HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena, as catalogued
Delaware's c. 1798 governor's residence, long called the state's most famous haunted house
151 Kings Highway Southwest, Dover, DE 19901
Research updated September 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
Woodburn is the official residence of Delaware's governor. Tours of the house are currently not available to the public except during scheduled public special events and programs hosted by Delaware's First State Heritage Park. Confirm before visiting.
Access
Limited Access
Historic two-story brick house on a residential grounds along Kings Highway
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1798 · Delaware Governor's Official Residence · c. 1798 Georgian Architecture
Woodburn stands on Kings Highway in Dover and was built around 1798 by Charles Hillyard III. The brick Georgian house passed through several owners across the 19th century and is one of the better-preserved examples of the period in the state capital.
Among its owners was Daniel Cowgill, a Quaker and abolitionist. By his own conviction Cowgill freed enslaved people his family had held and, according to the state's account of the house, opened its great hall to Black Delawareans for meeting and worship. The house has long been linked to the Underground Railroad in Delaware, a slaveholding border state, but the state describes that link as a local tradition that likely traces to an 1884 novel, not a documented stop. The state presents this history directly, naming the people and the cause rather than reducing it to atmosphere.
In 1965 Delaware acquired Woodburn as the official residence of its governor, a role it still holds. Because it is a working residence, tours are not currently available to the public except during scheduled public events and programs.
Sources
Woodburn is widely described as Delaware's most famous haunted house, and unusually for such a claim, the lead story is recorded by the state itself. Around 1815, the traveling Methodist preacher Lorenzo Dow was a guest of Dr. and Mrs. Martin Bates. He reported meeting an older gentleman on the staircase, wearing a powdered wig, knee breeches, and a ruffled shirt; the figure matched the appearance of Mrs. Bates' late father, Charles Hillyard III, who had built the house.
The house's other long-running tale concerns the wine cellar. Local lore holds that a glass of wine left downstairs overnight may be found empty in the morning, taken, it is said, by Hillyard on one of his rounds. Later residents added their own quiet sightings; one owner, Frank Hall, said he occasionally passed the figure on the stairs. The state recounts that a governor's wife tested the wine story more than once without result.
These are gentle, well-documented bits of folklore tied to a real and dignified house, and the state presents them with a light touch alongside Woodburn's genuine history.
Notable Entities
As an official state residence, Woodburn is best seen from the public sidewalk along Kings Highway. Tours of the house are currently not available to the public except during scheduled public special events and programs hosted by Delaware's First State Heritage Park; check the official Woodburn site for dates.
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