Est. 1739 · Hagerstown Founding · Colonial-Era Architecture · Maryland History · Spring-Fed Architecture
Jonathan Hager was a German immigrant who arrived in western Maryland in the 1730s and acquired land along the Great Wagon Road corridor. He built his home beginning in 1739, constructing it over a natural spring — the cellar spring room served simultaneously as a fresh water supply and a food preservation space. The building is historically anomalous for its period in western Maryland: a stone structure with a fortified character, built in an era when frontier conditions made substantial construction both difficult and strategically sensible.
Hager sold the property in 1745. Over the subsequent two centuries, the house passed through multiple owners, two of whom left their names in the building's paranormal record: the Hammond family, who occupied the house in the 1840s, and the Downin family, who lived there during the Civil War era.
The city of Hagerstown acquired the property and opened it as a museum in 1962. Restoration work returned the house to its 18th-century character, preserving the spring room, the stone construction, and the original floor plan. As of July 2025, the lower level is temporarily closed for further renovation work; the upper level and gift shop remain accessible.
The museum operates seasonally from late March through early October, with Friday-Saturday hours from 10am to 4pm and Sunday hours from 12pm to 4pm beginning in mid-April. Private tours are available by appointment with 48 hours' notice. The site is cashless — debit and credit card payments only.
Sources
- https://www.hagerstownmd.org/309/Jonathan-Hager-House-Museum
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hager_House_(Hagerstown,_Maryland)
- https://radiofreehubcity.com/2024/10/09/hager-house-one-of-marylands-most-haunted-places/
Phantom footstepsPhantom voicesObject movementLights flickeringEquipment malfunction
Paranormal accounts at the Hager House do not attribute activity to the building's founder Jonathan Hager, but to the families who lived there in the 19th century. The Hammond family, who occupied the house in the 1840s, and the Downin family, who resided there during the Civil War period, are identified in oral tradition as the primary presences.
Documented phenomena fall into several categories. Disembodied footsteps and voices have been reported by visitors and staff during regular touring hours, with footsteps heard in portions of the house where no one is present. Lights have been observed turning off without anyone at the switches. A corn-cob doll kept in the house is attributed to the Downin children — the doll has reportedly been found in different locations from where it was placed, on multiple occasions across the museum's operating history.
Camera malfunctions are reported with unusual consistency at the Hager House, specifically in areas associated with the Downin family. The pattern is significant enough that both staff and visitors frequently note it without prompting.
The museum offers an annual October ghost tour that covers these legends in a structured format, presenting the accounts within the documented history of the families who occupied the house. Pre-registration is strongly recommended per the city's tourism site. The Radio Free Hub City reporting from October 2024 describes the Hager House as among Maryland's most documented paranormal sites.
Notable Entities
Hammond Family SpiritsDownin Family Children (attributed)
