Haunted American Cities and How They Got That Way (PHOTOS)

With Halloween lurking around the corner, it's the time of year when these apparitions and other ghoulish fiends prepare their favorite frights.
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Have you ever felt an icy cold brush against your skin that sent chills racing up your spine and made your hair stand on end? What about hearing mysterious footsteps on creaky stairs and finding no one there? If you've experienced any of these phenomena, you might have had a run-in with a mischievous ghost. A simple greeting would probably suffice, but instead they prefer to take the roundabout approach. It may have to do with all the idle time -- centuries, millennia --they have on their translucent hands.

You'd slam a few doors, too.

With Halloween lurking around the corner, it's the time of year when these apparitions and other ghoulish fiends prepare their favorite frights. The private residences, former battlegrounds and haunted bed and breakfasts in some of the country's most ghost-riddled cities become their paranormal playgrounds. Here are six cities brimming with off-the-charts supernatural activity:

--Mary White, CEO and founder, BnBFinder.com

Haunted Cities
Savannah, GA(01 of06)
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Aside from its Southern charm, why else do ghosts find this city to be so welcoming? Savannah's rich historical legacy, gothic architecture and Spanish-moss draped cemeteries provide a ghoulish backdrop for creatures of the night. The Beyond Good and Evil Tour takes you to a few burial grounds where voodoo rituals were performed before stopping at Calhoun Square where the spirits of Confederate soldiers wander. Stories of human possession and poltergeists will be told while exploring the Historic District on the Sixth Sense Savannah ghost tour. (credit:<a href="http://www.flickr.com/" role="link" rel="nofollow" class=" js-entry-link cet-external-link" data-vars-item-name="Flickr" data-vars-item-type="text" data-vars-unit-name="5b9c6d67e4b03a1dcc7e8de8" data-vars-unit-type="buzz_body" data-vars-target-content-id="http://www.flickr.com/" data-vars-target-content-type="url" data-vars-type="web_external_link" data-vars-subunit-name="before_you_go_slideshow" data-vars-subunit-type="component" data-vars-position-in-subunit="8" data-vars-position-in-unit="9">Flickr</a>:<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/41464593@N02/8093959084" role="link" rel="nofollow" class=" js-entry-link cet-external-link" data-vars-item-name="USFWS/Southeast" data-vars-item-type="text" data-vars-unit-name="5b9c6d67e4b03a1dcc7e8de8" data-vars-unit-type="buzz_body" data-vars-target-content-id="http://www.flickr.com/photos/41464593@N02/8093959084" data-vars-target-content-type="url" data-vars-type="web_external_link" data-vars-subunit-name="before_you_go_slideshow" data-vars-subunit-type="component" data-vars-position-in-subunit="9" data-vars-position-in-unit="10">USFWS/Southeast</a>)
Galveston, TX(02 of06)
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With 8,000 lives lost, the Galveston hurricane of 1900 is the deadliest storm ever recorded in U.S. history. The massive storm cut a destructive path and leveled the entire city. Some of the residents that perished have been spotted in their period dress walking the city streets in a ghostly veil by those who live there and have visited. The Ghost Tours Texas and Ghost Tours Galveston will get you acquainted with some of these wandering spirits during visits to the haunted Ashton Villa and Galvez Hotel. (credit:WikiMedia:)
Salem, MA(03 of06)
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Salem is a city ripe with supernatural activity. Of course, it's home to the infamous Salem Witch Trials of 1692; and, the ghosts of some of the women who were tried and executed during the mass hysteria are said to be walking the grounds of Gallows Hill where a few of the hangings took place. You can investigate the dark history of "Witch City, USA" including the Trials and New England vampire legends on the Spellbound Tours or get a first-hand spook at the Old Salem Jail and the Howard Street Cemetery on the Salem Night Tour. (credit:WikiMedia:)
Gettysburg, PA(04 of06)
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The Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War was the costliest of all with nearly 50,000 lives lost. Many of the soldiers who were killed during the 3-day battle never received a proper burial and, according to some, are still wandering the battlefield land today. Mysterious wails, ghastly figures and flashing orbs have become terrifyingly familiar occurrences in this Pennsylvania town. If you're feeling brave, you can tour private (and haunted) battlefield land on Miss Betty's Ghost Tour or explore Gettysburg's dark back alleys on the Candlelit Walking Ghost Tour. (credit:<a href="http://www.flickr.com/" role="link" rel="nofollow" class=" js-entry-link cet-external-link" data-vars-item-name="Flickr" data-vars-item-type="text" data-vars-unit-name="5b9c6d67e4b03a1dcc7e8de8" data-vars-unit-type="buzz_body" data-vars-target-content-id="http://www.flickr.com/" data-vars-target-content-type="url" data-vars-type="web_external_link" data-vars-subunit-name="before_you_go_slideshow" data-vars-subunit-type="component" data-vars-position-in-subunit="3" data-vars-position-in-unit="4">Flickr</a>:<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28636276@N08/7994606619" role="link" rel="nofollow" class=" js-entry-link cet-external-link" data-vars-item-name="Strupey" data-vars-item-type="text" data-vars-unit-name="5b9c6d67e4b03a1dcc7e8de8" data-vars-unit-type="buzz_body" data-vars-target-content-id="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28636276@N08/7994606619" data-vars-target-content-type="url" data-vars-type="web_external_link" data-vars-subunit-name="before_you_go_slideshow" data-vars-subunit-type="component" data-vars-position-in-subunit="4" data-vars-position-in-unit="5">Strupey</a>)
Key West, FL(05 of06)
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On a getaway to Key West, you probably expect to enjoy lazy days on the beach relaxing under bright sunshine. But, Florida's second oldest city (behind St. Augustine) has its darker side, too. On the Ghosts & Gravestones Tours, you'll climb aboard the Trolley of the Doomed and visit sites such as the African Slave Cemetery and the Grotto of our Lady of Lourdes. At the Fort East Martello museum, you can meet Robert, a large-sized doll said to be possessed by evil spirits. (credit:AP)
New Orleans, Louisiana(06 of06)
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The Crescent City isn't nicknamed "America's Most Haunted City" for nothing. With its coastal location, religious undertones and dark and storied past, New Orleans is fertile ground for ghostly activity. Have you ever wanted to hunt down ghosts or explore cryptic tombs? The Bloody Mary Cemetery Tour will bring you up close and personal to the creepiest spots in town. If heinous crime scenes are more to your liking, then make sure to add the French Quarter Phantoms Ghost Tour to your itinerary. (credit:AP)

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