Anchorage Mansion
From ghostly little girls to spirits lingering in the tower, something spooky haunts this Ohio manor
Paranormal Reports at
Anchorage Mansion
- An apparition is seen in the tower
- Disembodied voices and screams have been heard
- Sounds of a squeaking gurney have been heard through the hallways
- A ghostly little girl's figure lingers through the house
- Shadow figures are seen in the attic
Anchorage:
A Historic Marietta Mansion
If there’s one thing to know about Marietta, Ohio, it’s that rivers run through it. With the Ohio River separating the community from West Virginia and the Muskingum River cutting right down the middle of town, waterways prove just as important to Marietta, Ohio’s, life as any coastal city.
And one spot in town, a short distance from the riverbank, stands as a monument to the wealth that the rivers brought to Marietta, as well as to a select few historic families.
The Anchorage House, a large stone mansion at the end of George Street, has loomed over the riverside town since the 1850s.
The home, along with being a historic Marietta gem, is purportedly the town’s most haunted house. Sights and sounds from its storied past still reportedly come to life inside on still nights. And even from outside, you might spot a specter or two watching you from the mansion’s tower.
Timeline of Anchorage Mansion's History
Swipe or use timeline points to see Anchorage Mansion through the years
1859
Built by Douglas Putnam, The Anchorage was a luxurious Marietta fixture from the day it was finished. Douglas’s great grandfather, Israel Putnam, made a name for himself as a General in the American Revolution, and Douglas hoped to leave a similarly lasting legacy. That legacy began with a request from his wife, Eliza. Eliza loved Italianate-style homes and wanted one built in Marietta. Douglas made her wish a reality in 1859, with the completion of the new mansion.
1862
Despite Eliza’s love for the Italianate manor her husband built, she had only a short time in the house, dying in 1862. Douglas Putnam continued to live in the mansion until his death in 1894. Not long after that, local boat builder Harry Knox bought the home. His main interest was the tall tower, from which he could oversee his business from the comforts of home. It was Harry who first formally named the mansion ‘The Anchorage,’ and had front walks stylized with anchors, a proud display of where the Knox family had made their wealth.
1918
In 1918, ownership of The Anchorage changed once more, this time to Eddie MacTaggart, an an oil man from Oklahoma, who lived in the home until his death in 1952. Eddie’s sister, Sophia, inherited the home, and kept it until her death ten years later in 1962. Shortly thereafter, the mansion was transformed into the Anchorage Christian Nursing Home. The manor operated as a nursing home for almost 25 years, despite a newer facility opening in the 1970s and was in operation until 1986.
1996
The Anchorage sat empty for ten years after that. But it gained a chance at new life in 1996 when it was sold to the local historical society. Ever since then, the historical society has led a charge to refurbish the old home and open it as a landmark. And since the first visitors started arriving, whispers of unexplainable, haunting encounters have built up around the house. The Anchorage today is considered as haunted as its history. But what ghosts might you meet inside?
Is Anchorage Mansion Haunted?
The most often mentioned ghost of The Anchorage House is Eliza Putnam. For a woman who so desperately wanted to live in a home like The Anchorage, it seems like a near-Shakespearean tragedy that she got only three short years to live in the home.
But, if local legend is to be believed, she has resided there since the date of her death.
Eliza’s ghost is spotted in the house most often in the top of the home’s tower. Her figure can sometimes even be spotted there through the windows from outside.
Inside, she can also be seen near her old bedroom. But, she’s not one to linger away from the tower’s perch for too long.
Apparitions in the Attic
Eliza’s figure isn’t the only one you might run into in the upstairs areas of The Anchorage House. Visitors also report encounters with other, unknown shadow figures there.
Along with lingering through the tower, these shadows are also said to be common sights around the home’s attic space. So, while Eliza’s phantom is the only one identified on the home’s upper floors, it sure seems like she has her share of company up there.
The Ghostly Little Girl
Another well-known, if unnamed, entity at The Anchorage is the ghost of a little girl. Not much is known about this young girl’s identity or how she came to haunt the old house, but her small-framed figure is spotted around the lower floors about as regularly as Eliza is spotted further up.
Along with seeing the girl’s apparition, you also might hear her voice around the mansion. Often, she is said to call out to visitors who are touring through the house, trying to get their attention.
Ghosts of Gurneys Haunt the Mansion
While much of the ghostly activity at The Anchorage House seems to stem from its early years as a private home, its era as a nursing home may have also left a mark on the property.
One oft-reported happening is the sudden sound of squeaky gurney wheels rolling through the house. Of course, gurneys have not been in the home since the nursing home closed in the 1980s.
And, there might be the specter of a former nurse or orderly still making their rounds through the house.
Sounds of disembodied footsteps may accompany the unseen gurney through the house. Further, disembodied voices, sighs, and even screams can sometimes be heard echoing through the mansion’s empty corridors, possibly the spectral calls of long-lost nursing home patients.
Hauntings Unhidden:
The Anchorage Today
The Anchorage House today continues its slow progress towards restoration. Plenty of areas of the home have been fixed and improved, but other areas are still in need of work.
Helping the process along is Hidden Marietta, a tour company based in the area that offers tours and ghost hunts of the old house to interested ghost hunters.
Through Hidden Marietta, countless people have gotten the opportunity to explore the home and its hauntings. All tours help fund The Anchorage’s long journey back from abandonment.
So, if you ever find yourself in Marietta, stop into The Anchorage for a tour. Maybe you’ll see for yourself why Eliza Putnam loved the home so much that even death couldn’t keep her away.
