This three-story mansion was home to NoLa socialite-serial killer Delphine LeLaurie – depicted by Kathy Bates in the third season of “American Horror Story.” While the site is a common stop on ghost tours, many people have criticized the media’s glorification of the gross misconduct that occurred in the building.
The house was badly damaged in an 1834 fire intentionally set by her cook but has since been rehabbed and served as everything from a furniture store to a public high school. In 2007, Hollywood star Nicolas Cage bought it, but he lost it in foreclosure just two years later.
Vermont - Naulakha
Author Rudyard Kipling had this classy two-story shingle-style house (named for a pavilion he saw on a trip to Pakistan) built in 1893, and lived there while he wrote several of his best-known works including "The Jungle Books." Though Kipling didn't spend many years in the house, they were undoubtedly fruitful years.
Certainly, the seclusion and positioning of the house made it possible for Kipling to focus and dedicate himself to his work. Set on a hillside with killer views, today it's available to rent. Visitors can pay a modest amount to stay in this historical house and separate themselves from the hustle and bustle of city life.
Kansas - John Brown Cabin & Museum
The Adairs' cabin was a typical rough, frontier log shelter, with a fireplace used for warmth and cooking. The Kansas Historical Society operates the site, including the log cabin of Reverend Samuel Adair and his wife, Florella, the half-sister of the abolitionist John Brown.
While his half-sister owned the cabin, John Brown called this Kansas cabin home for 20 months while he was in the region conducting some of his most important anti-slavery actions leading up to his infamous raid on Harper's Ferry. Visitors today can see historical mementos of Brown's life, including his desk, and weapons that he intended to provide to slaves.
Maryland - Edgar Allan Poe House
This modest brick row house was home to the literary figure during the 1830s and is where he wrote a great deal of work. It has more or less served as a museum since 1949. Guided tours and exhibitions are on offer, including a festival celebrating Poe's work, and even a ball to conclude the festival!
In a weird twist of art imitating life, workers uncovered skeletal remains in the floorboards during renovations, calling to mind the events in "The Tell-Tale Heart." It turns out, though, they were just discarded animal bones. And if we do say so ourselves, that is definitely a relief.
Massachusetts - Paul Revere House
The original three-story house was built around 1680, making it the oldest house in downtown Boston and this is where Paul Revere and his family were living when he embarked on that fateful nighttime ride in 1775. For those unfamiliar, Revere has become an American folk hero for alerting Boston residents that "The British are coming!"
Despite the substantial renovation process which returned the house to its conjectured appearance around 1700, most of the structure is still original to 1680. Visitors today can learn about Revere's life and business, as well as general colonial information pertaining to the Revolutionary War.