Woodburn Mansion

Woodburn Mansion was commissioned around 1798 by Charles Hillyard III, a wealthy Dover landowner, gentleman farmer, and prominent local citizen. Built on a generous estate along Kings Highway, the red brick Georgian house reflected the extraordinary prosperity and political influence of early Delaware society. Over the course of the 19th and early 20th centuries, Woodburn was home to a series of notable Delaware figures, including abolitionist Quakers, two United States Senators, state judges, physicians, and influential agricultural leaders.

During the antebellum era, under the courageous ownership of Quaker abolitionists, Woodburn served as an important clandestine station along the secret Underground Railroad network. Freedom seekers escaping human bondage on southern plantations were sheltered in hidden rooms, root cellars, and tree hollows on the property before continuing their journey north toward safety in Pennsylvania. In 1965, the State of Delaware acquired Woodburn to serve as the official executive mansion for the state governor. Since Governor Charles L. Terry Jr. first moved into the residence, the mansion has hosted U.S. presidents, foreign leaders, and state officials while remaining deeply steeped in spooky executive folklore and rich historical traditions. In the modern era, the mansion continues to serve as an active official residence and heritage site today.

The ghost lore of Woodburn Mansion is officially documented by the State of Delaware and featured on the governor's official website. The primary spectral resident is Charles Hillyard III, the builder of the home, who died shortly after its completion. The first recorded sighting occurred around 1815 when Dr. Martin Bates and his wife hosted Lorenzo Dow, a famous itinerant Methodist preacher. At breakfast, Dow asked if they should wait for the older gentleman wearing a powdered wig, knee breeches, and ruffled shirt whom he had just passed on the staircase. Mrs. Bates recognized the description immediately as her late father, Charles Hillyard III.

Hillyard was known in life for enjoying fine spirits, and a unique Delaware tradition evolved around his ghost. It is said that if a full glass of decanted wine is left on a table downstairs overnight, it will be found completely empty by morning, drained by Hillyard's wandering spirit. Several First Ladies of Delaware, including Jeanne Tribbitt, have tested this legend by leaving wine out overnight.

Another poignant legend involves the home's history on the Underground Railroad. Local lore tells of a freedom seeker hiding inside a hollow black walnut tree on the grounds during a slave catcher raid. He was discovered and captured, and legend says his mournful cries and rustling sounds can still be heard near the south porch, particularly around Halloween. Additionally, visitors and state event guests have reported seeing a young girl dressed in a red gingham dress and bonnet, carrying a small flickering candle near the garden reflecting pool.

Numerous Delaware governors, First Families, state staff, guests, state troopers, and security personnel have experienced inexplicable paranormal encounters inside Woodburn Mansion over the decades. Governor Frank Hall reported passing the powdered-wigged gentleman on the main staircase on multiple occasions during his tenancy. During Governor Michael Castle's inaugural reception in January 1985, several prominent party guests reported feeling an invisible hand tugging gently at their formal attire, while others spotted the floating apparition of the little girl standing in the corner of the Great Hall.

State troopers guarding the property late at night have documented disembodied footsteps pacing in unoccupied upstairs bedrooms, heavy doors unlatching and opening on their own, and the faint scent of pipe tobacco or decanted port wine drifting through closed parlors. Candle flames inside the Great Hall have been observed snuffing out simultaneously without any drafts, adding to the mansion's mystical allure, spooky atmosphere, and rich supernatural reputation.

Woodburn Mansion is an extraordinary example of Middle Period Georgian architecture. Built from red Flemish bond brick with stone water tables, it features a symmetrical five-bay facade, multi-pane double-hung sash windows, a pedimented entrance portal, and fine dentil molding along the roofline. A grand central hall bisects the main structure, flanked by formal parlors, a state dining room, and an expansive kitchen suite.

The second floor contains private living suites for the Governor's family, while the third floor attic retains original timber roof trusses and servant quarters. The interior is decorated with museum-quality Delaware antiques, period crystal chandeliers, and oil portraits of past state governors. The surrounding estate features formal brick walkways, manicured gardens, a reflecting pool, and historic mature trees.

Woodburn Mansion is conveniently located at 151 Kings Highway East in Dover, Delaware, directly adjacent to the historic state capitol complex. As an active executive residence for the state's sitting governor, general public interior access is limited to official state events, designated holiday open houses, and scheduled educational group tours arranged through the Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs.

However, visitors are always welcome to view the grand Georgian exterior from Kings Highway and walk through the public garden grounds and reflecting pool area. Special historical walking tours of Dover's historic Green and Kings Highway frequently include Woodburn in their itineraries, highlighting its Revolutionary, Underground Railroad, and haunted history.

Woodburn's legendary reputation as one of America's most famous haunted executive residences stems directly from its documented history spanning more than two centuries, official state acknowledgment of its ghost stories on official government portals, its heroic Underground Railroad legacy, and firsthand accounts from Delaware governors, First Ladies, state troopers, and visiting dignitaries who have personally witnessed its wine-drinking colonial ghost.