Top 10 Haunted Places in Baltimore

From the decks of a historic ship to the saloon where Edgar Allan Poe downed his last drink, Baltimore is a haunting place to visit.

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October 08, 2019

By: Lynn Coulter

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Photo By: Visit Baltimore

Photo By: Ken Stanek/Visit Baltimore

Photo By: Justin Tsucalas/Visit Baltimore

Photo By: Visit Baltimore

Photo By: Justin Tsucalas/Visit Baltimore

Photo By: Visit Baltimore

Photo By: Justin Tsucalas/Visit Baltimore

Photo By: Marco Ricca/Visit Baltimore

The Horse You Came In On Saloon

Even before that master of the macabre, Edgar Allan Poe, died in Baltimore in 1849, this historic city experienced ghostly goings-on. Today, visitors toast Poe at his favorite watering hole, The Horse You Came In On Saloon in Fell's Point, where his portrait overlooks the bar and its saddle-shaped seats. Halloween is the perfect time to investigate this and other eerie experiences around town.

According to legend, Poe swigged his last drink at The Horse, as it's known locally. Employees say his ghost still hangs around, occasionally causing unattended beer mugs to shatter, cash register drawers to pop open and a chandelier to swing on its own.  

FOR PRICES: Things to Do in Baltimore | TripAdvisor

Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Site

Listen for the sound of distant drums, the smell of gunpowder in the air and watch for strange shadows when you visit Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Site. Tourists and park rangers alike have reported hearing footsteps and seeing lights come on when no one's around. Many have also said they've seen the specter of a marching guard who patrols the outer battery, his rifle at the ready. Others say they can feel a warm spot in the cold walls of the fort's jail, where prisoners marked for execution were kept during the Civil War. The fort is in Baltimore's Locust Point neighborhood.

Club Charles

If invisible fingers ruffle your hair at Club Charles, it's probably just Frenchie, the resident ghost, having some fun. Friendly Frenchie, who once lived in an apartment over the bar — and died there — may have been a double agent who pretended to work for Nazi Germany while actually helping the Allied Forces. Customers report seeing glasses float in the air as he juggles them and occasionally glimpsing him in a black-and-white waiter's garb before he vanishes. Club Charles, known for its crimson-red lighting and colorful jukebox, is in Baltimore's Station North Arts and Entertainment District.

Find The 10 Best Baltimore Bars & Clubs

Fell Family Crypt

The Fell family cemetery lies between two sets of row houses in Fells Point (some argue the proper name is Fell's Point), an area named for English brothers who settled there in the 1700s. Only a few male members of the Fell family are thought to have been buried in the tomb; no one seems to know where the women are. Many claim to have seen a ghostly figure — probably one of the brothers — walking the moonlit, cobblestone streets after last call at a local bar. The Fell crypt and cemetery are located at 1607 Shakespeare Street.

Admiral Fell Inn

Fells Point, named for the Fell family, became a major seaport and shipbuilding center. In the 1900s, a boarding house for rowdy sailors and dock workers opened there. It's now one of seven buildings that make up the Admiral Fell Inn. While some of the narrow hallways in this boutique hotel may contribute to its spooky reputation, managers say reports of hauntings are due to its location, not the inn. Still, guests say they've seen floating sailors and disappearing butlers. In 2011, TripAdvisor named this historic inn one of the top 10 haunted hotels in America. Guests can ask for a spine-tingling ghost tour.

BOOK NOW: Admiral Fell Inn | Hotels.com, Starting at $110/night

Edgar Allan Poe House and Museum

Climb the narrow, twisting staircase in author Edgar Allan Poe's former home, now the Edgar Allan Poe House and Museum. The author lived there with his teenage bride — who was also his cousin — and other family members from 1883 to 1835. You can see his portable writing chair, china and other personal items in this refurbished National Historic Landmark. Some say the house, located at 203 N. Amity Street, is haunted, but not by Poe. It seems that once the acclaimed writer departed this life, he returned — nevermore.

Find The 10 Best Museums to Visit in Baltimore

Westminster Hall and Burying Ground

Stop by Westminster Hall and Burying Ground on Halloween, where tradition calls for a reading of Poe's short story, The Tell-Tale Heart. The Burying Ground, established around 1792, and Westminster Hall, a church completed in 1852, are on the University of Maryland School of Law campus in downtown Baltimore. The cemetery's catacombs are also open to visitors then, and you can see where Poe was interred in October of 1849. Bring a flask of cognac and some roses, if you like; beginning with the centennial of Poe's death in 1949, a mysterious "Poe Toaster" visited the author's grave between midnight and 6 a.m., toasting him with cognac and sometimes leaving roses and notes. The visits stopped in 2009. The Maryland Historical Society revived the tradition in 2016, but the Toaster is no longer anonymous.

Fells Point Ghost Walk Tour

There are so many rumors of ghosts in Baltimore, you can practically run into them on the street. To hear their stories, you'll need a guide. The Original Fells Point Ghost Walk Tour, pictured here, leads through Fells Point, where privateers attacked British ships in the War of 1812. Admire the neighborhood architecture on the Mount Vernon GhostWalk  while a group leader spins tales about guests who never checked out of Baltimore's Belvedere Hotel, a seance that went wrong and much more.  If the ghost hunting leaves you needing a drink, ask about a haunted pub crawl.

USS Constellation

What would you think if you followed a tour guide around the USS Constellation, a historic ship docked at Baltimore's Inner Harbor, and later learned no such guide worked there? For decades, visitors have reported seeing spirits walk the decks and peer out of the gun ports of this Civil War-era ship. Strange sounds and disembodied whispers are said to be heard below deck. Take a lantern-lit tour or stay overnight, if you don't believe in ghosts. You might, when you leave.

Lord Baltimore Hotel

Built in 1928, the Lord Baltimore Hotel in downtown Baltimore was one of the tallest in the city. This was the era of the Great Depression, and some think its height was a factor in several tragedies that happened in this beautiful French Renaissance hotel. Guests have reported seeing a little girl bouncing a red ball in the halls, spirits are said to float through the lovely ballrooms and elevators allegedly open and shut without anyone pressing their buttons. Guided ghost hunts are scheduled for every Friday in November 2019.

BOOK NOW: Lord Baltimore Hotel | Booking.com, Starting at $139/night

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Top 10 Haunted Places in Baltimore

Related To:

Shop This Look

The Horse You Came In On Saloon

Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Site

Club Charles

Fell Family Crypt

Admiral Fell Inn

Edgar Allan Poe House and Museum

Westminster Hall and Burying Ground

Fells Point Ghost Walk Tour

USS Constellation

Lord Baltimore Hotel

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