The Morris-Jumel Mansion Of Manhattan
Morris-Jumel MansionManhattan’s oldest standing residence, the Morris-Jumel Mansion.
Built in 1765 by Roger Morris, a colonel in the British Army, the Morris-Jumel Mansion is the oldest house in Manhattan, and its Georgian architecture bore witness to many pivotal moments in early American history. It’s little wonder why some would also claim it’s among the country’s most haunted mansions.
During the American Revolution, George Washington used it as his headquarters for a short period of time. Then, the British Army occupied it alongside Hessian soldiers for the remainder of the war.
In 1810, Stephen Jumel, a wealthy French wine merchant, purchased the home with his wife, Eliza. At that point, there were already rumors that the house was home to the ghosts of Hessian officers, and the Jumels’ daughter reportedly refused to stay there alone.
Following Stephen’s death in 1832, Eliza briefly married former Vice President Aaron Burr — the man arguably more famous for dueling and killing Alexander Hamilton. After Burr’s death, Eliza continued to live in the house for decades and acquired a reputation for being “eccentric.”
She died in 1865, but it wasn’t long before rumors began to swirl that she had not truly left her haunted mansion.
Morris-Jumel MansionAn 1854 lithograph of Colonel Roger Morris’ house.
Staff and visitors over the years have claimed to see Eliza’s apparition, dressed in a flowing purple gown, wandering the halls or appearing in windows. Children from a nearby school even once reported that she spoke to them from the balcony.
While it mostly serves today as a museum to showcase colonial and Revolutionary-era history, the Morris-Jumel Mansion also leans into its paranormal past and hosts regular ghost tours.
