Haunted Places in Delaware: 10 Sites With Real History

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The best-documented haunted places in Delaware are Fort Delaware, a Civil War prison on Pea Patch Island where roughly 2,400 to 2,500 Confederate prisoners died, the colonial houses of New Castle, and a handful of coastal and Revolutionary War sites. Below are 10 haunted places in Delaware, each split into what the record supports and what is only told as legend. Most ghost stories here come from local historical societies, tour operators, and paranormal websites, not independent documentation, and we say so wherever that is the case.

Quick answer if you're short on time: The easiest haunted places in Delaware to visit are the Amstel House and the Old Court House in New Castle, the Old State House in Dover, the Cannonball House in Lewes, and Fort Delaware by seasonal ferry. Woodburn is the governor's residence, and the Addy Sea is a working inn, so treat both as places to look at from outside unless you have a booking.

1. Fort Delaware (Pea Patch Island, Delaware City)

Fort Delaware stands on Pea Patch Island in the Delaware River. The Delaware Public Archives marker says the federal government built it in the mid-1800s as a coastal defense fort and that Union forces held more than 33,000 Confederate prisoners and political detainees there during the Civil War. The same marker puts the number who died at about 2,400, many of them buried at Finn's Point National Cemetery in New Jersey. Other sources give about 2,500, so treat the total as an approximate figure, not an exact one. Delaware took over the fort after two world wars, and citizens' advocacy through the Fort Delaware Society helped turn it into a state park in 1951. The ghost stories come later and come from books, television, and tour operators. A “Lady in Black” is said to haunt the kitchen, and a Confederate general is said to walk near the powder magazine. The SyFy series Ghost Hunters filmed there in 2008, but a TV episode is not evidence. A University of Delaware library note on the folklore describes the sightings as tales, with no verifying witnesses.

Can you visit: Yes, as a state park reached by a seasonal passenger ferry from Delaware City. Confirm the current schedule and tickets before you plan the trip, since the ferry does not run year-round.

2. Amstel House (New Castle)

New Castle began as a Dutch fort in 1651, and the Amstel House is an early Georgian mansion built in the 1730s. Concerned citizens bought it in 1931, which Wikipedia calls the town's first formal preservation effort, and that group became the New Castle Historical Society. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. The ghost story is the “Woman in Blue,” seen in upstairs windows, whose identity nobody knows. The society's director told a local radio station that paintings and mirrors have been found neatly placed on the floor with their hooks still in the wall. By his own account, every story on the society's tours came from homeowners or business owners in town. That makes this tale a told story, not a recorded event.

Can you visit: Yes, as a historic house museum. It is also a stop on the October “Hauntings in History” ghost walks, so check dates and book ahead.

3. New Castle Court House (New Castle)

The court house was built in 1732 over the remains of a 1680s courthouse, and it served as the meeting place of the colonial assembly until 1777. On June 15, 1776, the Delaware Assembly voted here to separate from Great Britain and from Pennsylvania. Its cupola was fixed as the center of the 12-mile circle that gives Delaware its curved northern border. It is a National Historic Landmark and part of the Delaware State Museums. We found no specific ghost story tied to the building, though it sits in the middle of a town known for them. It belongs here for the history, which is real.

Can you visit: Yes, as a state museum. Confirm current hours.

4. Woodburn, the Governor's House (Dover)

Charles Hillyard III bought the land at a sheriff's sale and built the house in 1790. Governor Jacob Stout rented it in 1820, the first time it served as an executive residence. Quaker abolitionist Daniel Cowgill, who owned it from 1825, is said to have freed his family's slaves and let them meet in the great hall. The state secured the house in 1965, and it was listed on the National Register in 1972. The Delaware Public Archives, in a short 2010 post, mentions the “tippling ghost” that is said to help itself to guests' drinks. DNREC and other sites tie the ghost to the builder, Charles Hillyard III. This is folklore passed along without a documented first-hand source.

Can you visit: Not as a regular attraction. It is the governor's official residence, so look from public property and do not assume access.

5. Cannonball House (Lewes)

The house at 118 Front Street dates to 1765, and a cannonball from the British bombardment of Lewes on April 6 and 7, 1813 is still lodged in its brick foundation. It now houses the Lewes Historical Society's maritime museum. The legend, as told by a regional tourism site, is that a family member named Susan died when her skirts caught fire at the hearth. People say that a door will not stay shut even when it is nailed closed, and that tools move overnight. We found no record naming Susan or dating her death, so this is a story and not a fact.

Can you visit: Yes, as a seasonal museum. Check the Lewes Historical Society for current days.

6. Cape Henlopen State Park and Fort Miles (Lewes)

Fort Miles, in what is now Cape Henlopen State Park, was a World War II coastal defense post, and concrete observation towers were built along the Delaware shore in the early 1940s to direct its guns. The fort never saw combat, and the towers have been abandoned since the early 1960s. The ghost story attaches to a bunker near Spotting Tower 12: a soldier's face reported in videos, growling with no animal tracks, and odd sounds. A Rehoboth visitor guide also lists pirate legends of Captain Kidd and Blackbeard guarding buried treasure. We found these reports only on ghost-listing sites and tourism write-ups, so they belong on the legend side.

Can you visit: Yes, it is a state park with an entry fee, and the WWII area is open for exploring. Stay out of any fenced or closed structures, and check which towers are open.

