The Ghost of Mollie Woodruff

The Ghost of Mollie Woodruff

Mollie Woodruff's story is a sad one. She lived in Memphis during the late 1800s in a house on "Millionaire's Row" (now Victorian Village). Three days after she gave birth to her first child, the baby died of yellow fever. Three months after that, her husband fell out of a boat while on a fishing trip and died a few hours later at home. Eventually, Mollie remarried and moved into another house with her new husband. She had a second child that also died as an infant.

It's said that when Mollie died, her spirit came back to haunt the Woodruff- Fontaine house because that's where she was happiest in life.

Mollie Woodruffs Bed

Susan Morgan, the events coordinator for the house, said that she's had personal experiences with the various ghosts in the Woodruff-Fontaine House. She's had a string of pearls ripped from her neck, her hair stand up, and she's had to smooth out the bedclothes in Mollie's bedroom in the morning.

The Woodruff-Fontaine House was completed in 1871. It's one of the only houses in Victorian Village that's completely restored, furnished and open to the public. The house also has a very large collection of Victorian clothing (which is all tiny - apparently people were much shorter then).

Formal Parlor, Woodruff-Fontaine House

If you've never been in the house (or if the last time you were there was on a field trip in third grade), you should definitely make a point to stop in sometime.

On Friday night, there are going to be ghost tours of the house with findings from paranormal investigations and firsthand accounts of the house's hauntings. There are three tours - 7 p.m., 8 p.m., and 9 p.m. After the tour, head across the street to Mollie Fontaine's Lounge for dinner and drinks.

If you can't make it on Friday night, the house is open for regular tours Wednesday - Sunday, 12 p.m. - 4 p.m.

Go There:

Woodruff-Fontaine House

680 Adams Ave.
Memphis, TN 38105

Check out the Victorian Village photo set on Flickr.

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5 Things to Do…
[...] If you’ve never been to Victorian Village (Memphis’ neighborhood of preserved Victorian homes), this weekend is the perfect time to check it out. They’re having a festival on Saturday with live music, a 5K, a picnic, free tours of Juvenile Court and half-priced tours of the Woodruff-Fontaine house. [...]
October 1, 2010 8:21am
D.S. Robinson
I have never been one to acknowledge or believe in paranormal activity; but there was some certainly happening in that house. I spoke to one of my friends of the eerie feeling I got and she said she felt the same thing. 
June 9, 2014 9:46am
Jane
Thanks for your blog.  We are enjoying Memphis.
April 25, 2015 1:49pm
Jane
Thanks for your blog.  We are enjoying Memphis.  
April 25, 2015 1:49pm
I Love Memphis…
[...] on a ghost tour of the most haunted house in Victorian Village and listen to the stories of people who have had personal interactions with the home’s spirit [...]
October 30, 2009 10:33am