Today, this historic estate serves as a museum and welcomes visitors. It was initially constructed in 1870.
In 1845, Amos Woodruff migrated to Memphis, Tennessee. He was a carriage builder who quickly amassed wealth. He later entered a number of additional businesses.
All achieved success. He oversaw a railroad, a hotel, and two banks. He was involved in the building, lumber, and cotton sectors. He ran for mayor twice as a prominent member of Memphis society. In 1870, he had a lavish residence constructed for his family. It had Mansard roofs, arched windows, and grand columns on the porch. It was built in the French Victorian architectural style.
His new estate was encircled by a carriage house, a fountain in the courtyard, magnificent gardens, and a wide front lawn. His daughter Mollie got hitched there in 1871. When her father passed away, she took the name Mollie Fontaine Henning and received the estate. She had no children who survived to adulthood. She remained there till her passing.
Three ghosts still linger in the house, including hers.
The mansion was occupied by the Fontaine family, another prosperous family. Cotton baron Noland Fontaine was.
The palace was converted into an antique store in 1929, and an art school moved in in 1959. The once-grand home required urgent repairs by 1961.
The Memphis Preservation Society (APTA) stepped in to save the day. In 1964, they launched the Woodruff Fontaine Museum after restoring the estate.
This is when Mollie Woodruff Henning’s ghost started to stir more. The Rose Room, her former bedroom on the second level, is where she spends a lot of time hanging out.She is reputed to sit on the bed and leave dents so that nobody can deny her presence. No one is allowed to get close to this bed because the Rose Room is cordoned off to tours.In this room, the bed coverings have been heard to rustle and the rocking rocker to move. People notice sudden fluctuations in the temperature here.
Without warning, the lights in this chamber and throughout the mansion turn on and off.One day, a museum docent was surprised when Mollie’s ghost appeared in the Rose Room. She told the woman that she would prefer the furniture in the room to be put back in its original position.
The mansion is haunted by her ghost. She enjoys following those who are engaging in unusual or interesting activities. One paranormal investigation team entered the basement of the home.Since they recorded Mollie’s voice on one recorder, it appears that she followed them. She admitted that she didn’t frequent the basement very often.
Another ghost at the mansion is an enraged male, as opposed to Mollie, who is a pleasant spirit. He stole a staff member’s necklace one day, and now his evil energy can be felt on both the first and third levels.His stern voice was captured by a paranormal team during an EVP session. Their inquiries were met with a “no” from him. No former occupant of the house has any connection to his ghost.
The son of the Fontaine family is thought to be yet another male ghost in the house. One Sunday afternoon when she was the lone visitor to the estate, a different docent employed by the preservation association encountered his ghost.
She saw a man seated at the bottom of the steps leading to the tower room on the fourth level as she ascended to the third floor. She initially assumed he must be a man who got locked in the home after a tour because he seemed so lifelike.
But when she focused her gaze, she noticed that he exactly resembled the Fontaine son Elliot in a photograph she had seen. She retreated down the steps in fear and closed her eyes. He was gone when she turned to look again.