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Robertsport Ghost Ship

Robertsport, Liberia

After several weeks of radio silence, this abandoned oil tanker washed up on a remote beach in Liberia.

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  • Thomas Hill Standpipe

    Bangor, Maine

    Thomas Hill Standpipe

    This 1.5 million-gallon water tower inspired Stephen King while he was writing 'It.'

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  • The Marconnott Mauseolum in Mount Olive Cemetery

    St. Louis, Missouri

    Marconnott Mausoleum

    When Joseph Marconnott died, he had a unique final wish: to be mummified and put on display.

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    Arlington, Texas

    Caelum Mór

    Fears of Satanic worshippers swirl around five Celtic-inspired megaliths.

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  • South End Burying Ground

    East Hampton, New York

    South End Burying Ground

    This cemetery holds the remains of an accused witch and the man that ensured her freedom.

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  • The House of Seven Chimneys.

    Madrid, Spain

    House of the Seven Chimneys

    Known as the Casa de las Siete Chimeneas, this haunted 16th-century manor has a dark, mysterious past.

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  • The last resting place... or is it?

    Monroe, Connecticut

    Grave of Ed and Lorraine Warren

    Visit the grave of America's most prominent paranormal investigators and self-proclaimed demonologists.

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  • During the festival, those dressed as devils dance more intensely as they enter Píllaro.

    Píllaro, Ecuador

    Casa El Pacto

    The devil masks on display at this small museum are part of an annual festival that has been taking place for centuries.

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    Nienhagen, Germany

    Gespensterwald (Ghost Forest)

    Twisted trees shaped by coastal winds make this woodland look like something from a spooky story.

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Hell Gate, as seen from over Queens, connects New York Harbor to Long Island Sound, resulting in chaotic currents.

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Is There Sunken Treasure Beneath the Treacherous Currents of Hell Gate?

In the heart of New York City, a centuries-long hunt for Revolutionary War–Era gold.

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  • In late June, weeks after the catastrophic destruction of Ukraine's Kakhovka Dam, lowered water levels upriver revealed this ancient boat.

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  • Costumes and cheap beer are staples of most weird sports, says photographer Sol Neelman, but no one takes dressing up quite as seriously as one of his all-time favorite sports events: Kaiju Live Monster Wrestling (formally known as the Kaiju Big Battel) in Queens, New York. “Kaiju monster wrestling has always been my favorite,” says Neelman. “Mainly because I don't know what's happening. There are a lot of people that follow the storylines and follow the characters. It's kind of like a mix of pro wrestling, Godzilla, and daytime soap opera.”

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  • You might be on your own for a while on these roads less traveled, as seen on the Dalton Highway.

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  • Some 5,000 Ohlone Tribe members were buried in unmarked graves in San Francisco's Mission Dolores Cemetery. Today, many of those graves have been paved over and forgotten.

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  • Clara Bow was uncomfortable at Hollywood parties and famously skipped out on her film premieres to play cards with her cook and other household staff.

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All illustrations: John Mata for Atlas Obscura

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  • The Nightmare (1781) by Henry Fuseli taps into superstitions about sleep paralysis, a kind of parasomnia, or sleep disorder.

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  • In 2018, artist Marisela Barrera fielded calls as San Antonio's ghostly Donkey Lady.

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  • An example fallout shelter from a 1957 government guidebook, stocked with "a 14-day shelter food supply which may be stored indefinitely, a battery-operated radio, auxiliary light sources, a two-week supply of water, and first aid, sanitary and other miscellaneous supplies and equipment."

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  • If the bones aren’t taken care of correctly, the spirit could put a curse on the family.

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