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Design· Holiday

Trick or treaters beware

Although I am still locked in the torture chamber until the end of the semester my kindly assistant Igor knew I would want to participate in A Fanciful Twist’s Hauntingly Magical Celebration. Trick or treaters beware.

Trick or treaters beware

Trick or treaters beware

If you plan on taking the kiddo’s out to beg for candy, there are a few places that you may want to steer clear of.

This seemingly charming Dutch Colonial is located at 112 Ocean Avenue…in AMITYVILLE, NY.
AMITYVILLE house
In the center of Louisville, KY is historic “Old Louisville”. It is reportedly “America’s Most Haunted Neighborhood”. These brick Victorian homes have an Italianate influence and I find them rather charming. Of course, this photograph was taken in the daytime…
America's Most Haunted Neighborhood

The Winchester Home

The Winchester Home in San Jose, CA. began construction in 1884 and continued to be added onto by round the clock construction until September 5, 1922. Sarah Winchester, the home’s owner, was the widow of gun magnate William Winchester. She believed that the house was haunted by those killed by Winchester rifles and only continuous construction would keep the haunted souls at bay. You can now tour this home and view staircases going nowhere and doors that lead out to 10-foot drops.
Winchester Home
In Fayetteville, NC you may want to avoid the Sandford House, a classic Georgian colonial home, built in 1797. It is reportedly haunted by “The Lady in Black”.
Sandford House
Even the White House is riddled with apparitions and hauntings.
The White House
This is Craigdarroch Castle in Vancouver, British Columbia. Many visitors have reported strange disturbances and loss of time. As for the last, aren’t there are some occasions where this might come in handy?
Craigdarroch Castle

Bruce Castle

Bruce Castle in Tottenham, London has a detached Tudor tower which was constructed in the 15th century in the Strawberry Hill Gothic style. The main mansion was built around the 17th century. It’s most distinguishing feature is the ashlar quoining. The design stands out as light colored bricks were used in this feature. Lady Coleraine appears every November 3rd. She was kept locked up in a chamber by her husband, Henry Hare, until her death in 1680. Hare desired her out of the way so that he could carry on with his mistress. I believe I’d haunt the place too.
Bruce Castle
If you plan to spend Halloween in church, I wouldn’t recommend the Sedlec Ossuary in the Czech Republic. The entry features a coat of arms made entirely from human skeletons.

Sedlec Ossuary

Around 1400, this centuries-old Roman Catholic church desired to rebuild and also needed to clear out its mass graves to make room for newer inhabitants. The skeletons that were removed were then used in some areas of interior decoration, such as this candelabra. This is a case where “green” design went a bit too far.

skeleton chandelier
If you have 78 million dollars lying around, you could purchase Bran’s Castle in Romania, as it is currently up for sale.

Bran's Castle in Romania

 

Vlad Tepes, the Prince of Wallachia

It was once the home of Vlad Tepes, the Prince of Wallachia. He became known as “The Impaler” due to the cruel punishments he imposed during his reign. His Romanian name was Drăculea. He is said to have inspired Bram Stoker who is famous for a little novel written in 1897 entitled: “Dracula”.

Vlad Tepes, the Prince of Wallachia
Another famous castle is Burg Frankenstein located near Darmstadt, Germany. It was built sometime before 1250 AD. The German alchemist and natural philosopher Johann Conrad Dippel was born and lived in the castle in the 17th century. He was accused of body snatching and attempting to bring the dead, back to life. This story was, of course, the inspiration for Mary Shelley’s novel, “Frankenstein” written in 1818.
Frankenstein Castle

The Fashionista at Frankenstein Castle

My family and I lived in Germany for a few years. At the time, I worked for the USO at Landstuhl Hospital. No, not dancing with sailors… I arranged sightseeing tours for soldiers and their families. One event was a Halloween party at the castle. So my daughter, age 10 at the time, had to attend.
Alyssa at Frankenstein Castle
It remains a treasured, fun filled memory for our family. We experienced no eeriness while visiting the castle.

Alyssa at Frankenstein Castle
Indeed, I find that the scariest image of this entire post may well be my 90’s theme sweater and MC hammer styled pants I wore to the event.

