Though Salem, Massachusetts is best known for its infamous witch trials, there have been plenty of other chilling stories throughout its 400-year history.
One of them is the tale of Captain Joseph White, a wealthy merchant who was found bludgeoned to death in his bed.
It was a crime motivated by money, according to Giovanni Alabiso, owner and tour guide at Salem Historical Tours, who says the 82-year-old merchant was allegedly targeted by greedy brothers hoping to get their hands on his will.
Brothers Joseph and Francis Knapp enlisted the help of Richard Crowninshield to help get the job done. “Late in the evening, when Captain White is asleep, Dick Crowninshield comes in, he goes upstairs to the second floor and takes a club and bashes the captain over the head and crushes his skull,” Alabiso tells TODAY.com.
The murder resulted in a scandalous trial and is said to be the inspiration for Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart,” as well as the game “Clue.”
Whether it’s the brutal nature of the crime or revenge for the attempt to steal his money, the spirit of Captain Joseph White is said to still wander the halls of his former home. “People believe Captain White is roaming around that house, protecting whatever treasure he reportedly has,” Alabiso said.
Tourists take photos of the house, and despite being empty, many pictures reveal shadowy figures (both male and female) in the windows and on the landing of the Gardner-Pingree House.
Who are they? No one knows.
“It’s definitely, absolutely active,” Alabiso says.
The Legend of the Bell Witch Legend of Hells Funnel River Styx Bridge Franklin, Ben The Addison Haunting Westminster Abbey Haunting The Haunting at Apsley House The Haunted Grenadier Pub The London Tower Ghosts of the Stanley The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel Hauntings Ghosts of Gettysburg The Story Behind the Winchester House The Titanic Exhibit Tombstone - Arizona The Ghosts of Waverly Hills Sanatorium The Ghosts of Eastern State Penitentiary Legend of Huggin Molly Deer Island Pirate Sloss Furnace Spirits Crescent Hotel Spirits Dead Womans Crossing Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s Paranormal Experience Bellamy Bridge - Newlywed John Lennon and the Dakota Moundsville Shadow Man Ghost of Chloe at the Myrtles Plantation The Surrency Family Poltergeist The Drake Hotels Lady In Red The Legend of Zombie Road The ‘grandmas’ in the cemetery The Ghost Dog The Ghost Nanny The unexpected passenger The ghosts of Willoughby Coal The ghost truck stop The ghost in the choir loft The phantom ambulance lights The ghosts of Stone’s Public House The haunted ventriloquist doll The imaginary 'friend' The kidnapping ghost The Whaley House hauntings Legend of the Blue Boy
