A Queen Anne Victorian where sharecropper Joe Spears fatally stabbed homeowner Sam Bayless in 1919 during a dispute over unpaid cotton — staff report footsteps, voices, and a face in the attic windows.
317 W Mulberry St, Denton, TX 76201
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
Free admission; donations appreciated. Open Tuesday–Saturday 10am–4pm. Closed Sunday and Monday.
Access
Limited Access
Two-story Victorian farmhouse with stairs; historic preservation constraints limit modification
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1898 · Queen Anne Victorian architecture · 1919 murder and self-defense trial covered by Denton Record-Chronicle · Relocated to Denton County Historical Park 1998 · Opened as museum 2001 · J.M. Blount and Sherman family early ownership history
The property at what is now 317 W Mulberry Street in Denton has a layered ownership history dating to the mid-nineteenth century. Samuel A. Bayless, who arrived from Tennessee with his wife Elizabeth in 1881, purchased a 10-acre tract containing a two-room farmhouse in 1894. By 1898 he had expanded the structure into a two-story Queen Anne Victorian home, which became the family's primary residence.
Bayless operated a successful nursery and landscaping business from the property, employing sharecroppers and itinerant laborers. On November 22, 1919, a dispute erupted between Bayless and Joe Spears, a sharecropper on the property, over the unauthorized sale of the final bale of cotton from that season's harvest. According to court records, the confrontation turned violent: Bayless retrieved a shotgun from upstairs, but Spears used a cotton knife to deliver a fatal wound. Bayless died at the property before a doctor arrived.
The murder trial received extensive coverage in the Denton Record-Chronicle over nearly a year of proceedings. The jury acquitted Spears on the grounds that the stabbing constituted an act of self-defense. Following the verdict, Elizabeth Bayless and the children sold the property to the Selby family in 1920, who occupied it for approximately five decades.
The house was acquired by Denton County at auction and donated for preservation purposes. It was relocated to the Denton County Historical Park in June 1998, underwent restoration, and opened as the Bayless-Selby House Museum on September 29, 2001.
Sources
The paranormal tradition at the Bayless-Selby House is documented across multiple sources and spans the museum's operating history since 2001. The most frequently described phenomenon is footsteps on the upper floor — specifically described as dragging or heavy footsteps, heard when docents are alone on the ground level and the upper floor has been confirmed clear. On several occasions the sounds were accompanied by voices or moaning that staff could not locate.
At least one volunteer was disturbed enough by the upstairs sounds to call the Denton Police Department. Officers investigated and found no other person in the building. The incident is cited in local historical accounts as one of the better-documented staff encounters.
Visitors descending the main staircase have separately described the sensation of a firm push against their back, which some have stumbled from, though no injuries have been reported in the accounts. The sensation is consistently located on the main staircase rather than elsewhere in the house.
From outside the building, a face has been reported appearing in the attic windows — a figure looking down from the upper level. Local accounts attribute the activity to Sam Bayless, who died in the home, though some Denton County historical staff have noted that activity could reflect any of several people associated with the property over its history.
Notable Entities
Docents lead visitors through the restored 1898 Queen Anne Victorian, covering the Bayless family history, the 1919 murder and subsequent acquittal trial, and the history of the house's relocation to the Denton County Historical Park in 1998. Docents may share paranormal accounts on request.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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