America's 10 Most Famous Ghosts - Halloween 2014

Celebrity is not a status exclusively bestowed upon the living. Some carry their popularity over into the afterlife, while others find it there for the first time.

Here are 10 of America’s most famous ghosts.


Number 10. Kate Morgan. More than a century ago she waited for her love to arrive at the Hotel del Coronado in San Diego. He never showed, and she never left. The night she was jilted Ms. Morgan took her own life, and to this day her spirit roams the hotel and its grounds.

Number 9. Abraham Lincoln. The corporeal version of the president was lost to the world in 1865. Since, however, many visitors to the White House have reported sightings of the great emancipator’s ghostly presence. Among them are Winston Churchill, First Lady Grace Coolidge, and Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands.

Number 8. Marilyn Monroe. The film legend was a regular guest at Hollywood’s Roosevelt Hotel and it’s not uncommon for current lodgers to see her hanging around there. One place she tends to turn up often is in a mirror that was once located in her preferred suite.

Number 7. Dolley Madison. The first lady was a force to be reckoned with in life, and that didn’t change after she died. Upon the orders of Mrs. Woodrow Wilson, gardeners began work tearing up Dolley’s once prized rose garden. As the story goes, the late Mrs. Madison showed up to make sure that didn’t happen. Her garden flourishes to this day.

Number 6. Resurrection Mary. If while driving near Justice, Illinois you catch a glimpse of a hitchhiker in a long white dress, don’t bother pulling over. It’s probably just Mary. She’s been trying to get a lift home since the 1930s, when she was struck and killed by a motorist on Archer Avenue. Those who have tried to help her out say she disappeared before they could get her to her destination.

Number 5. Andrew Jackson. History has indicated he was perhaps a grudge holder, and that could be why he’s been sticking around the White House. In life he was said to have retaliated for the loss of a previous election. In death he’s been reported to stomp around a lot.

Number 4. Bloody Mary. You may also know her as Mary Worth, the avenging ghost who will appear in the mirror when summoned. The tales surrounding how she ended up in her bloody, mutilated, and rage-filled state are many, but you could always try conjuring up her spirit and asking her for yourself.

Number 3. Michael Jackson. It’s often said he left this world too early, and reports of his ghost appearing here and there may indicate that he agrees. One such sighting was reported not long ago at a tribute event held in Bromley, England.

Number 2. Murdered Peddler. He was a simple salesman offering his wares door to door, but his passing resulted in the formation of a religion. After being murdered by a couple of homeowners, he was said to be in communication with two sisters. They established the practice of Spiritualism, which is still active today.

Number 1. Marie Laveau. The Voodoo priestess is buried in New Orleans’ Saint Louis Cemetery, but death hasn’t stopped her from roaming her French Quarter stomping grounds. Some say she appears as she was, turban and all, while others report that she manifests as a feline apparition with glowing red eyes.