Pensacola's Haunted History
-
Pensacola Lighthouse, 2081 Radford Blvd. Located on Pensacola Naval Air Station, this might be Pensacola's best-known spot for paranormal activity. The Travel Channel has featured the lighthouse on its "Most Haunted Lighthouses" segment, and the popular show "Ghost Hunters" also filmed a show segment at the lighthouse, which is supposedly home to up to eight spirits.
-
Fort Barrancas/Fort Pickens: 3182 Taylor Road (Fort Barrancas), 1400 Fort Pickens Road (Fort Pickens) Confederate soldiers who died in battle are said to haunt Fort Barrancas at Pensacola Naval Air Station, not far from the lighthouse. Across the water, Fort Pickens is also said to be haunted, with numerous reports of apparitions.
-
Saenger Theatre. 22 E. Intendencia St. The Grand Dame of Palafox was built in 1925, and like any good old-time theater, it's said to be haunted. People have heard and seen strange things in the balcony.
-
Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. Ghostly activity at one of Pensacola's most beloved and oldest nightclubs. The club is haunted by the ghost of a bartender named Wesley who died in a cooler, and customers have reported strange, distant voices and distant laughs.
-
St. Michael's Cemetery/St. John's Cemetery. 6 N. Alcaniz (St. Michael's), 610 N. Spring St. (St. John's) Both of this historic resting places are both said to be active spots for paranormal activity. Strange lights and voices have been reported at St. Michael's Cemetery. St. John's Cemetery features a notorious Pensacola madam, ghosts of children, and the ghost of "Railroad Bill," an African-American outlaw in the late 19th century.
-
Landmark Skate Center: 1002 N. Navy Blvd. (Now closed) This old Warrington skating rink is closed repair now — maybe they'll chase the haunts away during the renovation. Built in the 1960s, a ghost wearing overalls has been seen walking around and is thought to be a previous owner. There have also been reports of a girl in a dress who fades in and out of view. Music has been also heard playing in the upstage storage area — turning off and on randomly.
-
Old Christ Church's rectors were buried underneath the church, located at 405 S Adams St. Built in 1832, there have been tales about visions of the rectors in the church bordering Seville Square and in the heart of the Historic District. (Pretty much every place in the Historic District has had at least a few reports of paranormal activity, from the Kennedy House on South Adams Street to the Gray House on South Alcaniz across from Seville Square.)
-
Pensacola Victorian Bed & Breakfast: 203 W. Gregory St. Built in the late 19th century, this location has long featured numerous unexplained sounds — music; children giggling; scents — eggs and bacon, though no one has been cooking; and, of course, a woman in a long-flowing gown
-
The Imogene Theatre, 6866 Caroline St., Milton, received heavy structural damage in January 2009 from a devastating fire, but was rebuilt several years later. That doesn't stop people from reportedly seeing a gentleman walking the balcony or the ghost of young Imogene Gooch, the daughter of the man who bought the theater in the 1920s and the namesake of the building.
-
The Gray House, located at 312 S. Alcaniz St. across from Seville Square, is featured in the Pensacola ghost tour. It is said to be haunted by Thomas Moristo, an old Spanish sea captain. People report cold spots, apparitions, and poltergeist activity.
-
Coon Hill Cemetery, Jay, is infamous among locals as being one of the most haunted locations around. So much so that you can now only visit the cemetery by appointment. Dating back to the early 1800s, Coon Hill cemetery has a vast number of reported ghostly phenomena such as hearing children singing, disembodied hands, cold spots, and orbs that appear in photographs.
-
Cazenovia Seville Quarter - The man who died at Seville Quarter was named Wesely. He fell in the beer cooler and hit his head, knocking himself out and he died of hypothermia.
-
Dorr House - There is a floor to ceiling mirror in the 'Formal' sitting room... when a female visitor stands in its sights, if they have on a short skirt, they report feeling a 'tugging' as if someone is trying to make the skirt longer. Many visitors and guides have reported smelling Roses (fresh cut) at intervals followed by an EXTREMELY COLD spot. Roses were Mrs. Dorr’s favorite flower. Visitors have reported hearing soft crying coming from the sick room/sewing room. A word of warning to all who visit, MIND YOUR MANNERS... Mrs. Dorr doesn't allow rudeness and has been known to 'make sure' the perpetrator doesn't stay or wants to leave posthaste. This ex-Docent has seen first hand that Mrs. Dorr is still the 'LADY' of the house.
-
New World Inn - The Inn and bar are said to be haunted by the previous owner. Several employees have reported seeing him.
-
NAS Whiting Field - Branch Medical Clinic - The ghost of a navy corpsman killed while stationed there reportedly roams the hallway between the lab and X-ray departments. He always is seen carrying something in his hands and wears a tech jacket.
-
Original Sacred Heart Hospital - There is a hallway that is about where the nuns would cross to go to the chapel of the hospital. It is been reported that there is the kind old spirit of one of the sisters that frequents the hallway and corridor. She will often tap people on the shoulder from behind, much as she did in life.
-
Dasanai - Crampton Brewery - In this building sightings are expected because they happen like clockwork. Many people have said to see an elderly man walking the halls with an old lantern, he speaks in another language. He is said to appear in a mist and vanish in a bright flash of blue light. When the people see him, they are not afraid because he is not an evil spirit, but instead he is kind and helpful. Some workers in the building said that if they knock something off the wall or shelf he will catch it hand place it back where it was, they say that he even helps them clean messes and junk.