5 Truly Terrifying Ghost Stories That Prove St. Augustine Is The Most Haunted City In Florida

Castillo de San Marcos, or "The Old Fort" was build in 1672, making it the only currently standing 17th-century fort in North America. It has seen many bloody battles, so it's no surprise that it's supposedly a hub for paranormal activity. Locals have reported several phenomena, including a watchtower light that turns on by itself, orbs floating about in the sky above the fort, strange sensations in the dungeon like goosebumps, cold winds, and physical sickness, and even sightings of a uniformed soldier.

During the early 20th-century, bootleggers used to bring alcohol on shore and spend the night in the inn with it in their possession. Law enforcement was cracking down heavily on these outlaws, so they had to become increasingly more sneaky with their smuggling--which was a difficult task indeed. The old woman who owned the inn was going through financial hardship, so she decided to aid the bootleggers to make more money. She notified them when it wasn't safe to come on shore by waving a lantern in an upstairs window. Locals say that if you walk past the inn at night, you'll see the very same lantern shining as bright as can be--only now, there's nobody holding it.

Hospitals in general are sad, scary places that are associated with paranormal activity due to all the sickness and death, so you can imagine how haunted the hospitals in the oldest city in America must be. The Spanish Military hospital was built in the late 18th-century and reconstructed about 50 years later. When workers knocked down the walls, nothing could've prepared them for what they found; piles of bones arranged in ritualistic patterns indicative of the ancient Timucuan Indian tribe. This finding, combined with all the war-torn, troubled souls who passed away in the hospital, provide a perfect explanation for what the staff members called an "evil" and "frightening" presence watching over them all day long.

The "Old Jail" was home to thousands of prisoners during its 60 years of operation. The living conditions were some of the worst imaginable. The inmates were not allowed baths, their beds were constructed from Spanish moss (which often got infested with bugs), and there was no air conditioning, making summers and winters practically unbearable. Many lost their lives here due to sickness and execution. The prison is open to the public for tours, so if you're brave enough, you can experience firsthand what many tourists have reported: a sweet smell, resembling that of molasses, hanging in the air, barking dogs believed to be the spectral hounds of a sheriff who used to guard the cells, the eerie sound of tunes being hummed and footsteps followed by the distinct clinking and dragging of chains on the ground.