About This Location
Originally built in 1915 as Lynwood Mansion, this elegant home in Myers Park was expanded by industrialist James Buchanan Duke. Now a non-profit bed and breakfast and wedding venue listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Ghost Story
Former owner Jon Avery made a tragic promise to a young woman writer who came to document the property. They fell in love, but Avery's wife was ill in a mental institution, making marriage impossible. He promised to meet her in the garden one year later, "dead or alive." When she returned at 11:50 PM, Avery emerged from the house but didn't seem to notice her. When she grabbed his arm, her hand passed right through him. In her mind, she heard: "Dead or alive." His ghost still keeps that appointment in the gardens.