HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena — as catalogued
The 1880s Victorian mansion on Lafayette Street operates a public ghost-hunting experience with named resident spirits — a dark figure called James in the bar, two children on the first floor, an Irish maid on the second, and Emily in Room 3.
513 Lafayette St, Cape May, NJ 08204
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$
Dinner theater tickets, paranormal investigation nights, and Victorian pub access are separately priced. See elainesdinnertheatre.com for current pricing.
Access
Limited Access
1880s Victorian mansion with multiple floors and stairs
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1880 · Cape May Victorian Architecture · Active Paranormal Programming Destination · Food Network Magazine Top 5 Dinner Theater
The building at 513 Lafayette Street is an 1880s Victorian mansion in Cape May's historic district, constructed during the same era of resort-era development that shaped most of the city's surviving architecture. Its current identity as Elaine's Haunted Mansion emerged from deliberate programming: the property was developed as a venue that integrates its haunted reputation into its commercial offerings rather than treating paranormal history as a passive background feature.
The mansion operates as a boutique hotel with guest rooms, a restaurant, a Victorian pub, and a dinner theater — an unusual combination that positions it as an all-in-one destination rather than a single-service establishment. Food Network Magazine rated the dinner theater one of the top five in the United States, a mainstream recognition that extends the property's visibility beyond the paranormal-tourism market.
Roadside America, which documents unusual and offbeat American attractions, covered Elaine's as one of Cape May's distinctive experiences — notable not just for its ghost stories but for the active integration of paranormal programming into the dining and hospitality model.
Cape May County Herald, the local paper of record, covered Elaine's ghost-hunting experience as a local news item, treating it as a community attraction and economic driver rather than a curiosity.
Sources
The paranormal lore at Elaine's Haunted Mansion is unusually structured: rather than a single ghost or a general atmosphere of unease, the property operates with a named cast of spirits associated with specific locations within the building.
James is described as a dark male figure in the bar — a presence that staff and investigators have associated with the pub-level space on the ground floor. Two small children have been reported on the first floor; their identities are not historically established, but their presence is described as mischievous rather than distressing. On the second floor, a 'feisty Irish maid' is the dominant reported presence — the description is specific enough in period and character to suggest a particular historical archetype, though no named person has been identified. Room 3 is associated with a spirit called Emily, repeating the name that appears elsewhere in Cape May's haunted hotel tradition.
Cape May County Herald covered Elaine's ghost-hunting experience as a local community story, documenting the named spirits and the public investigation nights. The property offers these nights to paying participants on a scheduled basis, making it one of the few venues in Cape May with structured, bookable paranormal access.
Roadside America treated Elaine's as one of the more programmatically committed haunted venues in New Jersey — a place where the haunting is not ambient but actively managed as an attraction.
Notable Entities
Media Appearances
Elaine's offers structured public paranormal investigation nights in the Victorian mansion. Named resident spirits include James (a dark figure in the bar), two small children on the first floor, a 'feisty Irish maid' on the second floor, and Emily in Room 3. The property actively markets and programs the experience rather than treating it as ambient background.
Victorian dinner theater and pub experience in the 1880s mansion. Voted one of the top 5 dinner theaters in America by Food Network Magazine. The haunted reputation is woven into the dining experience.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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The building at 513 Lafayette Street dates to the early 1800s and predates much of Cape May's Victorian-era construction boom. It operated in various commercial capacities before Elaine's established it as a dinner theater and Victorian pub, a format it has sustained for several decades as one of Cape May's recognizable heritage dining establishments.