Seattle's Real-Life Ghosts and Ghouls

Seattle's first settlers arrived in 1851 so much of the oldest history of the city isn't actually that old. The European and American arrivals moved in and essentially built much of the city's waterfront right on top of the ancient burial ground of the Native Americans who had been living at the site for a few thousand years. An auspicious beginning... like something right out of the script for POLTERGEIST!

This city has some ghosts, both literally and figuratively, and many of them are less than 100 years old. If you don't find all the Halloween trappings to be all that scary, here's are some real life creepy places and people to check out! Haunted buildings, real-life ghouls and more are there just waiting to be explored... if you dare...

thirteen killed in Chinatown in 1983

On February 18, 1983 three gunmen walked into an illegal gambling den in Seattle's Chinatown and gunned down fourteen people in their attempt to rob the establishment. Thirteen died but one survived and successfully testified against the gunmen.

The site still stands to this day. Due to Chinese superstitions, nothing has been done other than to seal up the building, and the outside was repainted. The inside, believed to be infested with the ghosts of those who died, is exactly as it was after the murders. Visitors to the discrete alleyway can even walk up to the window right next to the entryway and take a peek through the dusty glass, alongside bullet holes in the front facade.

Seattle offers up a variety of educational and entertaining ghost and murder tours. You get to explore the dark side, sometimes on foot and sometimes in a van. Bring a flashlight, good walking shoes, and a healthy sense of curiosity. And maybe a friend or two.

Lakeview Cemetery is the final resting place of famous and infamous and ordinary Seattlites alike. For some of them, especially the early city founders, this was potentially their 4th resting place as many of Seattle's first cemeteries were actually located downtown and those were closed and all the bodies moved to new cemeteries. Then that real estate was rezoned for development and the bodies got moved again... And then again.

Princess Angelique, daughter of Chief Seattle, has a grave at Lakeview but some people doubt she's really there. The Native American daughter spent most of her adult and senior life at Pike Place Market and her ghost is still sighted by people there. Some feel she was actually buried there, some think just her spirit is still there.

When kung-fu movie star Bruce Lee died, his widow Linda returned to her native Seattle and had him buried in Lakeview. The two of them had met when Lee was enrolled at the University of Washington. After son Brandon Lee's freak death on the set of the horror movie THE CROW, he was buried next to his father.

What freaks you out more: non-corporeal creepy (ghosts) or corporeal creepy (real-life murderous ghouls)?