Tales of haunted locations, romantic vignettes, and eerie occurrences have long been kept intact by Mississippi’s tradition of storytelling. Here are six notoriously haunted places across the state and the stories behind them.
McRaven House | Vicksburg, MS
More than 14 ghosts still haunt Mississippi’s “Most Haunted House,” McRaven. At least five people have died inside the home, and the remains of eleven are buried on the property. Bones still resurface after storms on McRraven’s three acres of lush gardens that once served as a Confederate campsite and field hospital. The pre-Civil War home is still lavishly furnished with antiques and relics of its strange and spooky history.
The house was built in 1797 by Highwayman Andrew Glass, and the looter’s untimely death there made him the first of many spirits to haunt the property. The most active is said to be Mary Elizabeth Howard, who died during childbirth at just 15 years old in the upstairs bedroom in 1836. Her apparition has appeared to numerous witnesses, and some of her belongings are still on display at McRaven. Her husband, Sheriff Stephen Howard, purchased the home in 1836 and was its second owner.
After that, John H. Bobb turned the property into a field hospital for wounded soldiers after major explosions and battles. Another former occupant who still roams the house is its last resident, William Murray. He died there in 1911. Eventually, his whole family did, too. Murray’s two daughters strangely let the house fall into ruin until their own deaths.
Get more of Vicksburg’s legacy of “unfinished business” on the Haunted Vicksburg Ghostwalk. The twelve-block, expert-led stroll covers the Trail of Tears, antebellum duels, yellow fever epidemics, and 47-day siege that have pushed Vicksburg to the top of many Most Haunted Cities in America lists.
King’s Tavern | Natchez, MS
King’s Tavern dates back to the 1700s and is the oldest structure still standing in Natchez. Said to be the most haunted restaurant in Mississippi, there have been several ghost sightings, including Madeline, a waitress at the tavern, and the owner’s mistress. Legend says that the tavern owner’s wife stabbed Madeline to death after learning of the affair. The tavern became a private residence in 1817 and has been the site of some seriously spooky paranormal occurrences ever since.
A shadowy figure has appeared in mirrors, people have heard the sounds of a baby crying in the empty rooms upstairs, and others have felt warmth coming from a bed as if someone were sleeping in it. When the skeletal remains of two men and one woman were found in the chimney, many assumed the mistress, Madeline, was among the ruin. Later, a jeweled dagger — the purported weapon — was found in a different fireplace.
Stuckey’s Bridge | Enterprise, MS
This old covered bridge may be pretty by day, but its sordid past sets a creepy scene at night. The legend starts with a wayward member of the infamous Dalton gang, a man called Stuckey, who frequently robbed and murdered travelers in southwest Lauderdale County. Stuckey was finally caught and hanged from the bridge in 1850, but many say he’s still around the area today. You might see Stuckey’s ghost roaming the riverbank with a lantern in hand. Others notice his apparition hanging from the bridge.
Fairview Inn | Jackson, MS
One of Jackson’s few remaining architecturally intact houses from the early 1900s is a popular boutique hotel, Fairview Inn. Guests and employees at this house-turned-hotel have acknowledged many friendly apparitions that still roam the halls and walls. Following an investigation by The Mississippi Paranormal Research Institute a few years ago, an article reports that people have heard little kids playing marbles, been startled by strange phone calls, and felt warmth where no one was.
Mont Helena | Rolling Fork, MS
On the surface, Mont Helena is a picturesque colonial revival home in Rolling Fork, MS (the small town that birthed the Teddy Bear in 1902). The property has a romantic but speckled backstory. It was built atop a ceremonial Indian mound in Mississippi’s Delta region as the retirement home for Helen and George Harris in 1896. The first building burned to the ground before they could move in, so they had to start over. After 49 years of marriage, George died in 1911. Helen lived at Mont Helena until she died in 1917, and they are both buried nearby.
People report seeing a lady in a white gown peering from the windows or standing in the front yard. Mississippi Paranormal Society investigated the property, recorded some weird voice phenomena, and captured some shadowed figures and orbs in photos.
Friendship Cemetery | Columbus, MS
Friendship Cemetery is a poignant and eerie landmark that encapsulates the unthinkable mass loss of the Civil War. The cemetery was established in 1849 as the final resting place of local citizens and 2,194 soldiers who fell at the Civil War Battle of Shiloh in 1862. Meander through the military section of the cemetery, and you may meet one of the fallen soldiers.
This article was made possible by Visit Mississippi.
**********
Keep up with the best parts of life in the South. Subscribe to StyleBlueprint!
