The archive believes
in receipts.
HauntHunt is a research database, not a ghost story generator. The goal is not to prove that ghosts exist. It is to record, as faithfully as possible, what is said, where it is said about, who said it first, and how well any of it is documented.
Evidence classes
- Verified history
Backed by primary or authoritative documentation: government records, archives, official site histories.
- Documented legend
A legend that can be traced to a published or recorded source, with the telling itself being the fact on record.
- Local folklore
Story circulating in local tradition without a single identifiable origin.
- Reported experience
A named or described witness reports a personal experience. The report is documented; the cause is not.
- Investigation claim
Findings asserted by a paranormal investigation group.
- Media reported
Carried by a newspaper, broadcast or established publication.
- Anecdotal
Secondhand or casually repeated accounts.
- Internet rumor
A story whose earliest traceable life is online. Treated with extra suspicion.
- Disputed
Sources actively conflict, or a claim has been publicly challenged.
- Unverified
On file, but no solid provenance has been established yet.
What the scores mean
Quality levels (Verified, High, Medium, Low, Legend only, Unverified) grade the documentation of a record: how well its identity, location, history and provenance are sourced. They say nothing about whether a haunting is real. A place can be a magnificent legend and a thin dossier at the same time.
Map coordinates marked “approximate” are city or county reference points shown for orientation only. Records at this stage are research checkpoints, and many await deeper verification.
Ground rules
- 01 Conflicting versions of a story are preserved side by side, never silently merged.
- 02 Alleged entities are filed separately from verified historic persons.
- 03 Private and restricted sites are documented for the record. Never trespass. No access instruction in this archive is an invitation.
- 04 A place may appear for its dark history or folklore alone, with no haunting implied.
Questions on file
Are the hauntings on HauntHunt real?+
The archive records what is reported, not what is proven. Every claim carries an evidence class and a named source; legends are labelled as legends. Whether anything paranormal occurred at a place is left to the reader — the dossier’s job is the paper trail.
Can I visit every place in the archive?+
No. Each dossier carries an access class — public, private, restricted or unknown. Many of the most interesting files are on private property or unsafe structures. The archive documents them for the record; it never recommends trespassing.
How is each dossier researched?+
Each file is compiled from published sources — site histories, newspapers, books, official records — and keeps documented history, legend and reported experience in separate lanes. Conflicting accounts are preserved side by side rather than merged.
How accurate are the map coordinates?+
Coordinates marked exact come from addresses or surveyed locations. Approximate coordinates are city or county reference points shown for orientation only — they are labelled as such in the dossier.
Does the archive cost anything?+
No. HauntHunt is a static public archive — no accounts, no paywall, no tracking of reading habits. Saved lists and passport stamps live in your own browser.
How current is the record?+
Dossiers are amended continuously. The latest amendments are listed on the Latest page and syndicated through the RSS feed; every dossier shows its own amendment date in the header.