As we’re firmly in spooky season and Halloween is just around the corner, let’s delve into Mississippi’s spookiest spots. The state has a long and brutal history, with its ties to the Civil War and the Confederacy. Here are seven of the most haunted places in Mississippi.
1. Callaway Hall at the Mississippi University for Women, Columbus
The scariest thing about this university isn’t its ostracising name, but that it used to be called the College for the Education of White Girls. But the ghost story comes a close third after those. Callaway Hall is a dormitory at the university, which many believe to be haunted by a spirit, Mary. People say they’ve seen her through the top window and have even been woken up to her crying, sitting on people’s beds!
2. McRaven House, Vicksburg
The McRaven House has gained a reputation as one of the most haunted houses in the entire United States. Ghost hunters and paranormal TV shows have dared to delve into the property’s spooky past, searching for a sign. Well, there have been many reports of ghosts in the past, including sightings of civil war soldiers, indigenous peoples, and previous owners. The house was used as a Confederate hospital during the war, with many patients dying there. It’s certainly one of the most haunted places in Mississippi.
3. Waverly Mansion, West Point
The Waverly Mansion is an architecturally beautiful home with a long history. It seems that there are quite a few unresting spirits that haunt these halls, but several children happened to die here during the Civil War. One story that sounds out is of Little Susan, who yearns and cries for her mother, who people say they’ve seen as well as heard. During the Civil War, many homes in the Southern states opened themselves up as hospitals for the Confederacy (yuck) and Waverly was one of them. With several soldiers dying here, people also believe those to be roaming the halls, unable to find their way home.
4. Kuhn Memorial State Hospital, Vicksburg
There’s always an abandoned hospital. Kuhn Memorial State Hospital is a creepy building, surrounded by overgrown grass and trees. The place has seen a lot of death – paranormal investigators found the body of a missing woman in just 2015. But when it was used as a hospital, it started out life as a place to treat the smallpox outbreak during the Civil War, eventually closing up in 1989 when it was no longer needed. But ever since then, ghost hunters flock to the skeleton of a building – people are so convinced, that it even featured on the popular TV series Ghost Asylum. There have been several creepy (or downright terrifying) occurrences, including hearing the sound of a little girl asking “want to come play with me?” and seeing the word ‘help’ being written on the dusty floor. EW!
5. The Longfellow House, Pascagoula
The haunting of Longfellow House is a popular story among the locals. Like a lot of the stately homes in Mississippi, several Black slaves worked at the house. One man nearly died from a terrible beating and when he survived, the ’employer’ sent him to the woods to die alone. He was treated horrifically by his employers, so it’s no surprise he stuck around. People say they can hear and feel an angry spirit in the house. Apparently, he’s sometimes even violent, pushing and slapping people in the house.
6. King’s Tavern, Natchez
The King’s Tavern is actually the oldest standing building in Natchez. People believe several ghosts roam around the tavern, including Madeline. Madeline was the mistress of one of the tavern’s previous owners and some people believe the wife killed her. No one really knows what happened, but we can assure you it was dodgy. In the 1930s, people found three mummified bodies in the cellar and one was definitely Madeline. It’s an all-around creepy place, with some people hearing a baby cry, seeing weird reflections in the mirror, and feeling as though someone was lying on an empty bed.
7. Stuckey’s Bridge, Meridian
Stuckey’s Bridge is infamous in Mississippi. The Dalton Gang were a group of outlaws that robbed people and stole trains, and Stuckey was apparently one of them. Stuckey ran an inn near the bridge and would guide people towards his inn as a place of solace. Then he would murder and rob them. Not exactly a good host. When people found out what Stuckey was doing, they captured and hung him from this very bridge. Now, it seems that Stuckey’s unresting spirit haunts the bridge, with people saying they’ve seen him walking up and down it. One witness even said that he pushed them into the river.