7. The Addy Sea (Bethany Beach)

John M. Addy, one of the Pittsburgh businessmen who founded Bethany Beach, built the house in 1902. It was the fourth of five houses he built and the first with indoor plumbing, and it became a guest house in 1935. It was moved twice in the 1920s because of the threat of storm surge, and it is now an oceanfront inn. Ghost-listing sites say the tub in Room 1 shakes, organ music drifts from Room 6, and Addy's son Kurtz, who fell from the roof, runs the halls. The inn's own website mentions no ghosts, and we could not independently confirm the story of Kurtz. Treat the tales as lore from paranormal sites.

Can you visit: Only as a guest. It is a working adults-only inn, so confirm current availability and rules before booking, and do not wander the property.

8. Cooch's Bridge (Newark)

The Battle of Cooch's Bridge, fought on September 3, 1777, was the only significant military action on Delaware soil during the Revolution. Continental troops under William Maxwell ambushed an advance guard of Hessian dragoons, and the British and Hessian side won. Some traditions say it was the first battle under the Stars and Stripes, which is disputed. The ghost is a headless soldier who walks the road on foggy, moonless nights, said to be a British soldier or an American named Charlie Miller. The story is old enough to appear in a 1910 Newark Post article, and a painting called The Ghost of Cooch's Bridge is in the Pencader Heritage Museum's collection. Old does not make it true, though, and nobody has verified the soldier's identity. Note too that the account has an oddity: the Americans had no cannon, so a cannonball decapitation would have been friendly fire.

Can you visit: The battlefield area is a historic district with private property, so use public roads and check the events of the local heritage groups.

9. Old State House (Dover)

The brick Georgian building went up between 1787 and 1792. It served as the Kent County courthouse from 1722 to 1873, according to Wikipedia, and as the seat of Delaware's state government from 1792 to 1932. It stands on The Green, near where Delaware ratified the U.S. Constitution on December 7, 1787, which earned the state the title “the First State.” It was restored to its original look in 1976 and is run as a museum by the state. We found no documented ghost reports. It is here because Dover's haunted lore, including Woodburn, begins on the same few blocks.

Can you visit: Yes, as a free state museum. Confirm current hours.

10. The Old Library (New Castle)

The hexagonal brick Old Library opened in mid-October 1892 for the New Castle Library Company, on land bought in 1890. Philadelphia's Frank Furness firm designed it, though the credit is sometimes given to William Camac of that office. It served as the town library until 1965 and is now leased to the New Castle Historical Society as a museum and meeting place. Some haunted-places lists include it among New Castle's spooky buildings. We could not find a specific named ghost or dated account. It is on this list for its architecture and for the town it belongs to.

Can you visit: Yes, as a museum run by the historical society. Confirm current hours.

What's Actually Verifiable

Across these haunted places in Delaware, the dates, buildings, and battles are documented. The ghosts mostly are not. About 2,400 to 2,500 Confederate prisoners died at Fort Delaware, but the sightings there come from books, television, and tours. The Woman in Blue, the tippling ghost, Susan at the Cannonball House, and the headless soldier of Cooch's Bridge are all stories passed down locally. Delaware is a small state, and its famous ghost stories cluster in a few old towns. We found about eight sites with solid history and a ghost story attached, plus two that are here mainly for their history.

Visiting Haunted Places in Delaware Responsibly

Haunted places in Delaware include a state park on an island, a governor's residence, a working inn, and museums. Stay on public property, book official tours, and do not enter closed bunkers, towers, or private yards. Trespassing is illegal, and the cemeteries and battlefields here are memorials. For neighboring states, see our guides to haunted places in Maryland, haunted places in New Jersey, and haunted places in Pennsylvania. Another regional legend is covered in our piece on the Jersey Devil of the Pine Barrens. For the wider American picture, see our guide to haunted places in the United States and our list of real haunted places you can actually visit on Halloween.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Fort Delaware really haunted?

Fort Delaware is the best-known haunted place in Delaware, but the evidence is stories, not proof. Roughly 2,400 to 2,500 Confederate prisoners died there during the Civil War, which is documented. The Lady in Black and other sightings come from books, tours, and a 2008 television episode. Nothing independent confirms them, so treat them as legend.

How many prisoners died at Fort Delaware?

The Delaware Public Archives marker says about 2,400 Confederate prisoners died at Fort Delaware, while other sources give about 2,500. The difference reflects how the records were counted. More than 33,000 prisoners and detainees passed through the fort, and many of the dead were buried at Finn's Point National Cemetery in New Jersey.

What is the most haunted place in Delaware?

There is no objective ranking of haunted places in Delaware. Fort Delaware, the Amstel House, Woodburn, and the Cannonball House are among the most promoted, and Fort Delaware has the most documented history behind it. Treat any “most haunted” label as marketing, since the ghosts are unproven and the history is what can be checked.

Can you visit Fort Delaware?

Yes, but only by a seasonal passenger ferry from Delaware City, so it is not open year-round. The site is a state park and a living-history museum. Ferry schedules, tickets, and any October paranormal tours change from year to year, so confirm them with the park before you plan a trip, because tours have been reported to sell out far ahead.

Can you tour the Delaware Governor's Mansion, Woodburn?

Not as a regular attraction. Woodburn is the official residence of Delaware's governor, so it is not a museum you can walk into. The “tippling ghost” story is folklore, and the building's documented history, including its 1790 construction by Charles Hillyard III, is the part you can verify. Look from public property and check state announcements for any special events.

Is it legal to explore abandoned haunted places in Delaware?

Not without permission. Entering a closed bunker, tower, or private land without the owner's consent is trespassing, and state parks have posted hours and closed areas. The legal ways to see these sites are public visiting hours and official tours, which also give you better history than a flashlight and a dare.