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I’ve been asked this question often.
The thing is… I’m not sure that ghosts prefer old buildings that are creaky and drafty.
That kind of environment puts many of us on edge.
That can heighten our awareness. It’s why we’re more likely to notice ghostly phenomena there. We’re sensitive to subtle anomalies that we’d overlook – or explain differently – in a happier environment.
Let’s say a glass object rattles on a sideboard at your (living) grandmother’s house.
If her house is near a busy street, you’re likely to figure a heavy truck drove by. That may be exactly what happened.
By contrast, let’s say a glass object rattles on a sideboard in a creaky, drafty, “haunted” house. Your first thought might be, “It’s a ghost.” That may be the best explanation, but the environment set the tone.
More ghosts are reported in old buildings than new ones. That’s logical. More people have lived, worked, and died in old buildings. Those sites should have more ghosts.
Ask me to choose between two investigation sites:
1. The shiny new town hall in the middle of town, or…
2. The decrepit, abandoned one a few blocks from a weird old burial ground.
I’ll choose the old one, ten times out of ten. Even if both have great ghost stories, I’m more interested in the one with history.
However, the new town hall might have more intense and startling ghosts. Maybe I’d miss a great investigation by choosing the older location.
Worse, the old site might reflect folklore and urban legends and that’s all. No ghosts.
Old sites with rich history generally produce more ghostly phenomena than newer sites. That’s not just because old sites are creaky or drafty. I think it’s because they have history — life and death events — that leave energy imprints and perhaps ghosts.