The Sloss Furnaces are now a historic national landmark, but in the late 19th century, they produced iron, which was then turned into steel.

James “Slag” Wormwood was the boss at the furnaces, and it’s said that he subjected his employees to some inhumane working conditions.

Labor laws didn’t exist at the time, and temperatures in the furnaces often reached above 100 degrees. A total of 47 men died with Wormwood as their boss, and even Wormwood himself lost his life in the furnaces when he slipped and fell into the iron ore, causing his body to melt, Travel South USA reported.

Wormwood and his workers are believed to haunt the furnaces to this day.

Kennecott is a remote Alaskan town that’s been mostly abandoned since 1950.

The town was a hub for copper mining from 1911 to 1938, but after the area’s copper supply was diminished, Kennecott’s population dwindled.

Today, many rickety wooden buildings still stand in Kennecott, and many people believe that they are haunted by former miners and railroad workers, the Anchorage Daily News reported.

The Lost Dutchman gold mine is believed to be situated in a state park in Apache Junction, Arizona, although its exact location is unclear.

The park is said to be haunted by the spirits of people who died over the years searching for the mine, the Phoenix New Times reported.

The Crescent Hotel in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, takes pride in its reputation as a haunted hotel.

Guests can participate in ghost tours and potentially catch a glimpse of several ghosts who reportedly frequent the property, including one who’s known as “the girl in the mist.”

According to the California Department of Parks and Recreation, Bodie, California, is a ghost town turned state park that offers a taste of life during the gold rush of the late 1800s.

Many homes and other buildings are still standing in the town today. Some people believe that the town is haunted by former residents, Legends of America reported.

St. Elmo, Colorado, was a thriving mining town in the late 1800s, though it was abandoned as soon as the mines in the area shut down, History Colorado reported.

The ghost town has been well-maintained, allowing visitors to get a sense of life in the late 19th century. They might even catch a glimpse of ghosts of former residents.

There’s a particularly popular ghost story about Annabelle Stark, a woman from St. Elmo who is said to have continued living there even after the town was entirely abandoned.

Connecticut History reported that the Old Newgate Prison was the first prison in the state of Connecticut, operating from 1773 to 1827. Most notably, it used to hold prisoners of war during the Revolutionary War.

Many people believe that the site is haunted by soldiers and prisoners who died while trying to escape from the prison. 

Fort Delaware is situated on its own island, accessible only by ferry. It was built as a Union fortress during the Civil War and was later used as a prison for Confederate soldiers.

Many prisoners died while held captive, and their ghosts are believed to haunt the property today, the Delaware News Journal reported.

The Old St. Johns County Jail no longer houses inmates, although the spirits of many of St. Augustine’s violent criminals reportedly still haunt the historic jail.

The jail is now a museum, and visitors can go on nighttime “Old Jail After Dark” tours to try to spot the ghosts for themselves. 

Aside from being a beautiful Southern city with tons of history, Savannah, Georgia, is also said to be haunted.

The Lucas Theatre is just one of the city’s haunted locales.

According to a local tour company, visitors to the historic theater have reported ghost sightings, including shadowy figures and sounds of applause, even when there’s no one around.

The ‘Iolani Palace was once home to Hawaii’s royalty, although today it serves as a museum of Hawaiian history.

Queen Lili’uokalani and other Hawaiian royals are said to haunt the palace. One room in the museum is notorious for supernatural activity — visitors have reported hearing mysterious music and chanting, Honolulu Magazine reported.

According to the Idaho State Historical Society, the Old Idaho Penitentiary housed some of the area’s most dangerous criminals for over 100 years until it closed in 1973.

Visitors can now explore the expansive property in Boise, including jail cells that are reportedly haunted by former inmates.

The Congress Plaza Hotel in Chicago, Illinois, has almost too many ghost stories to count. The hotel was built for the World’s Fair in 1893, and there have been tales of paranormal activity ever since.

For example, the serial killer H.H. Holmes is said to have lured his victims to the hotel. Hotel guests have also reported seeing the ghosts of Al Capone and a ghost called Peg Leg Johnny around the property, Choose Chicago reported.

And if all that isn’t spooky enough, the hotel is reportedly the inspiration behind Stephen King’s short story, “1408.”

The Indiana Medical History Museum is situated in the oldest surviving pathology building in the United States. It is also said to be haunted by the spirits of former patients of Central State Hospital.

