In my research as to what physical and historic attributes help to create a haunting in a place, I’ve come across some interesting incidental findings.
I’ve found a cluster of states that seem to be unusually haunted and have ideal elements (history/land/waterways/construction) for hauntings to occur:
Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania.
Anyone who’s into ghost hunting could probably rattle off the long list of haunted places in these states, not to mention how many ghost hunting groups wander the countryside in these locations. There is a rich history here, and a tradition of buildings made of stone on land that is geologically ideal for hauntings; limestone, shale, sandstone, with loads of waterways. It may be that the melting of the ice age is what we have to thank for these perfect conditions, but it appears that these states have a better chance of retaining hauntings. I hope to learn more about these elements to make a more specific explanation for just why this is.
On the flip side, there is also a cluster of states that seem to be unusually devoid of hauntings and have less ideal elements (volcanic land, fewer waterways, more frame constructed buildings). It isn’t to say they don’t have their hauntings, but most occurrences in these areas are either hauntings associated with land (canyons, graveyards, mountains) and strange phenomenon such as weird lights rather than “traditional” hauntings. These states include:
Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, Utah, and Nevada.
The only exception to this seems to be mining towns, and that could very well have something to do with the rich ore/minerals in those regions that are being churned up regularly. I’ve often said that when I moved west, I realized the land here is haunted whereas back east it was the buildings. Towns like Bisbee, Jerome, Globe, and Tombstone in Arizona sport our most haunted sites, even in frame buildings like the Bird Cage Saloon.
I would love to hear from any of you about your observations or conclusions in this matter.