Robert and Laura
My escort in the photo is Robert, who also worked as a guide for the USO.

May you have a bootiful day!
Laura
 This post originally ran in October 2008.
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Comments

  1. KDLOST says

    Okay, I LOVED this post. LOVE the old haunted homes!! Thanks for posting that! I have 1 to add to the list: The Myrtles Plantation in St. Francisville LA! Also, how COOL that you lived in Germany! I majored in German (though do not pretend to be fluent) in college! Love it over there.Tchuss! and Happy Halllooowwweeeen!

  2. heather says

    ooh i love that post!! now i have a whole list of places i want to go to! and you know the mansions in rhode island? there is a college that uses some of them as dorms and i had a friend that lived there and she swore up and down that they were haunted and that lots of her classmates had seen ghosts and lots of strange things would happen all the time…

  3. Jill Elaine says

    Those were fun facts to read! Amazing how the dark spirits work and I do believe Satan is working hard. I’m very much ready to move on to Christmas and the wonderful story it holds.Thanks for the neat pictures and history!God Bless,Jill

  4. Tami says

    Fun post! I had read about a few of those houses….the widow was out of her mind – lol!Thanks for visiting my blog on my SITS day Monday 🙂For the life of me, I cannot figure out why perfectly dyed to match shoes went out of style – ROFL!

  6. Lorrie says

    Oh my, places to avoid with little children indeed! I’ve been to Craidarroch Castle (here in my town) and it’s a beautiful place aside from the purported ghosts wandering around. How fun to see it included in your list!Lorrie

  7. The Berry's Patch says

    I suppose if you don’t pass on to heaven, the next best thing would be to haunt a beautiful mansion. 🙂

  8. Shimmy Mom says

    AWESOME post Laura! I so, want to go visit all those places now. In the day time of course. Aren’t the stories behind Dracula and Frankenstein freaky?Happy Halloween!*hugs*

  9. Tracy says

    LauraI’ve been following your blog for a couple of months now. . . found it while researching British Colonial design and really loved that post! This one too was fun and informative and well-organized and I love how you personalized it with your own experiences. I don’t have my own blog yet, but yours is one that’s inspiring me to get in on the fun!Thanks!

  10. HiHoOhio says

    Those are incredible!As for my church, there are not inside photos, I will try and take a couple in the sactuary and post them, pretty windows.

  11. Cindy ~ My Romantic Home says

    The Winchester House is really close to me. They give flashlight tours on Halloween and every Friday the 13th. Someday I need to go on the tour and take photos for my blog! I drive by there all the time! It’s a beautiful house!

  12. Sara's Sweet Surprise says

    Laura~ What a spooktacular tour of house de haunt's. I'm just relieved you didn't have background music playing. Wasn't Stephen King's movie Rose Red based on the Winchester Home? Halloween is sooo fun…if it's not to scary.I am a bit of a chicken, LOL!Sweet Witches,Sara <[;O

  13. Joanne Kennedy says

    Stay away from these homes? Are you kidding! I would love to go there and stay all night in any of them.My mom lived near the first house in New York when the real story took place. I’ve been to the Winchester house. It is creepy feeling there. I love haunted houses and have always to stay in one. BOO! Did I scare you? LOLHugs,Joanne

  14. Glenda says

    Oh I love Bootiful places. I watch a lot of Haunted TV series. So this is right up my alley. Thanks for sharing.Ciao

  16. Melissa @ The Inspired Room says

    I love this post! How fun! I have always loved scary houses and stories. 🙂Happy day,Melissa

  19. Alys says

    I Loved this Post, So perfect for Halloween! The castles and homes you have shared are amazing. xo, Alys

  20. tales from an O.C. cottage says

    Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh yuk! My nieces have all sorts of pictures of the church full of bones for their trip to Europe!!!!!!! What a place!M ^..^

  21. Mimi Sue says

    I had an outfit very similar to yours. Also had the same hairstyle. We were sure cute in those days. Loved all the haunted histories. Mimi

  23. Paula says

    I loved your post!I added you to the Dogs on Thursday blogroll and Rudi to todays dog costume parade.Happy Halloween!

