Unexplained voices and lights that turn on by themselves. Who are the spirits at the historic Dillingham-Lewis house? Morgan Vachael Dillingham was a prosperous farmer in Blue Springs, Missouri. His real estate holdings, including a 180 acre farm east of Highway 7 (present day East Lakeview Annex) added to his wealth. In 1906 he built a home of native Missouri stone at the corner of 15th and Main in Blue Springs. He lived there with his wife Melvina “Mellie” until his death in 1925. Mrs. Dillingham continued to live in the home until her death in 1928. The Dillingham’s would have at least 8 children, including a set of twins. As was common for the time, three of their children would not live to adulthood. By the time the home was built, both Mr. and Mrs. Dillingham were advancing in age. While none of their children lived with them, they did open their home to several grandchildren. Besides his farming operation, Morgan, in partnership with his friend Thomas Records, operated a successful mercantile business in Blue Springs for 22 years. In 1893, Morgan’s son David would take over operation of the Blue Springs Mercantile Store until selling it in 1923. Morgan also served as the vice president of the Bank of Blue Springs. Successful Breeder By all accounts, Morgan’s true passion was breeding prized jacks (male donkeys), which he began doing as early as 1879. He became widely known for his pure strain of jacks and sold to buyers across the United States. His farm became commonly known as Dillingham Jack Farm. Morgan died September 1, 1925. I have been unable to locate a death record, however I did locate a short obituary which indicates he died at the old Kansas City Research Hospital. Four of his children are listed as surviving him. Oddly, his wife Melvina, who didn’t pass away until 1928, is not listed. Unusual Second Owner Upon Melvina’s death in 1928, the home was purchased by Narcissa Lewis. Ms. Lewis, commonly called Narra, was never married and was an avid antiques collector. She would live in the home until her death, at the age of 90, in 1947. Narra was born in 1857 in Winchester, Indiana, the daughter of John H. and Elizabeth Lewis. The family moved to Blue Springs in 1883. She was educated, obtaining a college degree, and owned her own home – both of which were unusual for a woman of the time. She obtained a passport in 1900 and spent several months traveling the world. It has been claimed that she would sit in the window of her family’s home across the street from the Dillingham’s and would often speak of owning the Dillingham house one day. While I can’t find evidence that her family lived near the Dillingham’s, in 1920 Narra was listed as a ‘lodger’ in the home of Frank Cummins whose home was next door to the Dillingham’s. In the terms of the time, ‘next door’ could have actually been across the street, so that part of the story may be true. After Narra’s death, it has been reported that Frank Cummins purchased the Dillingham house and would live there until his death in the home in 1966. I cannot find record of whether he ever owned the Dillingham home but he certainly did not pass away there - or live there until 1966. According to his death certificate and obituary, he died February 15, 1963 in the old Independence Hospital and Sanitarium which once stood on Truman Road in Independence. Claims of the Paranormal Paranormal claims include visitors and staff seeing the apparition of a woman looking out the window, closet doors opening and closing on their own, being touched by unseen hands, hearing footsteps and a top hat that is normally on a bureau at the top of the stairs on the second floor moving from room to room. It is also claimed that an uneasy feeling greets those who venture to the basement where a black shadow is reportedly seen. It is believed that both Mrs. Dillingham and Miss Lewis haunt the home. The Investigation We investigated the Dillingham-Lewis home on a beautiful spring evening in April, 2021. Temperatures were in the mid-70’s and fell to the mid-50’s throughout our investigation. There was no precipitation and winds were light. The home sits just a few blocks away from the very busy Blue Springs historic district. Just two blocks from the home is a popular bar and grill whose patrons enjoy live music and outdoor seating. During our investigation we easily heard the sounds of the neighbors and others who were enjoying the outdoors. The home is small – just 7 rooms – and the identified paranormal hotspots included the front room, basement and second floor landing. We placed static cameras at each location and began holding EVP sessions throughout the home. Initially, we believed we were hearing disembodied voices but it turned out to be the neighbors. However, we have no explanation for several EVPs we captured. We also captured one strange light anomaly. While we were investigating the downstairs part of the home, a light on the second floor came on. No one was on the second floor at the time. This was captured on the camera that was on the second floor as well as by the camera that was in the hotel next door. We were not aware the light came on until we were reviewing the video footage. Is the Dillingham-Lewis house haunted? While we were unable to document the many claims of paranormal activity, we did capture some things we can’t explain…so you decide.
To see more of what we captured, check out our investigations page or our YouTube video.
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AuthorI have been looking for ghosts in haunted locations across the country since 1977. Previous Blogs
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