The museum, located in Indianapolis, is home to recreations of amphitheaters and laboratories that were once used by the hospital, which treated a variety of different mental-health-related illnesses from 1848 until the late 1990s, according to the museum.

According to the house’s official website, six members of the Moore family plus two houseguests were brutally killed by an ax murderer who was never identified on June 10, 1912. Their restless spirits are said to still haunt the grounds.

Guests can visit the house during the daytime, but to experience it in its full creepiness, you can make a reservation to spend the night.

A haunted cemetery? No surprise there. However, Stull Cemetery in Kansas is known to be particularly spooky. 

The cemetery is located in a tiny, nearly abandoned town outside of Lawrence. It has reportedly been the site of witchcraft and other supernatural activity over the years.

The Waverly Hills Sanatorium started as a one-room schoolhouse in the late 1800s. The Board of Tuberculosis Hospital later purchased the land and built the sanatorium, which opened in 1910 as a small quarantine for tuberculosis patients.

The large building that now sits abandoned was built in 1926 in response to the need for a larger facility; the sanatorium could house over 400 patients, according to its website.

Waverly Hills was its own community, complete with a ZIP code, post office, and water treatment facility. Everyone in the sanatorium — patients, nurses, doctors — was cut off from the outside world. It closed in 1961 after the discovery of an antibiotic that cured tuberculosis.

However, it’s believed that some patients never left and still haunt the grounds. Visitors can participate in ghost tours on the hospital grounds during the fall season.

One of the most notable people buried at the St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 in New Orleans is Marie Laveau, a voodoo priestess who died in 1881, according to the New Orleans Historical Society.

Given her unique profession, many people believe Laveau’s spirit remains present in the cemetery to this day.

Atlas Obscura reported that actor Nicolas Cage bought a burial tomb in the cemetery, so there’s no telling about the cemetery’s haunted future.

The Wood Island Lighthouse is one of the many beautiful lighthouses on Maine’s coastline. It differs, however, in that it’s said to be haunted.

In fact, the television show “Ghost Hunters” visited the lighthouse in 2006 to investigate paranormal activity in the area, according to the official Wood Island Lighthouse website.

Many people visit the Antietam National Battlefield in Washington County, Maryland, to learn about the history of the Civil War.

However, others visit to explore the supernatural activity at the site of the bloodiest battle of the Civil War.

Given the site’s history, it’s understandable why many people believe the battlefield is full of spirits. The area is said to be haunted by the ghosts of the soldiers who were killed there in 1862, the Akron Beacon Journal reported.

The Mount in Lenox, Massachusetts, is a historic estate that was once home to the writer Edith Wharton. Aside from being a beautifully restored architectural masterpiece, the estate also has a haunted history.

When she was alive, Wharton herself often wrote about ghosts, so it’s no surprise that her former home may be haunted.

Visitors can see for themselves on one of the ghost tours that the estate sponsors, both online and hopefully in person later this season. 

From cold spots and doors slamming to odd shadows, the Detroit Masonic Temple reportedly has it all.

One ghost, in particular, that is said to haunt the 1,037-room building is that of George D. Mason, one of its architects, according to the Detroit Historical Society.

However, while legend goes that Mason, distraught over financial losses and the death of his wife, died by suicide by jumping off the top of the 210-foot building, the historical society says this isn’t true. 

“While the story makes for great Halloween horror tale, it is not true,” the Detroit Historical Society states on its website. “George Mason died in 1948 at 91 years old in his home in the Wilshire Apartment building on Grand Boulevard.”

The Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul, Minnesota, is the oldest surviving theater in the city, and its rich history is accompanied by some ghost stories.

The theater is perhaps best known for its production of Garrison Keillor’s variety show, “A Prairie Home Companion,” which began in 1974.

Over the years, visitors to the theater have reported sightings of a ghost named Ben, who apparently used to work on the site as a stagehand, Minnesota Haunted Houses reported.

King’s Tavern in Natchez, Mississippi, is now permanently closed, although it once had many stories to accompany its hundreds of years of history, including some that involve ghosts.

According to one blog, the ghost of the mistress of the tavern’s first owner — who is said to have been murdered there — reportedly haunted the restaurant.

The Governor’s Mansion in Jefferson City, Missouri, is one of the state’s most beautiful historic buildings, dating back to 1871.

