Elegant Antebellum architecture, grand wrap-around porches, rich cultural history, and . . . lively ghosts from long ago? Not something usually associated with the Bellamy Mansion Museum, yet stories from visitors, guests, and part-time employees beg to differ. Even featured in books such as Ghosts of Old Wilmington by John Hirchak and Haunted Wilmington by Brooks Newton Preik—from which the following stories come—the Mansion has had visitors reporting that they saw something supernatural. Perhaps, though, these stories are similar to the skeleton that William “Willie” Bellamy once placed around the house to scare others; spooky and unnerving, but ultimately just entertaining tales that connect us to the past.
Creepy old photograph of the Bellamy Mansion
Of all the mansion's many floors, it is the top floor, the Children's Floor, that gives guests the uneasiest feelings. Visitors say that they feel uncomfortable or even ill upon reaching the top floor. Many have no wishes to linger any longer than necessary. In addition, it is from the top floor that guests “find themselves mysteriously drawn into the Belvedere atop the house,” or even the feeling of something, or someone, “urging them up into the Belvedere” (Hirchak). However, it should not be forgotten that the top level contains the bedrooms of the youngest Bellamy children. As it was a private space where guests would not roam, the top floor was designed with dark grain wood floors and walls and was more sparsely decorated. In addition, it is more of an enclosed space with limited natural light due to the fact that it is located in the roof of the mansion. These characteristics are likely what lend the “creepy” feeling that some guests and visitors experience, as not everyone is okay with small and dimly lit locations.
Actually, the top floor was once the happiest floor in the mansion according to the memories of Ellen Douglas Bellamy, who lived in the home until her death in 1946. The Bellamy children spent a great deal of time there, playing games and putting on plays performed upon the storage platform they turned into a stage. It was not a dark or spooky place to avoid back in 1861, rather it was likely the brightest and happiest place in the whole mansion.
Actually, the top floor was once the happiest floor in the mansion according to the memories of Ellen Douglas Bellamy, who lived in the home until her death in 1946. The Bellamy children spent a great deal of time there, playing games and putting on plays performed upon the storage platform they turned into a stage. It was not a dark or spooky place to avoid back in 1861, rather it was likely the brightest and happiest place in the whole mansion.
Ellen Bellamy as a Child
Perhaps the eeriest stories involve the member of the Bellamy family who lived in the house longer than all others—Ellen Douglas Bellamy. As one story goes, as an elderly woman, Ellen would often read the newspaper before bed, and the black ink would rub off onto her fingers. When she turned off the wall sconce, the ink was transferred onto the wall, and over time this residue built up. Nothing unusual, except for the fact that it is said one can still see the smudge marks reappear near the sconce today, even after multiple repaintings of the room.
This story holds some truth, as Ellen Bellamy was a well-read and educated woman. She loved to read the newspaper, especially in her later years when Ellen’s health kept her mainly in her bedroom. It was in this southwest bedroom that Ellen wrote her book, Back With the Tide, recalling her earliest memories from when the family first moved into the mansion, their evacuation to Floral College at the start of the Civil War, and the subsequent return to their home.
As for the ink smudges? The mansion’s bedroom level is comprised entirely of white walls. With the many visitors that the Bellamy Mansion has—adults, teens, and young children—all exploring the house on a guided tour with a docent or on a self-guided audio tour, it would not be remiss to say that some guests may be seeing the fingerprints of previous visitors who strayed too close to the white walls.
This story holds some truth, as Ellen Bellamy was a well-read and educated woman. She loved to read the newspaper, especially in her later years when Ellen’s health kept her mainly in her bedroom. It was in this southwest bedroom that Ellen wrote her book, Back With the Tide, recalling her earliest memories from when the family first moved into the mansion, their evacuation to Floral College at the start of the Civil War, and the subsequent return to their home.
As for the ink smudges? The mansion’s bedroom level is comprised entirely of white walls. With the many visitors that the Bellamy Mansion has—adults, teens, and young children—all exploring the house on a guided tour with a docent or on a self-guided audio tour, it would not be remiss to say that some guests may be seeing the fingerprints of previous visitors who strayed too close to the white walls.
Bellamy family members posing for the first photograph taken of the mansion in 1873.
Maybe one of the most well-documented paranormal incidents occurred in 1990 while filming was taking place in the mansion. The film crew was in the Library, and the report goes, "We had locked the door behind us and were completely alone in the house when suddenly we heard the heavy front door open and slam shut with a loud bang. A cold blast of air rushed through the closed door up the stairs and into the Library . . . our papers sailed in every direction. Within seconds, we were out of there . . . we heard the Library door slam shut . . . followed by an angry pounding on [the door]" (Roberts).
It is possible to debunk part of the story. With the mansion's design, was the gust of wind simply from a difference in pressure created by other doors or windows being open, or even the wind coming from one of those openings? Was the film crew truly alone, or did an employee enter the house through the front door unseen? And, in their haste to flee the room, perhaps the pounding they heard was from something else entirely?
It is possible to debunk part of the story. With the mansion's design, was the gust of wind simply from a difference in pressure created by other doors or windows being open, or even the wind coming from one of those openings? Was the film crew truly alone, or did an employee enter the house through the front door unseen? And, in their haste to flee the room, perhaps the pounding they heard was from something else entirely?
John and Eliza Bellamy's gravestone in the Bellamy family plot at Oakdale Cemetery.
So why do stories about the Bellamy Mansion being haunted persist? It is true that around a half dozen Bellamys indeed died in the house. From all accounts, they all peacefully passed away in the home, and their funerals were held in the mansion at 503 Market Street-see the excerpt from Mary Elizabeth Bellamy Duffie's 1900 obituary below. One theory as to why some people spend their leisure time seeking out sites associated with death and those reported to be haunted is the theory of "thanatoursim" or "dark tourism." Defined by A.V. Seaton as being, “motivated by the desire for actual or symbolic encounters with death,” this phenomenon has been steadily gaining popularity since the latter part of the 19th-century. Scholars surmise that as death and dying became more removed from Americans' lives with the modernization of hospitals and the use of mortuaries and funeral homes, individuals began to seek out encounters with death, even ghosts, in an attempt to come to terms with their own mortality.
 The Wilmington Herald Article announcing the death of Mary Elizabeth "Belle" Bellamy |  The Wilmington Herald Article announcing Belle's funeral will be held at the Bellamy Mansion |
In the end, is the Bellamy Mansion truly haunted by spirits of the past, or are the stories simply products of active imaginations set free in the 157-year-old antebellum house? It seems that you’ll have to visit the Bellamy Mansion Museum to judge for yourself.
Back with the Tide, Ghosts of Old Wilmington, and Haunted Wilmington can be found in the Bellamy Mansion Gift Shop for purchase.
Written by Bellamy Mansion intern and UNCW English major Kasey Baker
References:
Hirchak, John. Ghosts of Old Wilmington. Charleston, Haunted America, 2006. Print.
Preik, Brooks Newton. Haunted Wilmington. Wilmington, Stuart House Publications, 1995. Print.
Roberts, Nancy. Ghosts from the Coast. Chapel Hill, The University of North Carolina Press, 2001. Print.
References:
Hirchak, John. Ghosts of Old Wilmington. Charleston, Haunted America, 2006. Print.
Preik, Brooks Newton. Haunted Wilmington. Wilmington, Stuart House Publications, 1995. Print.
Roberts, Nancy. Ghosts from the Coast. Chapel Hill, The University of North Carolina Press, 2001. Print.
