Spooky Season is in full swing, and while we may be safe from ghosts haunting our virtual offices, we still love a good ghost story. A recent company poll revealed that more than half of our team respondents believe in ghosts, with several of them divulging that they have even had a personal ghost encounter! So, inspired by a recent Washington Post article about the most haunted building in Washington (the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, allegedly), we decided to dig up some office hauntings of our own. These stories give us one more reason to be grateful we are fully remote – and have nothing spooky lurking in our home offices (we hope)!

The Empire State Building (NY, NY)

Have you ever visited this iconic landmark? On the observation deck, did you see anyone mysteriously appearing? Employees, security guards, and visitors alike have reported seeing a woman in 1940s style clothing, hair, and makeup on the observation deck. She is assumed to be the ghost of Evelyn McHale, who sadly died by suicide at the Empire State Building in 1947. In addition to this tragedy, many accidents happened during the construction of the building during the 1930’s, resulting in at least 5 deaths. The unexplained noises and strange cold drafts you might encounter there could be one of these victims still lingering.

The Bank of England (London, England)

Established in 1694, the Bank of England is one of the oldest financial institutions in the world, and reportedly, one of the most haunted. The most famous ghost said to roam its halls is Sarah Whitehead (she even has her own Wikipedia article!), known as the “Black Nun.” Her brother was an employee of the bank who was arrested and executed for forgery. After his execution, she came to the bank every day to search for him, and to this day employees can hear her footsteps and see her black, shadowy figure roaming the halls.

The Crescent Hotel (Eureka Springs, AR)

Known as “America’s Most Haunted Hotel,” the Crescent Hotel was originally opened in 1886, and later became a hospital run by a fraudulent doctor named Norman Baker, who claimed to have a cancer cure. Hopeful patients flocked to the hotel and, unsurprisingly, many of them died under his care. Today it operates as a hotel where guests and staff report strange sightings, including Theodora, a cancer patient who can be seen fumbling for her keys outside room 419, and Michael, a stonemason who died during construction who likes to play with the lights and doors on the second floor. The Crescent Hotel embraces its haunted history, and has an entire section of its website dedicated to the ghosts and ghost tours you can attend while you visit.

Thankfully, Catalina Associates has no building to haunt, and we hope that we never have a tragedy worthy of a haunting. We’ll stick to the ghost filters during virtual meetings, thank you very much!