Real Haunted Houses: Jemison – Van De Graaff Mansion
The Jemison – Van De Graaff Mansion is one of the most beautiful homes in the state of Alabama. It was built between 1859 and 1862 by Senator Robert Jemison Jr. The mansion was still unfinished when the Civil War started, causing many of the finishing touches to be left undone. The majority of the building materials came from Jemison’s other plantations, and the construction was mostly odne by skilled slaves. The Jemisons lived in the mansion from 1862 to 1936.
The mansion was then used as an apartment building for a brief period, until it was purchased by J.P. and Nell Burchfield in 1945. The Burchfield’s renovated and revitalized the mansion. From 1958 until 1979, the mansion was used as the Tuscaloosa Public Library. When the library moved to another building, the mansion was sold to a local magazine owner who utilized the mansion as a publishing house and office space until the late 1980s.
In 1991, the mansion was purchased by the city and deeded to the Jemison Mansion Foundation. Nowadays, it is a historical museum that can be toured by the public. You can visit the museum website here.
If you visit the museum, be wary of the ghosts lingering around on the property though. Visitors have reported cold spots and strange presences. The ghosts haunting the property are believed to be Cherokee, the daughter of Robert Jemison Jr. and her husband, Andrew Coleman Hangrove. Hangrove has suffered from a persistent headache after surviving a gunshot wound in the head, and according to the stories, he eventually shot himself in the home’s library to finally be rid of the pain. There are also reports of a little girl appearing on the grand staircase, and disembodied voices hosting conversations in empty rooms. Is the Jemison – Van De Graaff Mansion haunted or not? That’s up for you to decide for yourself.
Real Haunted Houses
Previously in this series:
- Real Haunted Houses: Franklin Castle
- Real Haunted Houses: Villesca Axe Murder House
- Real Haunted Houses: The Sallie House
- Real Haunted Houses: LaLaurie House
- Real Haunted Houses: The Bell Witch Farm
- Real Haunted Houses: Ann Starrett Mansion
- Real Haunted Houses: Sturdivant Hall
- Real Haunted Houses: Whaley House
- Real Haunted Houses: House of Seven Gables
- Real Haunted Houses: Woodruff Fontaine House
- Real Haunted Houses: Cedar Grove Mansion
- Real Haunted Houses: Sauer Castle
- Real Haunted Houses: The Pink Palace
- Real Haunted Houses: House of Death
- Real Haunted Houses: Joshua Ward House
- Real Haunted Houses: The Lemp Mansion
- Real Haunted Houses: Los Feliz Murder Mansion
- Real Haunted Houses: Winchester Mystery House
- Real Haunted Houses: Bliss Mansion
- Real Haunted Houses: Croke-Patterson Mansion
- Real Haunted Houses: Thornewood Castle
- Real Haunted Houses: Drish House
- Real Haunted Houses: Old Shelby Hotel
- Real Haunted Houses: Barker’s Slave Quarters
- Real Haunted Houses: Winter Place
- Real Haunted Houses: Sweetwater Mansion
- Real Haunted Houses: Oakleigh House
- Real Haunted Houses: Bragg-Mitchell Mansion
Enjoyed this article? Read Fractured!
When Piper discovers an old antique mirror on the attic of her new home, she has no idea what terror she unlocked.
Eerie shadows lurking in the night and estranged voices crying out for help are only the beginning. As Piper’s world comes crumbling down, she realizes everything that she believed was imaginary, might have been real all along.
Something is very wrong with that mirror. And if she doesn’t find out what, the mirror might end up killing her.
With some help of old and new friends, Piper tries to get to the bottom of the mystery. One thing is for certain: the mirror preys on the guilty. But what exactly is she guilty of?
Release Date: September 16, 2013
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