While some old, empty estates are open books, other derelict dwellings aren't quite as easy to decipher. From enigmatic former residents and ghostly goings-on to unexplained architecture and intriguing legends, America's most mysterious abandoned homes stand shrouded in secrecy.
Click or scroll on to take a tour of these perplexing properties across the US. If only walls could talk...
Isolated and cut off from the rest of the world by acres of forest, this abandoned mansion could easily be mistaken for a medieval castle. In reality, Elda Castle was built in 1927 for David T Abercrombie, the co-founder of Abercrombie & Fitch. Sadly, tragedy struck the wealthy family, and they abandoned the unlucky home less than a decade later.
Having been off and off the market since 2017, it's now listed for $2.9 million (£2.3m). But will the crumbling castle find a new lease of life? Let's take a look around and uncover the fascinating story behind this historic home...
Hidden in a remote spot of Westchester County, New York, the unusual mansion was designed by Abercrombie's wife, Lucy Abbott Cate, and its name is made up of the first initials of their four children: Elizabeth, Lucy, David and Abbott, according to Country Living.
The family home was built from steel from Lucy's father's own ironworks in Baltimore and the walls are built from local granite and fieldstone.
While the home is described in the listing as having a fairly modest four bedrooms and five bathrooms, back in its heyday it had 25 rooms, including servants' quarters.
Originally kitting out the likes of President Theodore Roosevelt and Amelia Earhart, Abercrombie eventually sold his share of the famous clothing company to his business partner Ezra Fitch in 1907, but he continued to work in manufacturing, even helping to outfit troops during the First World War.
By the time David and Lucy bought the estate, the area had become a popular place for prominent New Yorkers to build their country houses, and Elda must have seen its fair share of society parties.
Sadly, the glitz and glamour faded suddenly, when the family was hit by a string of tragedies...
Following its four-year construction, the Abercrombies lived together in their new castle for less than two years before their daughter, Lucy Jr, died in a chemical explosion at her father's factory in nearby Ossining. David followed her just two years later, dying of rheumatic fever in 1931.
Lucy left Elda to live with her eldest daughter in New Jersey, but the family's tragedy didn't end there and in 1937, David Jr was killed in a horse accident.
The castle, which had once been richly decorated with marble floors, stunning exposed beams and delicately arched windows, stood empty on and off until the family sold it in the 1940s.
Over the following decades, it passed from owner to owner, each of whom tried – and failed – to revive the grand old home. It reportedly last changed hands for $3.8 million (£3m) in 2011, but has been abandoned and vandalised since. In April 2022, a fire erupted at the house, damaging it further.
Interestingly, while time has undoubtedly taken its toll on Elda, this open courtyard was originally designed to look like a ruin. The spiral staircase leads to the castle's tower, completing its fairytale appearance, despite the ravages it has suffered.
Described as in need of "total renovation", the castle's crying out for a brave soul to turn a blind eye to its current state – and tragic past – and give it a bright new future.
Perched high on a hill above the town of Chattanooga, Tennessee, this mystery mansion has seen its fair share of scandal. The brainchild of entertainment tycoon Billy Hull, the opulent home was completed in 1972 – but it wouldn't be his home for long.
Three decades later, photographer Leland Kent from Abandoned Southeast captured striking images of the mansion in all its derelict glory.
So, what caused Hull to desert his dream home just a year after it was built?
Club owner Billy Hull’s vision was for a sprawling, tiki-style mansion complete with luxury marble bathrooms, mirrored lounges and the crowning glory: a huge swimming pool with tiled tunnels leading to the opulent bedroom suites.
He contracted architect Ed Ball to design the home, which took 14 months to build, and Billy celebrated its completion with an extravagant house party.
When the mansion was first built, this living space would have been impressive, with marble-clad walls framing grand floor-to-ceiling arched mirrors.
Money was no object for Hull and he planned to build the most opulent home Chattanooga had ever seen, encompassing 5,600 square feet, along with three bedrooms and four bathrooms.
The home was designed for entertaining and in the 12 months following its completion, the palatial property played host to numerous decadent celebrations.
Painted pastel pink with mirrored cabinets and gilded beams, the master bedroom had an Art Deco vibe, but despite the glitz and glamour, the space hid a sinister secret.
