Overnight Stay Booking Required
Overnight Stay at Belle of the Bends
Stay overnight in the 1876 Italianate mansion on six acres in the Kleins Landing Historic Community above the Mississippi River.
- Duration:
- 12 hr
Photo coming soon
Haunted Hotel / Inn
Ahern's Belle of the Bends
1876 Italianate post-bellum mansion on the bluffs above the Mississippi River — built by State Senator Murray F. Smith and named for an 1898 packet steamboat — now a B&B with modest haunting reports.
508 Klein Street, Vicksburg, MS 39180
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$
Overnight B&B rates; some sources list rooms from approximately $139 per night.
Access
Limited Access
1876 Italianate mansion with original staircase
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1876 · 1876 Italianate Post-Bellum Mansion · Built By Mississippi State Senator Murray F. Smith · Named After Steamboat 'Belle Of The Bends' (1898) · Vicksburg Historic Landmark
The Belle of the Bends mansion was built in 1876 by Mississippi State Senator Murray F. Smith, on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River in what is now the Kleins Landing Historic Community, four blocks from the current riverfront casino. It is a Victorian Italianate house notable for hand-carved millwork and original crystal chandeliers.
The house was named after the steamboat Belle of the Bends, a Mississippi River packet built in 1898 that served as flagship of the parade celebrating the opening of the Yazoo Diversion Canal at Vicksburg in January 1903.
The mansion is listed as a Vicksburg Historic Landmark and is documented in the Vicksburg Pilgrimage records. It is currently owned and operated as a bed-and-breakfast by innkeepers Dan Ahern Lee and Mary Ahern Lee, who have given the property its current 'Ahern's Belle of the Bends' name.
As an 1876 post-bellum property the house's construction itself sits outside the slavery era, though it sits within Vicksburg's broader cotton-economy townscape on the Klein-estate uplands.
Sources
- https://www.facebook.com/VicksburgPilgrimage/posts/belle-of-the-bends508-klein-streetvicksburg-ms-39180constructed-in-the-mid-1870s/1083940231957162/
- https://en.planetofhotels.com/usa/vicksburg/aherns-belle-bends
- https://iloveinns.com/aherns-belle-of-the-bends-id39025.html
- https://www.mississippihauntedhouses.com/real-haunt/aherns-belle-bends.html
- https://www.hauntedplaces.org/item/aherns-belle-of-the-bends/
- https://www.ghostsandgetaways.com/blog-1/the-ghosts-of-vicksburg-ms
'Gentleman spirit' reportedly moving between roomsSensed presence of a woman in upstairs rooms
Belle of the Bends's haunting reports appear across HauntedPlaces.org, MississippiHauntedHouses, and the Ghosts & Getaways Vicksburg roundup. The owner-described account is of a 'gentleman spirit' said to have occupied a downstairs room during the Civil War era — note that the house itself postdates the war by more than a decade, so the alleged Civil War association would predate the current structure on adjoining land.
The gentleman spirit is reported moving between rooms, including visiting an upstairs room formerly occupied by a female resident. Guests describe sensing a feminine presence in some upstairs rooms and the smell of perfume; fleeting sightings of a gentleman in old-fashioned dress are also reported in multiple aggregator entries.
Reports remain modest in intensity relative to other Vicksburg antebellum and post-bellum properties, but lore is now corroborated across three independent paranormal-tourism outlets.
Notable Entities
Unnamed 'gentleman spirit' (owner narration)
Plan Your Visit
2 ways to experience Guided Tour
Mansion Tour
A daytime guided tour of the mansion's Italianate millwork, original crystal chandeliers, and grounds.
- Duration:
- 45 min
Sources & Further Reading
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
- 1.facebook.com/VicksburgPilgrimage/posts/belle-of-the-bends508-klein-streetvicksburg-ms-39180constructed-in-the-mid-1870s/1083940231957162
- 2.en.planetofhotels.com/usa/vicksburg/aherns-belle-bends
- 3.iloveinns.com/aherns-belle-of-the-bends-id39025.html
- 4.mississippihauntedhouses.com/real-haunt/aherns-belle-bends.html
- 5.hauntedplaces.org/item/aherns-belle-of-the-bends
- 6.ghostsandgetaways.com/blog-1/the-ghosts-of-vicksburg-ms
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is Ahern's Belle of the Bends family-friendly?
Modest haunting reports; primarily a historic-architecture B&B stay. Overall family fit: Moderate.
How much does it cost to visit Ahern's Belle of the Bends?
Overnight B&B rates; some sources list rooms from approximately $139 per night.
Do I need to book in advance?
Yes, reservations are required.
Is Ahern's Belle of the Bends wheelchair accessible?
Ahern's Belle of the Bends has limited wheelchair accessibility. Terrain: 1876 Italianate mansion with original staircase.