Babs BookMark Issue 1 | Page 13

Features England reportedly has more ghosts (and sightings) than any other country. The most frequently reported ghost sightings the UK dates back to the 16th century. Anne Boleyn, the second wife of King Henry VIII and mother of Queen Elizabeth I, was executed at the Tower of London in May 1536 after being accused of witchcraft, treason, incest and adultery. Sightings of Boleyn’s ghost have been reported at the tower as well as in various other locations, including her childhood home, Hever Castle, in Kent. But have no fear, America is not without its share of famous ghosts: Beginning in the late 19th century, Benjamin Franklin’s ghost was seen near the library of the American Philosophical Society in Philadelphia. Abraham Lincoln, formerly a lawyer and congressman from Illinois is said to have been seen wandering near the old Springfield capitol building, as well as his nearby law offices. The spirit of Peter Stuyvesant, New York City's last Dutch colonial governor, has been seen stomping around the East Village on his wooden leg since shortly after his death in 1672. The author Mark Twain is believed to haunt the stairwell of his onetime Village apartment building.