Category Archives: History

It’s a BOO-tiful day in the Neighborhood!

Happy Halloween from The Storage Inn of EHT

It’s late October here at The Storage Inn in Egg Harbor Township New Jersey, and Halloween is here! As the leaves begin to fall, we find our storage customers bustling about retrieving their last minute Halloween home and party decorations and costumes from their storage space.

Yesterday I saw one of our tenants at her storage space digging through Halloween items as her preteen daughter ran around her dressed as a ghost, making spooky noises. “Hey Stephanie” I yelled to her – “you’re being haunted!”. “I’ve been haunted by this one since the day she was born” Stephanie replied laughingly.

As I drove back to the storage rental office I was thinking about the stories I had heard of places that were supposedly haunted. In South Jersey we have many places including well known spots including the Pine Barrens and the Victorian City of Cape May that have this reputation. It made me wonder about the rest of the United States, and where the most haunted areas happen to be.

We’ve compiled a list of the 10 most haunted cities in America according to travelandleisure.com…

1. New Orleans, Louisiana 

New Orleans is one of the country’s most haunted cities. Stories include churches haunted by the spirits of former priests, soldiers who died but never truly passed on, and homes filled with ghosts – not to mention all the vampire stories. Notable ghosts include author William Faulkner, Andrew Jackson, and pirate Jean Lafitte. Old Absinthe House, open since the early 1800’s, is supposedly haunted by Voodoo practitioner Marie Laveau. St. Louis Cemetery is said to be haunted by hundreds of ghosts! These are just a few of the many spooky spots in New Orleans.

2. Chicago, Illinois  

Nederlander Theatre was the site of a tragic fire killing hundreds in 1903, and some say the alley behind the theater is still haunted by those unfortunate patrons. The site of the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, often attributed to Al Capone, reportedly has some residual paranormal energy too.

3. Savannah, Georgia

Savannah, Georgia, is often ranked among the most haunted cities in the USA. Visitors to Savannah can opt to stay at an allegedly haunted hotel and eat at the restaurants still frequented by spirits that never fully left the earthly realm. The Moon River Brewing Company has been featured on both Ghost Adventures and Ghost Hunters. Guests have reported seeing a lady in white on the stairs and spirits have been known to mess with the staff. The Pirates’ House restaurant was once a boarding house popular among sailors. Some say that their spirits still visit the restaurant today. Finally, The Marshall House is known as one of the most haunted hotels in the country. It was  a hospital during the Civil War and yellow fever epidemics. Guests have reported seeing apparitions in the hallways and hearing ghost children running down the halls at night, among other mysterious things.

4. St. Augustine, Florida

The oldest city in the U.S. is bound to have a residual spirit or two, and lucky for paranormal seekers, St. Augustine is a hotbed of ghost activity. The St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum is one of the historic city’s hot spots, supposedly haunted by girls who drowned there in the 1870s. Visitors have also reported paranormal experiences at Castle Warden, a Moorish-style home built in the 1880s that now houses the first permanent Ripley’s Believe It or Not! museum, established in 1950. The city has several other haunted locations; you can explore the darker side of St. Augustine on a ghost tour — some even bring along EMF meters to track paranormal activity.

5. Portland, Oregon

Portland, Oregon is one of the best destinations for ghost hunters. The Shanghai Tunnels are perhaps the most notoriously haunted site in the city — in the late 1800s, the city was a major international port, and underground tunnels were created to transport (often illegal) goods across Portland. According to local lore, residents hanging out at local bars were kidnapped and taken through the tunnels to waiting ships, never to be seen again. Some say the victims’ souls still haunt the bars above ground.

6. Gettysburg, Pennsylvania 

The site of the Civil War’s bloodiest battle is regarded as one of the world’s most haunted places. Some report seeing the ghosts of soldiers on the battlefield. Inns and a farm in the area are haunted, too, according to the Travel Channel. Visitors can take a ghost tour to learn more about the history of Gettysburg and the tragic spirits still said to wander these grounds.

7. Washington, D.C.

Many say the White House is one of the most haunted houses in the U.S., haunted by the ghosts of former residents. President Lincoln’s ghost has been spotted in the Lincoln Bedroom; President William Henry Harrison, who died in the White House, is said to have returned in the afterlife; and first ladies Dolly Madison and Abigail Adams supposedly still linger, tending to the home. D.C. ghost tours take visitors through other allegedly haunted locations, including the National Building Museum, the Congressional Cemetery, and official government buildings.

8. San Francisco, California

San Francisco is one of the most haunted cities in the U.S. – China Camp State Park, the USS Hornet, and the Mare Island Naval Shipyard are all said to be haunted, but the number one San Francisco hot spot has to be Alcatraz. According to the Travel Channel, there are a few ghosts still lurking in the infamous prison, but the spirit of Al Capone is perhaps the most notorious — some say you can still hear him playing his favorite banjo tunes.

9. Salem, Massachusetts 

Salem, Massachusetts, is said to be one of the most haunted cities in the U.S. Some say the ghosts of those killed during the Salem Witch trials still linger in Salem to this day — Lyceum Hall is allegedly haunted by the first victim of the trials, Bridget Bishop, according to Atlas Obscura, and Howard Street Cemetery is haunted by Giles Corey, who was tortured to death after being accused of witchcraft. You can learn more about Salem’s spooky side on one of the many ghost tours offered.

