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History: Sitting on nearly 20 acres on West Pacific Street in Independence, Missouri, the Bingham-Waggoner estate gets its name from Missouri artist George Caleb Bingham who purchased the estate in 1864. While Bingham only owned the estate for 6 years, he created one of his most iconic works, Order No.11, while living on the property.
The 26 room mansion was extensively remodeled to the current Italianate style in 1899. During that remodel the front entrance was switched from the north side to the east side. After Bingham’s disposal of the property, the estate changed hands twice before being sold in 1879 to William and Peter Waggoner. It would remain in the Waggoner family until the death of Harry K. Waggoner, grandson of Peter, in 1976. Claims: Only one death is documented to have taken place in the home. William Waggoner died from natural causes on October 24, 1921. Visitors to the estate claim to hear men talking and see a woman in white. Our Findings: We investigated the Bingham-Waggoner Estate in March 2021. The sky was cloudy with temps in the high 50’s falling to the high 40s throughout the night. Winds were moderate at about 16mph for most of the evening. We placed four static night vision cameras throughout the mansion and began holding EVP sessions. We did capture unexplained voices, both male and female. We heard what sounded like furniture being dragged and phantom footsteps but that turned out to be a loose window frame on the third floor. We did have some challenges. Because of the openness of the staircase, sound traveled throughout the house. The grandfather clock in the foyer chimed every 15 minutes. Wind chimes from neighboring homes could also clearly be heard (and, from inside the mansion, could easily be mistaken for music). Is the Bingham-Waggoner Mansion haunted? This time we would have to say yes. If you are ever in the Independence, Missouri area, it is worth a visit. |