The Haunted Castle House

The history of this house is sorted like its past residents.

The history has been traced back by several different people which none can be confirmed as the person responsible for building the house.  The only known thing is that there is a mass grave on one side of the back yard and there are separate graves on the other side of the back yard. 

The first person recorded as owning the land was Sarah Lee. 

There are documents that put a Reverend Jacob Shaw McComb on  the property in 1859  but not actually in the house or building the house.  Dr. McComb lost his 5 week old son on the property.  In 1872, when Dr McCombs wife Emily was 40 she gave birth to their 10th child and she passed away  on the property.   

After the death of his wife Emily,  Dr. McComb remarried 3 months later.  He was now 36 years old and his new bride was 21.  They went on to have 6 more children. 

In 1884 when his new wife was 35 she passed away but it was not on this property.  

The next person found was Dr, John L Conner.  This man was the County Coroner from 1875 to 1881.  It is believed that he may have operated his business on the land. 

The next reported owner whom most possibly is the builder of the house was John C Martin.   He is reported to  have owned the house from 1885 to 1893. He owned a hotel in town and was a farmer.   Mr. Martin had twin girls that were still born in 1895 and are buried near by the house.

Mr. Clifford Thompson could also have built the home he was the postmaster in Miller County and lived on the property from 1893 to 1901.

From 1901 to 1907, James Thompson was reported to own the land and it is unknown if he or his wife built the house. 

From 1907 to 1916 Mr. Joseph McWilliams owned a grain mill in town and a foreman at the post, and owned an electric company.  It is reported that he could have built the house.  

From 1916 to 1919 Clyde Pemberton who worked as a salesman a farmer and an oil worker owned the house.  He lived with his wife Sarah and their 5 kids one of which was reported deceased at age 5. 

From 1920 to 1928 the  house was owned by Charles Short he  was reported to be a teacher, a banker and a politician. 

From 1928 to 1930 Dr. Walter Duncan Dickson owned the house and died in  the house at 57 years of age.  His wife remarried and moved from the home.

From 1930 to  1935  James Dickson who was the son of the late Dr. Dickson lived in the home.  He was reported to have a temper and was an alcoholic.  

From 1935 to 1947 Dr. Myron Jones  owned the home.  He was a local Doctor and he had his practice in the home and treated many illnesses including the Spanish Flu,  Malaria, and Typhoid. He still owned the home when there was a Scarlet Fever outbreak in 1936 and then a Polio outbreak in 1946. 

From 1947 to 1956 Charles Bass was a the homeowner and he worked as a merchant and a postmaster. 

From 1956 to 1963 William Sullivan was a local barber and owned the house till he passed in the house in 1963. 

From 1963 to 1983 Norma Sullivan the wife of William Sullivan lived in til her death in 1984.  It was reported that  she died from Dementia. 

On July 1st 1971 there was a murder,  suicide about  five hundred feet from the Haunted Castle house.   A woman was served with divorce papers that morning and she and her husband had an argument.  She left her house and went next door to her brothers house and their son heard a gunshot and went to investigate and found that his father had shot and killed his mother.  His father then tried to turn the gun on himself but the gun jammed so he went into the house and retrieved a 22 caliber gun and completed the job. 

In 1984 to 1988 Emerson Allee owned the house.  He died in the  in 1988.  His wife promptly sold the house.

From 1988 to 1991 the house belonged to a Mobile Home Sales company.

From 1991 to 1997 Doug and Judith Thompson owned the house.

From  1997 to 1998 Barbara and Bartholomew owned the home.

From 1998 to 2009 Steve and Angela O'Hare owned the home.

Froom 2009 to 2013 Angela O'Hare owned the home.

From 2013 to 2016 Nick Sacco and Marcy Hootner owned the home.  

From 2016 to 2018 Mike and Vicki Rowland  owned the home.  I know Vicki Dreaded selling the home, but her personal health came first. 

The Newest Owners are Steve and Judy Skinner.   Steve Skinner is a Doctor of Dermatology.     Judy did most of this research herself to find out about the house shhe had purchased.