The U.S. Naval Institute was a former home for the poor and mentally unstable, then a Civil War hospital. It is said to be haunted by a patient, a soldier named Jimmy Sutton who died in 1907. He is suspected to have been shot in an argument over a woman. The apparition of a soldier and other apparitions have been reported here, as well as cold spots, doorknobs turning, falling light fixtures, and something trying to push a witness down the stairs. The site has been featured on an episode of TV’s Ghost Hunters.
U.S. Naval Institute
Topstone Mill
Topstone Mill, a former shoe and furniture manufacturing plant, was empty for years until new residents turned the bottom floors into an eatery. But the new people have been bitten by invisible teeth, had objects thrown at them, heard footsteps and seen apparitions through the windows. The site has been featured on an episode of TV’s Ghost Hunters.
Reed Homestead
At the Reed Homestead, explored by TV’s Ghost Hunters, four generations of the Oliver Reed family have resided. It was built in 1809 and contains murals believed to have been created by Rufus Porter, painter, inventor and founder of The Scientific American Magazine, a Victorian garden and examples of early country clothing. The house is believed to be haunted by Hannah Reed, who hanged herself in the hall after her child passed away. Witnesses have spotted her apparition and a door that leapt off of its hinges.
The Cooperage
The Cooperage, explored by TV’s Ghost Hunters, was built in 1733 as a mill. In the mid-1800s it was a barrel-making business, and later, a restaurant and a gift/antique shop (it’s most recent incarnation). Apparitions, voices and footsteps are among the eerie things often reported here.
St. Matthew's Episcopal Church
At St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church, which has been featured on an episode of TV’s Ghost Hunters, witnesses have reported unexplained a boy’s apparition, smells of burning wood and a size 6 footprint that seems to come from nowhere.
Stephen Crane House
Stephen Crane House, which has been explored by TV’s Ghost Hunters. It was the home of author Stephen Crane of “The Red Badge of Courage” fame. Witnesses here have seen apparitions and heard ghostly kids playing or crying. But look out — a rambunctious ghost here has been known to conk visitors on the head with fireplace tools.
Pope Lick Monster - Goat Man
The Goat Man of Pope Lick is rumored to be a farmer who tortured goats at the devil’s request and therefore forfeited his soul. But other legends say he is a refugee from a circus train wreck. The horned and hairy monster is supposed to trick folks into his clutches by mimicking children calling for help or hypnotizing them. When he gets victims onto the railroad tracks, they’re paralyzed in front of a speeding train.
Shady Grove Cemetery
One report says that crickets and grasshoppers refuse to set foot in the Shady Grove Cemetery, and ghost children will put their handprints on cars if you flash your headlights three times.
Shippen Manor
Shippen Manor, a historic Georgian mansion built in the 1760s for Dr. William Shippen II and his brother Joseph Shippen II, is the site of some strange happenings. Witnesses report that items appear on shelves that weren’t there before, doors open and close on their own, and ghosts have been afoot. Some have seen a spectral soldier; others a small boy in period costume. A lady in blue with her hair in a bun has been spotted as well.
The Haunted Mortuary
The Haunted Mortuary is a haunted attraction that began its life as a Victorian mansion, built in 1872 by Mary Slattery. In 1928, PJ McMahon purchased the property to turn it into a giant funeral business, which performed some 20,000 funerals occurred here over the years. So the story goes, when the building was purchased by an owner who wanted to make it a mortuary-themed haunted house, he got more than he bargained for. The new owner soon realized it was really haunted. There were a ghostly woman in white, a tall well-dressed man, a boy and a girl who play pranks, a former mortician, plus footsteps, whispers, moving objects, and much more.
