Haunted houses spring up everywhere in October.
They’re decked out for the Halloween season and feature actors in costumes seeking scares — but they’ll be gone well before Thanksgiving.
So, why not visit what docents claim is a real haunted house?
Take a drive up to Brooksville and visit the May-Stringer House.
It’s the home of the Hernando Heritage Museum — oh, and also two dozen spirits — according to the people who run the place.
Whether you believe it or not, this house is widely considered one of the most haunted places in Florida.
“We’ve seen shadow figures. We’ve seen spirits walking around. Heard them talk. Smelled certain smells when we shouldn’t, so we are most definitely haunted,” the house’s volunteer coordinator Karolyn Bonnell said. “We have 23 spirits here at the house.
“Oh, and one ghost cat, too.”
So enter, if you dare, the nearly 200-year-old, four-story, seven-gable, gingerbread trim, 14-room “Painted Lady” Victorian-era home, and perhaps you’ll see a ghost.
But even if you don’t, it’ll still be Worth The Trip.
Haunted history lesson
In 1855, John L. May built the house, originally with four rooms. He lived there with his wife, Marena, and their daughters, Matilda and Annie.
John succumbed to tuberculosis three years later.
As the Civil War came and went, Marena remarried. This time to Frank Saxon.
However, Marena died giving birth to their daughter, Jessie Mae. And, Jessie Mae died, just three years later, of unknown causes.
Marena and Jessie were buried on the property, as were John and Frank and Marena’s infant son.
A small graveyard out back, is believed to be a significant source of the rumors that the May-Stringer House is haunted.
“Oh, this place is absolutely haunted,” volunteer docent Emma Dowd said.
“Sometimes, people don’t know it’s haunted,” Bonnell said. “I have to tell them before the tour. … and then some people will just leave after I tell them that.”
Both docents have seen the spirits or had some sort of encounter.
Bonnell says she’s heard Jessie Mae talk to her teddy bear in her room on the second floor.
“‘Tell me a story’ she’ll tell the bear,” Bonnell said. “While other guests have said they’ve felt like a little child grabbing their hand while in that room.”
Things in the house also seem to move on their own, such as sheets being ruffled on a bed in the master bedroom.
Many spirits have been confirmed by the Brooksville PIT (Paranormal Investigation Team), including one thought to be a former servant named Molly, and another spirit, James, who hung himself in the house.
Frank Saxon himself has been said to have been sighted, walking on the second floor balcony and smoking his pipe, as he was known to do.
“Sometimes you’ll smell the pipe smoke,” Bonnell said.
But it’s the attic that is the most haunted.
Up the stairs
All the way at the top of the house, sits the attic, at the end of a steep, winding staircase. Inside the attic, like the rest of the house, are dozens of local artifacts. In fact, there are 10,000-plus artifacts that have been donated to the museum.
However, one particular artifact stands out as being creepier than the rest.
The Trunk.
This particular item is said to be haunted itself and brought a spirit into the home. Docents call this spirt “Mr. Nasty” because of his tendency to be rude and demanding.
“Not sure if it was that particular spirit, but I have been scratched here in the house,” Dowd said. “I didn’t even realize it until later and, sure enough, it happened on a tour.”
Some other items, such as some dolls and Brooksville artifacts are considered to be haunted, but The Trunk is the item that’s seen the most paranormal activity.
In fact, it was even featured on the Travel Channel show, Kindred Spirits, during the show’s fourth season in 2020.
“Mr. Nasty, he’s usually up there in the attic,” Bonnell said.
Ghostly gathering
The May-Stringer House has rooms devoted to specific themes such as an Elegant Dining Room, Victorian Bedrooms, Military Room, an 1880s Doctor’s Office and a 1900s Communication Room, all containing those thousands of artifacts.
The doctor’s office comes from its other long-time owner, Dr. Sheldon Stringer, who used the estate for his medical practice.
After the death of the Stringers, the house passed from one owner to another until Dr. Earl Hensley and his wife Helen sold it to The Hernando Historical Museum Association in 1980.
In 1997, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
So if you visit the house, don’t be surprised if you have a ghostly encounter.
Maybe it’ll be Mr. Nasty in the attic. Or Jessie Mae trying to hold your hand. Or maybe you’ll see Marena wandering the halls to check on guests, or Frank Saxon meandering on the balcony, with his pipe.
Tour the house, listen to the stories, and perhaps, as you leave you can ask yourself: Is this place really haunted?
That’s not for me to say.
You be the judge.
May-Stringer House
Where: 601 Museum Court, Brooksville
When: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Tuesdays through Saturdays
Details: Visit, if you dare, one of the most haunted places in Florida. The May-Stringer House was built in 1855 and is a four-story, Victorian-era home overlooking the City of Brooksville. It is said to be the home to 23 spirits, as well as one ghost cat. Enjoy a 45-minute tour that includes the history of the house and more than 10,000 local artifacts on display. Ghost tours at night are available, too, as well as late-night group investigations.
Cost: $8 for adults, children 12 and under $5, 6 and under free.
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.hernandohistoricalmuseumassoc.com/may-stringer-house
Other places with ‘haunting’ reputations
Dade City Heritage and Cultural Museum
Sulphur Springs Water Tower, Tampa
Plant Hall at the University of Tampa
Tampa Theatre
Don Cesar Hotel, St. Pete Beach
Vinoy Renaissance St. Petersburg Resort & Golf Club
Fort Cooper State Park, Inverness
Published October 05, 2022
