From the ocean waves lapping on the Eastern Shore to the welcoming Chesapeake Bay, Maryland is a majestic place. Maryland is one of the most gorgeous and historic states in the US, but it also has a darker side…it’s severely haunted. From the ghosts of Natives to soldiers and everyone in between, Maryland is filled with the restless dead. Come with me on a spine-tingling haunted tour to the top haunted Maryland attractions: Dr. Mudds House, Sotterley Plantation, Point Lookout Lighthouse, the Hell House, and the Edgar Allan Poe House Baltimore.

The Restless Ghosts at Dr. Mudds House

Dr. Mudd is Accused

The actor John Wilkes Booth assassinated President Lincoln. The he jumped from the the theater balcony, broke one of his legs, and ran miles away from the scene and through Zekiah Swamp in Southern Maryland. To the demise of a local Southern Maryland doctor, Dr. Samuel Mudd, John Wilkes Booth stopped at his home to have his leg set. Dr. Mudd was brought to trial for sympathizing with Booth in the plot to assassinate President Lincoln. He was found guilty and went to jail but was pardoned after a number of years serving time.

The Ghosts

Mudd died of pneumonia in 1883, when he was 49 years old. His home still stands today, and some say it is haunted by ghosts of the past. Ghosts of confederate soldiers and John Wilkes Booth himself are said to haunt Dr. Mudds House. People hear disembodied voices and footsteps. One of the creepiest and saddest stories is that a baby died in one of the rooms upstairs. Visitors of the Mudd home say they experience cold spots around the ghost child’s crib. Shadows are seen in different places throughout Dr. Mudds House, as well as a woman who looks out one of the second floor’s windows. One visitor heard a man’s voice say, “I’m not guilty”. Many other haunting experiences have occurred in Dr. Mudds House and on the surrounding property, making it one of the creepiest haunted Maryland attractions in Southern Maryland.

UPDATE: since I originally wrote this post, the ghosts at Dr. Mudd’s House seem to have dissipated. At least, according to a close friend who is also a paranormal investigator. She claims she and her crew spent the night at Dr. Mudd’s and received absolutely zero evidence of a haunting. Just before her crew set up for the night, the museum staff informed them that a psychic medium had come and “cleared” it out. Meaning, they believe this woman helped the souls that were still there to cross over. If you experience something different, please let us know in the comments.

Haunted Sotterley Plantation

Sotterley Plantation is the oldest plantation in Southern Maryland and is one of the most haunted Maryland attractions. This beautiful, historic estate was built in the 1700’s and has been the residence of a number of wealthy families through the years. It is open to the public for tours and is a venue for weddings and special events. But as beautiful as it is, it is also quite haunted. There have, undoubtedly, been tragedies at the estate over the years. One of those tragedies was the keeping of slaves. The old slave cabin is one of the most haunted buildings on the grounds to this day.

The Sotterley Plantation employees claim a number of paranormal experiences. One cleaning lady claims a poltergeist in the Manor would mess with her by turning off the vacuum repeatedly. When she went to leave, a rock was hurled at her head in the empty driveway. A former owner who lived at Sotterley Plantation most of his life still haunts the second level, as well as the beautiful staircase. He doesn’t like when loud kids or hooligans come up to the second level and will even push people down the staircase.

Paranormal Point Lookout

Located in Scotland, Maryland, at the southern tip of the state, stands Point Lookout. Point Lookout was the site of numerous historical tragedies. Point Lookout Maryland was used as a prisoner camp and hospital during the Civil War. Confederate sympathizers were kept at Point Lookout. An estimated eight thousand prisoners died there from disease due to contaminated wells and unsanitary conditions, or they froze to death in tents during the winter.

After the Civil War ended, a lighthouse was built at Point Lookout and was used for over a hundred years. Different families lived in and maintained the Point Lookout lighthouse, which still stands today. A resort on Point Lookout burned down in the early 1900’s, though no one was killed in the fire. Ships sank off the coast of Point Lookout. It’s no wonder ghosts are seen all the time on the property. An old lighthouse keeper’s ghost is heard going up and down the stairs to turn the light on at night. My mom even heard the lighthouse keeper’s footsteps the night she investigated! Soldiers’ voices are caught on EVP recordings all the time.

The Sightings at Point Lookout Lighthouse

Many people who visit Point Lookout Maryland, including campers, encounter the ghosts of Confederate soldiers walking along the roads. Some people mistake these ghosts for historical re-enactments. Paranormal activity occurs in the Lighthouse itself, including pictures taken of ghosts, various frightening EVPs, and blatant sightings of apparitions, making this one of the most well-known haunted Maryland attractions in the state.

One watchman claims he met an old woman on the shoreline who asked him where the “gravestones were that used to be where they were standing”. He asked her where she lived and she said she lived up the road “a ways” and that she didn’t need his help getting home. The park guard turned to leave her and when he turned back to check on her, she had disappeared completely. After some research, he discovered there was a graveyard located exactly where he met the old woman. People believe the old woman was the ghost of Elizabeth Taylor, a woman who lived in the Lighthouse years before.

The Hell House: St. Mary’s College, MD

An old, dilapidated building sitting in Ellicott City, MD is known by locals as The Hell House. Established over a hundred years ago as a Catholic Seminary for men, it was closed in the 1970’s. Since its closure, the property has been sold numerous times and has gone into a state of abandonment. Two major fires have destroyed the buildings. Now known as “The Hellhouse”, there are legends of Satanic rituals and evil entities on the property. Paranormal enthusiasts claim signs of animal sacrifice and resident homeless people. Satanists ran the college, according to urban legend. Visitors claim cold spots, disembodied voices, and a heavy feeling in the chest.

Ghosts at Edgar Allan Poe House Baltimore, MD

Classic horror author, Edgar Allen Poe, owned a home in Baltimore, MD in the 1800’s. The Edgar Allan Poe House Baltimore is a museum today and offers tours to the public. In true Poe fashion, several restless spirits haunt the house. There is an old woman ghost who keeps to herself. Investigators believe she is residual energy, a memory from years ago that replays in the house. Edgar Allan Poe haunts his Baltimore home. Flickering lights and slamming windows are normal occurrences. Poe’s grave is not far from his Baltimore home and legend has it that a bottle of whiskey and roses are placed on Poe’s grave yearly by an unknown hand. Because of the strange occurrences surrounding Poe’s death, his ghost haunts the Baltimore house and other places he frequented in life.