Claiborne House Bed & Breakfast Captain Volney H. Claiborne married Lucy A. Perry, the daughter of the prominent Captain William Perry in 1864. Claiborne built Lucy a house on Alley Street that was a mirror image of the house that she grew up in across town – with one exception: the Perry House had an additional story. After their deaths, the house changed times a number of times and was finally opened as a B&B. It didn’t take long for the innkeepers to start noticing that they were not alone in the house, however. Voices are heard in empty rooms, the sounds of children playing echo through the house when no kids are present, and footsteps climb the stairs with no person there. The guest books of the inn are filled with wonderful entries from guests who departed with a delightful ghost story to tell their friends back home.

Excelsior House Hotel Excelsior House was built in the 1850s by Captain William Perry, a man that played a significant role in the development of Jefferson as an inland port. As the oldest continuously-operating hotel west of the Mississippi River, it would be strange if Excelsior didn't have its own ghost stories. While the staff doesn't discuss such things, many guests and even reporters have come away with spirited stories: a perfumed lady who walks the downstairs hallway, a rocker in the Jay Gould room that rocks with no one in it, and voices heard in empty rooms. Steven Spielberg had a ghostly encounter at the hotel that caused him to leave in the middle of the night. Excelsior House is a wonderfully historic and beautiful hotel that you'll love... the ghost stories are simply a bonus.

Historic Jefferson Ghost Walk Come join tour guide and historian Jodi Breckenridge on a nighttime journey to discover Jefferson's historic haunts. On this tour you will walk the brick streets of the old riverport city and hear the ghostly tales associated with many of the 1800s buildings. You will venture through dark alleyways and courtyards by the glow of lantern light, listening to vivid accounts of historic tragedy, murder and supernatural encounters. You might even experience one! The Historic Jefferson Ghost Walk endeavors to go inside a haunted location whenever possible.

History, Haunts & Legends Conference The History, Haunts & Legends Paranormal Conference is held twice a year - in the Spring and in the Fall. It's a wonderful time - there is a slate of speakers on various paranormal topics throughout the day, a vendor room that you will love browsing, all culminating in a nighttime investigation at several notably haunted locations around Jefferson. You can get current information on the event's Facebook page by clicking here.

Jefferson Hotel Originally built as a cotton warehouse in 1851, the building later served as a dance hall with a bordello upstairs before being turned into a hotel. Ghost stories have always been associated with the place. Footsteps are heard on an empty staircase, boots clomp down the upstairs hallway, and spirits have been seen by many guests. A guest in Room 25 came out of the bathroom one evening to find a young girl standing in the room with shoulder-length brown hair, dressed in a pink floral dress with 1920’s flair, who turned to the guest and actually spoke. "I'm waiting on a young man," the ghostly girl said, "and we’re going to dance the night away!" As the guest approached, the girl’s image faded without another word. A delivery man came face to face with a spectral cowboy in the downstairs hallway, and as he faded away the delivery man left, vowing to take a new route that didn't include the Jefferson Hotel!

Kahn Saloon Hotel The Kahn Saloon was built in 1865, and has both a colorful and violent history. It has been both a saloon and brothel where there have been numerous deaths. One gunfight that occurred was just inside the front door, when a deputy and a bar patron shot and killed each other. A madam in the brothel days was killed upstairs along with her 7-year-old son during a robbery. In another incident, a prostitute was beaten in the alley behind the saloon and dragged herself inside before collapsing in death. An eloping couple was staying in one of the upstairs rooms when the bride's father showed up to take her back home. A scuffle ensued between he and the groom, and in the fighting the bride was knocked out a window where she fell to her death. The distraught groom was then hanged from an upstairs rafter by the girl's father. It seems that many of these spirits remain, because supernatural activity seems to be ever-present at the Kahn. Click on their website below to read more, and make a reservation for your stay.

The Haunts & History of the Grove Come take a guided tour through one of the most historical - and haunted - homes from Jefferson`s past... It is an hour-long excursion into the historic old home that has been called "the most haunted house in Jefferson." You'll hear the fascinating history of this 1861 house, along with the true supernatural experiences of the owners, past and present. Walk the gardens, sit in the front parlor, and follow the footsteps of the mysterious Lady in White. The house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it is a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, and is also a Texas State Antiquities Landmark. The historical portion of the tour is fascinating, and the ghost stories defy explanation.

Want to find out all the ghost stories of the old riverport city? Get the book Haunted Jefferson by clicking on the book cover on the left. It's a full treatise on the spirits of Jefferson!

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