  25. Liz says

    Great Post! There are some places here in AZ that are supposed to be haunted…. Like the Wedding Cake Castle…and Jerome….Fun Post and good history! ~Liz~PS. I Loved my MC Hammer pants!

  26. Sara&apos;s Sweet Surprise says

    I brought the hubby over to see your tour. Can you imagine the eerie sound the bony chandelier would make if it was caught in a windy breeze…Yikes!Sweet Witches and Happy Halloween!SaraP.S. Your comment cracked me up!I leave my chocolate marshmallow bunnies out too. LOL!

  27. Laura says

    Oooooh, I’m from Louisville, and never realized that Old Louisville was considered haunted – LOL! Happy Halloween from another Laura

  28. Jacqueline says

    I don’t know what to choose on your halloween post as my favourite pictures. There are so many to comment. I didn’t have halloween in England, (although now it’s part of the culture) so I have some catching up to do. The pumpkin as the vase one of my favourite.

  30. Nikki via The Scarlett Rose Garden says

    OMG, the recycled skeletons were reallllllllly creepy. Much worse than your 90’s attire, lol!

  31. Ramona says

    Absolutely wonderful post. Great party atmosphere. Thanks for sharing….you sure know how to host a party.

    Smiles ~ Ramona

  32. Tammy says

    What a spooktacular post! I loved the bit about going green being taken too far. I laughed out loud on that one. Clever girl, you. Love the MC Hamer pants and the themed sweater. So chic in the 80's.
    XO,
    Tammy

  33. Christine Edwards says

    Laura, I loved the listing of all the haunted homes. Thanks for posting them. Good luck with the school work.

  37. Twyla and Lindsey says

    Oh, I loved the tour of all these haunted houses! Thanks so much for a very interesting post. Happy Halloween! Twyla

  38. Jaime Haney aka ArtsyFartsy.Me says

    what a great post! loved the haunted houses idea. great pics and great stories. Thank you for visiting my blog, I'm sorry to have disappointed. My mom has been very sick and I totally forgot about the party. love your site, I think I'll follow you! best to you… Jaime

  40. http://afancifultwist.typepad.com says

    Spoooooktacualr hauntings!! I LOVE haunted places. Of course, I say that now, when I have not really ever been haunted, thank goooodnesss 😉

    Wonderful post, fab places and images!!

    Bwuahahahaaaa, thank you for being a delightful part of the festivites!

  41. Chrisy says

    Fabulous photos…and a party in a castle in Germany…how wonderful! Thank you for your hospitality…swing your broom on over to my place for more treats if you haven't flown in already…

  42. queen-of-nostalgia says

    I love ghost stories – thank you! Loved each and every one 🙂
    If you haven't stopped for a visit, hop on your broom and come to my party!

    Cheers!
    Kristen

  44. Rebecca @ Belle Blog says

    Love the Haunted Houses tour. Especially the castle. I think it's funny about the continuous construction. Staircases to no where… Funny and Strange.
    ♥ Rebecca

  45. Lori says

    I love your post! Love those beautiful haunted homes as well. Thanks for the tour! I think alot of these homes have been on TV?! Thanks for stopping by my blog as well–I appreciate it.

  46. Bella Dreams says

    Loved your post! Soooo sorry to hear that you're locked in the torture chamber. Bummer! Thanks for visiting me.
    Denise

  47. Sophia says

    Hope you had a good Monday! 🙂

    Stop by when you can. The Queen made two special announcements at the Manor!

  48. Paula says

    What an adorable post. I especially love it, because my husband and I supposedly live in…a haunted house! We turned it into a B&B in 2001 and have had many reports of apparitions; however, we are yet to see the first one! Doesn't that seem a little unfair!?! We have fun with all the tales of “The Gray Lady” that reportedly haunts our home, but we do wonder WHY she is so reluctant to show herself to the two of us! Ha!

  49. BlueCastle says

    Oh my goodness. I am having a hard time getting over that skeleton chandelier and coat of arms. Ewwww.

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