Newport’s Haunted Belcourt Castle

As I wrote about in “Haunt Jaunts Was Here: Rhode Island,” the trolley we were desperate to catch so we could make it back to the dock in time to get a tender back to the ship came just as I spotted the sign for Belcourt Castle. It was just down the street from us…so close yet so far away.

I was really kicking myself the rest of the day that I’d been right there and didn’t even so much as get a photo of it. But, like I stated in the above mentioned article, a most amazing thing happened.

RHODE ISLAND TOURISM TO THE RESCUE

Shortly after we got back from our trip I got an email from a PR person representing Rhode Island Tourism. She wondered if I had any interest in the haunts of Newport, including Belcourt Castle.

I explained we’d just been to Newport and how much I’d loved it, but how much I regretted not getting a picture of Belcourt Castle.

That was quickly remedied. She not only sent over pictures, but some information about both Newport and Belcourt Castle too. (Portions of which I copied and pasted below.)

A LITTLE BACKGROUND ON NEWPORT’S HISTORY

Newport, RI, was founded in 1690. Today it still has the highest number of surviving colonial buildings of any city in the United States. Included in these old buildings are the ghost tales that come with them.

By the turn of the 20th century, many of the nation’s wealthiest families were summering in Newport, including the Vanderbilts, Astors and the Widener family. One of the most haunted locations that has been reported in Newport is the Belcourt Castle, founded by Oliver Hazard Perry Belmont, a wealthy American socialite and United States Representative from New York in 1894.

HOW TO EXPERIENCE BELCOURT CASTLE’S GHOSTS

A Ghost Tour is among the types of tours Belcourt Castle offers. (Other tours include the Guided Tour, Candlelight Tour, and Murder Mystery Tour.) The Ghost Tour allows spectators to view the residence while learning about the Castle’s haunted history.

People have reported many hauntings at the Belcourt Castle, some of which are listed below. In October Belcourt Castle hosted the Dracula Ballet. No word yet on how the ghosts enjoyed the performances.

And if you have any inclination to get married in a beautiful haunted location, the Castle can accomodate you.

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY REPORTED IN BELCOURT CASTLE

• Belcourt Castle ­Chapel ­ – At the Chapel there is a statue of a monk. Before it was placed in the chapel, it was near the stairs. Those going through the house sometimes report seeing a man dressed as a monk near the stairs. He hasn’t been there seen since he was moved to the chapel.
• Belcourt Castle ­ Gothic Ballroom – ­ There are two chairs that have been reported to have spirits in them. Many have reported feeling cold and prickly feelings in their hands when placing them close. Others have reported feeling resistance or actually being thrown out of the chairs when trying to sit. There is also a suit of armor in the Gothic ballroom whose owner died when a spear went through the eye slot. He can be heard screaming in and around March, at the time of his death.

Courtney Mroch

Courtney Mroch is a globe-trotting restless spirit who’s both possessed by wanderlust and the spirit of adventure, and obsessed with true crime, horror, the paranormal, and weird days. Perhaps it has something to do with her genes? She is related to occult royalty, after all. Marie Laveau, the famous Voodoo practitioner of New Orleans, is one of her ancestors. (Yes, really! As explained here.) That could also explain her infatuation with skeletons.

Speaking of mystical, to learn how Courtney channeled her battle with cancer to conjure up this site, check out HJ’s Origin Story.