For some reason, Great Britain has more than its share of mansions, estates, and old homes that are reported to be haunted.

Leeds Castle is said to be haunted by a dog. He pays no attention to the people who visit the castle, but he’s said to bring bad luck to anyone who spots him. (Image credit: Flickr user Gauis Caecilius)

St. Donat’s Castle is a 12th-century Welsh castle that’s now a boarding school …and they say a ghost panther stalks the corridors. In a parlor, a piano plays itself …even when the lid is closed.

Woburn Abbey in Bedfordshire supposedly has a mischievous spirit that loves to fling open doors. Billionaire J. Paul Getty said it once terrified him by barging into the room.

Chatham House is haunted by the ghost of the “Hanging Judge” George Jeffreys, the former Chief Justice of England who liked to hand out death sentences. Jeffreys is said to walk around Chatham House in his black judicial robes, carrying a bloody bone.

(East Riddlesden Hall image credit: Flickr user floato)

East Riddlesden Hall in Yorkshire hosts the “Grey Lady.” She reportedly paces up and down the stairs, looking for her lover,  who was sealed in a room by her jealous husband and left there to die.

Dover Castle is said to be haunted by a boy murdered during the Napoleanic Wars. The headless ghost stalks the halls, drumming.

(Raby Castle image credit: Flickr user Mark Loveridge)

Raby Castle near Durham is the home to the “Old Hellcat” -a ghoulish old woman who sits in a chair, knitting. (If you get close enough, you can feel the heat coming off her glowing red knitting needles.)

The Kylesku Hotel in the Scottish Highlands has a ghost who likes to pop his head through a trapdoor in the ceiling. They say he’s friendly -he only does it to startle visitors.

Rufford Old Hall in Lancashire is haunted by a young woman in a wedding dress who, the legend says, waits for the return of her fiance, who was killed in battle. The dining room is also reportedly haunted by Queen Elizabeth I.

(Netley Abbey image credit: Flickr user _moonpie)

Netley Abbey, a semi-demolished medieval nunnery in Hampshire, is haunted by the ghost of Walter Taylor, a builder hired to tear it down. A stone from an arch struck him on the head and killed him. The demolition was never completed, and now Taylor’s spirit wanders around the ruins accompanied by the sound of falling bricks.

Inverawe House, a hotel in Scotland, has “Green Jean.” Instead of trying to scare people, he actually assists the staff, leaving fresh soap and clean towels for the guests.

At Berry Pomeroy Castle, the “White Lady” haunts the dungeon and towers. It’s supposedly the ghost of Lady Margaret Pomeroy, who was imprisoned in the dungeon by her sister for 20 years and starved to death. People who see her report feeling a wave of depression and fear.

And the U.S. has fewer castles, but plenty of places people go to see ghosts.

(Alcatraz image credit: Flicker user Punchup)

Alcatraz, the island prison near San Francisco, is no longer a working penitentiary. It’s a tourist attraction. On the “night tour,” guides say, you can hear the screams of long-dead prisoners, footsteps of jackbooted guards, and the slamming of jail doors that remain motionless before your eyes.

Huntress Hall at Keene State College in New Hampshire is a freshman class dorm. Who else lives there? The college’s benefactress (and the building’s namesake), Harriet Huntress. Her wheelchair is stored in the attic, and students say it can be heard rolling around in the middle of the night.

Belcourt Castle, in Newport, Rhode Island, is famous for its ghosts, the spookiest of which is a spectral monk who appears in front of a lion statue, walks away from it, then disappears. Then he comes back and repeats the whole process over again.

At the Radisson Suite Hotel in Ogden, Utah, a ghost named Mrs. Eccles lives in the elevator. She died on the fifth floor, the story goes, so the elevator always stops there, whether anyone has pressed the button or not. You can’t see Mrs. Eccles, but when she walks past, you can feel her brush against you and you can smell her perfume.

(Image credit: Big Bay Point Lighthouse Bed & Breakfast)

Big Bay Point Lighthouse in Michigan is haunted by the ghost of its first keeper, Will Prior. If you go, he’s the red-haired ghost. They say he’s harmless.

The old high school in Brunswick, Maine, is said to be haunted by a student who died there. She was rehearsing  play on  balcony when she fell to her death. The building is now used for school board meetings …which are sometimes interrupted by slamming doors and flying books.

Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri, is the haunt of former WWF wrestler Owen Hart. During a 1999 match, Hart was being lowered from the ceiling to the ring when the cable holding his harness snapped. He fell to the floor and died instantly. In his wrestling trunks, mask, and harness, Hart has been seen floating near the ceiling.

At the Vanderlip Mansion in Palos Verdes, California, legend says Mrs. Vanderlip killed her entire family (including the dogs) and then committed suicide. At night, the faces of the family stare out the windows. The dogs run around and bark at squirrels in the woods behind the house.

(Lizzie Borden House image credit: Flickr user Stewart Robotham)

The Lizzie Borden House in Fall River, Massachusetts, where Borden notoriously murdered her parents with an axe in 1892, is, according to locals, home to a ghost. One of Borden’s parents? No -its the ghost of Lizzie’s cat. The invisible feline is friendly: it likes to rub up against tourists’ legs and sit in their laps.

The Hardee’s in West Union, Iowa, was built on top of a 189th-century cemetery -and ghosts now hang out at the restaurant. Employees find objects moved and hear their names being called when nobody’s there, and the building has icy spots that stay cold year round.

In the desert outside Anthem, Arizona, the ghosts of Native American warriors on horseback have been seen riding at night. And it hey see anybody …they shoot (ghost) arrows at them.

At the Gregory Graveyard in Lancaster, South Carolina, you can hear the children laughing and a minister giving a eulogy over a grave. As you leave the graveyard, you may see a path to the left that wasn’t there when you came in. If you walk down that path, you’ll see several ghostly human figures. On Halloween night, the path is said to glow green.

___________________

This article was reprinted with permission from Uncle John’s Triumphant 20th Anniversary Bathroom Reader.

Since 1988, the Bathroom Reader Institute had published a series of popular books containing irresistible bits of trivia and obscure yet fascinating facts.

If you like Neatorama, you’ll love the Bathroom Reader Institute’s books – go ahead and check ‘em out!

How much would you pay for an exceptional brew? $10 a six-pack? $20 a six-pack? How about $5 an ounce?

That’s the minimum going rate for Boston Beer’s Samuel Adams Utopias, which retails starting at $120 per 24-ounce bottle.

The country’s most expensive beer is also the strongest. The 2007 edition of the vintage-dated biennial release clocks in at 27 percent alcohol by volume, more than five times the proof of the average American golden lager.

The Utopias container, a ceramic bottle molded to resemble a brew kettle, is a collectible in and of itself. The copper-colored liquid inside hasn’t a bubble of carbonation. The first sensations are a viscous mouth feel and a sweet sherrylike flavor with nuances of toffee and maple. There are notes of vanilla and plum and a hint of charred wood. A long, lingering alcohol burn, more reminiscent of a cognac or brandy than a beer, is followed by a sweet burned-caramel aftertaste.

Via: Sun-Sentinel