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Welcome to The Grove, a historic property in the old riverport city of Jefferson, Texas.

The Grove is a private residence and tour home in the old Stephen Smith Land Grant section of town. The house was built in 1861 by Frank and Minerva Stilley.

It had one structural change in 1870, the addition of a room to join the detached kitchen to the house, and another change in the 1930's when an indoor bathroom was added and the side porch enclosed.

Other than that, the house stands pretty much as it did back in 1861. The house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places by the National Parks Service, and has been designated a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark by the Texas Historical Commission.

The house has been said to be one of the most haunted locations in the Lone Star State. The ghost stories go back over 100 years at this 1861 home, and the first indication that something odd might be happening there was in 1882 when a man named T.C. Burke purchased the home. He moved his family in, and then moved right back out; the only explanation he gave was, "We can’t live there..."

Prominent spirits are a lady in a white dress that always takes the same path through the house when she appears, a man in the garden who is often seen striding through the Lily beds as if late for an appointment, and a mischievous entity in the den that seems to be particular fond of the ladies.

In 2020, 2021, and 2022, USA Today named The Grove one of the 10 Best Haunted Destinations in America.

Click on any of the links at the left to explore The Grove!


To see books about Jefferson and The Grove, click here!


Mitchel gave a presentation on some of his favorite personal ghostly encounters at the Allen Library in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex on October 29, 2020 - you can watching it by clicking this link. Hear about a case that a police officer found to be conclusive evidence of a haunting, a interactive spirit at the old Stanley Hotel, the only time that Mitchel has ever been frightened during an investigation, and several tales from The Grove itself!
New Video!
photo by Aron Seeley


Read the book that tells the tale!

Finally - the complete story of The Grove from the pre-history of the property to the current-day owners... and everything in between. You'll find the spirits of the house: the Lady in White, the Garden Guy, even Charlie Young, the barber who lived there in 1885 but has come back for a visit. One hundred and fifty years worth of stories are here... find out more by following this link!



Want to hear the latest ghostly goings-on at The Grove every month? It's easy, secure, and best of all, FREE! Sign up for the GroveZine for a hauntingly good time every month - just check out some of the back issues in the archive by clicking here.


"Texas Monthly" names The Grove to The Top Eight Haunted in Texas!

In the October 2009 issue, Texas Monthly said: "If you really want to scare your boots off this Halloween, take a look at these eight places, which our bloodcurdling, hair-raising, nerve-racking research has determined to be the state’s spookiest." The Grove was named as one of the eight!



We were notified that The Grove was selected as one of Houston Press' "5 Best Texas Haunted Road Trip Destinations" for 2014 - you can read about it by clicking on this link to the news story... at the Houston Press.


ViralNova.com - the site for trending stories on the web - selected the most haunted place in every state in the union for 2014. For Arizona it was the Bird Cage Theater in Tombstone, for Arkansas it was the Crescent Hotel in Eureka Springs, and in Colorado, it was the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park. What was the selection for the Lone Star State of Texas? You guessed it... they chose The Grove! You can see the selections for all fifty states by clicking here to visit the ViralNova website.


"This Old House" names The Grove to
The Top Twelve Haunted!

"This Old House" chose The Grove as one of the top twelve historic haunted houses in America! You can see all twelve by visiting their website, thisoldhouse.com, and scrolling down to the haunted house link. Or you should be able to get there directly by clicking on this link.

"Country Home" magazine named The Grove as one of the "27 Most Haunted Places in America That Horror Fans Need to Visit." The magazine goes on to say, "Trust us — these aren't for the faint of heart." While actually, The Grove is just fine for the "faint of heart," we were happy to be on the list with the other very distinguished places. Just click here to see the entire Country Home list!


Looking for the EVP page? Then Click here!



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