In 1882, the governor’s family experienced a tragedy when their 9-year-old daughter, Carrie, died from diphtheria.

Years later, a construction worker who was renovating the mansion reported seeing a young girl playing in the attic, the News Tribune reported in 2014.

Some people believe that he saw the ghost of Carrie.

Now a popular wedding and event venue, the Daly Mansion has a reportedly haunted history.

Over the years, the staff at the estate have reported occurrences of paranormal activity, including a gold picture frame that is frequently found removed from the wall and placed on the ground, the Billings Gazette reported.

With gravestones in Ball Cemetery dating back to the late 1860s, this historic cemetery is one of the oldest in the state.

Multiple spirits have reportedly been sighted here, including a tall, angry man who has been seen kicking over gravestones and a woman named Mary Mumford, who is said to tug at visitors’ clothes, according to Nebraska Haunted Houses.

The Bowers Mansion is a stately home in Washoe City, Nevada, with a spooky history.

The home once belonged to local millionaires Eilley and Sandy Bowers, and, as legend has it, after Sandy died, his wife held seances to try to conjure his spirit, Nevada Ghost Towns and Beyond reported.

It’s unclear if she was ever able to get through to her husband, although visitors report seeing mysterious figures around the property to this day. 

This historic government building in Alton, New Hampshire, is not only a beautiful landmark but also the site of reported paranormal activity, as New Hampshire Magazine reported in 2020.

Locals have reported seeing furniture that moves, doors that open and close on their own, and hearing mysterious voices. 

The Pine Barrens in New Jersey are one of the state’s spookiest locations.

Condé Nast Traveler reported that the forest spans seven counties and is home to numerous ghost towns.

During the colonial era, the area was bustling with sawmills, paper mills, and towns to accompany them; however, these industries were all abandoned when coal was discovered in Pennsylvania.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that it’s also said to be home to the infamous Jersey Devil, a beast that the Pinelands Preservation Alliance describes as “a kangaroo-like creature with the face of a horse, the head of a dog, bat-like wings, horns, and a tail.”

The Luna Mansion was a beautiful estate turned restaurant near Albuquerque, New Mexico, that is now permanently closed.

Visitors reported seeing ghosts from the estate’s past, including a woman named Josefina, who was the home’s interior decorator.

Legends of America reported that one sighting included a rocking chair — placed under her portrait — rocking without anyone in it.

“I hear things,” general manager Farid Himeur told KOAT in 2017. “I see things that aren’t supposed to happen.”

Letchworth Village is a former psychiatric hospital that has fallen into a state of complete disrepair, Hudson Valley Magazine reported in 2020.

Located in Thiells, New York, the campus spans 2,000 acres and features various medical buildings, dormitories, and a synagogue.

Like many hospitals and institutions, Letchworth Village is allegedly haunted by the spirits of former patients, and was even featured on the Travel Channel’s popular series “Ghost Adventures.”

The Cape Hatteras lighthouse is an iconic fixture on the North Carolina coastline, said to be haunted by a woman named Theodosia Burr, according to a local travel website.

Burr, the daughter of Founding Father Aaron Burr and a character mentioned in the hit musical “Hamilton,” was killed in a shipwreck in 1812.

She is believed to haunt the lighthouse and the surrounding shore.

Fort Abraham Lincoln’s history dates back to 1872.

George Armstrong Custer, a lieutenant colonel in the Union Army during the Civil War, built the fort but died just four years after its completion. 

People who visit the fort today have reported seeing the ghost of Custer and his wife on the property, local news station KX News.

Now overgrown and covered in graffiti, the Moonville Tunnel is a favorite spot among urban explorers and ghost hunters in Ohio.

The tunnel was once used by the local railroad, although it has been in disrepair for years. According to a local legend, some of the ghosts that haunt the tunnel include an old engineer and a railway brakeman.

The unique architecture of the Skirvin Hilton Hotel, which dates back to 1911, is striking. The hotel reportedly even offered a private room where guests could drink alcohol during Prohibition, Historic Hotels of America reported.

Opposing NBA teams often stay at the Skirvin Hilton Hotel when they visit the city to play the Oklahoma City Thunder. Over the years, many players have reported ghost sightings, specifically of a woman named Effie who died at the hotel, The New York Times reported.

Travel Portland reported that the Shanghai Tunnels in Portland get their name from the practice of kidnapping and selling men as workers on ships headed to East Asia.

