The lab
The archive read as data. Counts measure documentation, not the paranormal itself.
Studies: Per capita·Ghost towns·Most documented·Most filed entities·The lights·Hard files·Loneliest·Name patterns·The lag·Claim census·The unmapped·Twins·One-file towns·Gone·Reading time·Oldest walls
Evidence classes · dossiers carrying each
Documented legend1,412
Local folklore976
Anecdotal736
Investigation claim265
Media reported176
Reported experience93
Disputed72
Internet rumor44
Unverified22
Top jurisdictions
New York169 · 170 claims
Pennsylvania137 · 106 claims
Virginia136 · 159 claims
Ohio126 · 74 claims
Michigan119 · 145 claims
Hawaii114 · 190 claims
Texas114 · 154 claims
Arizona113 · 173 claims
Illinois104 · 141 claims
Maryland104 · 47 claims
California96 · 133 claims
Louisiana94 · 154 claims
Reported phenomena
Apparition1,403
Named Ghost Legend974
Reported Anomalies296
Haunting248
Legend142
Historical Legend113
Cryptid Sighting74
Unspecified Haunting40
Unexplained Lights35
Multiple Phenomena33
Folklore Creature32
Objects Moving29
Shadow Figure29
Voices28
Records by region
South1,282
West803
Midwest763
Northeast564
Caribbean57
Pacific47
Most common place types
Historic Site 545Site 530Ghost Town 271Hotel 161Cemetery 122House 113Town 98Historic House 97Theater 84Natural 74Museum 66Battlefield 62Fort 55Mansion 50Lighthouse 47Cave 44Inn 40Hospital 38
Records per million residents · 2020 census
Northern Mariana Islands295.8 /M · 14 files
U.S. Virgin Islands241.0 /M · 21 files
American Samoa221.3 /M · 11 files
Guam143.0 /M · 22 files
Wyoming110.9 /M · 64 files
Hawaii78.3 /M · 114 files
Alaska62.7 /M · 46 files
West Virginia47.9 /M · 86 files
South Dakota46.2 /M · 41 files
Washington, D.C.45.0 /M · 31 files
Montana44.3 /M · 48 files
Vermont38.9 /M · 25 files
Absolute counts favor populous states; per-capita shows where the record is densest relative to who lives there.
Most documented dossiers
Hotel Monte Vista6 claims · 5 legends
Waverly Hills Sanatorium6 claims · 3 legends
The Myrtles Plantation5 claims · 4 legends
Old Idaho Penitentiary5 claims · 4 legends
Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery4 claims · 4 legends
Union Cemetery4 claims · 4 legends
Chestnut Hill Cemetery5 claims · 3 legends
RMS Queen Mary5 claims · 3 legends
Honey Island Swamp Monster Folklore Area5 claims · 3 legends
Flatwoods Wild Man report area5 claims · 3 legends
White House5 claims · 3 legends
The Pirates’ House5 claims · 3 legends
Ranked by filings — claims plus legends on record. Depth is a measure of documentation, not credibility.
Where named entities cluster
Hawaii81 alleged
Louisiana69 alleged
Arizona64 alleged
New York64 alleged
Texas62 alleged
Michigan61 alleged
Illinois56 alleged
Virginia56 alleged
South Carolina47 alleged
Wyoming45 alleged
Florida44 alleged
North Carolina43 alleged
Jurisdictions where sources attach the most named spirits and figures.
Oldest records on file
Casa Blancaest. 1521 · Puerto Rico
Castillo San Felipe del Morroest. 1540 · Puerto Rico
La Fortalezaest. 1540 · Puerto Rico
Castillo San Cristóbalest. 1634 · Puerto Rico
Boston Commonest. 1634 · Massachusetts
House of the Seven Gablesest. 1668 · Massachusetts
White Horse Tavernest. 1673 · Rhode Island
Rebecca Nurse Homesteadest. 1678 · Massachusetts
Old Dutch Church of Sleepy Hollowest. 1685 · New York
Fort William Henry at Pemaquidest. 1692 · Maine
Old York Gaolest. 1720 · Maine
Seabrook-Wilson Houseest. 1720 · New Jersey
Dossiers carrying the earliest sourced construction or opening years.
Rarest signals
Ufo Sightings1 file
Folklore Creatures1 file
Transformation Legend1 file
Ancestral Tradition1 file
Origin Tradition1 file
Drowning Legend1 file
Guardian Spirit Legend1 file
Vehicle Failure Legend1 file
Fountain Of Youth Legend1 file
Loyal Animal Legend1 file
Buried Treasure Legend1 file
Funerary Belief1 file
Phenomena filed only a handful of times — the thinnest threads in the record.
Thinnest coverage
American Samoa11 dossiers
Northern Mariana Islands14 dossiers
Rhode Island20 dossiers
U.S. Virgin Islands21 dossiers
Guam22 dossiers
Vermont25 dossiers
North Dakota27 dossiers
New Jersey28 dossiers
Idaho29 dossiers
New Hampshire29 dossiers
Maine30 dossiers
Washington, D.C.31 dossiers
Jurisdictions where the archive is still thin — not necessarily where nothing is reported, just where less is on file.
Construction era of dated buildings
1630s · 2
1660s · 1
1670s · 2
1680s · 1
1690s · 1
1720s · 2
1730s · 3
1740s · 2
1750s · 5
1760s · 4
1770s · 8
1780s · 1
1790s · 12
1800s · 7
1810s · 11
1820s · 16
1830s · 25
1840s · 26
1850s · 63
1860s · 33
1870s · 43
1880s · 46
1890s · 40
1900s · 54
1910s · 37
1920s · 57
1930s · 18
1940s · 16
1950s · 1
1960s · 4
1970s · 2
1980s · 2
1990s · 2
2000s · 2
2010s · 1
2020s · 1
16302020
Only 554 dossiers carry a sourced construction/opening year.