Baltimore as a city is known for many things: crabs, the Ravens, the Inner Harbor, crabs, the Star Spangled Banner, Babe Ruth, crabs, and - being haunted? As we enter Halloweek, because Halloween is obviously deserving of a week of celebration, get in the mood by visiting some spooky places around our fair city. Here are five places you should include on your ghost tour around the city on All Hallows' Eve.
1. Edgar Allan Poe's House
Location: 203 North Amity Street, Baltimore, Maryland, 21223
If you're starting your ghost tour, or just a spooky tour of the city, you have to stop at Edgar Allan Poe's house. While not considered haunted, how can you not peek into the father of the horror genre's house? Just looking at it is enough to give anyone the heebie-jeebies. It is preserved as a historical landmark, and maintained by an actor who dresses up as Poe. Definitely stop in!
2. Admiral Fell Inn
Location: 888 South Broadway, Baltimore, Maryland, 21231
The Admiral Fell Inn (yes, the same Fell as Fells Point!) is purportedly full of ghosts in haunted rooms. It actually made TripAdvisor's Top 10 List of Haunted Hotels in the United States! The hotel is spooky, but not terrifying, so don't expect to have the pants scared off of you if you stay - this isn't the hotel from "The Shining." But there are noises reported to be heard on the second floor, as well as the occasional ghost. Buyer beware, your stay at the Admiral Fell Inn might be in for a scare.
3. The USS Constellation
Location: 301 East Pratt Street, Baltimore, Maryland, 21202
The USS Constellation was a ship in the US Navy for many years, and it has been docked in Baltimore for quite some time. During a period of refurbishment to return the boat to its former glory, people began to see apparitions, especially of young boys who were known as powder monkeys, the runners who would get the gunpowder for the cannons. With a history that spans from the Civil War to the end of World War II, the USS Constellation saw many good men lose their lives on its deck. And those men? They might have stayed.
4. Fort McHenry
Location: 2400 East Fort Ave, Baltimore, Maryland, 21230.
Fort McHenry has a pretty hallowed history. In the War of 1812, as you may know, it was laid seige upon in the Bombardment of Baltimore. In the morning when Francis Scott Key saw the "Star Spangled Banner" still waving, he knew that the fort had survived the night. But four soldiers died on the fort during that seige, and one of them is said to still pace to this day, still on duty after 200 years. In addition to the Bombardment of Baltimore, Fort McHenry was used as a prison for Confederate soldiers and sympathizers in the Civil War, and because of this, there is a reported feeling of "being watched" when no one is around. Creepy? Absolutely.
5. Westminster Hall and Burying Ground
Location: 515 West Fayette Street, Baltimore, Maryland, 21201
Famously known as the resting place of Edgar Allan Poe, this place is, like any other graveyard, full of restless spirits. There has been tales told of people interred here who were not, as such, deceased. And when they did pass on, their spirits stayed to haunt the grounds. Also, Edgar Allan Poe's grave, for years, was visited on his birthday by a masked gentleman who left roses and a bottle of cognac for over seventy years. Talk about spine-tingling, no?
If you're looking for a scare this Halloween, just walk downtown in Baltimore. It seems you can't go two feet without walking into a ghost!
Happy Halloween!
