The 8 Most Haunted Places In Connecticut

Are you a fan of ghost hunting? Or are you just a curious skeptic? Connecticut has more than just a handful of haunted places to try your luck at. While visiting one of these locations, you may feel the air temperature suddenly drop, hear moaning or crying with no one around, or even feel pinches and pulling from otherworldly things. But where can you get this experience, if you can experience it at all? Listed below are the 8 most haunted places in Connecticut. Even non-believers may think these places are eerie!

1. Union Cemetery

The first spooky spot on our list is Union Cemetery near Stepney Road in Easton. This cemetery might not look much more different than any other cemetery, but it’s considered one of the most haunted locations in the country. It attracts hundreds, if not thousands, of ghost hunters every year, especially due to the local tale of the “White Lady”. This spirit is so famous that even Ed Warren, a well-known American paranormal investigator has claimed to interact with it. The cemetery has been around since the 1700s, so it’s more than likely a few souls have stayed, haunting people in the night.

There are a lot of speculations as to who the “White Lady” is, and each story gives her a slightly different appearance. The most popular tale is that the “White Lady” was a local woman, hundreds of years ago, who was killed by her husband on her wedding day. She still wears her wedding gown and white veil, waiting for her big wedding. Another version states that the woman lost a child during childbirth and disappeared. Her body was found near the cemetery a few days later. Now she roams the cemetery, unable to find her child. Those brave enough to enter the cemetery or walk near it at night claim to feel cold, or see flying orbs around gravestones, indicating that the “White Lady” might not be the only ghost haunting the graves.

2. Fairfield Hills State Hospital

Hospitals can just be as terrifying as cemeteries, especially when it comes to ghostly figures. The next most haunted place in Connecticut is the Fairfield Hills State Hospital. The Fairfield Hills State Hospital opened in 1931 as a psychiatric hospital in Newtown. It operated until 1995 and at its peak, housed more than 4,000 patients at the same time. Like many psychiatric hospitals of its time, it was built to combat overcrowding in nearby facilities. It had 16 buildings on 100 acres and another 670 acres of land around them.

The first patients of the Fairfield Hills Hospital were welcomed in 1933. In the beginning, the hospital had a bit under 500 patients, but only three doctors. The types of procedures performed at this hospital included hydrotherapy, insulin shock therapy, electroconvulsive therapy, and frontal lobotomy. Possibly the strange thing about this hospital is the underground concrete tunnels underneath the buildings that connected. Due to safety reasons and vandalism though, the tunnels were sealed by the Town of Newtown in 2009.

You can imagine how many tragedies occurred at this hospital, considering the period. Sadly, some of the patients were suffering from mild mental health problems, that were not understood at the time. Although some of the buildings remain, they are closed to the public. Still, you can take a look by using the public sidewalk or road.

3. Sterling Opera House

Another haunted location in Connecticut is the Sterling Opera House in Derby. It’s likely one of the most beautiful buildings in the state. The Sterling Opera House opened its doors on April 2, 1889. Italianate Victorian-style architect H. Edwards Ficken designed this stunning building, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 8, 1968. It was the first building in the state to make it on the National Register of Historic Places.

So, why do some people consider this gorgeous building haunted? Although no tragic stories surround this opera house, paranormal investigators have experienced strange things while exploring in and near the building. This extremely popular opera house once welcomed Harry Houdini to the stage, but popularity quickly decreased and it was left abandoned by 1945. One of the more well-known ghosts is of a young boy. Explorers and past performers claimed to have seen balls rolling back and forth with no one around to push them. One investigator even heard a faint voice whisper ‘Come play with me’.

4. Dudleytown

Dudleytown is well worth a mention on our list of the most haunted places in Connecticut. It is definitely strange. Dudleytown was never an official town, but a settlement in a valley known as the Dark Entry Forest. Some people consider this strange area a ghost town. Very few clues on the land remain that show the village existed.

