13 Deserted Houses with History So Unsettling It’ll Make Your Toes Curl

Abandoned locations have a special spooky quality. Particularly vacant homes, which once served as a family’s most private and intimate environment. But what’s the scariest of all? abandoned mansions These houses, which once represented grandeur and riches and were valued in the millions, are now vacant and in poor condition. Even though there are no longer any mortal tenants wandering the big halls, I’d wager my night lamp that the majority of these still have plenty of ghostly inmates prowling around. Discover the world’s most intriguing abandoned homes below, and be ready to be utterly terrified by their backstories.

#1 Castle Lennox

With this tough one, we’re off to a fast start. For John Lennox Kincaid Lennox, the Lennox Castle in Scotland was constructed in 1812. He was purportedly descended from the Clan Kincaid, which included some famous early Earls of Lennox. Long story short, the castle was the residence of a prominent Scottish family until it was transformed into a hospital during World War II after the existing mentally ill inmates were moved to other structures on the grounds.

It seems that fights amongst the patients were regular, and in one especially violent one, a large portion of the staff and other patients who weren’t engaged fled the facility. However, because they were confined inside, the rioters severely destroyed the unit. By the 1980s, the hospital was abandoned, and it was formally closed in 2002. The building may soon be transformed into apartments.

#2 Lynnewood Hall

Lynnewood Hall is the 12th biggest historic mansion in the United States. It was constructed in 1900 for Peter Arrell Brown Widener, a businessman. Widener’s estate was worth $98,368,058 by 1945; it fell into foreclosure in 2006. Carl McIntire, a fundamentalist preacher, was the lone buyer; he paid $192,000 for the house in 1952.

#3 Elda Castle

The co-founder of Abercrombie & Fitch, David T. Abercrombie, constructed this massive estate in Ossining, New York, in the 1920s. It is situated on 50 acres. The house was designed by Abercrombie’s wife, Lucy Abbot Cate, who chose the names Elizabeth, Lucy, David, and Abbott for their four children. The family had a slew of disasters soon after it was finished in 1928: After their daughter, Lucy passed tragically in an accident at her father’s workplace and the patriarch died of rheumatic disease at home, Lucy Sr. relocated with her eldest daughter till she passed away in 1955.

Elda rapidly fell into decay after being abandoned. Surprisingly, a portion of it was intended to resemble the remains of a medieval castle. Therefore, it’s possible that the stately mansion has its own agenda and is simply determined to live up to its destiny as a site of ruin. The history of the house between then and now is obscure, but numerous previous owners attempted to restore it to its former splendor before experiencing financial hardship themselves. It raises the issue, then: Is it cursed? Though it’s doubtful, you never know!

#4 Ashlar Hall

Elda’s Castle in Memphis, Tennessee, was constructed in 1896 by a rich man named Robert Brinkley Snowden for his family. Later, speculators bought Ashlar Hall and the surrounding property, erected skyscrapers around it, and left it to deteriorate. The most recent owner Juan Montoya paid $59,000 for the property at a tax sale with the intention of turning it into a venue for events.

#5 Bannerman’s Castle

On an island in the Hudson River in New York, stands Bannerman’s Castle. Francis Bannerman VI purchased it in 1900 to use it as a storage facility. His family had started a military surplus company during the American Civil War. Prior to the state purchasing it in the late 1960s, it was essentially abandoned.

#6 Lui Family Mansion

The Lui family house, also known as Taiwan’s Minxiong Ghost House, is a spooky location with a tragic past. It was abandoned in the 1950s when the family unexpectedly left, and it is now located in the Taiwanese countryside. Like many enigmatic locations, there is a lot of legend about the family and the reason they departed the formerly lovely location.

#7 Casa Sperimentale

In Fergene, Italy, there is a deserted brutalist treehouse called Casa Sperimentale. It’s an amazing collection of geometric forms perched high in the trees. Giuseppe Perugini constructed it in the late1960s as a vacation home and a test to determine whether it could support a family. Its abandonment is unknown, however, it most likely merely fell into ruin when the architect went away.

#8 Ha Ha Tonkna Mansion

Businessman Robert Snyder, who passed away in 1906, had a fantasy of living in the Ha Ha Tonka Mansion. His sons carried on with the building until the home was finished in 1920. According to some, the name of the state park means “laughing waters,” which might either be endearingly cheery or horrifyingly spooky. Snyder’s son was eventually ejected from the land, and in the 20th century, it served as a hotel and resort.

#9 Mudhouse Mansion

The Mudhouse Mansion, which had not been inhabited since the 1930s, was destroyed in 2015. Lulu Hartman-Mast was the last occupant (at least legally speaking), and her relative Jeanne Mast is the current owner. It was constructed somewhere between the 1840s and 1900, yet no one can seem to agree on the exact year.

#10 Villa de Vecchi

Villa de Vecchi was built between 1854 and 1857. It was constructed as Count Felix De Vecchi’s vacation home. The neighborhood was abandoned in the 1960s, and all the homes there were destroyed by an avalanche in 2002. all but this one.

#11 Hegeler Carus Mansion

In La Salle, Illinois, the Hegeler Carus Mansion is one of the rare abandoned houses that has undergone restoration and been designated a monument. Although it appears to be a “haunted home,” it is actually merely ancient and has a pleasant, upbeat spirit.

#12 The Los Feliz Murder House

Dr. Harold Perelson once owned the Los Feliz Murder Mansion. He attempted to kill his three children while killing his wife with a ball-peen hammer while she slept. Other unsettling clues include an open chapter of Dante’s Divine Comedy on his nightstand.

#13 John List House

John List murdered his wife, mother, and children in addition to himself in 1971. He lined up everyone in a ballroom, switched the radio to a religious station, and fled. Under a fictitious name, he moved to Denver, got married, and never accepted full responsibility. A few years later, in 1974, a new home was built there after the first one was allegedly set on fire.