The Ghosts of Vicksburg, MS
If you are at all familiar with Vicksburg, you know there are plenty of spooky ghost stories. Known for its rich history and pivotal role in the Civil War, this picturesque river town has a darker side. I am going to tell you about a few of my favorite haunted places so that you can create your own spine-chilling journey through the haunted streets of Vicksburg. I went for a 4-day weekend in August 2023 but I plan on going back and spending even more time learning more about the town’s ghostly tales.
Dining room
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Courtyard
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1. Anchuca Mansion
Anchuca Mansion, a beautiful Greek Revival antebellum home turned bed-and-breakfast, has plenty of ghost stories that beckon the curious and the brave. The home began as a two-story wood frame cottage built around 1830 by local politician J. W. Mauldin. The structure grew with additions to the structure during the 1840s and 1850s by Victor and Jane Wilson. The Wilson family (including seven children) survived the bloody 47-day siege of the city only to experience a devastating loss just weeks after Vicksburg’s surrender to Union forces on July 4, 1863. Their only son and an infant daughter died due to the health complications from living in poor conditions and suffering malnutrition experienced by many during the siege. Mr. Wilson died in 1865 and, overwrought with grief and financial devastation, Mrs. Wilson sold the property.
Common paranormal reports from guests include hearing voices and footsteps, phantom scents of floral perfume and tobacco, shadow figures, and feeling random cold spots. Alleged haunts: a woman in a brown dress, two or three soldiers presumably from when the home served as a field hospital, and an entity in the slave quarters. Our room was upstairs in what was once the servants’ quarters.
2. The Old Courthouse Museum
Originally built in 1858, the building served as Warren County's courthouse until 1939 when it was replaced by the New Courthouse. The museum houses historical items and items of cultural significance ranging from pre-Columbian artifacts to Civil War memorabilia and everything in between.
Common paranormal reports and alleged haunts: disembodied voices and laughter, footsteps, shadows and apparitions dressed in Civil War attire.
View during the day
We stayed in a room on the ground floor.
Interior from the front door
View at night
It was lovely having morning coffee out here!
Parlor
3. Duff Green Mansion
As I walked towards Duff Green Mansion while on a Haunted Vicksburg ghost tour, the sun set over the historic town of Vicksburg, Mississippi, leaving a sense of mystery quietly enveloping the streets. The Greek Revival structure was built in the 1850s and continues to stand dignified against the passage of time. It is believed to maintain a host of spirits within it’s walls and halls.
Amidst the lavish furnishings, and grand staircases, the souls of past residents are rumored to echo through the mansion's corridors and the ballroom in which Jefferson Davis danced. The spirits of the Duff Green Mansion have long been discussed and debated by both skeptics and believers, establishing the mansion's reputation as a much desired destination for seekers of the paranormal. Built as a private residence, Duff Green Mansion served a critical role during the siege of Vicksburg. Duff Green, a prominent Mississippi businessman and politician, opened the mansion's doors to Confederate officials, transforming it into a makeshift field hospital.
Many claim to have seen various apparitions within the mansion. Reports of glimpses of Ulysses S. Grant sitting by a fireplace in the former kitchen, soldiers dressed in Confederate uniforms. and the spirit of Mary Green are common. We stayed on the ground floor in the Camellia room but did not experience anything during our one night stay.
Whether you visit in the daylight listening to tales told by the mansion's caretakers or you choose to wander the corridors after hours, the ghosts of Duff Green Mansion remain a source of mystery. They serve as a reminder that the echoes of our past aren’t very far rom our present.
Exterior from the street
We stayed in the Tree Top room.
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