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Haunted Staircases

Posted on Mon August 11th 2014 by Dan

Has someone ever said to you: “I’m sure there’s a ghost in this house!” Such thoughts can stem from feeling shivers or a cold presence throughout a building or perhaps thinking certain objects have been moved from where you believed they originally were.

Many eyewitness accounts of supposed ghost sightings tell of mysterious figures appearing on a staircase with these claimed sightings being matched up to past occupants of the buildings, particularly in the case of old houses which have stood for centuries and structures like stately homes and castles.

Given the stairs seem to be a popular place for ghost-spotting claims, we thought we’d have a look at some staircases around the world that have been the subject of spooky sightings.

Pensacola Lighthouse

The lighthouse overlooking Pensacola Bay in Florida was built in 1859 and has been the subject of many claims of ghost sightings and unexplained events. Visitors and even lighthouse keepers in years gone by have told of hearing the sound of footsteps ascending the tower’s staircase, even when they were supposedly alone. Others have spoken of hearing laughter loud enough to make the windows rattle and also of a chilling cold that seems to slowly make its way through the entire lighthouse, even on hot and sunny Florida day.

It’s believed the possible haunting could be Jeremiah Ingraham, Pensacola’s original lighthouse keeper, who died in mysterious circumstances and was survived by his wife, Michaela, who took over his duties until 1855, shortly before the current tower was built.

The Winchester Mystery House

Sarah Winchester was a California woman, who inherited $20 million after the death of her husband. Considering this was in 1881, you can just imagine the level of wealth she accumulated if you account for inflation. Sadly, Mrs Winchester was said to be haunted by a number of ghosts and for decades tried to get rid of them through round-the-clock construction work she ordered to be carried out on her home. Rooms were added, demolished, re-built and a number of novel tricks were installed, seemingly to confuse the spirits that were said to be tormenting her.

The most notable example is a staircase that doesn’t lead anywhere. It’s not known whether Mrs Winchester ordered the staircase to be constructed, or simply built around it but the desired effect was to confuse (or possibly even trap) any ghosts that lingered by having a staircase that went all the way up to the ceiling without leading to another room. The house also featured a “Door to Nowhere” which opened to a sheer drop into the front yard for anyone unlucky enough to walk through it.

Winchester even took to sleeping in a different room every night to avoid hauntings, right up until her death in 1922. Since then, the house has become a popular tourist attraction, particularly among ghost-hunters hoping to catch sight of something unusual on the redundant stairs.

Hopefully, your own stairs are ghost-free and you can walk freely up and down them without hearing strange noises or feeling a spooky chill. If they are haunted, replacing the parts probably won’t help but regardless of any ghost problems you may have, you will find a wide range of quality stair components at UK Stair Parts and you can also take advantage of our next day deliver service.