This time of year people all over the country flock to haunted houses to get scared. They actually pay for this frightening experience! You may have been to one yourself or know someone that has gone to one. While we all know these houses are set up to entertain and excite, the question becomes – would you ever live in a real haunted house?
Whether you believe in real haunted houses or not, you have to admit there’s something creepy about weird noises, unexplained movement, and faint laughter coming from an empty room. Here are some real life haunted houses that people actually live in.
Rotherwood Mansion – Kingsport, TN
This mansion built in 1818 by the Reverend Frederick A. Ross is said to be the home of a ghostly Lady in White. So the legend says, she is Ross’s daughter Rowena, and she is looking for her love who was drowned in nearby Holston River. It is said that after several more tragedies, the hopeless Rowena walked out into the river and drowned herself, and her spirit has lingered here ever since. Another ghost who is said to walk here is Joshua Phipps, the second owner of the house, known in life to be a cruel man. His evil laugh has been reported to ring throughout the mansion.
The Priestly House – Canton, MS
In 2002, the owner claimed something (perhaps the ghost of the doctor or his wife?) was terrifying his family, according to the Unexplained Files, a blog written by the creator of the short-lived haunted house TV show of the same name.
The owner said he saw the figure of a woman standing near a doorway, and descendants of the Priestley family reported seeing her as well.
Carnton Mansion – Franklin, TN
Once used as a hospital site for Confederate soldiers and now a plantation house and museum, folks say soldiers still walk on the premises. Their apparitions have been seen, as well as that of a ghostly woman in white who has been seen on the back porch. Allegedly if you walk along the right-most row in the plantation cemetery, you’ll find the graves of two twin brothers. As you walk by you may feel one of them grabbing or tickling your ankles.
1880 Newbury House – Robbins, TN
It is said that at the Newbury House, ghostly occurrences are not unknown. It seems that especially single female guests are known to awaken in the night with the ghost of a man standing over their bed. The ghost is thought to be Charles Oldfield, and the Charles Oldfield Room (room 2) is reported to have the most activity here.
Note to self – stay in the room at the opposite end of the hall from room 2.
Woodruff-Fontaine House – Memphis, TN
This historic 1870s mansion, now a house museum, is said to be haunted by Molly Woodruff. The Rose Room was once her bedroom, and it is said that visitors to her room can feel her presence. It is also reported that a witness once heard her say “My bed doesn’t go there.”
Just looking at this place creeps me out. I think I’ll admire it from afar.
Prospect Hill Bed and Breakfast – Mountain City, TN
This 1889 house-turned-inn may be home to a few ghosts, which manifest in odd ways. The owners have said the way to tell when a ghost is around is by phantom smells, usually of perfume or peanut butter cookies.
Would you stay here for a night or two?