Post by Graveyardbride on Nov 19, 2015 13:41:31 GMT -5
Haunted Antebellum B&B Closes
The beautiful and historic Magnolia Manor, nestled just off Court Square in Bolivar, Tenn., has opened its doors – and its ghosts – to visitors and paranormal investigators for more than two decades as a bed and breakfast. Now, the doors to the public have closed and the home will serve exclusively as the private residence of the owners, 82-year-old Elaine Cox and 92-year-old Tom Gatti.
The owners’ son, Gregg Rivers, posted the announcement on Facebook November 12: “We’re closing Magnolia Manor due to illness in the family. If you have reservations already they will be honored. We apologize for any inconvenience. Please, do NOT call Magnolia Manor. Please respect our privacy. Web sites including Facebook pages will be deleted in the next couple of weeks.”
Earlier this year, the family announced the home would be hosting its last annual “Ghost Tour,” which began in 2005 and featured the downstairs of the home, the grounds and other historic places in the town.
(Charles Schrimsher, Bolivar Bulletin Times)
The antebellum mansion, which once hosted Union invaders Ulysses S. Grant and William Tecumseh Sherman, boasts of its connection to one of the most tragic periods in our nation’s history. A mark on the stair railing (above) leading up the staircase is a favorite of visitors, because it is said to be a gash left by Sherman’s sword. According to historians, Sherman said, “All women and children in the South need to be exterminated,” in front of Mrs. Mary Jane Miller, wife of Judge Austin Miller, who built the house. Mrs. Miller ran out of the room in tears and was questioned by Grant, who, after discovering why his hostess was in tears, insisted Sherman apologize to Mrs. Miller. Sherman apologized, then angrily stomped up the stairs, slashing the railing with his sword on the way up.
The bed and breakfast was recently named one of the five most haunted places in the Mid-South.
Sources: Elaine Cox, and Amelia Carlson, WMC News.
