Like any other state, Florida has its share of haunted places. These places undoubtedly include cemeteries, but other locations are also haunted. Here is a sampling of the haunted places in Florida.
The Black Creek Cemetery used to have a church adjacent to it, which was built in the 1800s. In the early 1900s a girl and her little brother were walking home one night. They cut across the cemetery and were chased by a bear. The kids ran into the bell tower of the church, where the bear killed them. Afterwards, if anyone entered the church at midnight, they could hear the children screaming and the bear growling. A new church has since been built and this bell tower was relocated.
The humanities building at Florida Atlantic University, in Boca Raton, is also haunted. A female ghost has been seen by night shift employees – she is seen crying in the amphitheatre, but vanishes when approached. One night shift employee was closing the building for the night when he heard and reported that someone was on the third floor, running and slamming doors. He and another employee searched the floor, each starting at an opposite ends. All doors were found locked, and no one was there.
The Villa Paula house in Miami was once the Cuban Embassy. It has had several owners since, and all have reported hauntings. The ghost of a Cuban official’s former wife has been seen, Cuban coffee can be smelled brewing, and piano music has been heard. Poltergeist activities have also been reported, including an iron gate which has mysteriously shut on (and killed) several housecats. Investigations have ruled out the possibilities of wind or any other physical force shutting the gate.
It seems that even a frequently occupied site such as Wal-Mart can be haunted. The 13th Street location in Gainesville, Florida is haunted by a woman. This ghost is apparently non-threatening, and in life worked at the store until three days before she died. She has been seen and felt most often in the ‘infants’ and ‘girls wear’ sections. Those in the ‘jewelry’ or ‘craft’ sections have felt cold spots or overheard conversations when no one else is nearby.
Florida’s Don Cesar Resort Hotel, in St. Petersburg, is haunted by several individuals. The hotel was built in 1928, and the hotel’s builder, Thomas Rowe, is often spotted. His former love, opera singer Lucinda, has also been seen. However, current management says nothing unusual goes on at the hotel.
The historic Orlando home known as Miller Sellen was built in the early 1900s. Long-time employees have heard someone running through an obviously empty hallway. An employee once received a call from an inside line. All they could hear was static and the sound of a little girl playing. The employee was inclined to think the call was not a prank because everyone else was out to lunch at the time.
Sources:
http://members.tripod.com/~UNX3/ghosts.html
http://theshadowlands.net/places/florida.htm
