Haunted Amusement Park in Connecticut

Connecticut is home to some notoriously haunted places, but one of them just happens to also be the oldest Amusement park in America. Lake Compounce in Bristol, CT was born in 1895 and was originally composed of a casino, restaurant, and ballroom. The property was popular throughout the Civil War for picnicking and swimming, and eventually gave way to the first amusement park ride in 1911 - the carousel.

Before the park became any source of entertainment, it was originally sold to white settlers from Massachusetts in 1684 by Chief John Compounce, where the park derives it's name. This is where the roots of the hauntings begin, as only days after the land was sold, Chief Compounce died. His cause of death is slightly disputed, some believe he drowned while swimming in the middle of the lake - others claim he canoed to the center of the lake and committed suicide, feeling he had been betrayed in the sale. A final thought is that members of his own tribe were angered by the deal he worked out, bound his hands and feet and dispatched him into the lake, drowning him. However his death unfolded, the land was tainted and set the stage for numerous strange and frightening events. On top of the death of Chief Compounce, the man who took the sale of the land, John Norton - suffered his own untimely death when falling off a ladder. During construction of an early roller coaster ride it is said a builder was decapitated, or that some workers were killed in the rotor rides, and most tragic was the death of a child, who also drowned in the lake where Chief Compounce died.

While these accidents were unfortunate, it did not stop the park from growing and attracting people. The area became increasingly popular for barbecues and games. The Starlight Ballroom was another highlight and home to many dances, one of which exploded in attendance of 5,000 people during 1941 when Frank Sinatra crooned. The Starlight Ballroom is not only famous for it's music and dancing, but also the spirits that linger. Every building on the Lake Compounce territory is said to have had some sort of spiritual oddities happen at one point or another - but the Starlight Ballroom has the most manifestations of spirits, distant music, and moved objects than any other place.

The park is definitely a changed place with modern rides and amenities, but things that have happened in the past stay with the land. The spirits of the land have not provoked any deaths at the park in recent years - although night security is still employed and strange sightings continue to be reported.