The Most Haunted Places in Rhode Island

Ranked

1. 

   1. The Astors' Beechwood Mansion Newport · Haunted House / Historic Home · Family Comfort: High Private, not open to visitors

   HauntBound identified five distinct published accounts at this historic home, across four kinds of published source. Three later publications retell those accounts. Reported phenomena include apparitions and cold spots.

   5 original accounts · documented across 2 decades, 1911-2005 · retold in 3 later publications

2. 2. The Conjuring House (Old Arnold Estate) Harrisville · Haunted House / Historic Home · Family Comfort: Low Private, not open to visitors

   The Old Arnold Estate is a 1736 farmhouse in Harrisville where Roger and Carolyn Perron and their five daughters lived from 1971 to 1980; the family's experiences there, and the Warrens' investigation, became the basis for the 2013 film The Conjuring. Accounts describe a woman in 19th-century dress in the upstairs bedrooms, doors opening on their own, and beds shaking, attributed to a previous resident named Bathsheba Sherman, though claims about her practices are undocumented.

   3 original accounts · documented across 4 decades, 1970-2024 · retold in 6 later publications

3. 

   3. Governor Sprague Mansion Cranston · Museum / Historical Site · Family Comfort: Moderate

   William Sprague built this Cranston mansion in 1790; it grew into a 28-room home for four generations, two of whom served as Rhode Island governors. In 1843 Amasa Sprague, a governor's brother, was killed near the mansion, and John Gordon was convicted and hanged in 1845; Rhode Island pardoned Gordon in 2011. Staff report a butler called Charlie descending the staircase, and in an upstairs bedroom of dolls, a sensation that their eyes follow visitors.

   2 original accounts · documented across 2 decades, 1925-1968 · retold in 2 later publications

4. 

   4. Rose Island Lighthouse Newport · Haunted Hotel / Inn · Family Comfort: Low

   HauntBound identified three distinct published accounts at this working hotel, across five kinds of published source. Two later publications retell those accounts. Reported phenomena include cold spots and disembodied voices.

   3 original accounts · documented in 2010 · retold in 2 later publications

5. 

   5. Graduate Providence (Providence Biltmore Hotel) Providence · Haunted Hotel / Inn · Family Comfort: Moderate

   HauntBound identified three distinct published accounts at this working hotel, across three kinds of published source. Three later publications retell those accounts. Reported phenomena include apparitions and objects moving.

   3 original accounts · documented across 2 decades, 1929-1940 · retold in 3 later publications

6. 

   6. Palatine Light / Sandy Point New Shoreham · Outdoor / Natural Site · Family Comfort: Low

   HauntBound identified one distinct published account at this outdoor site, across five kinds of published source. Five later publications retell those accounts.

   1 original account · documented across 2 decades, 1811-1867 · retold in 5 later publications

7. 

   7. Nathanael Greene Homestead Coventry · Museum / Historical Site · Family Comfort: High

   Nathanael Greene built this Coventry home, Spell Hall, in 1770 before rising to Quartermaster General of the Continental Army; as Commander of the Southern Department he used retreat to exhaust Cornwallis's forces, forcing the British surrender at Yorktown in 1781. Visitors report footsteps, slamming doors, and sounds described as cannon fire and screaming, though the property saw no battle. A woman is glimpsed in an upstairs mirror, and the scent of baking bread appears unexplained.

   3 original accounts · documented in 2012 · retold in 5 later publications

8. 

   8. Carey Mansion (Seaview Terrace) Newport · Haunted House / Historic Home · Family Comfort: Moderate Private, not open to visitors

   HauntBound identified one distinct published account at this historic home, across three kinds of published source. Three later publications retell those accounts. Reported phenomena include apparitions and disembodied voices.

   1 original account · documented across 2 decades, 2011-2024 · retold in 3 later publications

9. 

   9. Providence City Hall Providence · Museum / Historical Site · Family Comfort: High

   HauntBound identified two distinct published accounts at this museum site, across three kinds of published source. Four later publications retell those accounts. Reported phenomena include disembodied voices and phantom smells.

   2 original accounts · documented in 2012 · retold in 4 later publications

10. 

    10. Belcourt of Newport Newport · Haunted House / Historic Home · Family Comfort: Moderate

    HauntBound identified two distinct published accounts at this historic home, across three kinds of published source. Four later publications retell those accounts. Reported phenomena include apparitions and cold spots.

    2 original accounts · documented in 2023 · retold in 4 later publications

Superlatives