Five Haunted Mansions for the Well-Heeled Ghost

Though All Hallows’ Eve didn’t always involve extravagant costumes, ornate masks, and oodles of sweet treats, the celebration has always had its roots firmly planted in the supernatural. Dating back to 10th-century Ireland, the Gaelic festival known as Samhain (the progenitor of Halloween) not only marked the end of the harvest season, but it is also when the doorways to the otherworld were opened for one exclusive evening of spooky freedom.

It seems, however, that some spirits choose to overstay their trips to the mortal plane, preferring to wallow away their time in a place of some significance to their living selves—a former home, for example. So, in honor of the day when ghosts and specters have free reign over the living, we have taken time to appreciate the shut-ins of the supernatural world. Here we highlight five of the United States’ most haunted mansions—and the sophisticated ghosts that call them home.