Late-18th-century gambrel-roof outbuilding — original kitchen behind Casso's Inn and birthplace of 17th U.S. president Andrew Johnson — now relocated to Raleigh's Mordecai Historic Park, where a phantom candle is reported moving between first- and second-floor windows.
1 Mimosa Street, Raleigh, NC 27604
Age
All Ages
Cost
$
Mordecai Historic Park ticketed tour includes the Andrew Johnson Birthplace and the Mordecai House.
Access
Limited Access
Original gambrel-roof structure with narrow stairs and small interior; surrounding park grounds paved.
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1795 · Documented birthplace of Andrew Johnson, 17th U.S. president · Late-18th-century gambrel-roof outbuilding architecture · Originally a kitchen behind Casso's Inn on Fayetteville Street · Now part of the City of Raleigh's Mordecai Historic Park
Andrew Johnson was born in Raleigh, North Carolina, on December 29, 1808. His parents, Jacob and Mary 'Polly' Johnson, worked at Casso's Inn on Fayetteville Street; the family lived in the small gambrel-roof kitchen outbuilding behind the inn, and this is the structure that survives as Andrew Johnson's documented birthplace.
Jacob Johnson died in Raleigh in early 1812 when Andrew was three; some local lore associates the candle phenomenon at the birthplace with Jacob, though that attribution is informal. Andrew Johnson went on to become the 17th president of the United States (1865–1869) following the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.
The gambrel-roof outbuilding was eventually moved from its original Fayetteville Street location to Mordecai Historic Park, where it stands today as part of the City of Raleigh's complex of relocated historic structures (the Mordecai House itself is in its original location on the property). Public tours are operated by the City of Raleigh through the Mordecai Historic Park program.
Sources
Per Haunted Houses' Andrew Johnson Home feature and ABC11 Raleigh's 'Haunted Triangle' coverage, multiple realtors who managed the property in earlier years, along with local neighbors and tour staff, have reported seeing a lighted candle in the front first-floor window of the birthplace — apparently held by an invisible hand. The candle then reappears in the small second-floor window in the middle of the upper level, transitioning between floors faster than a person could climb the narrow internal stairs, before being extinguished as though by a candle snuffer.
The Ghost Guild, the official paranormal-research team for Mordecai Historic Park, has investigated the building more than once. Per the public-facing summary on Haunted Houses, investigators report responsive EVP-style answers to direct questions: when asked 'Were you ever alive?' they got a clear response, 'Yeah, I was alive,' and when asked 'where are you from?' they heard 'Philadelphia.' Both responses appear to identify an adult male speaker.
Local lore informally attributes the candle phenomenon to Jacob Johnson, father of Andrew Johnson, who died in Raleigh in 1812 when Andrew was three years old. The 'Philadelphia' EVP response does not directly match the Johnson family's documented North Carolina origins and may instead point to a different occupant of the building's long pre-relocation life. The birthplace is included in seasonal 'Haunted Mordecai Reveal' programming and in Visit Raleigh's official haunted-itinerary listings.
Notable Entities
Media Appearances
Ticketed daytime guided tour of Mordecai Historic Park, including the Andrew Johnson Birthplace and the adjacent Mordecai House. The birthplace is the small two-story gambrel-roof outbuilding most often associated with the candle phenomenon.
Seasonal evening 'Haunted Mordecai Reveal' programming run with the Ghost Guild includes the Andrew Johnson Birthplace and its candle lore.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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