There isn’t a lot of proof to the rumors, but it’s fun to speculate. Internet rumors claim that the village of Dudleytown is haunted or cursed. Allegedly, the founders of this settlement were descendants of Edmund Dudley, who was beheaded for treason during the 1500s. The family was cursed from that moment on. A lot of stories surround this supposed ghost town, even if nothing remains, but whispers from the internet. According to some locals, tragedy and strange deaths followed many people who lived in the settlement. One resident was struck by lightning, and another was poisoned by his wife. Others believe that the land where the settlement was founded was a sacred ground for the Mohawk Nation. While there are a lot of speculations and inconsistencies, it’s interesting to hear of these local ghost stories. So, what do you think? Is Dudleytown cursed or haunted?

5. Lake Compounce

The most surprising entry on this list is the Lake Compounce Amusement & Water Park. Yes, an amusement park! This unique amusement park is also the oldest continuously operating amusement park in the United States. It opened in 1864 and sits on about 332 acres.

So, who are the resident ghosts at Lake Compound? There are multiple, although two are heard from more. Sadly, a few tragic deaths and accidents have occurred at the park. A popular ghost some guests encounter at the amusement park is a little boy. Sometimes, guests on rides can hear an eerie cry from the child. The silhouette of a small child is also sometimes seen hanging around the lake. There might be some truth to this story, as two small children have passed away at Lake Compound. The first incident occurred when a 6-year-old boy on July 1, 2000, fell into the lake and drowned after his water slide tube overturned. Five years later, a five-year-old boy was walking with his mother when a branch fell and struck him by the mini gold course.

The other potential spirit might belong to a Native American man, who may have passed away on the lake in the 1600s. Chief John Compound, the potential spirit roaming the park, sold the lake to white settlers. Allegedly, while trying to cross the lake, he drowned.

6. Fort Stamford

Continuing our list of haunted locations in Connecticut is Fort Stamford, a 5-acre historic site in Stamford, Connecticut. This significant location holds the remains of Fort Stamford, an important spot during the American Revolution. Anything that has to do with battle and war is sure to be haunted, right?

Some visitors claim to see strange apparitions of men wearing old military uniforms, both American and British. According to internet fables, teenagers used to hold seances at the historic site, inviting more spirits to join. Some people even tell stories of falling backward and having something pull them into the trees, although no one else was there. A few cameras even caught pictures of unexplainable flying green-blue orbs and fire-like smoke.

7. Lighthouse Inn (Meadow Court)

When most people think of haunted buildings or places, they picture cemeteries, hospitals, and old hotels. The next haunted place on our list is a strange hotel, the Lighthouse Inn, formerly known as the Meadow Court. Just looking at a picture of this inn can give you goosebumps and stepping inside the building feels like you’ve gone back in time.

The Lighthouse Inn is a Colonial Revival hotel building in New London, Connecticut. It’s eye-catching and was built in 1902 as a country home by Charles S. Guthrie. Although originally a country home, the Meadow Court opened as an inn in 1927.

As stunning as the building is, there is also something eerie about it. Locals passing the inn sometimes see figures in the window, moving quickly away. Sometimes it’s a woman dressed in dark Victorian-era clothing, while other times it’s a figure wearing a large wedding dress. Like many haunted places, a ghost story of a too-soon departed bridge surrounds the inn. According to local legends, during the early 1920s, a young woman fell to her death walking down the steps inside the inn. She now haunts the inn in despair, sometimes weeping.

If you’re interested in visiting this building and trying your luck, it’s open as a tavern with a delicious menu. The building is open Tuesday through Sunday from 11 am to 9 pm. It’s also available for private events.

8. Blackberry River Inn (Moseley House-Farm)

Another inn to make our list is the Blackberry River Inn, previously known as the Moseley House-Farm. This massive mansion was constructed in 1763, although it’s gone through many changes and upgrades since. The largest of the changes was during the 1920s. Although previously a farm, Dorothea and James Schwarzhaupt bought the property and transformed it into an inn. The over 200-year-old property is still open for business. Are you brave enough to stay a night or two? Even if there are no spirits to wake you up in the night, the building and the rooms are stunning!

Like many inns, this bed and breakfast is surrounded by ghost stories. Old guests and employees report seeing a woman wearing all-white at night. She’s called the Lady in White and is most commonly seen wandering the second-floor hallways. In some versions of these stories, the woman is wearing black and has red eyes. Reportedly, this ghostly figure is sometimes also spotted at the back of the bed and breakfast. While this ghostly figure roams the halls, she’s never harmed anyone and might be a protector of the inn.