Dorr House

A Classic Revival home built around 1871 for lumber baron Clara Barkley Dorr, one of Pensacola's wealthiest women. The house now serves as a museum in the Historic Pensacola Village.

The Dorr House, built in 1871 by widow Clara Barkley Dorr, stands as one of Pensacola's most haunted historic sites. Eben Dorr, Clara's husband, ran a profitable sawmill in Bagdad, Florida, and his pedigree was impeccable—his father was Escambia County's first territorial sheriff, and his grandfather rode with Paul Revere. After Eben died in 1870, Clara purchased the lot on Seville Square and built a classic Greek Revival home where she lived with her five children until her death in 1898. The translucent lady is the most frequently seen apparition—a woman around thirty-five in Victorian-era dress, dancing across upper rooms and standing on the balcony. Cold spots and blasts of cold air are common, along with eerie sounds and objects that vanish on their own. In the formal sitting room, a floor-to-ceiling mirror has a prudish specter that tugs on short skirts as if to make them longer. Visitors smell fresh-cut roses—Clara's favorite flower—followed by extreme cold spots. Soft crying comes from the sick room and sewing room. When objects like favorite chairs are moved, Clara's ghost expresses displeasure. Docents always say Good Morning or Good Night to Mrs. Dorr when opening or closing. Being rude in her house ensures you will feel the hostess insisting on your departure.