A Civil War Widow Who Never Left the First Floor
301 Veterans Rd W, Staten Island, NY 10309
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$
Full-service restaurant and banquet venue. Pricing varies by dining vs. event packages. Call (718) 948-7600 for reservations.
Access
Wheelchair OK
Ground-floor dining areas; some portions of historic building may have uneven floors
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1832 · Civil War Era Architecture · Staten Island Heritage · 19th-Century Domestic History
The house was built by the Mesereau family in 1832 on land in what was then rural Staten Island. The structure's construction placed it among the more substantial private residences on the island at that period, and the Mesereau family's history within it extended through the Civil War era.
The building's subsequent ownership changed over the decades. By the time it became the Old Bermuda Inn, it had transitioned from a private residence to a commercial hospitality venue. It now operates as a bed and breakfast, restaurant, bar, and event space — with particular emphasis on wedding and banquet hosting.
The physical building retains key period features. Among the most remarked-upon is an oil portrait of Martha Mesereau, a former occupant, which hangs in the first-floor hallway. During renovations at some unspecified point in the building's commercial history, the portrait reportedly caught fire inexplicably. The singe marks remain visible on the painting. It was not removed.
The venue is located at 301 Veterans Road West and is reachable at (718) 948-7600. Dining hours extend through the week with Sunday brunch available.
Sources
Martha Mesereau's story follows a pattern common to Civil War households: a husband who left and never came home. According to the account that has accumulated around the Old Bermuda Inn, Martha waited at her bedroom window watching for his return. When word arrived that he had died, she retreated to bed and died shortly after — grief, by the account's implication, being the operative cause.
Several decades later — or perhaps much sooner, the timeline is not documented — accounts of Martha's continued presence began accumulating. Staff working late have described her apparition moving through the first-floor dining room and pausing on the stairs. A whispered voice saying "listen" has been reported by multiple employees. The chandelier in one area of the building reportedly cannot be reliably shut off.
Most distinctly: cameras brought into Martha's room stop functioning. This has been reported by enough visitors across enough years that the inn acknowledges it openly. Whether the phenomenon is specific to the room or to the building's electrical peculiarities is not addressed in the available accounts.
The oil portrait in the hallway provides the closest thing the building has to a physical artifact of the haunting. The painting caught fire during renovations under circumstances that have not been explained. It was not restored to remove the damage. The singe marks remain.
Notable Entities
Dine in the 1832 Mesereau family home where Martha Mesereau's portrait — its singe marks still visible from an inexplicable fire during renovations — hangs in the first-floor hallway. The dining room is one of the areas where staff have reported her apparition in a long white dress. Sunday brunch also available.
The Old Bermuda Inn operates a guest house facility on the property. Martha Mesereau's room — where cameras reportedly malfunction — is part of the building's second floor. Contact the venue directly for room availability and rates.
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