In May 1973, just a year after the house was finally finished, a man named Roland Hargis was killed as he left the Tradewinds Night Club in Chattanooga. Hargis had been allegedly having an affair with Billy’s wife, Gloria.
Larry Parker, a good friend of Billy’s, alleged that Hull had contracted him to carry out the revenge killing. Billy Hull was sentenced to 20 years in prison for his involvement. This was the first in a string of allegations, leading to Hull's eventual bankruptcy in the 1980s after a conviction for tax evasion. With no one left to run the party mansion, it fell into disrepair.
Sadly for the mysterious mansion, it proved to be as ill-fated as its former owner. While several families lived in the home after Hull was sent down, it was listed for sale in 2014 but no buyer could be found. The tiki palace, infamous and unwanted, fell into foreclosure and was eventually seized by the City of Chattanooga for unpaid taxes.
The fabled home was demolished in September 2017, but we wonder whether the ghost of Billy Hull – who died in 1989 – still wanders the site, dancing to music no one else can hear...
Deep in the wilds of Alabama's rural Mobile County once stood a Spanish Revival mansion with a fascinating tale to tell.
Dating back to 1914, the grand Outlaw House occupied a secluded spot away from the hustle and bustle – a detail that would've been particularly attractive to the residence's one-time owner.
Before it was destroyed by a fire in 2021, Mother Nature had begun to encroach on the regal home's living spaces. However, it's clear to see from these images captured by Leland Kent how grand the property would've been back in its heyday.
Around 1925, George Cabell Outlaw is said to have acquired the house in a poker game, but the intrigue doesn't end there...
To the outside world, George was a lawyer and business tycoon, who perhaps held high-society soirées in these elegant checkerboard-tiled halls.
However, according to archive records from the then-newly formed FBI – known as the Bureau of Investigation at that time – G C Outlaw was formerly an agent based in nearby Mobile.
While James Bond has gadgets and a catalogue of super-smart residences, Outlaw had his own state-of-the-art technology of the day – his house was the first in the area to have electricity, which was generated by a nearby dam.
It appears George moved into the property shortly after he left the FBI, but during his time with the Bureau, it seems he was on the frontlines of the fight against the Ku Klux Klan, investigating threats made by the white supremacist group.
Who knows what hushed secrets these walls were privy to. There was even rumoured to be an underground tunnel that connected the mansion to a structure across the street, though it's said to have since been filled in.
While many locals had hoped the grand old house would be restored, their dreams were dashed when a fire destroyed the upper floor in July 2021. The rest of the residence was damaged beyond repair and the Outlaw House, along with a neighbouring property, was demolished in December 2021.
After 109 years, this storied landmark home was irrevocably lost, but its fascinating history lives on.
Over on the East Coast in New York's scenic Catskill Mountains, Bryan Sansivero photographed this abandoned house before it eventually changed hands. Fascinating and frightful in equal measure, his images capture the property's spooky past life, and it's unlike anything we've seen before.
When Sansivero visited the house, insidious vines of ivy were reclaiming its impressive façade, defined by handsome double-fronted bays and an ornate front porch.
Built in 1925 in the Jacobean Revival style, it's not known why the property was abandoned all those years ago.
Inside, fluorescent yellow walls framed the hallway, though much of the paint was crumbling and peeling. Damp appeared to be rotting away the disconcerting Day-Glo hue – a somewhat unusual décor choice for a historic home in upstate New York.
The inspiration behind the vivid interior came sharply into focus in this vibrant bedroom, which featured vivid allusions to the circus. Bold primary colours, a yellow and purple harlequin border and a ceiling painted with an elaborate big top design completed the carnival aesthetic.
But the question remained, why the unusual decorations? Did a former circus troupe once reside here?
A curious rope handrail led to the property's upper level, while croquet balls were scattered across the stairs, as though to trip up anyone who dared to venture up.
Elsewhere, other unexplained features included a closet that concealed a painting of a bullfighter by Spanish artist Antonio Casero Sanz.
In July 2021, Sansivero revealed that since his visit, the house had been sold on and renovated. We wonder if the new owners kept any traces of its circus décor...
An elegant estate left to languish, Lynnewood Hall is one of the most magnificent Gilded Age mansions still standing in America.
While the neoclassical house is defined by its turbulent, tragic past, it's also hiding one or two secrets that are sure to leave you scratching your head.