Restless, agitated spirits of men who were drugged and trafficked in the city’s ports during the early 19th century are said to haunt the underground tunnels through which they were reportedly sold.

Legend has it that the local saloons had entrances to the tunnels, enabling swindlers to prey on unsuspecting patrons and bring them directly underground before they even knew what was happening.

Visitors can take walking tours to learn more about the dark history of the tunnels.

During its heyday, Eastern State Penitentiary was one of the most expensive and well-known prisons in the world. According to the official Eastern State Penitentiary website, it was built in 1829 and housed notable criminals, including Al Capone and the bank robber known as “Slick Willie.”

Up until overcrowding became a problem in 1913, prisoners were kept in complete solitude at all times. Even when prisoners left their cell, a guard would cover their heads so they couldn’t see and no one could see them.

Today, the decaying penitentiary offers ghost tours and a museum. Condé Nast Traveler reported that shadowy figures, laughter, and footsteps have all been reported as paranormal activity within the prison walls.

The Breakers Mansion is a popular museum for tourists in Newport, Rhode Island, but is said to have paranormal activity.

Alice Vanderbilt, the matriarch of the wealthy Vanderbilt family in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, lived in the mansion for many years after her husband, Cornelius, died.

Her ghost is said to still roam the giant home, Nostalgia Providence reported.

Besides bearing the distinction of South Carolina’s oldest bridge, Poinsett is also believed by many to be a particularly spooky spot, Condé Nast Traveler reported.

The bridge, which was built entirely out of stone in 1820, is rumored to be haunted by multiple ghosts.

There’s the story of the mason who died while building the bridge; his body is said to be entombed inside it. There’s also the story of a man who died here in a car accident in the ’50s and an enslaved person who was lynched near the bridge.

The Bullock Hotel in Deadwood, South Dakota, is reportedly haunted by Deadwood’s first Sheriff, Seth Bullock.

According to the hotel’s website, guests and staff have seen items “inexplicably moved by unseen hands,” and showers turn on out of nowhere.

The Orpheum Theatre in Memphis has survived bankruptcies, a fire, and a threat of demolition since it opened in 1928, according to the theater’s website.

Furnished with 2,000-pound chandeliers and gold leafing, its stunning interior seats 2,000 people, but there’s also plenty of room for spirits.

A little girl named Mary is one of six ghosts that have been spotted in the theater, according to The Tennessee State Museum. Performers onstage have spotted her in the audience of their shows, and theatergoers have seen her dancing in the lobby.

The Alamo is one of the most iconic monuments in the US.

Given its extensive history, it’s understandable why many people believe the site is haunted.

History buffs interested in paranormal activity can go on ghost tours of the site in hopes of catching a glimpse of the spirits of those who died there during the 1836 Battle of the Alamo. 

The Fort Douglas Military Museum was formerly known simply as Fort Douglas. Located near the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, the military fort dates back to 1862.

The Daily Utah Chronicle reported in 2014 that visitors to the museum spoke of sightings of a ghost named Clem, a soldier who died at the fort.

Reports of paranormal activity include seeing a figure in Civil War military garb and people feeling something — or someone — breathing down their necks. 

New England is known for its beautiful covered bridges.

However, Emily’s Bridge in Stowe, Vermont, is said to be haunted.

According to the Vermont Historical Society, local legend has it that sometime between 1849 and 1949, a young woman named Emily killed herself on the bridge after she was jilted by her lover.

Local lore holds that her spirit has haunted the area ever since, although the historical society claims there is no evidence to suggest that anyone died at the site.

This cemetery is named after Stonewall Jackson, the Confederate general who is buried on the site.

Located in Lexington, Virginia, the cemetery is said to be haunted by Jackson and other Civil War soldiers, according to the official Visit Virginia website.

Located in northern Washington, this former hospital was once a fully self-sustaining psychiatric facility.

The Northern State Mental Hospital operated from 1912 to 1976, and although it has been closed for many years, many buildings on the property still stand today.

It’s said that thousands of patients may have died here, and a graveyard behind the old gymnasium has many unmarked graves.

However, the Seattle Times reported in 2023 that two never-before-released death registers contain information on patients who died at Northern State Hospital between 1911 and 1963.

Some of the hospital’s expansive property now operates as a recreational area, although it’s said to be haunted by former patients. 

