Mississippi's Most Haunted House — Three Centuries, Six Ghosts
1445 Harrison St, Vicksburg, MS 39180
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$
History tour: Adults $15, Students (6-18) $10, children under 5 free. Haunted tour: $25 (adults and students). Combination tour: Adults $35, Students $30. Ghost Hunt: $75/person.
Access
Limited Access
Multi-floor 1797 historic home with original stairs; uneven period flooring throughout
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1797 · Civil War History · Siege of Vicksburg · Multi-Period Architecture · Spanish Colonial Period Mississippi
The McRaven House was not built as a single structure; it accumulated. The first section, constructed in 1797 during the Spanish colonial period of Mississippi's history, is a small Frontier-style room that now forms the rear of the house. This was a working man's building, utilitarian and compact.
Andrew Glass, the first documented occupant, lived and died in the house under circumstances that have been disputed by researchers: some sources describe him as a wealthy landowner, others as a highway robber. Both versions have appeared in published accounts. Glass's profession matters to the house's paranormal lore because accounts attribute his continued presence to the manner of his death in the original structure.
The second phase came in 1836, when a subsequent owner added an Empire-style section that included a parlor. This addition is associated with Mary Elizabeth Howard, wife of the owner, who died in the house. Her death in the parlor section is the origin of the 'most active spirit' accounts that run through the building's paranormal documentation.
John Bobb built the final Greek Revival addition in 1849, completing the house's current footprint. The 1863 Siege of Vicksburg brought Union troops to the property; accounts describe soldiers camping on the grounds. Bobb confronted Union soldiers in a dispute that ended with his death at their hands. The event is documented in military records of the period.
The Murray family — father William and daughters Annie and Ella — owned the house in its later decades. All three have been identified in reported apparitions, with William Murray's figure reportedly recognized by a subsequent caretaker named Leyland French. Twenty-five soldiers are said to be buried on the grounds.
McRaven Tour Home has been featured on A&E, the Travel Channel, and 48 Hours. It is named Mississippi's 'Most Haunted House' by multiple regional tourism bodies.
Sources
Mary Elizabeth Howard is described as the most active presence in the house. She occupies the parlor section added in 1836 — the room where she died — and has been reported throughout the building in ways consistent with movement rather than location-bound residual activity. The haunted tour addresses her history at some length.
John Bobb's death at the hands of Union soldiers during the 1863 siege connects the house to one of the most significant military events in American history. Vicksburg's fall opened the Mississippi River to Union control and effectively split the Confederacy; the soldiers who occupied the McRaven grounds were part of that campaign. Bobb's death was not incidental; it was a documented killing during occupation. His presence in the house is one of the accounts with the strongest historical grounding.
William Murray's apparition has the most unusual documentation: the caretaker Leyland French reportedly recognized the figure from a portrait before he was told whose portrait it was. This kind of cross-validation — recognizing an apparition from a photograph or painting the witness had not previously examined — is among the more interesting categories of paranormal claim because it provides a testable claim about prior knowledge.
The Murray sisters, Annie and Ella, are described as seen throughout the house in the characteristic pattern of later-period occupants: present, moving through the rooms, apparently oblivious to the current state of the building.
Andrew Glass remains contested. He was the first person to live and die in the original 1797 structure; whether he was a wealthy farmer or a highway robber is something local researchers have not settled. The ghost tour presents both versions.
The monthly Ghost Hunt, running from the 8:30pm Haunted Tour through 2am, gives investigators structured access to all three sections of the house with equipment provided on-site. Capacity is limited to 18.
Notable Entities
Media Appearances
A 45-minute guided tour of the McRaven House's architecture and documented history across three construction phases spanning 1797 to 1849, presented by a costumed guide. Covers the Frontier period addition (1797), the Empire period parlor (1836), and the Greek Revival addition (1849), along with the antiques and period furnishings.
A 75-minute theatrical tour through the house's ghost stories — a highway robber's death in 1836, the young bride Mary Elizabeth who died in the house, Civil War soldiers killed by Union troops, and the spinster Murray sisters whose apparitions still appear throughout the rooms. Six named entities are documented at McRaven; the tour addresses each with historical context.
Begin with the 8:30pm Haunted Tour, then remain in the house until 2am using ghost-hunting equipment provided on-site. Monthly events limited to 18 participants. Light refreshments at midnight. McRaven is named Mississippi's 'Most Haunted House' and has been featured on A&E, the Travel Channel, and 48 Hours.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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The McRaven Tour Home in Vicksburg, Mississippi was built in three principal phases between approximately 1797 and 1849. Its earliest section was constructed by Natchez Trace highwayman Andrew Glass; later sections by John H. Bobb and the Murray family. The house and its three-acre grounds served as a Confederate camp and field hospital during the 1863 Siege of Vicksburg.