Most Haunted Places in America: Belcourt Castle

Belcourt Castle, located in Newport, Rhode Island, was begun in 1891 and the 50,000 square foot 60 room home was only intended to be used 6-8 weeks a year as a summer villa for Oliver Hazard Perry Belmont. It was competed in 1894 at a total construction price of $3.2 million dollars (in 1894 money). The castle was based on the Louis XIII hunting lodge at Versailles and was built precisely as Oliver wanted. As proof the entire first floor composed of carriage space and stables for Belmont’s prized horses.

Single when Belcourt was finished, Oliver soon married and he and his wife traveled around the globe collecting pieces of history and bringing them back to the castle. Oliver Belmont dies in 1908 and his wife past away in France in 1933. The home was passed down to their eldest son until he sold it in 1940. After a few more owners, the current owners the Tinneys bought the home in 1956. Harold Tinney and his wife Ruth began to fill the castle with their own antiques and re-productions.

The most haunted room in the house is said to be the ballroom. This is where most of the paranormal activities have taken place. People have reported shadows moving in the corner of their eyes, furniture being moved, redecorating, cold spot in chairs as well as footsteps and strange noises. There are three items in the house that seem to have unique paranormal activity.

There is a statue, now in the chapel, of a monk in a brown robe. For years the monk had been seen wondering around the location in the area that the statute was located. The Tinneys have witnessed the monk themselves. One evening, when the statue was located near the staircase, Donald Tinney, son of Harold, and his wife was waiting by the staircase when someone walked through the foyer towards the bathroom. They assumed it was Mr. Tinney until he walked in from outside. Donald checked out the bathroom and no one was there. Since the statue has been in its new home in the chapel however, the monk has not been seen.

Two salt chairs located in the ballroom have also been known to have a lot of activity. Salt chairs were used exclusively by kings. The chairs seat would flip open and salt would be stored underneath, salt being of valuable item in that time period. Visitors have experience chills and cold spots in and around the chairs. Male visitors who have attempted to sit in the chairs have reported a resistance as if someone keeping them from occupying the chairs. There has been a documented case of a man actually being thrown off a chair.

Also in the ballroom are suits of amour dating back to the 15th century. It has been reported from the Tinneys as well as tour guides that there are agonizing screams emitting from the suits. Harle Tinney noted one evening that the lights in the ballroom were on. She turned them off and after turning to go back into the kitchen she heard a load scream. Shaken, she noticed the lights in the ballroom were back on. As she turned to cut them off again she heard an even loader scream. After taking a few steps towards the ballroom, a third terrifying scream was heard. At this time she waited for her husband to come in from walking the dog. She told him what happened and the both went into the ballroom but the dog refused to enter.

These are but a few of the paranormal activity reported. Fortunately, you can tour the home and see if you can feel the presence of ghosts and verify this castle as one of the most haunted places in America. If you can’t get there, TAPS did an investigation and got some interesting thermal hits that look like footsteps. Check out the Belcourt Castle ghost video.

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