Heritage Museum (May-Stringer House) , Brooksville

June 17, 2007

Ghost Tour

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The news of the Heritage Museum ghost tours came to us through an article published in the St. Petersburg Times   The newspaper described a very haunted, very historic museum in a semi-rural part of west central Florida called Brooksville.  Our northern county resident member called ahead and booked the SPIRITS of St. Petersburg for a tour.  We had a 2 month waiting list as the Museum's reputation made national publication.

The day finally arrived.  Five SPIRITS of St. Petersburg members met for dinner, then alighted shortly before dark at the location.  . The musuem is actually inside a beautiful old home called the May-Stringer mansion.  Built in the mid-1800s, it comes complete with the standard Florida wrap-around porch surrounded by a canopy of oak trees.  A young John May, builder of the home, was  just 23 when he settled there with his wife and infant daughter.  Unfortunantly, he died a short time after the birth of his second child; May was only 24.  He is the first of many residents who haunt the home.  In fact, the Museum has a scrap book of images taken at the property and believe that May manifested as a full-bodied apparition and a shadow figure in several photographs.

We met our tour guide, Bonnie.  She is a delightful frank woman who tells things as she sees them, including stories of  phenomena she has witnessed in the house.  She reported watching items moving, hearing singing and footsteps, and even senses the presence of May, himself.  She openly talks of run-ins with individuals who have told her that she has a connection to the house associated with a past life.  WIth or without a prior existence in the home, Bonnie is impressive with how very in tuned she is with her surroundings; she seems to have a stories about every nook and cranny within this old homestead.

Since the tours are relgated to 8 people, the SPIRITS members were pleasantly surprised to find that our tour-mates were members of the New Port Richie ghost group (we have a review of their tours also listed under the "tours" section of our website).  Though the event was initially scheduled for 8 p.m., during the summer season things start a little bit later in order to allow for darkness to settle.  Each member was given a battery operated "candle" to light their way thorugh the night.  Hand-held equipment in hand, we wove our way through the dark Victorian corridors to meet our spectral hosts.

Each room has someone new to "talk" to. There is a war room containing uniforms of American soldiers, apparently one of which has brought the spirit of its initial owner.  The kitchen has had reports of fantastic aromas, the attic a tempermental actor who arrived when his wooden trunk was donated to the museum.  There is an room remodeled to resemble an old fashioned school that holds a lonely man, allegedly jilted by his fiance.  The master bedroom has a cradle containing a baby doll that is rocked by a mysterious ghostly child.  There are images with nebulous figures looking out at the photographer, who swears that no one was there at the time the picure was snapped.

The tour is highly recommended  for paranormal groups; after the walk through, the group is allowed to divide into smaller sections to go back to areas of interest for the second hour.  A representative of the museum travels with each group, but does not interfere with what is found.  To see the SPIRITS results, see our images below. 

For anyone who wants to go on a tour, the instructions are to call ahead and reserve.  Only 8 people a night can come on a ghost tour and these specific tours are only offered on Friday and Saturday nights.  Tours start after dark and last approximately two hours.  The cost is $20 per person for the tour; it is well worth the price.  All money earned goes towards maintaining this fantastic place.  For more information on the tour, contact:

There are no images at all in the window behind Amy.  The second shot, below, shows an odd face in the window, which is part of the story of the hauntings at the Museum. Note:  There was no one standing in the area at the time the photograph was taken.

Outside shots; this is the only one I had with anything on it. 

Brandy:  My only sensations were by the attic area where I felt someone "blow" or touch my neck.  It was \very subtle.  I also had the impression that our soldier friend was going to be quiet that night.

Brandy's images:  digital.  When we first arrived, I took a couple of pictures while we were waiting.  I got this double set of orbs, which moves down the hallway, then vanishes.  (Note:  it is part of this camera to produce  "flat" orbs.  I have NO idea why).

Debbie:

The Heritage Museum has a very full and interesting history that our Ghost Tour guide was eager to share with us all.  Built in 1856 with only two downstairs rooms and two upstairs bedrooms this house was eventually extended to a 15-room mansion.  With the history unfolded by our tour guide it is no wonder this property considered haunted.  I do think there is much there to experience and one should plan to attend one of the Heritage Museum Ghost Tours.

