John Brown Wax Museum
PANICd#: 1879
The John Brown Wax Museum is three story brick building originally owned by Alexander Kelly for a family home with his wife Ellen and five children.
168 High Street
Harpers Ferry , WV 25425
Phone: 304-535-6342
Open to the public: Yes
http://johnbrownwaxmuseum.com/
Lat: 39.323728
Lon: -77.731243
Database Summary:
Demographic Rank: 6
History: 2
Stories: 1
Claims: 18
Evidence: 0
Resources: 3
Retrievals: 8097
Vistor Rating: 0.0
Votes: 0
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History
History information is some background and history about the location. This is meant to be a basic summary. Below the history records you will find sources in which you can click on to find out more information. There may be multiple history records per location.
The John Brown Wax Museum is three story brick building originally owned by Alexander Kelly for a family home with his wife Ellen and five children (he was eventually elected to Harpers Ferry council 1851 and 1852). The Conways lived in the house next for seven years. They later sold the house to Murtha and Julia Walsh as a home for them and their nine children. The Walsh's had a general store for dry goods on the first floor. The oldest Walsh child named Sarah died in the house at nineteen suddenly from pneumonia. The home stayed in the Walsh family for many years. The Crum family lived there a short time until the master of the house died and the window sold the house to Ralph Stephenson. Stephenson died in 1958. The house remained vacant until 1959 when it was sold to Dixie Killham.
Kilhman hired Earl Dorfman to create 87 wax figures that would depicts the life and times of John Brown, and the museum opened in 1963.
Kilham owned and operated the museum until 1998, and the executrix of his estate, Anita Brown, purchased the museum. Her son Steve ran the museum until 2010. Ted Staley purchased the museum and owns it until present day.
Added by: sdonley on 07/28/2017
DB#:295
Source(s):
Jefferson County, WV - Sometimes the Dead Speak - Ann Fern pg 111 - 112
National Historical Records Listing
Side hall building. Brick exterior, metal roof, brick and concrete foundation. Three story house with three front bays features a low pitched end gable roof with left side flush chimney and eyebrow windows on the third story. Windows are 6/6 double hung sash. A six-light transom and sidelights surround the right side entrance. Neoclassical square pilasters flank the entry. Brick lintels are arrayed in a soldier course above the windows. Basement entry below street level grade.
Alexander Kelly was the original owner who rented it to an armorer in 1859.
Circa 1850
Added by: sdonley on 07/28/2017
DB#:296
Source(s):
http://www.wvculture.org/shpo/nr/pdf/jefferson/790...
Stories
Stories are just that. Stories and personal accounts that have been reported about the location.
Ann Khiel Fern, acting manager of the wax museum, tells show hosts she "cannot be in this building for one more minute."
"Sometimes when I go through to make my checks in the museum, the eyes follow me," Fern says. And just the night before, she claims that:
"I was at the desk working, trying to get some paperwork ready, and I heard knocking... and it got louder and louder and louder. And then I heard the most horrific sound. If you think of someone with long, filthy, dirty fingernails just scraping. ... The next thing I knew, the wallpaper started pulsing as if someone were breathing underneath it. ... I lost it. I ran out. I was absolutely terrified."
A former wax museum volunteer named Melissa tells TV cameras that she, too, refuses to enter the building after seeing the ghost of a little girl running through the hallways.
Added by: sdonley on 09/03/2017
DB#:1301
Source(s):
https://patch.com/west-virginia/charleston-wv/town...
Paranormal Claims
Here are the paranormal claims for this location. These have been found through Internet research, reports from members, or reports from personal interviews. To add a claim, please contact PANICd.com, and we will review and add your information.
| Claim # | Added | Added By | Claim |
| 2418 | 07/28/2017 | sdonley | Responsive knocks have been reported to be in patterns. |
| 2426 | 07/28/2017 | sdonley | Some patrons have reported seeing a cat on the second floor. |
| 2425 | 07/28/2017 | sdonley | The security cameras have caught the image of a shadowy figure wearing a long coat and top hat. |
| 2424 | 07/28/2017 | sdonley | The exhibits have turned on by themselves. |
| 2423 | 07/28/2017 | sdonley | An apparition of a little girl has been reported. |
| 2422 | 07/28/2017 | sdonley | People have reported hearing a child giggling. |
| 2421 | 07/28/2017 | sdonley | People have reported hearing the sounds of objects being dropped. |
| 2420 | 07/28/2017 | sdonley | The manager reported seeing wallpaper pulsing as if the wall was breathing. |
| 2419 | 07/28/2017 | sdonley | The manager has reported hearing the sounds of fingernails scrapping the walls. |
| 2409 | 07/28/2017 | sdonley | Sounds have been reported coming from walls. |
| 2417 | 07/28/2017 | sdonley | People have reported dizziness, nauseousness, and having issues breathing. |
| 2416 | 07/28/2017 | sdonley | People have reported feelings of negativity or darkness. |
| 2415 | 07/28/2017 | sdonley | Strange noises have been reported. |
| 2414 | 07/28/2017 | sdonley | Cold spots have been reported. |
| 2413 | 07/28/2017 | sdonley | People have reported the feeling of not being alone. |
| 2412 | 07/28/2017 | sdonley | People have reported seeing the Ann Brown wax figure's eyes move. |
| 2411 | 07/28/2017 | sdonley | People have reported feelings of oppression. |
| 2410 | 07/28/2017 | sdonley | Footsteps have been heard coming down the stairs. |
Paranormal Evidence
Paranormal evidence is based on claims that have been reported for this location. There can be several types of evidence; however, we have grouped them based on media type for better organization. Here you will find evidence that are logs, audio, video, or photographic.
To add evidence for a claim, you must submit it to PANICd.com for approval to be entered into the database.
No Evidence Reported Yet!
Additional Resources
This is a collection of Internet resources for this location. This section will house links to other websites that contain information related to history, claims, investigations, or even the location's website.
| Facebook Page
Added: 07/28/2017 By: sdonley |
Facebook page for this location. |
| Trip Advisor
Added: 07/28/2017 By: sdonley |
Trip Advisor page for this location. |
| Roadside America
Added: 07/28/2017 By: sdonley |
Roadside America Page for this location. |
Location Comments
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