re: Do you believe a place can absorb the energy of the people and events that happened there?

It's an interesting idea. On one hand, energy is created and destroyed all the time, proportionally. There may be something worth exploring, re: energy being "given off" and absorbed by physical objects that could be perceived somehow . On the other hand, we know memory is triggered by stimuli, such as smell, in particular. I still flash back to my senior year of high school when I smell Claiborne Sport and Marlboro lights. (Yes, Trashy. I may or may not have evolved in the last 18 years).

Eta: I believe the latter is likely the reason places you've visited evoke memories and sensations.