The Top Ten Haunted Spots In North Carolina

One of the original 13 Colonies, North Carolina, has been instrumental in almost every in-house scrabble the United States has been swept into. If the history of our nation were a reality show, North Carolina would be the kitchen where most of the malcontents have easy access to cutlery. From the Revolutionary War to the American Civil War, North Carolina has been embroiled in one way or another in those and all the others in between.

As the premier ghost tour company in the nation, we’ve kept track of not only the historical shenanigans of perpetrated by mortals but those supernatural hijinks in North Carolina carried out by ghosts, ghouls, and goblins. Here’s a countdown of the top ten haunted spots in North Carolina.

10) Battleship North Carolina

In 1941, The Battleship North Carolina was commissioned and rapidly shipped to the Pacific. It participated in almost every major naval offensive in that region during World War II.

One of the most devastating blows it suffered during that campaign came at the behest of a Japanese torpedo strike in the hull. The blast and subsequent damage took the lives of five men in the blink of an eye. These five patriots are said to haunt the whole structure. And, as the warhorse it is, and perhaps one of the most scarred vessels in the military, those five men are only the tip of the iceberg.

The Battleship North Carolina is said to be one of the most ghostly infested spots in the whole nation.

9) Brown Mountain

The U.S. Government, Appalachian State University, and dozens of reputable parapsychology agencies have investigated them, but no one knows what exactly is going on at Brown Mountain.

For decades, a series of lights have appeared just after sunset above the peaks of the Brown Mountains. The lights swirl around, do complex dances in the air, change colors and shapes, and basically mystify onlookers. The earliest reports of this bizarre show were from the Cherokee and Catawba Natives, and Civil War soldiers later documented them.

If you want to get a gander and perhaps glimpse the lights, your best bet is at Wiseman’s View in the Linville Gorge.

8) Cape Hatteras Lighthouse

Cape Hatteras is the tallest brick building in the United States. It is an imposing sight, right there near the sound, emblematic of some of the state’s history. It is also one of the most haunted spots in North Carolina.

In 1921, a Deering ship washed ashore near the lighthouse. It crashed right to one of its sides on the beach. The ship was empty, had not a single passenger, and was completely abandoned. What made the discovery even more puzzling was the fact that on the kitchen table, laid out for a small banquet, stood a rather tasty and fresh food spread. No sign of damage, no sign of violence, no sign of what truly happened.

Since then, the lighthouse has been plagued by ghosts and other bizarre phenomena.

7) Devil’s Tramping Ground

Just south of Siler City, there is a barren circle about 40 feet wide. A barren, completely devoid of vegetation spot right in the middle of lush pine woods. Legend has it that every night, Old Scratch paces in that circle, over and over again, musing on what pandemonium he will unleash the next day on humanity.

Nothing lives or flourishes in that circle. If you transplant a tree, or a bush, or anything, it will wither and die. Also, if you leave an item in the middle of the circle, it will vanish by the next morning.

6) Dana Auditorium

Located in Greensboro, the Dana Auditorium was constructed right atop one of the pivotal spots of the battle of Guilford Courthouse. During the Revolutionary War, the area was used as a field hospital for Patriots facing the might of the British Empire.

The field hospital suffered countless losses, and fallen soldiers started to blink out of existence on account of their injuries. The land soaked up the blood like a greedy child given an ice cream cone on the hottest summer day.

The spirit of those soldiers, those restless dead, still haunt the landscape.

5) Great Dismal Swamp

During the day, the Great Dismal Swamp is a charming and magical marsh full of sprawling vistas and massive vegetation. It is one of the most charming and secluded regions in North Carolina and a must for nature lovers.

At night, the place shreds its earthy veneer and shows its fangs. The swamp’s history inspired novelist Harriet Beecher Stowe. One of Stowe’s books narrates the story of runaway slaves, known as ‘maroons,’ who lived in isolation in secluded parts of the swamp. These very slaves are said to haunt the brutish and savage land surrounding the swamp.

4) Cry Baby Lane

Cry Baby or Crybaby Lane is a creepy stretch of grass that has one of the state’s most horrific tragedies stapled to its history.

The lane was the site of a Roman Catholic Orphanage since the onset of the 20th century. Unlike others of its kind, the orphan actually had a rather decent reputation, and the kids were taken care of.

In 1958, a fire broke out in the dormitory. It was fast, it was brutal, and by the time the Fire Department arrived, the place was an inferno. Many of the children were burnt alive.

Since then, the place has been a supernatural free-for-all. Countless stories slip out of its facade concerning specters and ghosts and other such demons haunting the land.

3) Chicken Alley

Located in Asheville, Chicken Alley is a famous hotspot of otherworldly activity. The alley was known for the many chickens that populated the area.

The ghost of Dr. Jamir Smith supposedly haunts the spot. Smith was a well-renowned doctor during the 19th century and a rather popular guy around town. In 1902, Smith attempted to break up a fight at Broadway’s Tavern, and what he got for his deed was a stab straight in the heart.

The man who killed him was never apprehended, and the doctor’s ghost now haunts the land.

2) Tar River

Stretching for over 200 miles, Tar River has been the source of campfire tales for countless years in North Carolina.

The spot was a waterway frequented by Rebels during the Revolutionary War and a major lifeline for transporting materials during this harrowing time. Red Coats, knowing this, would scour the landscape in search of them. Whenever they caught one, they had a field day. They would beat and humiliate their captives and then drown them in the river, leaving their bloated corpses as a reminder to others.

1) Valle Crucis

One of the most frightening ghosts in the catalog of N.C. comes from the quaint town of Valle Crucis.

There’s an old stone church along Highway 194, just at the edge of town, where perhaps one of Carolina’s scariest haunts lives.

Dozens have been chased out of the hallowed ground of the church and its surroundings by a massive dog. A huge, terrifying beast that vanishes just on the borders of the sacred spot. Some believe that it is a guardian, others a demon, and some have even claimed that it is a skinwalker or a werewolf.

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