An 1828 Greek Revival mansion built on China-trade and opium money, now Wesleyan's Philosophy department — and the subject of a 2014 paranormal investigation.
350 High Street, Middletown, CT 06459
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
The house is a Wesleyan University academic and events building; the exterior is freely viewable from High Street. Interior access depends on the university's event schedule.
Access
Limited Access
Sidewalk along High Street; the house sits behind a columned portico reached by stone steps.
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1828 · National Historic Landmark (2001) · One of the finest Greek Revival mansions in the Northeast · Built on the fortune of Russell & Company, the leading American firm in the China trade · Designed by architect Ithiel Town
Samuel Wadsworth Russell (1789-1862) was orphaned young in Middletown and went to sea as a young man before establishing himself in the China trade. In 1824 he founded Russell & Company in Canton, which grew into the largest and most important American firm doing business in China during the 19th century. Between roughly 1818 and 1831 Russell's trade included importing opium into Canton alongside the export of tea and silk to Western markets, and the fortune he built there paid for the house that still bears his name.
The house at 350 High Street was built in 1828 to a design by architect Ithiel Town, with David Hoadley supervising construction. Its temple-form plan and six Corinthian columns made it, in the judgment of later architectural historians, one of the finest Greek Revival mansions in the northeastern United States. It stands on High Street, the avenue of Middletown mansions that Charles Dickens is said to have admired during his American travels.
Wesleyan University acquired the house in 1937. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970 and designated a National Historic Landmark in 2001. Today the building houses Wesleyan's Department of Philosophy and serves as a venue for university lectures, concerts, and special events.
Sources
Reports of unexplained noises in the Samuel Russell House circulated among Wesleyan staff for years before they were documented publicly. According to Middletown Patch and the Wesleyan student newspaper, university Public Safety officers who passed through the building described hearing creaks and feeling watched, which led the university to invite a paranormal group to look into it.
The Thames Society of Paranormal Investigations spent a night in the house and recorded the session for a video Wesleyan released in October 2014. The team set up cameras throughout the building and took EMF and temperature readings. During the investigation they reported that cameras appeared to move on their own, that footsteps were heard on the upper floor when no living person was walking there, and that when investigators asked any presence to make itself known, they recorded knocks in response.
The investigators were careful in their conclusion. They reported that they could neither confirm nor deny that the Russell House is haunted, and the Wesleyan video presents the case as an open question rather than a verdict. The house's long history and its association with the China-trade fortune that built it have kept the story in local circulation.
Media Appearances
The Samuel Russell House anchors Wesleyan's stretch of High Street, a corridor Charles Dickens reportedly called one of the most beautiful avenues in America. Visitors can view the six-column Corinthian portico and temple-form facade from the public sidewalk and read the National Historic Landmark context. Interior access is limited to scheduled university events.
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