Poplar Hill Mansion

An enslaved woman named Sara burned to death in the nursery of this 1795 Salisbury mansion, and the scorch marks are still on the floor. At least five spirits inhabit the house, including Sara (who still tidies rooms), a possessive enslaved man named Samuel, two children whose rocking chair turns itself to face the wall, and Dr. John Huston carrying his medical bag on the stairs.

The scorch marks are still on the nursery floor. Sara, an enslaved woman, was 19 years old, unmarried, and caring for the Huston children in the second-floor bedroom when her long skirt swept too close to the fireplace. The children watched her struggle against the flames. She died that day, and the wide wooden planks around that hearth still carry the burn patterns from 1805.

Sara hasn't stopped working. Staff at Poplar Hill Mansion find dresser drawers pulled open, clothing rearranged in cabinets, bed linens pulled apart and folded, as if someone is still tidying up after children who died two centuries ago.

Poplar Hill is the oldest building in Salisbury and one of the finest Federal-style homes on Maryland's Eastern Shore, built between 1795 and 1805 by Dr. John Huston. Huston was Salisbury's first surgeon, and the mansion doubled as a medical practice. During the War of 1812, British forces spared the house specifically because they knew wounded soldiers on both sides could receive treatment here.

Sara is the most visible ghost, but Samuel may be the most complicated. Sam appears in Dr. Huston's 1828 inventory as a 60-year-old enslaved man valued at $250. Board Chairman Aleta Davis puts it plainly: "Many of the ghosts here are quite happy and pleasant, except for Samuel." Sam considers himself the estate's keeper. He hums while tending the house. Mediums say he announces visitors, telling them "Ma'am, there are people here." But he dislikes strangers. He tolerates family. His spirit was trapped in the basement for years before being released, and he still guards the property with an intensity that unsettles investigators.

Two young girls appear throughout the house, believed to be Dr. Huston's daughters Sally and Elizabeth. Mediums say they've "reverted back to their childhood which was their happy time." A small rocking chair in the children's room turns itself to face the wall. Toys rearrange without explanation. Investigators captured an EVP recording of a child's voice: "Mama, mama, are you there, mama can you hear me?"

Dr. Huston shows up on the main staircase carrying what looks like his medical bag. His wife Sarah has started making herself known more recently. Visitors sense a stern woman watching everyone carefully, not angry, just overseeing operations the way she did in life. Staff hear women talking and laughing in the basement.

The mansion might also be a doorway. Curators report a sound like a sonic boom from the dining room, a "rapport" that happens when the barrier between worlds opens. Spirits pass through and move on. Curator Sarah Myers experienced this after decorating the Christmas tree alone. She jokingly asked, "What do you think, guys?" A grandfather clock that doesn't work, has never worked, chimed in response.

The basement holds spirits beyond the Huston household. Poplar Hill was a stop on the Underground Railroad, and the people down there are believed to be freedom-seekers who died before reaching the Pocomoke River. Their journey ended here.

Mediums from around the world, including one from Portugal, have investigated Poplar Hill. They all see the same phenomena. The mansion hosts investigations with strict protocols: no antagonizing, no profanity, and a reminder that "you are a guest in their home." As Davis emphasizes, "There is a positive energy in the house. There is nothing malicious about the spirits who dwell at Poplar Hill." The ghosts seem to agree. They just want the dresser drawers arranged properly.