My only personal experience during this tour came as a physical touch in the dinning room.  While holding the camcorder up filming in IR, I felt the top of my hand being “tickled”.  One rather unusual picture, containing a “cloudy blob” with a blue orb, was taken between the living room and the dining room.  I also have evps taken during our evp session in the school room.  I have yet to get to the camcorder films and I will post an addendum if more is discovered.  Please check back to this page to check for Heritage Museum evps.

Evie:

Heritage Museum, Brooksville, Fl

Saturday, June 16, 2007

Five members of the SPIRITS took the Ghost Tour of the museum.  Cost was $20.00 but worth every penny and all donations go directly to the preservation of the home.

Bonnie and staff gave us a room by room tour by candle light, with Bonnie telling of the history and stories of unusual happenings in the home.  Although this was not an official investigation, we used some of our equipment and took a lot of pictures in hopes of catching that full bodied apparition that every one is trying to capture. Out of about 45 pictures I took, there were a few pictures with orbs but nothing that resembled a ghost. Maybe next time.

This was a totally enjoyable tour and after the tour we were allowed to go back to any room we wanted to see again with one of the staff and stay as long as we wished. 

I would recommend this tour to everyone who is interested in history or curious about the paranormal. 

Mary's Report

The May-Stringer house offered a unique opportunity to investigate a home (now a museum) that has an abundance of history and haunts.  On the SPIRITS' visit on the night of June 16th, Bonnie, our guide, treated us to a fascinating account of the several spirits that inhabit the museum.  One, a small child named Jessie May who died in the house, another a WWI soldier who committed suicide upon learning of his fiancee's marriage while he was overseas, and  another, John May, the original owner of the home, wander the rooms and halls of this beautiful mansion much as they had done in life.  There is yet another, a darker entity, that has also taken up residence in the attic, possibly attached to an actor's trunk which was donated to the museum shortly before he appeared for the first time.

The SPIRITS were privileged to  investigate the home by splitting into groups. Using digital cameras, tape recorders, camcorders, digital

thermometers and  EMF meters, readings were taken and recorded throughout the house.  The most activity centered in the schoolroom on the second floor. Digital pictures, video recordings both yielded strong evidence of other worldly activity.  I look forward to a return visit to this wonderful museum and a continuation of our investigations in the near future!

I would recommend this tour to everyone who is interested in history or curious about the paranormal. 

Mary's images, digital camera (below)

Hernando Heritage Museum

By Amy Hoge

Here is a house that, for me, has held more paranormal energy than any other building on the West Coast of Florida. 

My first visit to his house/museum was in April of 2007.  During this visit the tour guide, Bonnie, explained the history

of the home and included some history of the surrounding Brooksville area.  It quickly became apparent to me

that this home was pretty much the center of attention for what is now Hernando, Pasco and Citrus Counties. 

This is a rather large area to regard one home/plantation as the center of it all.  It is no wonder that this home

now houses energies of times past. 

During the first part of the tour it felt like any other tour through a historic place.  I kept my eyes open and my senses

tied on to anything that may be out of the ordinary.  Until we made it into the Military room (which was

at one time the kitchen for the house).  During Bonnie's explanation that this part of the house was

drug 30 feet to be attached to the home, I heard what sounded like a little girl singing and then

laughing.  The sound was coming from up stairs.  This was the first time I had heard a disembodied voice

that clear and that distinct.  My interest was more than piqued at this point. 

We continued our tour up stairs, where I hoped to catch site of the little girl that was making the

joyous sounds earlier.  Alas, nothing.  Nothing at all.  No additional sounds, nor any images in my

photos.  We visited the attic, which I was more than happy to follow Bonnie's lead of not going back to.

She told a story of a man who didn't' appreciate women who harassed her.  I didn't want to take

my chances.  As it is, I don't seek-out mean live human beings, much less do I seek-out unhappy

individuals that walk the "other side". 

At the end of the tour the group was asked if they wanted to further explore an area of the house. 

Everyone decided to go back to the attic.  I decided to stay downstairs in the front room with Bonnie

and my mother (who had also come along).  We all sat in chairs and had idle chat about ghosts

and other histories of the area.  It was then that I heard the footsteps racing up the hall way behind

me.  I turned but found nothing. 

