Woodburn Mansion: A Haunted History

Delaware is one of the most haunted states in the country and for good reason. With its long and storied history, it’s no surprise that many ghosts call the First State home. One of the best-known ghost stories is the tale of Woodburn, the Governor’s house, which is said to be haunted by several ghosts.

Constructed in 1790, Woodburn Mansion in Dover remains one of the finest examples of Georgian homes in the entire state. Many of Delaware’s wealthy citizens lived in the 7-bedroom house. The State of Delaware bought the mansion in 1965 to be the Governor’s Home. The mansion was renovated to make it more modern. One thing has stayed the same, though, throughout all the years and all the residents of the Governor’s House – the ghosts of Woodburn Mansion have never left.

Prior to being the “Governor’s House,” this haunted place in Delaware was home to senators, politicians, wealthy farmers, doctors, and other members of Delaware’s elite class. Nearly every resident has reported hearing or seeing one of the Mansion’s many ghosts.

Many people consider this the most haunted house in Delaware! The ghosts of Woodburn appear in many forms and have been heard and seen by dozens of people over the years. It is hard to dispute the fact that there’s just something not quite right about the entire estate.

Luckily, the Woodburn ghosts are mostly happy ghosts, and they enjoy a bit of fun. Some of them may have a little too much fun.

The First Appearance of the Woodburn Ghost: Mr. Hillyard

The first documented Woodburn ghost appeared around 1815, about 25 years after the house was built. Dr. and Mrs. Martin Bates, the owners at the time, were entertaining Mr. Lorenzo Dow, a well-known itinerant Methodist preacher. One morning at the breakfast table, Mrs. Bates asked Mr. Dow to begin the meal with prayer. Mr. Dow hesitated and asked if they should wait for the other guest in the house. Surprised, Mrs. Bates explained there were no other guests. Mr. Dow described in detail the gentleman he met on the staircase. The older gentleman supposedly wore a powdered wig, knee britches, and a ruffled shirt. This description bothered Mrs. Bates a great deal because it was an exact sketch of her father, Mr. Charles Hillyard III.

The Ghost of the Slave Raider at Woodburn Mansion

When you look at Woodburn Mansion in the 1950s, pictured above shortly before the State of Delaware purchased it, you can almost tell it’s an eerie and historical place. Crepe myrtles, boxwoods, and large poplar trees adorn the property and loom over the property, giving visitors a sense of dread.

The feeling makes sense when you find out that one of the ghosts of Woodburn Mansion is a southern slave raider who died hanging from a tree that still stands.

When Dan Cowgill, a Quaker man, owned Woodburn, it was a stop on the Underground Railroad. One night, a group of slave raiders came to the mansion, and as Mr. Cowgill chased them away, one attempted to escape by climbing the large poplar tree in the front yard. He slipped, unnoticed, and got caught in a knot in the tree, where he hanged until his death. To this day, you can still hear screams and shackles, as this evil man must relive his death frequently, as his own personal hell. This tale is one of the most well-known of the many ghost stories in Delaware.

The Wine-Sipping Ghosts of Woodburn Mansion

The dining room is particularly haunted, much to the chagrin of any wine lovers who spend the night. It seems to be the most haunted room in the house, and the ghosts’ actions are a bit puzzling.

Instead of breaking things, moving objects, or haunting dreams, the ghosts of Woodburn have a different medium through which they communicate. They appear dressed in colonial-era clothing, helping themselves to the best spirits in the house.

When Governor Charles Terry Jr. lived in the mansion, one ghost was often seen helping himself to vintage wines in the dining room. A previous owner of Woodburn reported that he’d fill his wine decanter every night, and find it empty the next morning. These wine-drinking apparitions usually appear dressed in revolutionary-era clothes, even in the modern day.

More about Mr. Hillyard

Mr. Hillyard, the builder of Woodburn, has been seen by others since Mr. Dow. Mr. Hillyard, according to Dover history, was known to enjoy a strong drink. If a glass of wine is left downstairs at Woodburn during the night, an empty glass in the morning indicates Mr. Hillyard has been on the prowl again.

Mr. Frank Hall, another owner of the house, claimed to sometimes pass Mr. Hillyard on the stairs and described him as others had in the past.

Governor Tribbitt’s wife, Jeanne, regularly checked the stairway for Mr. Hillyard’s presence. She even left wine out for him several times with no results. She noted, “I made sure that I didn’t tell my husband I was doing this, or he would have drunk the wine just to tease me!”

While the decor has changed throughout the decades, the ghosts remain fascinated with this room at Woodburn. Governors’ wives have heard scampering footsteps in the dining room at all hours of the night. Revolutionary-era gentlemen float across the room. The “wine ghosts” imbibe whatever vino stays left out here. Occupying the most haunted house in Delaware is hard work, and even ghosts need to wind down sometimes!

The Little Girl Who Will Never Grow Up

The mansion’s garden is reported to be haunted, too by one ghost who is quite a bit younger than the rest. It makes you wonder what occurred to have her haunting Woodburn. Apparently, a young girl wearing a red checkered dress plays in the pools and fountains on the property.

She loves to splash and play in the pools and fountains. The little girl ‘crashed’ the inauguration of Governor Michael Castle in 1985. Guests of the new Governor felt something tugging at them throughout the ceremony. Several also saw the young girl floating shyly in the corner of the reception hall.

Visit

To get to know the ghosts of Woodburn, you’ll have to take a private tour.

On the First Saturday of each month, Delaware’s First State Heritage Park hosts public tours of Woodburn from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. No reservations are necessary for Woodburn tours on the first Saturday of the month.

You can also visit the mansion Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. You will have to make an appointment a day in advance. Admission is free. Contact the mansion’s administrator, Kristy Huxhold via e-mail at [email protected] or via phone at (302) 739-5656

Address: Woodburn: Governor’s House, 151 Kings Hwy SW, Dover, DE 19901, USA

Are other places haunted in Delaware?

Of course, there are more haunted places in Delaware! In fact, you can take a road trip to some of the spookiest places, if you’re brave enough. Check out the Delaware Haunted Road Trip from Only In Our State. Then, gather up your most daring friends to experience your own ghost stories in Delaware!