Moses Myers House

A Federal-style townhouse built in 1792 for Moses Myers, one of America's first millionaires. The house contains 70% of its original furnishings, making it one of the most intact historic homes in America.

The Moses Myers House stands as Norfolk's most haunted historic home, a Federal-style brick mansion built in 1792 that witnessed five generations of the Myers family—and retained several of them as permanent residents long after death. Moses Myers, born in 1753 to a Dutch immigrant family, became one of America's first millionaires through his shipping empire that spanned Europe, the West Indies, and South America. His clients included Thomas Jefferson and John Quincy Adams, and he served as consul to France and the Netherlands. The Myers were Norfolk's first permanent Jewish residents, and their elegant home at 323 East Freemason Street became a landmark of prosperity and tragedy alike.

The most violent chapter in the house's history occurred in May 1811. Richard Bowden, a former business partner of Moses Myers, publicly beat the aging merchant in Norfolk's market square, claiming he had been cheated in a financial dispute. When Samuel Myers—Moses's second son and William and Mary's first Jewish graduate—returned home and found his father lying unconscious, he believed him dead. Samuel grabbed a pistol and shot Bowden on the spot. Though charged with manslaughter, Samuel was released on bail and stayed with friends in Philadelphia while awaiting trial; he was ultimately acquitted after nearly a year.

Richard Bowden's spirit has never found peace. Witnesses describe a figure in a top hat and dark cloak pacing endlessly through the garden behind the house, head bowed, hands clasped behind his back, as though still waiting to have his final word. The ghost is reportedly forbidden from entering the house itself by the presence of the Myers family spirits who remain inside—a spectral restraining order that has kept him walking the grounds for over two centuries.

Inside the house, the second floor is considered most haunted, as at least four members of the Myers family died there. Adeline Myers, Moses's eldest daughter, suffered perhaps the cruelest fate. In 1819, she was engaged to Solomon Nones, a local grocer, but just days before their wedding, Nones died suddenly. Adeline never loved another man; she spent the rest of her life managing her father's household until her own death in 1832. Her ghost is believed to manifest in two forms: a melancholy adult figure and, more strikingly, a blonde-haired little girl in a summer dress—perhaps representing Adeline before heartbreak defined her existence.

The girl ghost became undeniable in fall 2003 when Chrysler Museum photographer Scott Wolff was inventorying photographs on the third floor. Opening a bedroom door, he found himself face-to-face with a blonde-haired child sitting in a chair. "She was just sitting there, and when I opened the door, she looked at me like she was surprised, and then vanished," Wolff recounted. "It wasn't scary at all. She just surprised me. And I surprised her." Wolff apologized to the apparition before leaving.

Moses and Eliza Myers themselves are believed to remain in their beloved home. Eliza died in Montreal in 1823, broken by the successive deaths of sons Abram in 1821 and Henry in 1822—Henry died of yellow fever at sea just two days before his ship reached Norfolk. Visitors sense her maternal presence, particularly near the children's rooms. Moses passed away in 1835 and is credited with the cold pockets of air and the persistent sensation of being watched that guests experience throughout the house.

The "Lady in Black" is perhaps Norfolk's most famous ghost story: a figure in dark formal dress seen wandering the halls before vanishing into thin air. Staff have reported feeling hot breath on their necks, hearing doors slam shut of their own accord, and witnessing a bright blue taffeta dress move independently in one of the bedrooms. The service stairs are considered particularly active—visitors report tingling sensations when climbing them.

During a 757 Teen Correspondent investigation on October 3, 2008, participants documented unexplained orbs appearing in photographs of the master bedroom, a "smoky, irregular-shaped figure" observed around 4:30 a.m., and cool currents felt on the upper service stairs. One participant described the apparition as looking "like snow" or "a shadow of whatever it was."

Strange white vapor appears cloudlike in bedroom corners. Lights flicker on and off without explanation. Glowing orbs materialize in photographs though nothing is visible to the naked eye. The house, now operated by the Chrysler Museum, offers tours through one of America's most intact Jewish family residences—and one of its most consistently haunted.