King County holds four of Washington's ten most haunted places

With Halloween approaching, four King County places rank among Washington's ten most haunted in HauntBound's 2026 index, including Kells Irish Restaurant & Pub at #1. The index ranks 107 Washington sites by separate published accounts and how far back they go, not by fame or search popularity.

Kells Irish Restaurant & Pub ranks #1. The pub occupies the basement of the Butterworth Building, built in 1903 by Edgar Ray Butterworth as Seattle's first purpose-built mortuary. Seven separate published accounts describe activity there, the earliest dated to 1909. Staff describe a girl in a red dress in the dining room and a derby-hatted figure called 'Charlie' during live music.

Wellington Avalanche Site ranks #2. On March 1, 1910, an avalanche swept two Great Northern Railway trains off the tracks, killing 96 people in the deadliest avalanche in U.S. history. Seven separate published accounts describe activity there. Hikers on the Iron Goat Trail describe a watched feeling near the tunnel portals, cold spots and whispers.

Also in the top ten: the Moore Theatre (#5) and Black Diamond Cemetery (#8).

Pike Place Market in Seattle, the state's most famous haunted site, misses the top ten.

"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:Kells Irish Restaurant & Pub, 1916 Post Alley, Seattle, is a 21-and-over pub open daily.Wellington Avalanche Site, off Old Cascade Highway (Tye Road) near Stevens Pass, is a free trailhead reached by a two-mile walk, typically open summer through fall before snow closes the road.Moore Theatre, 1932 2nd Ave., Seattle, hosts ticketed performances; the lobby is visible from the sidewalk.Black Diamond Cemetery, 24431 Cemetery Hill Rd., Black Diamond, is a public cemetery open during daylight hours; visit respectfully.

For media:The full ranking: https://hauntbound.com/most-haunted/washington/The fact sheet, with Seattle numbers and cleared images: https://hauntbound.com/press/fact-sheets/washington/Photos: Kells Irish Restaurant & Pub and Moore Theatre, on the fact sheet.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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