Inside the $1.6 Million Business of Owning America’s Darkest Homes

Zaal, president of US Ghost Adventures, pivoted from a tech consulting career into the tourism industry after finding that haunted tours consistently drew high demand. Moving beyond the Borden house in Fall River, Massachusetts, he expanded his portfolio to include the Villisca Axe Murders House in Iowa and the site of the Battle of Gettysburg’s Welty House. He currently resides in New Orleans’ LaLaurie Mansion, a site notorious for the abuse of enslaved people under Delphine LaLaurie.

Rather than treating these locations as mere paranormal attractions, Zaal emphasizes a model of historical stewardship. He argues that focusing exclusively on ghost stories often obscures the actual human tragedy and social history embedded in these structures. By integrating educational narratives—such as the 19th-century criminal justice system at the Borden site or the history of desegregation at the LaLaurie Mansion—he aims to stabilize these properties financially while ensuring they remain accessible to history buffs and the general public alike. For Zaal, acknowledging the site's full, uncomfortable history is the only way to move beyond the sensationalism of local legends.