Knights of Belcourt Castle in Newport, Rhode Island

In 1891, Oliver Belmont hired three hundred craftsmen to build what would later become known as Belcourt Castle.  For the time being, it was Oliver's summer home. It took three years to build and when finished, the castle had over sixty rooms.  Oliver was a collector of Medieval artifacts including suits of armor.  However, over the years on some occasions those suits of armor seem to take on a life of their own.  They appear to be haunted!

Belmont Castle in Newport, Rhode Island is said to have a high rate paranormal activity

Three years after Belmont Castle was built, Oliver married Alva Vanderbilt. After Oliver died in 1908, she played a huge part in the Women's Suffrage Movement and is well remembered for her generosity.  She retired to France and died there in 1933.  Belmont Castle remained in the hands of their son's until it was sold to the Tinney family in 1940.

Over the years there have been many reports of the suits of armor moving about on their own.  Sometimes drastically.  While the armor would be on display in one place, the next day it would be found in another.  Some claim to have heard moaning sounds coming from the suits of armor.  In another part of the castle, there is a statue of a monk that supposedly moves on it's own as well.

Many say that these suits of armor take on a life of their own at Belmont Castle in Newport, Rhode Island

Another mysterious happening in the castle seems to be centered around what are called the Salt Chairs. Named such because in medieval times salt as stored within the seats and given to visiting nobles as it was a valuable token to be given at the time. It seems that these "salt" chairs do not want to be sat upon.  Individuals attempting to do so seem to meet some sort of resistance.  People have actually been thrown from the chairs attempting to sit in them.

The exquisite interior of Belmont Castle in Newport, Rhode Island is a playground for spirits who haunt the castle

Within Belmont Castle there is also a mirror that is said to be haunted as well.  You cannot see your reflection in it!  When visitors look into it, only vague shapes can be seen moving back and forth as if they were ghosts.



Perhaps these strange events that take place in Belmont Castle are really the spirits of Oliver and Alva Belmont.  It could be that they do not want to leave their summer home and this is how they remain a part of it forever.

Belmont Castle is still owned by members of the Tinney family.  It was converted into a museum and is open for regular tours as well as ghost tours.  The castle is located at 657 Bellevue Avenue, Newport, Rhode Island. The phone number is 401-846-0669.  More information as well as tour schedules and hours of operation can be found on the Belcourt Castle web site http://www.belcourtcastle.com.

American Ghosts and Hauntings Index by Region

The Palatine Light, Curse of the Princess Augusta - Block Island, Rhode Island

A Dutch sailing ship named the Princess Augusta sometimes referred to as The Palantine, left Holland in 1752 with 150 souls on board, many of them German immigrants heading for the new found territories in America.  Their destination was Philadelphia.  However, a terrible turn of events would prevent most of the passengers from reaching their destination except for the devilish crew.

The Palantine Light off the coast of Block Island, Rhode Island is believed to the ghost of a burning ship from the 18th century

After enduring an arduous journey across the Atlantic losing many passengers due to sickness and disease, the ship encountered heavy storms off the coast of New England and took heavy damage, losing many passengers to the rough seas.  The ship anchored just 10 miles off the coast hoping to endure the storm.  For whatever reasons, the crew decided this was not the best course of action and took matters into their own hands. 

The ship hands decided to mutiny and proceeded to kill the captain, and overtake the Princess Augusta, then ran it aground near Sandy Point on the southern tip of Block Island.  Then in an act of piracy, the proceeded to loot the remaining passengers and killing those who resisted.  They then ran the ship aground and set it on fire before abandoning it.  The tide was rising however and washed the flaming ship out to sea, trapping any remaining passengers on board who then perished either by the flames or by the rough seas.

Slater Mill - Pawtucket, Rhode Island

You may have read about this place in your history books in school.  In 1793 it became the first water powered cotton mill which through demonstration of it's efficiency, helped industrialize the nation. It is commonly referred to as "Birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution".  However, this mill has a dark past in that children were put to work in the mill under dangerous work conditions.   Some of them got caught in machines such as the mule spinner.  They were small so they were made to go into the machine to repair it.  Many of them never emerged alive.

Slater Mill in 1872

The spirits of the dead children are said to haunt the mill to this day, one of them a nine year old boy. The Slater Mill complex is open today as a working museum. When tours have been given, it is said that the voices of young children have been heard screaming when the machines have been turned on for demonstration purposes.  

One of the complex and dangerous loom machines that can be found in Slater Mill

The ghost of Samuel Slater himsef has been seen wandering around the mill complex on occasion as well. Or at least his apparition has anyway.  An apparition has been spotted throughout the mill walking about the machinery and also strolling along the Blackstone River. Many have spotted the figure through the windows walking around inside and upon entering the building, not a single soul was around. The phantom has been identified through old photos as Samuel Slater, the original owner of the mill.

Samuel Slater, father of the American industrial revolution

The wheel pit is said to contain a huge amount of electrical energy.  Some say that they get a very uneasy feeling when entering the wheel pit. Tingling sensations have been felt by many who enter this area.  A young girl was once assaulted by an unseen being, leaving scratches on her face as she fled the building.

Slater Mill as seen today, located in Pawtucket, Rhode Island

Slater's Mill Museum is open year round for public tours and is located at 67 Roosevelt Avenue, Pawtucket, RI 02860.  Take a tour, you just may see one of the resident ghosts.  However, you may want to stay away from the wheel pit!

The Vampire Ghost of Chestnut Hill Cemetery - Exeter, Rhode Island

During the 1800's in Exeter, Rhode Island the local towns people believed they were being stalked by a vampire.  A girl named Mercy Brown died in 1892.  Some believed that she was the source of a many deaths in Exeter.  Her final resting place is now known as one of the most haunted cemeteries in the United States.

Mercy's Mother and Sister succumbed to a disease what is now known to be tuberculosis and passed away. Saddened by her loss, she spent much of her time in the Chestnut Hill Cemetery visiting her family member's graves.  Many of the townsfolk thought it to be out of the ordinary that she would spend so much time there. Tuberculosis was unknown to people back then, people began suddenly dying right and left without any apparent reason.  Soon her and and her brother contracted the disease.  It is believed that her brother, in his delirium claimed that Mercy would sit on his chest as if to suck the very life out of him.  Soon rumors spread that Mercy was a vampire and was the cause of the plague spreading through the town.  As tuberculosis would leave victim's skin pale white and cause them to cough up blood as it was a disease of the lungs.

Chestnut Hill Cemetery in Exeter, Rhode Island

In 1896, Mercy succumbed to the disease and died.  She was buried in the Chestnut Hill Cemetery to rest in peace with her Mother and sister.  The townspeople though, claimed that they still saw Mercy emerging from the cemetery at night.  This further deepened the belief that she was indeed a vampire.  Fearing that the plague may continue unless something was done, they went to Mercy's grave and dug up her remains.  It is said that her body was not decomposed at all and when they pricked her skin, she bled.  Now more than ever convinced that Mercy was a vampire, they cut out her heart and burned it.  Then, returned her desecrated body to her grave. They took some of the ashes and fed them to her brother Edwin, believing this would cure him of the disease.  However, he too succumbed to the disease and died.

Since the disease continued, many believed that Mercy still rose from the grave at night to spread the terrible disease, angered now that her grave was desecrated, sometimes eerie blue lights would be seen in the graveyard before she rose from the grave.  The tales and legend of Mercy the Vampire persist to this day.  Some say her spirit is restless perhaps because she may have been buried alive given that her body still bled when her grave was dug up.

The grave site of Mercy Brown, believed to be a vampire