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Jones County's oldest surviving home — site of a Civil War murder whose bloodstain, locals say, has never washed from the porch
410 Anderson St, Ellisville, MS 39437
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$
Admission fee for guided tours; ghost hunt events separately ticketed. Check the venue blog for current pricing.
Access
Limited Access
1847 wood-frame home with original porch steps; interior access via guided tour
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1847 · Oldest Surviving Structure in Jones County · Site of the 1863 Murder of Major Amos McLemore · Free State of Jones — Knight Company History · National Register of Historic Places
Amos Deason completed his Greek Revival timber-frame home in 1847, making it the oldest surviving structure in Jones County, Mississippi. Deason was a prosperous local landowner; the house's relative elegance for the region reflects that standing.
The home's Civil War chapter centers on Newton Knight, a Jones County farmer who refused Confederate conscription and organized an armed Unionist resistance known as the Knight Company. Knight's guerrillas operated out of the piney woods of Jones County through much of the war, and Confederate authorities targeted their sympathizers and leaders in response.
On October 5, 1863, Knight came to the Deason house and shot Confederate Major Amos McLemore on the front porch. McLemore had been a local Confederate officer and organizer. The circumstances — whether ambush, confrontation, or retribution for informing on Knight's band — have been debated by historians, but the killing is documented in contemporary accounts and in Wikipedia's entry on the Amos Deason House, which cites the home's listing on the National Register of Historic Places.
The story of the Knight Company and the Free State of Jones became a subject of sustained historical and popular interest. Historians Victoria Bynum and others have written on the region's Unionist resistance; the 2016 Gary Ross film Free State of Jones used the Deason murder as one of its narrative set pieces.
The Tallahala Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution took ownership of the property and currently operates it as a historic site open for tours and ghost hunt events.
Sources
The Deason Home's paranormal reputation is built on a foundation that is unusually documented for a private historic residence: a witnessed, recorded murder on the front porch in 1863. McLemore's death on that site has anchored local ghost lore ever since, and the home's blog and WDAM's 2022 feature confirm that the location draws active paranormal interest.
Visitors and investigators have reported five distinct presences, the most commonly cited being a figure consistent with McLemore near the porch. Other phenomena include cold spots in the interior rooms, unexplained sounds, and objects perceived to move. A persistent local belief holds that McLemore's blood soaked permanently into the porch floorboards and cannot be washed out — a tradition that functions as both folk history and haunting lore.
The Tallahala DAR chapter organizes ghost hunt events at the property, which indicates sustained organized investigation interest beyond informal visits.
Notable Entities
Media Appearances
A guided walk through Jones County's oldest surviving structure, covering the 1847 construction, the Knight family conflicts, and the 1863 murder of Major Amos McLemore on the front porch. The Tallahala Chapter of the DAR owns and operates the property.
Organized paranormal investigation events with access to the historic interior and porch, where multiple spirit presences have been reported. Events are hosted through the venue and listed on the home's blog.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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