Watch CBS News

Paranormal Experts Say Baltimore Is Among Most Haunted Cities In U.S.

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Halloween is the one day of the year when ghouls and ghosts roam the streets of Baltimore, but what if they've been here all along?

Amy Yensi spent the day going to some of the city's haunted spots.

Ghosts are not visible with the naked eye, but some say their presence is real. Walter Arias, food and beverage director at The Lord Baltimore Hotel says guests sometimes get a visit from a ghost named Molly.

"The lights start flickering... then the music turns on and then the elevator starts opening up the doors," Arias says. "...I'm like 'It must be Molly.'"

Legend has it that Molly was a little girl staying at the hotel in the 1930s. One day she came to play on the 19th floor, where she died.

"The story goes that she didn't know exactly where she was, the ball went over the building, the next thing you know she accidentally jumped over the building," Arias says.

Arias says Molly's spirit never left, so the hotel embraces its past with a drink named after her. WJZ is told it's "hauntingly" good.

Paranormal experts say Baltimore is one of the most haunted cities in the country, and waterfront neighborhoods like Fells Point are apparently packed with spirits and ghosts.

"Port towns are notorious for hauntings because people lived really intense lives, and sometimes they don't want to leave," says Craig Coletta of Baltimore Ghost Tours.

Coletta says one popular haunted hangout is the Horse You Came in On Saloon. It's believed to be the last place where famed mystery and murder writer Edgar Allen Poe had his last drink. Edgar Allen Poe's grave on West Fayette Street is another popular spooky spot.

The Fells Family Cemetery is the resting place for the founders of Fells Point. Coletta says they're among the many lingering souls there.

"You have to make a distinction between spirits and ghosts," he says. "Spirits are people who lived long, mostly happy lives. And they're fine with being dead. And ghosts may have too, but they left something undone. They have unfinished business here."

There are no ghost tours scheduled for tonight, but they typically last about two hours. For more information, visit BaltimoreGhostTours.com.

Follow @CBSBaltimore on Twitter and like WJZ-TV | CBS Baltimore on Facebook

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.