Haunted McRaven Tour Home
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McRaven was built in 1797 in Vicksburg, Mississippi. In the Civil War era, it was known as the Bobb House, and it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as such. McRaven got its current name from the street it is located on, which was formerly called McRaven Street, but is now Harrison Street. It is believed by many to be haunted, and has been called "the most haunted house in Mississippi."
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Adding to the legend of McRaven being haunted, at least five occupants have died inside the house, and former owner John Bobb was murdered just outside its premises. It's also very likely that a few Confederate soldiers died on the property during the time it was used as a field hospital. 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 almost 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 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.
Resources
Image By Zamburak / CC BY-SA via Wikimedia Commons
Official Website of the McRaven Tour Home
Investigation of the McRaven House