Originally built as a place of healing, the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum welcomed its first patients in 1864.

According to the hospital’s official website, it hit its peak in 1950 when the psychiatric hospital was home to 2,400 patients, many of whom endured lobotomies and electroshock therapy.

Mental health reforms and the building’s poor condition led to the hospital’s closure in 1994. However, many patients died there during the facility’s 130 years of operation. Some are believed to haunt the building’s halls, which is why it attracts visitors and ghost hunters.

Visitors interested in scoping out paranormal activity can participate in ghost tours on the site.

The Pfister Hotel is popular among professional athletes who visit Milwaukee for games, although the hotel’s haunted history has made many guests skeptical about staying there.

Guests have reported hearing mysterious knocking sounds and voices.

The Los Angeles Times reported in 2005 that Adrián Beltré of the Los Angeles Dodgers, for example, reported that he couldn’t sleep during his stay at the Pfister because of all the strange noises. 

A stay at the Historic Occidental Hotel in Buffalo, Wyoming, is like taking a step back in time to the Old West.

Famous figures from the era, like Butch Cassidy, Calamity Jane, Buffalo Bill, and even President Theodore Roosevelt, have visited the hotel over the years.

Given the hotel’s rich history, it’s no surprise that some people believe it is haunted by former guests, and it was even featured on the Travel Channel’s “Dead Files.”

Madeline Diamond contributed to an earlier version of this story.

When Gallup polled US adults in 1944, 41% said they smoked — compare that to around 11% of US adults who smoked in 2022, per the CDC.

As such, in the mid-20th century, smoking was common everywhere, from grocery stores to homes to workplaces.

Technically, there are still some states where it’s legal to smoke inside an office — the only federal bans on smoking are on planes or in federal buildings.

However, you’d be hard-pressed to find an office building that allows people to light up at their desks.

The popularity of the traditional tobacco pipe has been steadily decreasing since the ’90s, though they’re making a comeback with hipsters, The Times of London reported in 2024.

This image of a design office in 1935 is a far cry from the tech-heavy workplaces of 2025.

Now, an open-floor office typically has giant tables with multiple stations at it, not individual desks.

The last ticker tape machine was released in 1960 — they were first invented by Thomas Edison in the late 1800s.

Ticker tape has two legacies that live on in 2018. First, the stock prices running along the bottom of your TV screen are still called stock tickers. And second, ticker tape was given a second life when New Yorkers discovered that ticker tape made great confetti.

Ticker-tape parades still happen, but shredded paper is used instead.

This secretary appears to be writing down a conversation she’s having with someone on the phone, which she is listening to using a proto-speakerphone device.

Today, there are apps that can record a phone conversation, and headphones mean you don’t need to broadcast the conversation to everyone around you.

That telephone amplifier is also obsolete — most phones now have built-in speakerphones.

The typewriter was invented in 1867 but didn’t become popular until a couple of decades later, during the Industrial Revolution. It became people’s job to record facts and figures, and the typewriter was the easiest way to do that.

They stayed popular for over 100 years.

If you take a closer look, you might notice that all these bookkeepers are women, a trend that’s still prevalent.

In 2022, 86.7% of bookkeepers were women, according to Data USA, which cited US Census Bureau data, so maybe not everything has changed.

Cubicles first entered our lives in 1968, when they were invented by Robert Propst, who wanted to improve upon the typical open bullpen office. He thought cubicles would increase productivity and give workers privacy.

At first, cubicles flopped. But when companies realized that using cubicles would increase the number of people that could be crammed into a space, they really took off. The ’80s and ’90s were a booming time for cubicles.

Now, many offices have abandoned them in favor of the original open office space — just take a look at the offices of Shopify, DropBox, or even Business Insider.

However, there has been a more recent push to bring cubicles back.

Probably due to violating dozens of workplace safety protocols, and the advent of computers, roller skating in the office is a thing of the past.

Some offices still offer amazing perks.

This machine handled 80 individual record cards a minute — now, data can be uploaded to the cloud in seconds.

These transparent ones still look cool, to be clear.

Maybe they’ll come back, though. As Business Insider’s Hannah Towey pointed out in 2021, physical media objects like records, typewriters, and film cameras were all in high demand.

It’s impossible to overstate just how different our workspaces used to be just 30 years ago.

It makes you wonder: How different will they be 10, 15, or 30 years from now?