1. New Orleans, LA

This city is infamous for its haunted mansions, taverns, and graveyards and the stories of cursed pirate ships, Civil War-era spirits, and voodoo hexes. One of the most famous ghosts that reside in this city is known as Marie Laveau. Marie was one of the first practitioners of voodoo. Even though she died in 1881, she has been spotted wandering throughout the French Quarter of the city. She is known as the “Voodoo Queen of New Orleans.”

2. Gettysburg, PA

As this was the place of the biggest military clash of the Civil War, it seems only probable that the ghosts of the young men who fought in the war are still spotted around the town. Many who reside in Gettysburg even claim that they experience some kind of paranormal activity on a daily basis. Some visitors have witnessed what they believe to be a battle reenactment at the old war sites but in reality, none had actually taken place that day.

3. Salem, MA

The town that was made famous from the “Salem Witch Trials” that occurred in 1692. During this mass hysteria, over 150 people were arrested and charged for witchery and at least 19 were actually hung for the crime. Salem is now known as “Witch City, USA” and has one of the biggest Halloween celebrations of the country. The most haunted part of the city is thought to be Gallows Hill, the site of several hangings. The spirits of those who were hung are still said to be haunting the city.

4. Key West, FL

This might appear as a surprise to those who do not know the ghost stories of Key West. Although it is considered to be one of the most fun spectacles of Florida with its night time activities and shows in Mallory Square, the place is also home to many dark tales; one in particular being that of Robert the Doll. As the story goes, Robert the Doll was given to painter Gene Otto as a young boy in the early 1900s. Otto soon became deathly afraid of it as he said the doll would threaten him and wake him in the night by throwing furniture around the room. Gene’s parents even claim they saw the doll moving and neighbors witnessed Robert pacing in front of the windows of the house when the family was away.

5. Savannah, GA

Savannah was one of the few places that was not burned down during Sherman’s famous “March to the Sea” during the Civil War. As many of the original buildings from this time period exist, it is believed that it is the perfect place for ghosts to reside. One of the biggest “killers” that ever hit the city was the practice of shanghailing. Shanghailing was when unsuspecting men were kidnapped from bars or hotels, dragged through tunnels beneath the city, and shipped off to the Orient where they were put to work as slaves. Visitors say the tunnel under the restaurant, the Pirates’ House, is haunted. Those who listen carefully say they can still hear the songs of drunken sailors from the cellar as they were being dragged off to the ships.

6. Charleston, SC

Known as the “Holy City” for the numerous amounts of churches that make up Charleston, it is also one of the oldest cities in the U.S. Many stories of ghosts and paranormal activity have been spread throughout the town over the years. Many of these stories have occurred at the Battery Carriage House Inn, a hotel where people have reported seeing everything from strange lights, to a gentlemanly ghost of a student who died at the hotel after jumping off the roof, to a headless torso that appears beside guests’ bedsides in the middle of the night.

7. San Francisco, CA

Home of voodoo, countless ghost tours, and creepy folklore, the scariest part of this city is still considered to be Alcatraz Island. It was once a prominent maximum-security prison. Now, the island is home to some of the most mysterious ghost stories in the U.S. Visitors have reported a wide variety of mysterious sightings or occurrences such as apparitions walking the cellblocks and voices coming from what used to be the cafeteria.

8. Chicago, IL

Chicago’s history tells of tragic events such as the Great Fire and shady gangsters and criminals like Al Capone. The most haunted part of this dark city is thought to be Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery. The cemetery was the dumping ground of choice for gangsters trying to dispose of dead bodies. Visitors have made note of headstones that seem to move at will and various spirits of the dead that materialize at night. One of the most famous spirits that has been seen is known as the “White Lady,” the ghost of a young woman who is always seen in a white dress and is often cradling a baby in her arms.

9. Athens, OH

Athens, Ohio is the home of the Athens Lunatic Asylum. The Asylum is said to be haunted by the previous residents that lived in the building from 1874 to 1993. The most well known of these residents is the patient Margaret, a deaf-mute girl who escaped from her room, became trapped in an abandoned ward, and eventually died of exposure. Her decomposing body was found weeks later and apparently left a stain on the floor from her body that is still there today.

10. Jerome, AZ

Rounding out the list of the Top 10 Most Haunted Cities in America is Jerome, AZ. What was once a thriving mining town during the time of the Wild West and home to 15,000 residents is now spookily deserted. Only 400 people call this city their home. However, it is believed that many spirits of those who lived in Jerome during its prime still reside in this town. One of the most famous ghosts is that of Sammie Dean, a prostitute who was strangled by a customer in the old Crib District. As the stories go, Sammie’s spirit still roams the alleys looking for her killer who was never found.