10. San Antonio, Texas

San Antonio is considered one of the most haunted places in Texas because of the city’s history. The Battle of the Alamo led to thousands of casualties, and Alamo visitors and employees have reported seeing the ghosts of soldiers and hearing mysterious rally cries. The nearby Emily Morgan Hotel is one of the country’s most haunted hotels, too. The property was once a hospital, and some guests now report seeing the apparition of a woman in white in the halls. 

So, there you have it, courtesy of The Storage Inn – 10 places that you can visit to scare yourself. By the way…Who knew Al Capone played the banjo?!?

Happy Halloween!

Remembering Pearl Harbor

Remembering Pearl Harbor

December is here at The Storage Inn of Egg Harbor Township New Jersey – The Thanksgiving leftovers are gone, and the kids are now waiting for Santa!

The holidays are a busy time at our self storage facility. Storage customers shuttle in and out from their storage units, retrieving holiday decorations, and hiding gifts for the big day.

One of our wonderful customers, Jodi, stopped in today. Jody is stationed at our local Air Force Base, and reminded me that there is one other very important date that tends to get lost in the shuffle between Thanksgiving and Christmas. A Day which will live in Infamy.

PEARL HARBOR HEADLINE 1941.
The front page of the Los Angeles Times, 8 December 1941, announcing the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor the previous day.

The attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii stunned everyone in the United States. War was declared on Japan the very next day, leading to America entering World War II.

Here are a few things you might not know about the attack that both started and in a certain sense ended a war.

Prepping for Battle

Planning for the attack began in early 1941. The Japanese adapted equipment and gathered intelligence. The plan was approved on November 5, 1941.

The goal of the attack was to demoralize America so that they would give in to Japanese interests. Unfortunately, they vastly underestimated America’s ability to recover and mobilize for war.

Weekend Warriors

The attack on Pearl Harbor was on a Sunday. The Japanese specifically chose to attack on a Sunday because they thought the Americans would be more relaxed and less vigilant on a weekend.

When the attack began, most of the U.S. servicemen were still in their pajamas or eating breakfast.

Hiding in Plain Sight

The Japanese attack force, consisting of six aircraft carriers, stationed itself 230 miles north of the Hawaiian island of Oahu. The attack lasted 110 minutes from 7:55 a.m until 9:45 a.m.

Waves of Destruction

The Japanese aircraft attacked in two waves, launching approximately 45 minutes apart. 353 planes were launched by the Japanese. Only 29 were destroyed.

U.S. servicemen identified the planes as Japanese because of the “meatballs,” which is what they called the large, red circle (Rising Sun) on the side of Japanese aircraft.

Lightning Strikes

Japanese Commander Mitsuo Fuchida called out “Tora! Tora! Tora!” an abbreviation of “totsugeki raigeki” (突 撃雷撃) which means “lightning attack”, signifying to the Japanese Navy that they had successfully caught the Americans by surprise.

Poor Planning

The primary intended target of the attack were the United States aircraft carriers, which fortunately were not stationed at the base.

While the Japanese attacked the ships at the Pearl Harbor Naval Base and the airplanes at Hickam field, they left the repair facilities, submarine base, and fuel oil storage areas unharmed.

There had been a planned third strike to return and destroy those facilities. However, a third strike would have required a night landing, which was deemed too risky. Yamamoto later regretted not ordering the third strike.

Bombs and Battleships

All eight battleships that were at Pearl Harbor were sunk or damaged during the attack. Amazingly, all but the Arizona and the Oklahoma were able to return to active duty. That’s what they get for not destroying the repair facilities.

After it was torpedoed, the Oklahoma turned upside down. The Arizona exploded after a bomb breached its forward magazine (i.e. the ammunition room), resulting in the deaths of 1,100 U.S servicemen who were on board, accounting for nearly half of all American fatalities.

Run For It !

During the attack, the Nevada left its berth and attempted to make it to the harbor entrance, but came under such heavy fire that it ended up beaching itself to avoid blocking the way out.

Mini Subs

As additional support for their airplanes, the Japanese also sent five mini subs to help target the battleships.

The Americans destroyed four of them and captured the fifth. Because of a broken compass, they ended up hitting a reef three times and had to abandon ship after it ran aground.

The Price of Miscalculation

The attack was unexpected, as many military experts believed that the Japanese would first target U.S. bases in the Philippines and had drastically underestimated the Japanese Navy, thinking they could not mount more than one naval operation at a time.

Infamous Date

In the wake of the attack, Franklin D. Roosevelt gave his famous speech to Congress describing the events as the “date that will live in infamy.” The speech originally read, “a day that will live on in world history.” Roosevelt changed it at the last minute to “infamy”.

Won the Battle – Lost the War

Japanese Admiral Hara Tadaichi summed up the operation by saying, “We won a great tactical victory at Pearl Harbor and thereby lost the war.” As a direct consequence of Pearl Harbor, the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were destroyed by atomic bombs, ending the war in 1945.

Failed Delivery

Admiral Yamamoto allegedly wanted the attack to occur a half hour after a formal declaration of war, but the 5,000 word notification delivered to the Japanese Embassy in Washington took so long to process, that the Japanese ambassador failed to deliver it in time.

Because there was no official warning or declaration of war, the attack on Pearl Harbor was later deemed to be a war crime by an international military tribunal.

A Moment of Reflection on December 7th

The attack on Pearl Harbor shook the world, so on December 7th, take a momentary time out from your holiday festivities to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice.