THE PARANORMAL WORLD DATABASE       MISSISSIPPI   ANCHUCA MANSION (VICKSBURG) BACKGROUND:  Also known as the Victor Wilson House, it was built in 1830 in the Federal style by J. W. Mauldin, a local politician. In 1840 a local merchant, Victor Wilson, bought the house. He and his wife, Jane, had a two-story portico added to the front of the house in 1847 to reflect the Greek Revival style. Despite its proximity to the Confederate lines and to the Yazoo and Mississippi Rivers, the house survived the Siege of Vicksburg in 1863. The house was used as a hospital after the battle. Joseph Emory Davis, Jefferson Davis' older brother and mentor, and a granddaughter lived in the house from 1868 until his death on 18 September 1870. He had regained possession of his plantations at Davis Bend after the war, but the peninsula was cut off from the mainland in 1867 when the Mississippi changed its course, and agriculture became unprofitable because of transportation costs. Jefferson Davis made one of his last public addresses to the people of Vicksburg in 1869 from the front balcony of the house. When the house was surveyed by the Historic American Buildings Survey in 1936, it was owned by Mrs. William Joseph Vollor . As of 2008 it serves as a bed and breakfast inn, with suites in the main house, servant's quarters, and carriage house. PHENOMENA: From the mid-1960s, the spirit of a young woman named “Archie” Archer, daughter of a former owner, Richard Archer, who was forbidden to marry her true love, has been spotted in the parlor and dining room wearing a long brown dress. Some visitors have reported a presence in the former slave quarters and it’s believed that the spirit of a soldier makes its presence known from time to time. Its time as a functioning hospital might also play into the reputed activity there. There is some question about the presence of “Archie” as research reveals her as the daughter of Richard Archer, who moved into the home with his family in 1837, but the name cannot be found in other sources, including that of the mansion’s own website. It is possible their tenure there was quite brief. CAHILL MANSION (GULFPORT) BACKGROUND: From 1915 to 1941,the house was in the hands of a number of families until it was leased to the US Air Force as a non- commissioned officer’s club. In a scene right out of Sgt. Bilko, a shady sergeant moved gambling equipment and prostitutes into the building until the operations were finally shut down and the building closed. In 1957, Dr. Kendall and Ginny Gregory moved their large brood into the home. PHENOMENA:  Ginny Gregory said of the house upon moving there in 1957, “My first feeling upon moving here was simply one of not being alone. I felt like I was being watched.” So much so that she took to wearing earplugs to drown out the weird sounds that included moans and screams. She awoke one night to see the apparition of a large man staring at her from the foot of her bed and on another, she and her husband were awakened by a huge thump on their headboard. On many occasions, their children and relatives saw hazy figures moving about rooms in the house and heard sounds of what sounded like raucous parties being held there. One day she came home and opened up the cabinet under the kitchen sink to find a red candle burning there. She admonished the maid for doing such a potentially disastrous thing, but the maid said she had found a candle earlier that day in the same location. There were other incidents like odd cold spots, light fixtures falling from ceilings and walls, rooms that would not accept new paint, disembodied footsteps and the glowing apparition of what was thought to be a young boy. In a truly bizarre incident, it’s said on the day of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination on Nov. 22, 1963, blood was seen dripping down draperies and smeared on the house’s windows. A test confirmed it to be human blood. One day, one of the Gregory children threw his jacket on the bed after school and it burst into flames. In the afternoon of July 18, 1970, the Cahill Mansion was fully engulfed in flames, resulting in an almost total loss of the home. The flames originated on the second story of the house where a séance had been held the previous night. Suspiciously, a medium named David Bubar, who had conducted séances there previously, had predicted the house would burn. In 1975, he was found guilty of charges relating to another fire he had predicted at a rubber plant in Connecticut where he had previously worked. CEDAR GROVE MANSION (VICKSBURG) BACKGROUND: The home was built for John Alexander Klein who was involved in  banking, lumber and cotton and married Elizabeth Bartley Day who he met in New Orleans in 1842 when he was 30 and she but 16. Construction began in 1840 and was completed in 1852. The mansion was struck by a cannonball that is still displayed stuck inside the parlor wall during the Civil War.  Elizabeth, because of her ties to Gen. Sherman found herself somewhat ostracized in Vicksburg, but the use of the home as a Union hospital quelled that to some degree. PHENOMENA: It’s said that John Klein still watches over the mansion and its staff and guests. An avid pipe smoker, its reported that the smell of pipe tobacco can be detected in the parlor. Elizabeth’s spirit has also been seen, particularly walking down the front stairs of the home. Children are also active in the house with the sounds of playing and a baby crying. A little girl’s ghost has been seen walking up and down the stairs leading to the second floor and phantom footsteps are heard climbing the outside stairs. There are also claims of the apparitions of Civil War-era soldiers here and about the mansion and a young woman who allegedly shot herself in the ballroom is thought to maintain her presence here as well. CHAPEL OF THE CROSS (MADISON) BACKGROUND: The church was originally conceived as a house of worship for the Johnstone family on their Annandale Plantation, now destroyed. John T. Johnstone migrated from North Carolina to Madison County, Mississippi in 1819 and established Annandale. Tradition maintains that Johnstone was descended from the Johnstone family that once held the title Earl of Annandale and Hartfell in the Peerage of Scotland and that he named his plantation in their honor. He had envisioned a chapel for the plantation, but died in 1848. After his death his widow Margaret began making plans for the construction of the church. Johnstone had much of the work on the church performed by plantation slaves; they made all of the bricks by hand on-site. The rest of the construction was handled by hired artisans, with Johnstone spending a total of $3000. After Johnstone's death, the diocese alternated between using the church and keeping it inactive. It declared the parish extinct in 1903. Margaret Britton Parsons, a granddaughter of John and Margaret Johnstone, persuaded the diocese to reactivate the church as a house of worship in 1911, and it was restored to the diocese in 1914. Since that time, priests have taken charge of operations. The diocese started a restoration of the chapel in 1956. PHENOMENA: There are multiple ghost stories involving the chapel and its adjacent graveyard. One involves a young woman named Helen Johnson who is seen crying near the grave of a man named Henry Vick. The story goes that in 1857 he was killed in duel before they were to be married and Helen spent hours at his grave site, speaking with him. Though Helen eventually married a minister, she never really got over Henry and spends eternity trying to connect with him. Inside the chapel, an organ is said to play though no one is present to do so at the time. There are sounds of continuous giggling and the sight of blood stains occasionally appearing on the chapel floor. An unknown apparition has been observed walking straight through the iron gates that cover the front door and then the door itself. There is a legend about a caretaker who took an axe to the head of his mentally unstable wife inside the chapel and before hanging himself from the rafters. DEVIL WORSHIPPER ROAD (WAYNESBORO) BACKGROUND: Located in Wayne County, Devil Worshiper Road’s official name is Waynesboro Shubuta Road. PHENOMENA: Urban legend alert >> It’s believed this was a place of occult sacrifice or possibly the presence of the Goat Man, who was transformed into a goat after entering a pact with Satan. Goat Man is reputed to be 7+ feet tall, white furry legs, a goat-like head with horns and glowing red eyes. He can render himself invisible and always carries a pitch fork with him. he will gaze into cars that have stopped because of mysterious engine failure. ,There are also reports of shadowy figures, vehicles shaking and hand prints on the outside of vehicle windows. FRIENDSHIP CEMETERY (COLUMBUS) BACKGROUND:  In 1849, the cemetery was established on 5 acres by the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. During the Civil War, Columbus served as a military hospital center for the wounded, particularly after the Battle of Shiloh. More than 2,000 Confederate soldiers were interred in Friendship Cemetery, along with 40 to 150 Union soldiers. On April 25, 1866, the graves of these fallen soldiers, both Confederate and Union, were decorated with flowers by a large group of ladies from Columbus. The women's tribute – treating the soldiers as equals – inspired poet Francis Miles Finch to write the poem, The Blue and the Gray, which was published in an 1867 edition of The Atlantic Monthly. In 1867, the remains of all Union soldiers were exhumed and reinterred in Corinth National Cemetery. Over time, these grave decoration days – honoring those who died in military service – eventually morphed into Memorial Day. PHENOMENA: A Confederate soldier is said to still patrol through the military section of the cemetery, guarding its occupants. Visitors to the cemetery are also attracted to the weeping angel standing over the grave of the Reverend Thomas Teasdale. Urban legend alert >> Grasp the angel’s hand; some have remarked it feels lifelike. Others say she folds her arms at a different angle after midnight. GARDEN OF HOPE CEMETERY (GAUTIER) BACKGROUND: There is no Garden of Hope cemetery currently in Gautier, but research indicated the Franklin Cemetery in the southeast part of the city may have once been called Garden of Hope. PHENOMENA: One spirit who roams the graveyard is a friendly and engaging 10 to 12-year-old entity known as Cheryl Anne who is known to engage visitors, ask them who they are looking for, hold their flowers or hold your hand, until vanishing into thin air. Urban legend alert >> Rumor has it that her father Hal murdered her, her mother Susan and their other children with an axe after losing his job at a shipyard back in the late 1970s before wandering out into a road and killed by a passing vehicle. Visitors have reported the ghostly figures of children playing among the headstones. Hal is also said to haunt the cemetery and is said to rise from his grave, take flowers from other graves and take them back to his own. There is another spirit that has been encountered known as “Bloody Sarah” wearing a bloody housecoat and fuzzy slippers who will run out into the road and dupe horrified motorists into believing they have struck her with their vehicle all the while laughing maniacally before vanishing from sight. There are also tall tales of a werewolf buried here whose coffin has been chained and encased in cement and a red “ghost light” which dives down on visitors, chasing them from the premises. GLENWOOD CEMETERY (YAZOO CITY) BACKGROUND: Glenwood Cemetery, located in Yazoo City, dates back to at least 1856.  A stone marker notes the cemetery property was given to the city by Capt. John Willis and his wife Annie.  A simple marker is placed before a large plot near the creek where the bodies of many Confederate soldiers are buried.  An early newspaper article says they died in the Civil War hospital located on South Main Street.  Located not far from the fountain in Glenwood is a grave surrounded by chain links.  This is known as “The Witch’s Grave.”  The legend of the Witch that burned Yazoo City in 1904 became famous in a book written by Willie Morris.  Morris’ grave is located 13 steps south of the Witch’s grave. http://visityazoo.org/glenwood-cemetery/ PHENOMENA: According to the legend, there was an old woman who lived on the Yazoo River who would lure fishermen in from the water to torture and kill them. Finding some skeletons in her shed one day, the sheriff chased her through the swamps where she was found caught in quicksand when he caught up with her.  Sinking deeper, she placed a curse on Yazoo City and its people by vowing to return in 20 years and burn the town to the ground.  She was buried in Glenwood Cemetery and chains were placed around her grave to ensure she would not return. Then on May 25, 1904 a fire destroyed over 200 residences and almost every business in Yazoo City.  It’s origins remain unclear (it’s been said a young woman may have started it in her kitchen), but high winds exacerbated the spreading of the fire and the witch was blamed for the devastation. A contemporary inspection of weather records back then show no winds present on that particular day. The headstone to the grave only had the letters T. W. carved on it and the current stone mysteriously split in two pieces shortly after it was installed. The heavy chains that encompass the grave are always being repaired as they tend to fall apart after being mended. GRAND OPERA HOUSE (MERIDIAN) BACKGROUND: The Riley Center, also known as the Grand Opera House and formally as the Mississippi State University Riley Center for Education and Performing Arts, is a performing arts and conference center. Renovated in September 2006, it has been restored to its original beauty while incorporating the latest in modern technology and amenities. In the late 19th century, Israel Marks and his half- brothers Levi, Sam, and Marx Rothenberg, expanded their retail operations by opening a new wholesale and retail mercantile store and an adjoining hotel. Construction began in 1889 and was completed in 1890, under the direction of C.M. Rubush, a builder from Meridian. In 2000 The Riley Foundation made a $10 million grant for restoration, with a stipulation that Mississippi State University own and operate the center. PHENOMENA: The executive director first encountered a spirit there while giving a tour to a young woman he was dating. Leading the young woman through the dark halls, the pair walked into a cold spot. Later the director would hear from a woman who worked in one of the retail stores that once operated on the street level. She would sometimes eat lunch on the old stairs to the opera house and would hear a woman singing in the dark theater. Others have witnessed a woman in a white gown in the theater. Most recently, a member of the cleaning staff and her daughter saw the woman who they said resembled the woman painted in a medallion above the stage. While the model for that painting is unknown, she certainly still gazes down upon audiences over nearly a hundred and twenty-five years since she was first painted. http://www.southernspiritguide.org/mad-rivers-mills-and-merrehope-meridian-mississippi/ KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE (BILOXI) BACKGROUND: In early January 1941, Biloxi city officials assembled a formal offer to invite the United States Army to build a base to support the World War II training buildup. The War Department activated Army Air Corps Station No. 8, Aviation Mechanics School, Biloxi, Mississippi, on 12 June 1941. On August 25, 1941, the base was dedicated as Keesler Army Airfield, in honor of 2d Lt Samuel Reeves Keesler, Jr., a Mississippi native and distinguished aerial observer, killed in action in France during the First World War. PHENOMENA: There are reports of three spirits who haunt the base. One is a former cadet who hanged himself in the barracks who haunted the bas for years until the barracks was demolished. Another makes his presence known in women’s dorms, harassing and pranking them because its believed he resents females in the corps. The last goes by the name “Jeremy” who is also a prankster that messes with electrical systems and hides items but is said to otherwise respect people’s space. TRIVIA: The Tuskegee Airmen were trained at Keesler. More than 7,000 Black soldiers were stationed at Keesler Field by the autumn of 1943. These soldiers included pre-aviation cadets, radio operators, aviation technicians, bombardiers, and aviation mechanics. KING’S TAVERN (NATCHEZ) BACKGROUND: The King's Tavern building was built in 1769, making it the oldest structure in the old river port city of Natchez. When the British moved in and established the nearby Fort Panmure, the King's Tavern building was originally built to be a block house for the fort. As there was no saw mill near this frontier town, this building and other structures were constructed using beams taken from scrapped New Orleans sailing ships, which were brought to Natchez via mule. Another source of wood used in the King's Tavern building construction were barge boards from flat river boats, which were dismantled and sold after arriving in Natchez with their goods after traveling down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers.  In 1789, a New Yorker by the name of Richard King moved his family to Natchez where he bought this block home and opened a combination tavern and inn, as well as the place where the town's mail was dropped off. His inn business was very successful because of the need for boatmen and weary stage riders to have a secure place to rest for the night. During this time, outlaws began settling in Natchez. They preyed on the boatmen and visitors, made a living from gambling and robbing people, sometimes not thinking twice of killing their victims. The infamous, sadistic Harpe brothers were outlaws who took delight in torturing, mutilating and finally killing their victims. The Harpe brothers as well as other such men would return to Natchez and stimulate the economy, sometimes staying at the King's Tavern. Richard King sold the King's Tavern in 1817. The building was once again a private home, becoming the Postalwaith family home for several generations, a total of 150 years, beginning in 1823. PHENOMENA: There is a plethora of paranormal activity reported at the tavern. During renovations in 1973, 3 bodies were discovered in a chimney in the house along with a bloody dagger that is thought to be the murder weapon. The bodies, one woman and two men, were buried elsewhere, but it may not have appeased any restless spirits. There are claims of shadowy figures who walk right through stairways and the fireplace where the bodies were discovered will sometimes emit heat though no fire has been kindled at the time. There is said to be a spectral woman named “Madeline,” who is said to be the murdered mistress of Richard King, that roams the building making mischief. An employee reported the sight of a woman’s footprints coming toward him on a newly mopped floor and she has manifested in front of startled staff and patrons. She will knock things off shelves, pour water from the ceiling to the floor and make chairs move that have been hung on walls. She turns lights and faucets on and off and fool with doors when employees are trying to pass through. Other experiences include; the sounds of a crying infant from the attic who was the victim of a brutal murder at the hands of one of the Harpes, a malevolent male entity wearing a top hat and black clothing, dishes thrown, multiple people reporting a strange tightness in their shoulders or pressure on their chests and the face of a man appearing in a mirror upstairs. TRIVIA: The tavern was featured in an episode of Travel channel’s Ghost Adventures. KUHN MEMORIAL STATE HOSPITAL (VICKSBURG) BACKGROUND: Kuhn State Hospital started life as Vicksburg’s City Hospital back in 1832, in response to a smallpox outbreak. It took its place at this location, then a suburban estate with “a substantial house” in 1847. Run by Dr. George K. Birchett, and later his son, grandson, and great-grandson, the hospital served wounded during the Civil War and suffered the deaths of 16 doctors and 6 Catholic Sisters of Mercy during the Yellow Fever of 1878. The state took over the operation of the hospital in 1871, and the institution was re-named the State Charity Hospital at Vicksburg. Confederate veterans stalked the halls of a specially built annex, constructed in 1901 (burned in a “mysterious fire” in 1918). And to top it off, the University of Mississippi operated its first medical school here in the academic year 1910- 11. In 1954, a former resident of Vicksburg, Lee Kuhn, having long since moved to New York City, died and left his estate of $400,000 to the Vicksburg Charity Hospital. In his will, Kuhn directed that a 7-person committee composed of three Jews, two Catholics, and two Protestants be formed to decide the best way to disburse the money. The committee decided that a new building would be the best use, and in 1959, the institution opened a large new facility to the rear of the original buildings. The institution was also renamed in honor of Mr. Kuhn. Changes in medicine and mission brought about yet another large building in 1962, this one replacing the antebellum “substantial house” and its 1909 annex with the brick building that greets a visitor today. Probably both the 1959 and the 1962 buildings were designed by Raymond Birchett, Vicksburg architect and great-grandson of the original Dr. Birchett. The Kuhn closed in 1989, a victim of state politics and funding issues. The building was demolished in February of 2019. PHENOMENA: The building is said to be haunted by the ghost of a little girl who has been recorded by investigators asking, “Do you want to play with me?” There are also reports of full-bodied apparitions and shadowy figures seen within the building. Some who will rush the observer when seen. It’s been said the word “help” was found written backwards on the floor, although it could be the work of pranksters. TRIVIA: In June of 2015, a group of ghost hunters were exploring the vacant hospital and got much more than they bargained for when a trail of blood caught their attention. The trail, which ran through the building, down a flight of stairs, and straight outside, led the group to the body of murder victim, 69-year-old Sharon Wilson. The building was featured on TVs Ghost Asylum and Ghost Adventures. LONGFELLOW HOUSE (PASCAGOULA) BACKGROUND: It was built in 1850 as a home for slave trader Daniel Smith Graham.  Graham reportedly didn’t treat his slaves very well and his wife developed a reputation for intense cruelty. She reportedly beat her slaves until they were within an inch of their life. Since then, the building has served a number of functions including a girls' school, a private residence, as well as, a private resort and club owned by Ingalls Shipbuilding. Between 1873 and 1902 the home, known as Bellevue, changed hands at least nine times. Legend has it that Henry Wadsworth Longfellow once stayed here when he wrote his work The Building of the Ship but little evidence has emerged to support this. Later, the property was purchased by Richard Scruggs and his wife, Dianne, who restored the structure and donated it to the University of Mississippi Foundation. After being damaged by Hurricane Katrina, it was sold in 2006 to Drs. Randy and Tracy Roth for use as a private residence. PHENOMENA: At one point, a night manager when it was a hotel claimed she was slapped across the face by an angry entity that was so loud it was audible and left a mark. It was said a jukebox would come on at three in the morning and play for a solid two hours straight. There were sounds of babies crying, toilets flushing, doors opening and sometimes even the sounds of a gala party happening upstairs that would stop immediately when anyone would look into it. Glasses would shatter at the bar so often that they were eventually kept elsewhere. https://maps.roadtrippers.com/stories/the-longfellow-house-is-believed-haunted-by-the-ghosts-of-tortured-slaves LYRIC THEATER (TUPELO) BACKGROUND: The Lyric was originally a livery stable owned by William Faulkner's family in the early part of the 20th century. The stable was originally used to hold the horses that pulled the buggies around Oxford's town square. It was later converted into a theater for silent films and live performances during the 1920s when it was named the Lyric theater. During this time, the theater was owned and operated by Robert X. Williams, Jr., who was son of the mayor and cousin-in-law to William Faulkner. The invention of motion pictures turned the Lyric into Oxford's first movie theater. It became a make shift field hospital and morgue after the town of Tupelo was leveled without warning by an F5 tornado in 1936. In 1949, William Faulkner walked from his home (Rowan Oak) to the Lyric to attend the world premiere of MGM's Intruder in the Dust at his former childhood stable. In the 1970s, the Lyric stopped operating as a movie theater and was abandoned for many years until the 1980s when it was restored and turned into a health center and office spaces. Later in 2007, the building went through major renovations and once again returned to a theater. On July 3, 2008 the theater began operating again. The Lyric is currently managed by Lindsay Dillon-Maginnis. PHENOMENA: The main resident ghost has been named “Antoine” by theater employees and lets his presence be known by humming,  mischievously stealing things like keys, roaming the theater or generally moving items from one place to another. Sometimes he can be heard giggling or appearing as a glowing white light. It’s thought he was either a caretaker at the theater or a young boy who was killed in the ‘36 tornado. MC RAVEN TOUR HOME (VICKSBURG) BACKGROUND: The first part of what is now McRaven was built by Andrew Glass ca. 1797 and originally serving as a way station for pioneers en route to Nashville, Tennessee along the Natchez Trace to the Mississippi River . As first built, McRaven consisted of only a kitchen with one room above it, this part of the house is now known as the "Pioneer Section". In 1836, Sheriff Stephen Howard bought the house and added the middle dining room and the bedroom above it, built in Empire architectural style. Sheriff Howard's wife Mary Elizabeth Howard died during childbirth in late August, 1836 in the middle bedroom. During the Civil War's 1863 Siege of Vicksburg, McRaven was used as a Confederate field hospital and camp site. Since it was located so close to the railroad, a major point of battle, the house was battered by cannon blasts from both the Union and Confederate forces. However, it still stands. On May 18, 1864, after Vicksburg had fallen to Union forces, owner John Bobb noticed a group of six drunken Union occupation soldiers picking flowers from his garden. Outraged, Bobb promptly ordered them to leave immediately, the soldiers cursed at him and refused to leave, so John picked up a brick and threw it at them, knocking a sergeant to the ground. The soldiers left, vowing to burn down Bobb's house. Bobb then reported the incident to the Federal Commander of Vicksburg, Gen. Henry W. Slocum who dismissively said he would admonish those responsible. Upon returning to the gates of his home, Bobb was met by 25 Union troops who took him to Stout's Bayou, about 100 yards from the house, and fatally shot him in the back and face. PHENOMENA: Reports of ghostly activity are said to spread throughout the house, but the center of activity seems to be the middle bedroom upstairs, the room where Mary Elizabeth Howard (age 15) died during childbirth. Her ghost is believed to be responsible for the bedside lamp in this room, which has been reported to turn on and off, seemingly at will. In the time before Leyland French bought the house and started living there in 1984, the previous owners, who didn't reside in the home, were frequently awakened by calls in the middle of the night telling them the lights at McRaven had come on. Mary Elizabeth's ghostly apparition has appeared on the house's flying wing staircase, and in the dining room. While handling Mary Elizabeth's wedding shawl, some people say it emits heat, while others claim it about jumped out of their hands. McRaven owner Leyland French once saw the ghost of former owner William Murray on the staircase, and after realizing who it was, and the fact that he is dead, a frightened French ran to upstairs to the Bobb bedroom and locked the door. He later called a local Episcopal priest and had the house blessed. The spirits of Ella and Annie Murray are also said to roam the grounds of McRaven. MONMOUTH PLANTATION (PRENTISS) BACKGROUND:  It was built in 1818 by John Hankinson, a postmaster, lawyer and steamboat entrepreneur, during the depression that followed the War of 1812, and named after his home, Monmouth County, New Jersey and renovated about 1853 by John A. Quitman, a former Governor of Mississippi and well-known figure in the Mexican-American War. Quitman, originally of New York City, was a partner in a successful Natchez law firm and married Eliza Turner, a member of one of the most prominent families in the city, being the niece of Edward Turner, a Mississippi Supreme Court judge. Quitman purchased Monmouth in 1826 for his wife and growing family. After Quitman died at Monmouth on July 17, 1858, and his wife died a year later, their five daughters and one son inherited the plantation. In 1862, when Natchez was attacked by the Union army during the American Civil War, most of the slaves escaped, and some joined the Union forces. Most of Quitman's original possessions were either stolen in 1863, when the house was occupied by Union soldiers, or sold by Quitman's daughters in 1865 due to financial difficulty. After several changes of ownership, Ronald and Lani Riches of Los Angeles, California, purchased the property in 1978 and restored it to its original condition. PHENOMENA: Owners, restoration workers, visitors and the police claimed to hear stomping footsteps starting in the attic and continuing down to the main floors that are thought to be those of General Quitman. Guests have reported being checked upon by Quitman in their rooms. One guest in room 30 awoke to the sight of the governor dressed in a Civil War uniform, walking to the foot of his bed and suddenly vanishing. MONT HELENA (ROLLING FORK) BACKGROUND: In 1862 Helen Johnstone (of Chapel of the Cross fame, top of page) met Reverend George Carrol Harris, an Episcopal clergyman, at the Chapel of the Cross in Madison, MS. The Chapel of the Cross was built in 1851 by Helen’s parents. In 1896, Helen and George built their "retirement" house on land that Helen had inherited. When the home was completed, the Harrises had their furnishings brought by rail from their previous home in Madison, MS. Fortunately those items were still on the train when fire completely destroyed the new house. Undaunted, Helen and George began rebuilding. They had three children, two boys and a girl. Their oldest child, a son, died several days after his birth. Helen spent her life with George in the typical fashion of the era. She cared for her children, assisted George in the church and enjoyed the social life befitting her status in the community. In 1896, the Harrises retired to "The Helen Place" in Rolling Fork. George accepted the position of Rector at the Chapel of the Cross in Rolling Fork. They built a home on the highest point on the Helen Place and renamed the plantation "Mont Helena." After 49 years of marriage, George died in 1911. Helen continued to live at Mont Helena until her death in 1917. They are both buried in Mound Cemetery in Rolling Fork. www.monthelena.com/history.html PHENOMENA: Locals tell of seeing a ghostly lady dressed in a white gown looking out of windows or standing in the front yard. Disembodied footsteps are heard as well as the sight of cups moving across a table. TRIVIA: The home was featured on the TV show, Deep South Paranormal. OLD CAPITOL (JACKSON) BACKGROUND: Although construction was initiated in 1833, there were problems with the architect and substandard materials. The original architect, John Lawrence, was replaced in 1836 by William Nichols, who oversaw completion of the 3-story structure in 1840. When construction of a newer state capitol was completed in 1903, the old capitol building was abandoned and remained so until 1916, when it was renovated for state office space. By 1960, all state agencies had vacated the structure and it was again renovated to become the State Historical Museum in 1961. In August 2005, winds from Hurricane Katrina peeled off sections of the old capitol's copper roof. About 4 weeks later, rain from Hurricane Rita infiltrated the building and damaged ceilings, walls, and ornamentation, as well as historical artifacts. Storm repairs and renovations were completed between 2007 and 2009, and the museum reopened to the public. PHENOMENA: Security personnel claim to hear the sounds of thumping and doors closing in the empty building at night as well as flashes of light or shadows passing by security cameras. It’s thought the ghost of a legislator who died of a heart attack at his desk back in the 1800s is responsible for much of the activity. Footsteps have been heard in the balcony area by custodians after hours. This spirit may be responsible for greeting guests and has a soft spot for children who wander the building. ROWAN OAK (OXFORD) BACKGROUND:  Also known as William Faulkner House, is William Faulkner's former home in Oxford, Mississippi. It is a primitive Greek Revival house built in the 1840s by Robert Sheegog. Faulkner purchased the house when it was in disrepair in the 1930s and did many of the renovations himself. Other renovations were done in the 1950s. In 1972, his daughter, Jill Faulkner Summers, sold the house to the University of Mississippi. The University maintains the home in order to promote Faulkner's literary heritage. Tours are available. The home has been visited by such writers as John Updike, Czesław Miłosz, Charles Simic, Richard Ford, James Lee Burke, Bei Dao, Charles Wright, Charles Frazier, Alice Walker, the Coen brothers, Bobbie Ann Mason, Salman Rushdie, and others. After its most recent renovations, some of which were funded by part-time Oxford resident and Ole Miss law school alumnus, John Grisham, Rowan Oak was rededicated on May 1, 2005. PHENOMENA:  It’s been said the ghost of Faulkner has been seen writing on the walls of his office and he roams the grounds frightening University of Mississippi students that might come too close to the house at night. Urban legend alert >>  There is a long held belief that Judith Sheegog, daughter of the original owner, fell to her death from a bedroom balcony and now haunts the property. The truth is she was likely a literary creation of Faulkner as no such death is recorded or name found in connection with the home. STUCKEY’S BRIDGE (ENTERPRISE) BACKGROUND: The bridge was originally built as the main route across the Chunky River southwest of Meridian. Documents in the Lauderdale County Archives reveal the contract to construct a bridge in this location was written in 1847, and estimates place the bridge's construction date around 1850. A new bridge replaced the old one in 1901, built by the Virginia Bridge and Iron Company. PHENOMENA: The legend is the infamous Dalton gang left one of their cohorts behind by the name of Stuckey who went on