Located in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, the sprawling 480-acre property was completed at the turn of the 20th century for Peter A B Widener following the death of his wife, Hannah, who passed away on board the family's yacht, a tragedy that would come to sadly mirror itself in later generations of the Widener family.
Noted architect Horace Trumbauer undertook the elaborate design, which is staggering in its scale and includes a few unexpected surprises.
The 70,000-square-foot limestone mansion, which encompasses a breathtaking 110 rooms, is thought to have cost Widener around $8 million to bring to life in 1900 – that would be about $293 million (£232m) today.
Aside from the 55 bedrooms and 20 bathrooms, the property's ballroom is said to be able to accommodate around 1,000 guests, while the double-height columned hall is nothing short of awe-inspiring.
Many of the home's original, ornate furnishings still adorn the dilapidated interior, including this regal guest room.
However, tragedy once again struck the palatial property. Peter A B Widener was an early investor in the HMS Titanic, and in a cruel twist of fate, his eldest son George and grandson Harry perished in the waves during the ship's ill-fated maiden voyage.
While the estate's sad history has been well-documented, it still harbours secrets that are only just coming to light...
Photographer Leland Kent recently discovered a mysterious subterranean tunnel while he was touring the property. Delving deep underground beneath the mansion and branching off in a maze of passageways, it doesn't appear to have been recorded before and it's not clear exactly what it was used for.
Luckily for the grand old house, it was bought by the Lynnewood Hall Preservation Foundation in June 2023, after nearly a decade on the market. While the final sale price was not revealed, the Foundation said that they had raised $9.5 million (£7.5m) to cover the purchase, as well as urgent stabilisation works.
Once the major restorations have been undertaken, the house and its massive estate will open to the public as a "cultural art centre and event space", the Foundation's executive director, Edward Thome, revealed to The Philadelphia Inquirer.
When it comes to peculiar properties, this empty mansion in California takes some beating. Once the home of Sarah Winchester, the heir to weapons manufacturing empire Winchester Repeating Arms, renovations on the property began in the late 19th century, though they were never completed.
However, the home's origins are much more humble than the extensive estate we see today.
Following her husband's death, Sarah bought up a modest farmhouse in San Jose and set about extending the residence in an altogether unusual way. The home swelled to mammoth proportions in the decades leading up to her death in 1922, growing to seven storeys and encompassing an eye-watering 160 rooms, including this magnificent ballroom with its parquet floors and ornately carved organ.
During the mansion's redesign, which was a continuous 36-year project, Sarah reportedly became obsessed with the number 13. She incorporated it in groupings throughout the house, from the number of treads on the staircase to the arms of the chandeliers and even the quantity of wood panels adorning the walls.
However, that's the least of the home's perplexing features...
Sarah's renovations became nonsensical, from labyrinthine passageways that meet dead ends to staircases to nowhere, the mansion's architecture is a riddle. In fact, when illusionist Harry Houdini visited in 1924, he declared it 'The Mystery House'.
But why go to these baffling lengths? According to legend, Sarah may have been haunted by the ghosts of those killed by the weapons her family produced. The chaotic corridors and false doors were reportedly intended to confuse the spirits that pursued her. In total, the house is said to have 2,000 doors.
Possibly the strangest house in America, one of the mansion's most extreme features is a door on one of the upper storeys that opens out onto an eight-foot-high drop, while elsewhere there's a room with a window set into the floor and even a room without a floor altogether.
Whether the house was a never-ending project to quell her heartache after her husband's passing or a maze to confuse malevolent spirits, we'll never know for sure.
It's not every day you come across a red turreted castle on the side of a road in New York.
The unusual structure was built in 1871 for Samuel and Jane Laurie, who'd emigrated from Scotland a few years previous. The couple moved to Auburn when Samuel accepted the position of superintendent at the Auburn Woolen Company – the firm built the castle, which overlooked the factory, as a gift for their new employee.
Designed by Nelson Hamblin to resemble a Scottish manor, stockholders spent a reported $7,000 on the three-storey castle – about $176,000 (£139k) in today's money.
Stretching 7,000 square feet, the reception rooms would've been regal spaces for entertaining. While this kitchen is a forlorn shadow of its former self, the wood panelling gives a hint of its former grandeur.
