The Morris-Jumel Mansion
Exploring an old ass haunted house 👻
The Morris-Jumel Mansion in Harlem is the oldest house in Manhattan and played a key role in the American Revolution. It was built by a British officer, Roger Morris, who lived in it for ten years before abandoning it when the Revolutionary War started. It served briefly as the headquarters for both sides during the war (George Washington resided there for about a month), then was seized by the colonists and became a tavern after the war.
In 1810 it was purchased by Stephen Jumel and his wife (and former mistress), Eliza, before he died under mysterious circumstances. Eliza subsequently married former Vice President Aaron Burr in a wedding ceremony which took place in the house, then filed for divorce four months later. Burr died on the day the divorce was finalized.
The mansion is said to be haunted by the ghosts of Revolutionary War soldiers, Eliza, Aaron Burr, and others.
I decided to explore the mansion for a spooktacular Rat Report investigation.
The first thing we saw when we entered the spooky grounds was a cute black cat.
An elderly woman pushing a cart approached the cat, reached into her cart, and withdrew a tin of cat food which she opened and placed on the ground.
“What’s the cat’s name?” one of my friends asked her.
She turned and looked at us with wide eyes.
“The cat’s name is Raven,” she told us in a hushed tone, “there used to be a white cat named Creampuff, but he’s gone now. There are many of us who look after Raven.”
I glanced at her cart, which contained nothing but tins of cat food. I leaned forward a bit to get a better look and she recoiled, drawing her cart close to her body as if I were trying to steal all her cat food for myself. She spun around and wheeled her cart away.
As if this encounter weren’t spooky enough we decided to enter the mansion in search of the paranormal.
The first room we entered seemed ordinary (if not gaudy) to the untrained eye, but according to the sign the room was special.
The room was special, explained the sign, because it was believed to be the first room in the American Colonies shaped like an octagon, which seems both difficult to prove and terribly insignificant. According to the sign, its octagonal shape made it excellent for entertaining.
Here we met a volunteer tour guide named Karen and decided to inquire about the paranormal nature of the house.
“Have you ever experienced anything paranormal here?” we asked her. A wry smile crossed her face.
“I run all of the paranormal investigations here,” she informed us. Over the years she has felt spirits tap her on the shoulder and has seen mysterious lights and mists. She also told us that she greets the spirits in the house when she shows up on Sunday mornings when nobody else is around.
“I think they’re mostly Revolutionary War soldiers, because there are a lot of them interred on the grounds here. But Eliza and Aaron Burr may also be around.”
We asked her more about the previous occupants of the house.
“The portraits around here just don’t do Eliza any justice,” she continued. “I mean, she was married to such rich and powerful men and was able to garner so much attention; I just don’t believe she could have looked like that.” She glanced up at a portrait of Eliza hanging on the wall.
The portrait was indeed hideous; Eliza either had a terrible portrait artist or a great personality. If anything was haunting the house it was probably this oil painting of Eliza contrasted against the cartoonish cloud wallpaper she ordered from France in 1826.
We continued wandering through the house and found ourselves in Aaron Burr’s bedchamber, which I guess is like a sad bedroom.
According to the sign, Lin-Manuel Miranda sat in Aaron Burr’s bedchamber and wrote “The Room Where It Happens” (linked below) for Hamilton (a peculiar title when you learn he wrote it in Burr’s bedchamber).
If Karen really did feel a spirit tap her on the shoulder, it was likely Aaron Burr trying to tell her that there was a terrible little man singing songs in his bedchamber.
So, is the Morris-Jumel Mansion haunted by founding fathers and their unsightly wives? According to Karen, yes, but according to the Rat Report official investigation the jury is still out. You may have to visit for yourself to see whether you experience the handsy ghosts of the Morris-Jumel Mansion.
We need more investigative work such as this. Thank you, Rat Report.
Hmmm I wonder what happened to Creampuff?