Tourism Of Haunted Houses

Joshua White

Haunted Houses

This paper is taking a look at the haunted houses of America. The three Haunted places I have picked are the Island prison of Alcatraz, The Winchester Mystery House, and the Amityville Horror House. These are places you might have heard of before but until you experience them for yourself you will not be able to form your opinion on whether ghosts actually do exist.

Of all the websites that I visited the website for the Winchester Mystery House was the best. The website offered ticket purchases online and shows that this House has definitely become known for its haunted nature. The house in its design is quite eccentric actually. There are staircases that go down 7 steps before going up 11 steps, another set of staircases has 7 flights of steps with 42 steps but only goes up 9 feet. This mansion itself is a very interesting place and it is said that Mrs. Winchester built it full of secret passages because she was trying to trick any ghosts that might be following her. ““When Mrs. Winchester set out for her Séance Room, it might well have discouraged the ghost of the Indian or even of a bloodhound, to follow her. After traversing an interminable labyrinth of rooms and hallways, suddenly she would push a button, a panel would fly back and she would step quickly from one apartment into another, and unless the pursuing ghost was watchful and quick, he would lose her. Then she opened a window in that apartment and climbed out, not into the open air, but onto the top of a flight of steps that took her down one story only to meet another flight that brought her right back up to the same level again, all inside the house. This was supposed to be very discomforting to evil spirits who are said to be naturally suspicious of traps.”” This quote was taken from the American Weekly published in 1928 and gives you some idea of just how crazy the inside of this house really is. This is definitely one of the oddest houses ever built and it is said that Mrs. Winchester built it to hide from the ghost of every person killed by a Winchester rifle. The tourist attraction is evident in the fact that they offer midnight flashlight tours to scare people though they did have to put a pause in that after someone strayed from the tour group and was not found until the next day. Now people come from all over the world to see this odd and fascinating house.

The Amityville Horror House has quickly become one of New York’s most famous tourist attractions. This was brought on by the book and movie that have been made telling the gruesome story that accompanies this house. The story is that a kid brutally killed his entire family consisting of his parents and 4 siblings, when arrested the child simply said that there were ghosts and voices in his head that told him to do it. The house was sold shortly after this tragedy and the new owners reported doors being torn from their hinges, and strange voices interrupting their phone calls. These owners moved out within 28 days of living there. Though many people feel these people were over exaggerating their experience because the next owners had no such trouble.

The prison of Alcatraz, a cold, dank hellhole, saw many murders, riots, and suicides during its 29 years of service. Along the way it spawned tales of inexplicable sounds, cell doors closing on their own, disembodied screams, and scary apparitions. The island, believed to be an evil place by Native Americans, has seen centuries of death from accidents, murders, and suicides. With this dark history, it's no wonder Alcatraz is said to be one of the most haunted places in the nation. If ghosts return to haunt the places where they suffered traumatic experiences when they were alive, then Alcatraz must be bursting at the seams with spirits. Though the prison is no longer used as a prison it has become somewhat of a tourist trap due to the idea of it being haunted. Alcatraz also known as “The Rock” is responsible for bringing in nearly a million visitors per year. The future development of Alcatraz is somewhat unknown. A few years back there was a push by some people to remove the prison and put something friendlier and less menacing on the island. This idea was opposed greatly by people saying that Alcatraz was a very important part of the city historically and from a tourist standpoint. There has also been talk of fixing up the island because the weather has not been friendly to the prison and many of the buildings are rubble or falling apart, but the state and city did not feel like that was a good investment. So it looks like The Rock will remain a tourist attraction until there are no more buildings to visit. Though people visit this island prison for many different reasons tourist numbers estimate that around 1/3 of the tourists that visit each year are hoping to experience something other worldly. Through my research on this topic I have found many websites devoted to proving that The Rock is really a haunted place, some of these articles are incredibly interesting and convincing, but you will never know for yourself until you visit the island.