Sadly, Samuel lost his wife, Jane, who passed away in the house from influenza in 1890. Her funeral took place at the property, which was said to have been filled with throngs of mourners, eager to pay their respects.
More severe blows were to come, as the financial crisis just three years later saw Samuel lose the house too. Some speculate that this spate of bad luck is behind the peculiar occurrences that are said to plague the house.
There's certainly no shortage of eerie spaces for ghouls to hide out in, from the myriad of twisting staircases to the dark, ominous basement that lies below the house.
After standing empty for some time, the castle was put up for sale in 2020. Ahead of the auction, which fittingly ended "just before midnight" on Halloween, the realtors had a paranormal investigation conducted. In a teaser video, they appear to capture ghostly happenings in the house and lingering spectres.
The brave new owner bought the castle with a winning bid of $335,000 (£266k), plus an auction buyer's charge, bringing the total price paid to $368,500 (£292k). Whatever the truth behind the ghostly goings-on there, we'd call that a bargain.
Posed on a bank in Auburn as though plucked from the Highlands, the 19th-century castle is something of a perplexing sight for those travelling through the city.
Who knows if there's any credence to the rumours of its ghostly guests – perhaps the new owner has managed to unlock the secrets of this mysterious mansion...
At first glance, this neo-Gothic structure looks like something straight out of a fairytale, with its towering turrets, lancet windows, battlements and sweeping archways.
However, shrouded in intrigue and ghostly goings-on, there's no happily ever after to be found at this unsettling estate, known locally as the Castle of Sorrow.
Tucked away on a thousand acres in New York's scenic Catskill Mountains, the medieval-inspired mansion was the lifelong dream of wealthy heir Ralph Wurts-Dundas.
Sadly, he passed away in 1921 before the project was finished and never saw the castle he'd dreamt of since childhood brought to life.
A year after his death, Ralph's wife, Josephine, was committed to a psychiatric hospital and in 1924, construction ceased on the partially built property, though some of the grand spaces look to have been near completion, like this room with its carved hearth – captured here by photographer Walter Arnold, who documented the castle in all its faded grandeur on his YouTube channel.
After ownership passed to the couple's daughter, Muriel, the castle's bad luck still seemed to follow the family and she was later committed to a psychiatric hospital too.
After Muriel's death in 1949, a branch of Freemasons moved in and the castle is thought to have been used as a retreat of sorts by the secretive group.
Abandoned since the 1970s, the once elaborate spread is a shell of its former grandeur, with crumbling plaster, encroaching damp and debris-strewn floors. However, the influence of the family is still said to linger across the estate...
According to local legend, the ghost of Josephine Wurts-Dundas is rumoured to wander the castle and its grounds. It's even said that on a full moon, the ponds on the acreage turn to blood.
Whatever the truth behind the tragic tale of this abandoned stately home, we can't say we'd want to hang around for long.
Shrouded in trees in the New York city of Auburn stands this enchanting Victorian mansion with more than an air of mystery about it. Built by local philanthropist James Sheldon Seymour in 1861, the remarkable sprawling residence made headlines in 2019 when it was listed for a suspiciously low sum, causing buyers to speculate about the skeletons hiding in its closets.
With its Gothic Revival tower, arched windows and intricate brickwork, the façade is an architectural marvel befitting of the Addams family. No expense was spared on the construction, while architect John W Venderbosch oversaw the breathtaking design.
Encompassing three storeys, plus an acre of grounds and a carriage house, the empty estate was one of Auburn's landmark residences back in its heyday.
Inside, it's clear to see the property's architectural beauty. From the carved stone fireplace to the intricate built-in wooden cabinetry and the gilded cornicing that encircles this reception room, the mansion would've dazzled New York's high society in centuries past.
Featuring a floor plan of epic proportions, the house sprawls across almost 6,000 square feet of living space, including 10 bedrooms and five bathrooms.
It's no wonder that the Victorian mansion turned heads when it went up for sale with Michael DeRosa Exchange in December 2019 – and sold – for a mere $50,000 (£39.6k).
While some spaces, like this cavernous, crumbling attic room, looked to be in need of more remedial work than others, preservationists at the time said the house would be relatively straightforward to revive.
So why the dirt-cheap price tag? Prospective buyers speculated that the property may come with one or two ghostly houseguests given its storied history. We wonder if the new owner has encountered any friendly phantoms...
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