to murder and rob a great many people here and tossed their bodies into the river. Urban legend alert >>  In 1850, Stuckey was finally caught and was hung from the supports of the bridge, and to this day seeks revenge on the living who pass over or by it. One victim claims he was pulled off the bridge by an unseen force and had the scars on his torso to prove it. Many people claim to have seen his ghost carrying a lantern along the banks of the Chunky River or to have heard the sound of a loud splash beneath the bridge which is said to mirror the sound his body made when being cut loose from a noose and hitting the water. It’s also been said that on any given night his body can be seen hanging from the bridge. VICKSBURG NATIONAL MILITARY PARK (VICKSBURG) BACKGROUND: The site preserves the site of the American Civil War Battle of Vicksburg, waged from March 29 to July 4, 1863. The park, located in Vicksburg, Mississippi (flanking the Mississippi River), also commemorates the greater Vicksburg Campaign which led up to the battle. Reconstructed forts and trenches evoke memories of the 47-day siege that ended in the surrender of the city. Victory here and at Port Hudson, farther south in Louisiana, gave the Union control of the Mississippi River. The restoration of the USS Cairo, also known as the "Hardluck Ironclad," was the first U.S. ship in history to be sunk by a torpedo/mine. It was recovered from the Yazoo River in 1964. PHENOMENA:  Visitors report the sounds of battle, cannon fire, galloping horses, orders to attack and screams of the wounded in the otherwise empty battlefields. Ghostly troops are seen in the the tree line and walking the grounds. The smell of smoke and gunpowder are also sometimes prevalent. WAVERLY MANSION (WEST POINT) BACKGROUND: The antebellum home was originally owned by George Hampton Young, a colonel from Georgia. From its accepted date of completion in 1852, the Waverley Plantation was a self-sustaining community, complete with gardens, orchards and livestock. It maintained a brick kiln, cotton gin, ice house and swimming pool with a bathhouse. Gas for the chandeliers was produced by burning pine knots in a retort. In later years, Waverley had its own lumber mill, leather tannery and hat manufacturing operation. It is believed that the first American-made saddle blankets were produced at Waverley and the first fox hunt association was formed in the mansion's library in 1893. The mansion fell into disrepair following the end of the Young family line in 1913, but was restored by the Robert Snow family beginning in 1962. PHENOMENA: There is said to be a ghostly child wandering the property and it’s thought she is the three-year-old daughter of a neighboring plantation owner and that she died in Waverly of a broken neck when her head became trapped in some stair spindles. It’s said she was heard calling out for her mother and she is described as having blond hair and wearing a white, high-necked dress. She has not been seen for quite a few years now, but one of the upstairs bedrooms is still found with rumpled bedclothes, so it’s thought she might lie there from time to time. There is a soldier in Civil War-ear uniform who wanders the property and sometimes is seen by guests and staff in mirrors. Lastly, a man wearing black clothing has been witnessed riding around the grounds on a phantom horse with some claiming to have been chased or even attacked. WINDSOR RUINS (PORT GIBSON) BACKGROUND: The ruins consist of 23 standing Corinthian columns of the largest antebellum Greek Revival mansion ever built in the state. It was built for Smith Coffee Daniell II, who was born in Mississippi and had acquired great wealth as a cotton planter by age 30. In 1849, Smith Daniell married his cousin Catherine Freeland (1830–1903). The couple had six children, with three surviving to adulthood. The mansion stood from 1861 (Daniell had passed away that year at the age of 34) to 1890, when it was destroyed by fire when a guest dropped ashes from a cigarette or cigar into construction debris left by carpenters who were making repairs. Once the American Civil War began in 1861, Confederate forces used the Windsor mansion cupola as an observation platform and signal station. In the spring of 1863, as part of his Vicksburg campaign, Ulysses S. Grant and 17,000 Union troops landed at the port of Bruinsburg and took control of Windsor mansion. Following the Battle of Port Gibson, the mansion was used by Union troops as a hospital and as an observation station. The Daniell family was allowed to live on the third floor of the mansion during the Union occupation. PHENOMENA: It’s said the ghost of a Union soldier who was killed in the mansion doorway still haunts the location along with the spirit of Mr. Daniell, who stands amid the columns. There are also reports of the sounds of a party that emanate from the ruins from time to time. TRIVIA: Windsor's ruins have appeared in two motion pictures—Raintree County (1957) and Ghosts of Mississippi (1996). BACK TO TO PARANORMAL DATABASE
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