Culbertson Mansion
This Indiana mansion is famous for its seasonal haunted house, and its all-season apparitions
Ghost Stories of
Culbertson Mansion
- A male shadow figure is often seen
- Lights and electronics turn on and off without known cause
- Footsteps are heard walking around empty floors
- Cold spots are encountered around the house
- Strange scents of cigar smoke waft through the mansion
- A woman’s apparition is spotted around the house
Inside Culbertson Mansion: New Albany’s Gilded Age History
These days, when most people head to Indiana, they’re going to Indianapolis. But, in the years before the Civil War, Indiana’s largest and wealthiest city was much farther south, in New Albany.
New Albany is a quiet riverside city today, but its Mansion Row neighborhood holds countless signs of the city’s historic prosperity.
Culbertson Mansion is just one of dozens of opulent manors in the neighborhood, though it’s the only one with a literal gold glow to it. It’s also the only one with a notoriously haunted reputation.
Culbertson, now a public museum, hosts a popular haunted house attraction every Halloween season. But local lore says spooky props and scare actors hide the real haunted happenings lurking inside Culbertson’s halls.
Timeline of Culbertson Mansion's History
Swipe or use timeline points to see Culbertson Mansion through the years
1869
From the 1810s to the 1860s, New Albany was the biggest metropolis in Indiana. Its position on the Ohio River made it essential for steamboat traffic and commerce. Not only did this mean a large population, it also meant an incredibly wealthy one. Mansions sprouted up all along New Albany’s shoreside neighborhoods in the 1800s. Culbertson Mansion was constructed in 1869, near the end of New Albany’s economic boom. The French-inspired mansion was the idea of William Culbertson, a dry goods merchant who was the richest man in Indiana at that time.
1892
When William Culbertson died in 1892, America’s Gilded Age was still in full swing. But one year later, the Panic of 1893 sent an economic shock through the country. America’s wealthy elite were left reeling. The Culbertson family were forced to sell their New Albany mansion for $7,100, when it had cost $120,000 to build in the 1860s. The new owner, John McDonald, wasn’t in a grand financial spot either. He had the mansion’s entire third floor walled off to afford the house’s maintenance costs.
1964
After the McDonalds, the mansion went to the American Legion for their use in the 1940s. But, by the early 1960s, Culbertson Mansion was set to change hands again. The local organization Historic New Albany purchased the home in 1964 to prevent its demolition. The organization worked over the next decade to stabilize the mansion and get it preserved as a national landmark. They ultimately succeeded in 1974, when Culbertson Mansion was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
1976
In 1976, the mansion was transferred to the state as a recognized historic site. Under the state’s operation, restoration work found more regular support and funding. The mansion quickly became a popular public museum for tourists and school field trips. To this day, restoration projects continue around Culbertson’s property. These projects are funded both by historic tours and the yearly haunted attractions. Most of these haunted attractions take place in the Culbertson carriage house. But the mansion itself is reportedly where the real ghosts reside.
Is Culbertson Mansion Haunted?
The name for Culbertson Mansion’s haunted attraction has changed a few times over the years. But one of the most popular titles is: Literally, A Haunted House. And they really do mean literally.
Before it was ever opened as a haunted attraction, locals and tourists knew Culbertson Mansion as New Albany’s haunted house. Purportedly, the museum first began recording visitors’ unexplained encounters all the way back in 1977.
At that time, the home had only been open for tours for a few years. But that was more than enough time for the ghosts to make themselves known.
William Culbertson himself is often mentioned as a specter inside the home. He’s thought to be the dark, shadowy male figure who is often spotted from the corner of people’s eyes when they tour the home.
The Ghostly Lady of the House
William Culbertson may very well be haunting his namesake mansion. But witnesses don’t think he’s alone. Another common claim is of a woman’s vivid apparition floating around the mansion’s first floor.
Some say that she bears a resemblance to one of William Culbertson’s wives, though there’s disagreement on whether it’s his first or second. William was married three times, so perhaps all three of his wives take their turn haunting the historic manor.
Culbertson’s Creepy Apparitions
In one oft-retold ghost story, the police were once called for an odd nighttime alarm at the museum. The curator met with an officer for a walkthrough to ensure all was well.
But, as the curator was going to lock up, the officer stopped them, wondering if they should get the strange old woman out of the house first.
The curator had no idea what the officer was talking about, until he described the woman in the long, gray dress.
The description fit perfectly for the home’s resident apparition. And, as the story goes, the officer never once returned to Culbertson Mansion.
Phantom Footsteps Stomp Around
Even more unexplained activity is reported upstairs. Loud disembodied footsteps and creaking floorboards are sometimes heard from upper floors. This is even reported when everyone inside is on the ground floor.
Of course, whenever anyone goes upstairs to investigate, they find the rooms eerily empty. But while explorers won’t find the heavy-footed phantom up there, they may have a run in with more mystery.
Cigar Smoke, Cold Spots, and Flickering Lights
Cold spots are another frequent claim on Culbertson Mansion’s higher floors. These odd patches of air can shift around rooms, or even up and down the hallways. Lights in the house are also known for turning on and off, like the ghosts don’t know whether to be chilling or electrifying.
And when the Culbertson ghosts aren’t messing with lights or thermostats, you might find them relaxing with a cigar. Puffs of cigar smoke, and the telltale stench of tobacco, are also frequently reported around Culbertson Mansion.
Tall Tales or Paranormal Reports?
Culbertson has enough odd claims to earn the title of ‘haunted mansion.’ But, during its time as a haunted attraction, more wild tales and claims came up about the home. These included terrible tales of carriage house fires that killed dozens of people. Or, murderous doctors who stuffed the mansion’s walls with rotting corpses.
These are all unverifiable myths, likely developed to promote the haunted attraction, and no validity has ever been found for them. But regardless of the props, make up, spooky lights, and tall tales, the Culbertson phantoms will likely always be stirring up unease in their old home.
A Haunted House…Literally
As a museum and state historic site, Culbertson Mansion exemplifies the beauty of New Albany’s Mansion Row. It preserves a perfect example of Gilded Age architecture. And the museum within preserves the memory of William Culbertson himself.
Culbertson was New Albany’s gentle industrialist. He made millions in life, only to use his wealth to pay locals’ energy bills and endow the city’s widow’s home. Now, his home serves as a monument to New Albany’s prosperity, and to the selfless man who made it possible.
Overnight ghost hunts are not currently offered at Culbertson Mansion. And while the home’s ghost stories become focal points during spooky season, the haunted attraction often takes precedence over the mansion’s mysterious specters.
But, when spooky season ends and the props and scare actors move out, Culbertson’s ghosts will still be there, spooky enough for all four seasons.
