New Castle County holds three of Delaware's ten most haunted places

With Halloween approaching, three New Castle County places, including Rockwood Mansion at #2, rank among Delaware's ten most haunted places in HauntBound's 2026 index. The index ranks 28 Delaware sites by separate published accounts and how far back they go, not by fame or search popularity.

Rockwood Mansion ranks #2. Wilmington banker Joseph Shipley built the Gothic Revival mansion in 1854 as a retirement home; it is now a New Castle County park and museum on 72 acres. Three separate published accounts describe activity there, the earliest dated to 1800. Staff and visitors describe footsteps on the upper floors, and SyFy's Ghost Hunters chose Rockwood for its 2020 series finale.

Lums Pond State Park ranks #4. Delaware's largest freshwater pond became a state park when Delaware acquired the 1,790-acre property in 1963. Two separate published accounts describe activity there. Hikers on the Swamp Forest Trail have long reported a high-pitched voice and muffled screams from the dense woods; local legend ties the sounds to the unsolved killing of a young woman, though accounts disagree on whether it happened in the 1870s or the 1970s, with no record confirming either date.

Also in the top ten: Fort Delaware (#5).

Statewide, Cape Henlopen State Park (Fort Miles) in Lewes ranks #1.

"We rank by evidence, not legend: independent published accounts, documented history, and how far back the reports go. We don't claim ghosts are real, or that they aren't. We document where the reports concentrate, and we show our work," said Ben Fineman, editor of HauntBound. The ranking shows each site's documented record.

Visiting:Rockwood Mansion, 4651 Washington Street Extension, Wilmington, offers daytime mansion tours and evening paranormal investigations, including in October; grounds are free.Lums Pond State Park, Howell School Rd., Bear, is open daily for hiking; a day-use fee applies.Fort Delaware, 45 Clinton St. (ferry dock), Delaware City, is reachable by ferry for seasonal living-history tours.

For media:The full ranking: https://hauntbound.com/most-haunted/delaware/The fact sheet, with Wilmington numbers and cleared images: https://hauntbound.com/press/fact-sheets/delaware/Photo: Rockwood Mansion, on the fact sheet.Venue contact: newcastlede.gov (Rockwood Mansion) and destateparks.com (Fort Delaware and Lums Pond State Park)A short version follows.

HauntBound (hauntbound.com) is a family-friendly field guide to more than 6,000 documented haunted and historic places across the United States, ranked by published evidence rather than legend. No venue pays to be listed or ranked.

Media contact: Ben Fineman, Editor, HauntBound, editor@hauntbound.com

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