crib following the event, where it died. Visitors of the Mudd home say that they experience cold spots around the child's still-present crib. Shadows have been seen in many different places within the home, as well as a woman who stands in one of the windows on the second floor. One visitor also tells the tale of how a man's voice can be heard saying, "I'm not guilty". Many other haunting experiences have taken place in Dr. Mudd's home and on his property surrounding the home, and I have a feeling we have yet to see the last of these restless spirits.

Sotterley Plantation is the oldest surviving plantation in Southern Maryland and sits overlooking the Patuxent River. This beautiful, historic plantation was built in the 1700's and has been the residence of a number of wealthy families through the years. It is now open to the public for tours and also provides different family events on special occasions and holidays. But as serene and enchanting as Sotterley Plantation can seem, there are certain very spooky elements present on this property.

The employees who give tours here, even the people who maintain the premises have claimed a number of paranormal experiences. One cleaning lady claims that a poltergeist in the Manor would mess with her by turning off the vacuum over and over again. When she decided to leave and therefore leave the poltergeist alone there was a rock randomly hurled at her head while she was walking to her car in the empty driveway. Others say that one former owner who lives at Sotterley most of his life still haunts the second level bedrooms and hallway, as well as the beautiful staircase. He doesn't appreciate people being in his presence if they do not respect the rules of the house and stay on the first level and has been said to have pushed people down the stairs on a couple occasions.

Paranormal investigators in the area decided to do a thorough investigation of Sotterley Plantation and acquired many EVP's, including a very frightening and intriguing EVP at the old slave cabin still standing on the property. If you listen to the EVP, you can hear the sound of drums beating very faintly in the background and then a woman's voice yells "Get Out!" Who knows if the ghosts of the former slaves are still trapped on the property or not, but the EVP is terrifying nonetheless. There are also legends that circulate about certain scents that undulate from Sotterley's kitchen, such as breakfast smells and yet there is no one else in the house and no one cooking at the time. Lights flicker on and off in spontaneity and many other hair-raising experiences have been documented to have occurred within Sotterley's walls and grounds, according to the employees and tourists. Read more about Sotterley's history and more on the paranormal activity in my Sotterley Hub by clicking here.

Many hubs and articles have been written on the paranormal activity present on the lovely peninsula that is Point Lookout. Located in Scotland, Maryland, at the very southern tip of the state of Maryland, Point Lookout actually began as one of the first Maryland governor's properties. Throughout the history of Maryland, Point Lookout has been the site of many unbelievable tragedies. Perhaps one of the most well-known stories of Point Lookout is the fact that it was used as a prisoner encampment/hospital during the Civil War. Maryland was supposed to be a state of the Union; however, some Maryland citizens, particularly Southern Marylanders, were found to be sympathizers with the Confederacy and so they were ordered to be kept at Point Lookout. At least 50,000 Confederate soldiers were kept at the prison encampment at one point and many (an estimated 8,000) died during their stay at Point Lookout from disease due to contaminated wells and unsanitary conditions or they froze to death in shabby tents during the winter months.

After the Civil War had ended, Point Lookout acquired its first lighthouse of which was used for 135 years following its establishment. Different families lived in the lighthouse and aided in maintaining the lighthouse which still stands today (no one lives there any longer). It is also said that one of the resorts that was housed on Point Lookout burned down in the early 1900's, though supposedly no one was killed in the fire. There have been numerous other strange tragedies, such as ships sinking off the coast of Point Lookout. You can imagine how haunted Point Lookout really is...

We'll start with the fact that many people who visit Point Lookout, including campers who camp in the State Park, encounter the ghosts of Confederate soldiers either walking across the roads or walking alongside of them. Dressed in full uniform, they seem sad and on an ubiquitous mission...even in death. Some people even mistake these ghosts for historical reenactors, to find that they disappear after sometime. Much paranormal acticity has been experienced in the Lighthouse itself, including pictures taken of ghosts, various frightening EVPs, and blatant encounters with apparitions.

Another even creepier legend is that told by one of the watchmen, who claims that on one occasion he met an old woman who asked him where the "gravestones were that used to be where they were standing". He tried to help her by asking her where she lived and he says that she just told him she lived up the road "a ways" and that she didn't need his help at all.

The park watchmen left her alone only to have her disappear into thin air once he had turned around. He also took notice that there were no cars in the parking lot at the park. The park watchmen apparently did some research and found out that there was once a graveyard in the area of where the woman had been searching, the graveyard of a family who once lived in the lighthouse...the Taylor family. The park watchmen and some friends used a metal detector to try and locate the gravestones in the ground but found only some pieces of an old Civil War building. The cemetery hasn't been located, even to this day but people have theorized that the lady who was searching for the graveyard was the ghost of Elizabeth Taylor, a woman who once lived in the lighthouse whose headstone had actually been stolen years before.

Many other ghostly tales of Point Lookout could be shared here, but I'll point you in the direction of Miss Dolores Monet's exquisite hub on the history and paranormal activity of Point Lookout. Click here to read her hub.

An old and dilapidated building sitting in Ellicott City, MD is now known by locals and paranormal addicts as The Hellhouse. The building was first established over a hundred and fifty ago as a Catholic Seminary or better known as a college for young men who wanted to join the Roman Catholic Redemptorists. The seminary was known as St. Mary's College and operated as such for over a hundred years. In the 1970's, the college had to be closed due to a major decrease in the admitting number of students. Since the 1970's, the college and its property has been sold off to the state and other buyers, and it has unfortunately gone into a state of total abandonment and destruction. Two major fires have occurred since the late 60's, destroying much of the college's structures. Now, St. Mary's College is known as "The Hellhouse" as many local legends revolve around the college, including a legend that Satanic rituals occur there and that the building and property is haunted by evil spirits.

Many personal accounts of visiting the structure tell of signs of animal sacrifice and definite homeless people dwelling there. There are local stories that some of the nuns or pastors were involved in Satanism and not Catholicism and would perform rituals here. The place is said to have a very negative energy to it, with cold spots and disembodied voices, etc. I have to be honest and say that I'm not truly convinced that this place is haunted by evil spirits, but maybe if I went there and experienced it for myself I might agree.

The famous author of the strange, Edgar Allan Poe, owned a home and resided in Baltimore, MD during his lifetime in the 1800's. His home is still standing today and tours are given to the public on certain days of the week, as it is now a museum. In compliance with Poe's creepy writing during his life, the home is now known to be haunted by several ghosts. One ghost is that of an older lady who doesn't seem to want to harm or scare anyone. Many investigators actually believe that she is merely a residual energy that is left from years passed and not necessarily a trapped spirit.

People also believe that Edgar Allan Poe himself may be haunting his Baltimore home, as more poltergeist-like activity has occurred in the building including lights flickering and windows slamming open and shut. Poe's grave is not far from his Baltimore home and legend has it that a bottle of whiskey and roses are placed on Poe's grave often, with no knowledge as to who leaves the gifts for the deceased author of the weird.

The cause of death for Poe was never identified and still hasn't been, even to this day. What do you think? Do you believe that the gifts placed on Poe's grave could be from the spirit of Poe himself? Or is it merely a relative or fan in remembrance of the brilliant author? Either way, there is definitely paranormal activity within the brick walls of Edgar Allan Poe's Baltimore residence.