Phantom voices, a lady in white. Who are these spirits that roam this pre-Civil War estate? Home to the notable Missouri Artist, George Caleb Bingham, it was also home to the prominent Waggoner family for nearly 100 years. The Bingham-Waggoner estate, which also boasts a barn and stables, sits on nearly 20 acres on West Pacific Street in Independence, MO. The 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, General Order No.11, while living on the property. Paying $4,000 for the mansion and approximately five acres, the following year Bingham purchased additional acreage which is the present day tract. A Complete Remodel The 26 room mansion, originally designed in the Italian Villa style, 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. It was during this remodel that the stable and barn were built and the log outbuilding that served as Bingham’s studio was torn down. 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. Waggoner-Gates Milling Company Peter and his son William, along with family friend George Porterfield Gates, founded the Gates-Waggoner Flour Mill, which grew to be the largest mill in Jackson County. Their “Queen of the Pantry” flour was the favorite for generations of Mid-Western housewives. The mill was built by Peter in 1860 and was in operation under family ownership until it closed in 1958. The building, which sat across the street from the estate, was destroyed by fire in 1967. Historical Significance The estate also played a role in the Santa Fe Trail. Osage Street, which forms the eastern border of the estate, has not changed appreciably in width since its days as a wagon road. In the legal description on the original Waggoner deed, references are made to survey stakes in the middle of the Santa Fe Road (present day Osage Street) from Pacific Street to Lynn Street. The pavement is laid directly over the original 1846 road alignment. Research by the Jackson County Historical Society indicates that not only did the Santa Fe Trail abut the property on the east; it passed directly across the southeast corner of the property. The Paranormal Only one death is documented to have taken place in the home. William Waggoner died on October 24, 1921 from endocarditis, an inflammation of the inner lining of the heart's chambers and valves. Visitors to the estate claim to hear men talking and see a woman in white. It is unclear who haunts the mansion. 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 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). However, we did capture unexplained voices, both male and female. The sounds of children laughing were also heard in real time and captured on our camera audio. 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 also also captured the front door opening on its own quickly followed by a man's voice that we believe says "it's John here'. Unfortunately the audio is too low for us to post on our website. While we're not sure who this man is, we believe him to be connected to the Waggoner family. Check out the full investigation findings on our Investigations Page.
0 Comments
|
AuthorI have been looking for ghosts in haunted locations across the country since 1977. Previous Blogs
All
|