She heard a creak in the stairs. “It happened after my dad died. It was as if someone was walking up the stairs in the middle of the night, but everyone was asleep except for me,” senior Vanessa Saiz said. “Then I heard a knock at the door.”

     According to history.com, ghost stories began in the first century AD, brought to life with vivid, detailed writing. In 1824, one of the first ghost stories (written by Sir Walter Scott) centered around a poltergeist reported at a German farmhouse.

     “I feel spooked about ghosts. I feel like I can sense different types of energies when entering a building or like a new space, so it actually just depends on the energy we feel to determine if ghosts are scary or not,” senior Indigo Russell said.

     One of the earliest historic American ghost stories begins with Benjamin Franklin. Beginning in the late 19th century, Franklin’s ghost was sighted near the library of the American Philosophical Society in Philadelphia, PA. Some reports state that the statue of Franklin still comes to life and dances in the streets.

     “I believe that ghosts can be created for different reasons such as once a person dies and they die having regrets or they just don’t want to die yet then that’s when I think they linger around and sometimes haunt places that meant most to them,” Russell said.

     History.com also reports the ghost of Abraham Lincoln, who was killed by an assassin’s bullet in April of 1865. Lincoln is said to have been seen wandering near the old Springfield capitol building as well as his nearby law offices. First Ladies, queens, and prime ministers have reported seeing the ghost or feeling the presence of Lincoln particularly during the administration of Franklin D. Roosevelt.

     “To me ghosts are very scary, I believe in ghosts but not the energy that they give off. I feel like every ghost is a bad ghost,” Saiz said.

     Although many stories on ghost and paranormal activity sightings are told, not all people believe the stories are true. 

     “I don’t believe in ghosts. I think they are fake because ghosts can’t touch you or harm you, so why believe in something bad and scary if it can’t do you any harm?” senior Jonah Ugues said

     Ways to experience paranormal activity could be by a ghost tour. A ghost tour is an organized event which allows participants to learn more about the haunted history of a particular location. Ghost tours include different types of tours, ranging from family-friendly haunted tours to terrifying paranormal investigation tours. 

     Located in Charlotte, NC, Carolina History & Haunts Charlotte Ghost Tour guides people through uptown Charlotte with lanterns telling the stories and haunts of local history. The price for the ghost tour cost 15 dollars and the tours require a minimum of four attendees. For more information the website is https://www.carolinahistoryandhaunts.com/charlotte-home

     “Halloween is such a fun holiday and scary things such as ghosts and paranormal activity give a lot more fun to the day, ” Ugues said.