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.
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).
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:
680 Adams Ave.
Memphis, TN 38105
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