HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena — as catalogued
+ 1 further entry on record
An 1854 brick mansion where Shubal Merritt accidentally shot his son Lewis in 1865—the French doors reportedly still burst open at 3 p.m. on Thursdays, exactly as Lewis once ran through them.
7171 East Lake Road, Appleton, NY 14008
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$
$7 tasting (four pours); $10 tasting with keepsake glass; ghost hunts priced separately
Access
Wheelchair OK
Historic mansion on flat orchard grounds; main floor accessible
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1854 · Holland Land Company purchase 1834 by Shubal Merritt · 1854 brick mansion construction (Italian brick) · 1865 accidental shooting death of Lewis Merritt · Ring family Cornell peach research 1895–1908 · Sisters of St. Joseph 1933–1993 · Winery opened 2004
Shubal Scudder Merritt acquired 205 acres on the Niagara Wine Trail from the Holland Land Company in 1834, moving his family onto the property in a log cabin. As his fortunes grew, he commissioned a substantial brick mansion in 1854, importing bricks from Italy. The property—later called Appleton Hall—became a prominent estate in what would become Niagara County's orchard belt.
On a Thursday afternoon in 1865, Merritt and his son Lewis returned home after a hunting excursion. Lewis ran down the main stairs and burst through the French doors at the front of the house. Startled by the sudden movement, Shubal fired his gun and shot Lewis dead in the doorway. The death occurred at 3 o'clock in the afternoon. Shubal reportedly ordered the French doors locked permanently afterward. Sophia Spencer Willson, Shubal's wife, had died in the home the previous year, in 1864. Shubal himself died at the estate on March 2, 1881.
In 1895 Dr. Charles A. Ring purchased the estate, renaming it Appleton Hall. He and his wife Hannah became successful peach farmers and conducted research in partnership with Cornell University. Both died within a year of each other—Hannah in 1907, Charles in 1908.
The Sisters of St. Joseph acquired the property in 1933, operating it as a camp for girls, a farm school for deaf boys, and a summer retreat until 1993. The estate then passed through several owners before Margo Sue Bittner purchased it in 2003 and opened the winery on August 6, 2004, naming it Marjim Manor from a blend of her name and her husband Jim's.
Sources
The central haunting at Marjim Manor is tied directly to the 1865 shooting. In the years after the winery opened in 2004, staff began reporting the appearance of a Victorian boy standing in the doorway of the French doors—the same doorway where Lewis Merritt died. Visitors have reported hearing the disembodied question 'Who's in my house?' Accounts consistent with the manor's own documentation describe the locked French doors bursting open at 3 p.m. on Thursdays, as if repeating Lewis's final run through them.
The winery's ghost page identifies several additional resident spirits: Shubal Merritt himself, his wife Sophia, their son Lewis, later owners Charles and Hannah Ring, and Duke, the dog that accompanied the Sisters of St. Joseph during their six-decade occupancy. Lights reportedly turn on without cause, and wine bottles have fallen from shelves in areas with no traffic.
The manor attracted national attention when it was featured on SyFy's Ghost Hunters and on the Travel Channel series Most Terrifying Places in America. Owner Margo Sue Bittner produced a 20-minute documentary DVD on the property's history and haunting. The venue has been formally investigated by paranormal research teams, and pre-scheduled group ghost hunts are available.
Notable Entities
Media Appearances
Four-wine tasting accompanied by staff-shared ghost stories about the Merritt family, the Lewis shooting, and the manor's documented paranormal activity. The $10 option includes a keepsake wine glass.
Private group ghost hunts arranged in advance for organized groups. The manor has been investigated by paranormal teams and appeared on Ghost Hunters and the Travel Channel.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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