Est. 1762 · Only surviving Royal Governor's mansion in New Jersey · Site of William Franklin's arrest for refusing to support independence (June 1776) · Built ca. 1762 in what was then the East New Jersey capital of Perth Amboy · Featured on Ghost Hunters television program
The Proprietary House was constructed around 1762 in Perth Amboy, then the capital of East New Jersey, as the official residence of the colony's royal proprietors and governors. Perth Amboy served as one of New Jersey's two colonial capitals (with Burlington), and the mansion reflected that administrative importance.
William Franklin, appointed Royal Governor of New Jersey in 1763, occupied the Proprietary House through the escalating tensions of the 1770s. Franklin was the natural son of Benjamin Franklin — one of the most prominent voices for American independence — which made his own Loyalist position a source of public rupture between the two men. The elder Franklin wrote to his son during this period expressing disappointment; the son refused to change course.
In June 1776, as New Jersey moved toward independence, the Continental Congress directed that William Franklin be arrested. He was taken into custody on the steps of the Proprietary House, which gave the arrest a particular theatrical quality: the last royal governor of New Jersey, removed from the official seat of colonial authority. Franklin was held as a prisoner of war in Connecticut for two years before being exchanged in 1778. He spent the remainder of the Revolution in New York before eventually emigrating to Britain.
The mansion changed hands repeatedly after the Revolution, serving at various points as a hotel and residential space. The Proprietary House Association took stewardship and has operated it as a museum. The building was investigated by the Ghost Hunters television program, which documented the haunting claims and added to its national profile.
Sources
- https://www.theproprietaryhouse.org/event-details/haunted-lantern-tours-8-30-pm
- https://perthamboynow.com/proprietary-house-conjures-ghosts-for-haunted-history-tour/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proprietary_House
- https://revolutionarynj.org/ghosts-of-proprietary-house-oct-28-29/
- https://paranormaltraveler.com/1595/proprietary-house-an-exploration-of-history-and-hauntings/
Revolutionary War soldier on the groundsWoman in the dining room window visible from the streetBoy in blue on the third floor gesturing toward the staircaseActivity in the former dungeon area
The Proprietary House ghost tours, which the Proprietary House Association has operated seasonally under the Haunted Lantern Tour name, document three distinct reported entities. A Revolutionary War soldier has been reported on the grounds — consistent with the building's role during the active period of the New Jersey campaigns. A woman in period dress is seen in the dining room window from the exterior, visible to people on Kearny Avenue who have not yet entered the building.
The most specific account involves the third floor. A boy described as wearing blue clothing has been reported by multiple visitors and investigators, appearing on the third floor and seen gesturing toward the staircase as if directing people upward. The account has been consistent enough across independent witnesses to become a standard stop on the Haunted Lantern Tour.
The tour also covers a staircase associated with a historical murder account, and a former dungeon area in the basement. Perth Amboy Now's coverage of the tours documents these stops in detail, citing both the ghost tour guides and independent investigator accounts.
The Ghost Hunters investigation brought national attention to the property's paranormal claims, and accounts from that production are part of the tour's documented history.
Notable Entities
William Franklin (historical figure, not ghost)Boy in blue (unidentified)
Media Appearances
- Ghost Hunters (Television)
Where this legend is told