After the entire tour was over and I left the home, I felt myself completely drained.  I went home and slept

straight for nearly 12 hours.  Even upon wakening I still did not feel rested.  I'm convinced that

the energies residing in that home were feeding off of my own.  I made a mental note to myself that

when I return I would properly shield myself as not to experience this again.

Nearly two months later I returned to the museum with my fellow SPRITS of St Petersburg members.

I was thrilled to be going back through this home, and to be able to do a little further investigation.

Although the home still held the same energy, and I knew that I was being watched or passed by,

there just wasn't as much physical evidence.  We didn't gather any EVPs - or any jaw dropping photos.

I did enjoy a nice conversation with the soldier in the school room, and I'm convinced that he was not

prepared for the extensive interview that he was receiving.  I would love to go back to that room and try

to talk to him one on one, after all during our trial he made it clear that he'd like for me to be in the room

with him, alone.  (yikes) 

I absolutely love this property.  Partly because of the history and partly because of the energy.  I believe

that upon further investigations that we would be able to find more there, and come back with more

evidence. 

Brandy's Report:

The conditions were different for us.  We had another ghost team there and the two teams switched areas of investigation.  During the actual investigation, I really did not get a lot.  Nothing on EMF or EVP.  Strange window image posted is, in my opinion, probably naturally explained as an odd reflection.  We did focus on the school room as that was said to be an area of heavy activity.  The attic was creepy, but it could have been because it was so crowded.  However, the staff did have an excellent picture of some of the images taken by prior teams.  One included what looked like a man made out of energy -- almost a shadow figure -- walking on the ramparts.  I'm not sure if the image is a fluke (ink blot; the image was enlarged) or if this was an actual anomaly caught directly on camera.  Otherwise, the history was excellent to learn and the items within -- from Victorian dolls to antique furniture -- was amazing to behold.  Florida lacks the history of the North and I think that this is one of the few houses that shows that Florida did have residents here before 1950!

Addendum:  7-30-09

From "Florida Ghostly Legends and Haunted Folklore:  North Florida and St. Augustine".  (V. 2)

Author: Greg Jenkins, published 2005

The house is located at 601 Museum Court in Brooksville, Florida.

Built in 1856

Four story home, 12 rooms total, with "a large country kitchen and an adjoining summerhouse kitchen toward the rar of the home, all decorated in a Civil War-era motif with over 10,000 pieces of antiquity on display" (p. 1)

Hosts a small schoolroom and library, which was used for local children, attic filled with items from Florida's past

A child was born in the house; the mother died shortly thereafter, and the little girl died at 3 years of age.  Before her death, the child would walk through the house crying for her mother; her spirit is said to still be wandering today.  Reports include a little girl's voice crying "Momma, momma"...which then faded away (p. 7).

She has a favorite doll that she still plays with (photo in book -- p. 5).

Attic:  also an area of poltergeist outbreak.  Volunteers would arrive for work and found attic space in disarray, particularly if new toys are brought in.

Names of potential ghosts:  Marena and Jessie May; both buried in the front yard (not uncommon for the time).

Note:  The author of the book does not appear to have gotten a lot of response, either. On page 8, he does state:

"Parapsychologists and phychical researchers have come here to look into the ghostly goings on, and many of them claim to have found evidence of something out of the ordinary.  Although the paranormal events at the May-Stringer House are usually mild, events such as teacups being found in a place where they should not be, and the bedroom and attic being ransacked from time to time by unseen culprits, points to classic poltergeist phenomena.  However, most poltergeist activity is short-lived compared to this haunting, and so the remarkable events in the May-Stringer House may continue for centuries."

However, with his lack of contact, and at least two ghost investigation teams present on our night, neither of which appeared to have gotten much, I am not sure that I agree.  Jessie may have her own schedule and may do things on her own time.  The manifestations cited are mild -- mostly in the bedroom, attic, and kitchen, and with a long lag between events.  I have not checked into events past 2007 so I do not know if activity has picked up, especially with the wave of interest from the media and new ghost enthusiasts.  I am hopeful that Jessie may have found her mother and knows peace -- which is the best case scenario for her.  Nonetheless, the May-Stringer house is a beautiful place to go and, ghost or no ghost, worth the time to visit.