May-Stringer House

The history of the property began in 1842 when Richard C. Wiggins homesteaded the land under the Armed Occupation Act. In 1856, pioneer settler John L. May purchased the property and constructed a four-room plantation home for his wife, Marena, and their daughters, Annie and Matilda. Tragically, John May died of tuberculosis just three years later in 1858.

Marena May managed the property through the Civil War before marrying local Confederate veteran Frank Saxon in 1866. In 1869, tragedy struck again when Marena died during childbirth while delivering a baby girl named Jessie Mae Saxon. Young Jessie Mae survived her mother but passed away three years later in 1872 at age three. Both Marena and Jessie Mae were buried on the estate grounds.

Following Frank Saxon's departure, the property was sold to Dr. Sheldon Stringer, a prominent local physician. Dr. Stringer expanded the small four-room cottage into a massive four-story, 14-room Victorian mansion featuring seven gables, ornate spindlework, and a medical practice office. The Stringer family resided in the home for three generations until 1945.

After decades as a boarding house and private residence, the Hernando Historical Museum Association acquired the property in 1980. Meticulously restored as a regional history museum, the house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997, preserving thousands of 19th-century artifacts while serving as a famous destination for ghost tours.

The primary legend at the May-Stringer House centers on the spirit of three-year-old Jessie Mae Saxon. According to local folklore, the child remains trapped inside the mansion searching for her mother Marena, who died during childbirth. Visitors and docents routinely report hearing a toddler's soft crying, cheerful laughter, and calling for her mother echoing from empty upstairs bedrooms during museum tours.

Another famous story involves 'Mr. Nasty,' a malevolent entity that haunts the top-floor trunk room. Paranormal investigators claim this presence projects feelings of intense dread, growling at those entering the attic space and causing rapid temperature drops near the access stairwell. Furthermore, the phantom of physician Sheldon Stringer reportedly patrols his former ground-floor medical office. Legend holds that the doctor's spirit moves vintage surgical tools overnight and observes tour groups from doorway shadows.

Staff members tell stories of a weeping woman in a black Victorian mourning dress seen walking along the porch at twilight, believed to be Marena May searching for her buried children. Ghost hunters also report hearing disembodied music box melodies drifting through the upper gabled windows on quiet evenings.

In addition, local lore tells of a Civil War soldier phantom who stands guard in the highest cupola tower, gazing out toward the surrounding Hernando County countryside as if watching for approaching troop regiments on the horizon.

Paranormal research teams, museum volunteers, and visitors have documented an extraordinary volume of paranormal activity at the May-Stringer House, cataloging reports of at least eleven unique spirits. The most frequent experience is hearing distinct child's giggling, light footsteps, and soft crying in the second-floor nursery.

During evening ghost hunts, investigators routinely capture clear electronic voice phenomena (EVPs), including a child's voice whispering 'Jessie' and 'play with me.' Shadow figures are regularly observed walking past gabled windows on the upper floors when the building is locked and empty.

In the attic, visitors have been pushed, scratched, and experienced sudden intense cold spots dropping over twenty degrees. In the master bedroom, docents frequently find impressions of a human body resting on the antique mattress after smoothing the bedspread earlier in the day. The sheer volume of reported sightings makes it a key site for investigative research across the entire state of Florida.

The May-Stringer House is a classic four-story Victorian Queen Anne mansion featuring gingerbread trim, intricate wooden spindlework, decorative gables, seven roof peaks, and a prominent cupola lookout tower. The exterior is painted in traditional multi-tone 'painted lady' Victorian colors.

The interior layout covers 14 rooms across four levels, including a parlor, formal dining room, Victorian kitchen, doctor's examination room, master bedrooms, a nursery, and a large attic storage space. The museum displays over 10,000 historic regional artifacts, including Civil War weaponry, antique toys, clothing, period furniture, and communications devices from Hernando County history. The architectural details reflect the grandeur of late 19th-century Victorian design in Florida.

The May-Stringer House is located at 601 Museum Court in Brooksville, Hernando County, Florida. Operated as a museum by the Hernando Historical Museum Association, daytime historical tours are available Tuesday through Saturday.

Special three-hour evening ghost hunts are hosted on Friday and Saturday nights by advance reservation, allowing small groups to explore all four floors using ghost-hunting equipment alongside experienced paranormal guides. Public parking is available on-site.

Because the mansion features steep historic staircases across four levels, visitors with mobility limitations should note that upper floors are accessible only via stairs. Photography and voice recording are permitted during ghost hunts.

The May-Stringer House's reputation as Florida's most haunted house is fueled by its history of tragedy, unconfirmed grounds burials, over eleven identified spirits, and frequent features on national television shows like Travel Channel's Ghost Adventures and Fate or Fiction. Its rich history, Victorian architecture, and ghostly reputation make it a centerpiece of Hernando County heritage and dark tourism research across the Southeastern United States.