Warden’s House Museum
Baby cradles rock and shadowy apparitions linger in this former prison warden’s house
Paranormal Activity at
Warden’s House Museum
- A baby cradle is heard rocking on the second floor
- A woman’s apparition is seen at times
- A shadowy figure is occasionally seen in the yard
- Visitors report hearing an old phone ringing in the house
- Sounds of shoveling coal can sometimes be heard in the basement
Warden’s House: A Lasting Landmark
In the north side neighborhoods of Stillwater, Minnesota, there are very few signs of the expansive state prison that once existed there. Walls and guard towers are long gone. Expansive prison yards have since turned into residential neighborhoods. But one tell-tale sign remains: the Warden’s House Museum.
When Minnesota Territorial Prison operated in northern Stillwater, numerous wardens came and went from the stately hillside house.
While the rest of the prison was leveled when a newer facility opened, the Warden’s House was preserved as a museum. Still popular today, the Warden’s House displays local history and the storied past of Minnesota’s former territorial prison.
But while the prison moved south generations ago, lost souls may not have moved with it. These days, some people wonder if the old prison’s ghosts seek refuge in the Warden’s House, the last remnant of the Stillwater they once knew.
Timeline of Warden’s House Museum's History
Swipe or use timeline points to see Warden’s House Museum through the years
1853
In the early 1850s, Minnesota was a rapidly growing US territory. As new settlers came to the region, so too did opportunistic criminals. It wasn’t long before Minnesota needed its first formal prison. A marshy plot of land in Stillwater was chosen, and throughout the early 1850s, the Minnesota Territorial Prison came to life. In 1853, work finished on the Warden’s House.
Dwarfed in size by the cell blocks around it, the stone frame house still promised many more comforts than the average prison building. The first warden moved in that same year.
1914
For over 60 years, Minnesota Territorial Prison housed the region’s criminals. Even decades after the territory became a state, the territorial lock-up continued to see use. But by the 1910s, a more modern prison facility was needed. South of Stillwater, in Bayport, construction crews worked on a new prison complex.
In 1914, the Bayport facility opened and operations transferred out of the Stillwater prison. By then, the Warden’s House had been home to 13 wardens over the years.
1941
After the Stillwater prison’s closure, the Warden’s House was repurposed. It became the assigned home for the new Bayport prison’s superintendent, also sometimes known as the deputy warden. For a quarter century longer, the Warden’s House served in that capacity. But in 1941, the state sold the home’s small plot of land to the Washington County Historical Society.
The society quickly opened the home to the public as a historic museum. It displayed artifacts and exhibits on the history of the area, as well as the Minnesota Territorial Prison.
1974
The Washington County Historical Society has continually preserved the Warden’s House. In 1974, their efforts were recognized when the house was added to the National Register of Historic Places. The Warden’s House remains a public museum today. It welcomes countless visitors during its operational season in warmer months.
Plenty of people visit the Warden’s House hoping to learn something about prisons, though some leave having learned something about the paranormal as well.
Is The Warden’s House Museum Haunted?
Today, many ghost stories are spread about the Warden’s House Museum. The claims people share bring up many questions. How many ghosts haunt the Warden’s House, and just who are they?
Many questions about the home’s hauntings remain unanswered. But much of the activity suggests families of former prison wardens may linger in the stony house.
Shifting Objects and Rocking Cradles
Some of the first reports of paranormal activity at the museum came from staff. Staff members would often note small objects in exhibits being moved or hidden by unseen forces.
Over time, these claims of poltergeist-like activity developed further. On the museum’s second floor, a baby cradle has become well-known for rocking by itself. Could the wife of a warden still be tending to their children in the museum? Other claims from within suggest, yes.
A Woman’s Ghost in The Warden’s House
A woman’s apparition is frequently encountered at the Warden’s House Museum. Her figure is most often spotted in the master bedroom, but has also been seen in hallways and through windows from outside.
She is also sometimes found near the mysterious baby cradle, leading some to think she is the one rocking it.
Oddly, many people who have seen this woman say she appears to be suffering from stomach pain.
She will often be seen holding her stomach or hunching over in pain. Some suggest the spirit is Trudy Wolfer, the daughter of the last warden to live in the house. Trudy moved away from the house, but died of appendicitis shortly after.
Phantom Phones Ring Within
Strange sounds also come out of the Warden’s House Museum at times. Tourists exploring the home’s exhibits sometimes report hearing the sound of an old time phone ringing. And while the museum keeps a few old phones around, none can actually take a call.
Additionally, visitors who explore the home’s basement report hearing the sound of people shoveling coal down there.
Spirits Tend The Stables
Not all of the Warden’s House’s ghosts can actually be encountered inside. At least one spirit purportedly enjoys haunting the yard and hillside around the house.
A man’s figure is sometimes seen walking around the yard, most often around the old carriage house and stable area.
A popular local story tells of a prisoner once assigned to work the warden’s stables. They loved the job so much that when they were released, they threw a brick through a jewelry store window just to be sent back to work there.
Could this be that prisoner’s ghost, working his favorite job from beyond the grave?
A Mysterious Museum in Minnesota
The Warden’s House Museum today remains as dedicated to preservation and education as ever. The home’s exhibits continue to show off numerous artifacts from the old Stillwater prison, as well as pieces original to the Warden’s House itself.
Along with being a well-known local museum, the Warden’s House also embraces its reputation as a Stillwater paranormal hotbed.
Flashlight tours are occasionally offered, usually during fall and around October. In the past, the Warden’s House has also hosted groups of psychics, sensitives, and paranormal researchers hoping to explore the home’s claims.
Ghosts aren’t the main attraction at the Warden’s House Museum, but the activity they purportedly conjure is hard to ignore. These days, it seems the old house may be home to more wraiths than wardens.
