HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena, as catalogued
An 1872 Italianate villa where security guards report a woman's apparition on the balcony and paranormal investigators concluded it was 'without a doubt haunted.'
100 Mill St, Waco, TX 76704
Research updated August 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$
Admission fee for house museum tours; check Historic Waco Foundation for current pricing.
Access
Limited Access
Multi-story Victorian home with interior stairs; limited accessibility for upper floors.
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1872 · Built 1872 by John Wesley Mann — prominent Waco cotton merchant and real estate developer · Italianate villa design is among the most distinctive surviving examples of the style in Central Texas · Managed by the Historic Waco Foundation as a museum property
John Wesley Mann arrived in Texas from Tennessee and built his fortune in cotton trading and real estate in the years following the Civil War. In 1872, he commissioned the East Terrace House at 100 Mill Street in Waco — one of the most ambitious residential projects in McLennan County at the time. The Italianate villa design, with its distinctive bracketed eaves, central tower, and wraparound veranda, was unusual for the Texas interior and reflected Mann's wealth and Tennessee origins.
Mann and his family occupied the home through the late nineteenth century. After his death, the property passed through several hands before the Historic Waco Foundation acquired it and opened it as a house museum. The interior retains much of its period character, including original woodwork and some furnishings from the Mann family era.
The Baylor Lariat documented the house's paranormal reputation in 2017, reporting accounts from night security personnel who had observed a female figure on the exterior balcony — a figure that disappeared when approached. Tour guides working the property have also described finding objects moved between the evening's close and the morning's opening, consistent accounts that have persisted across multiple staff members over the years.
The Central Texas Paranormal Society conducted a formal investigation of the property and reported their conclusion publicly: the house is, in their assessment, definitively haunted, with the primary entity identified as the wife of one of Mann's sons.
Sources
The dominant account at East Terrace House involves a woman seen standing on the balcony after closing hours. Multiple night security personnel, working independently over different time periods, have described the same image: a figure in period dress, visible from the exterior, that vanishes when they approach or when the lights are checked. The consistency across accounts — different staff, different seasons — is what drew formal investigation interest.
The Central Texas Paranormal Society's investigation of the property generated findings they described as unambiguous. Their public conclusion identified the spirit as the wife of one of John Wesley Mann's sons, though the specific family member was not named in the reporting. The investigation employed standard paranormal investigation equipment and documented anomalous readings in the upper rooms nearest the balcony.
Tour guides working regular daytime programming have separately described a pattern of objects — small items from displays, period accessories — found in different positions than their previous placement, without any plausible overnight explanation. The accounts date to at least 2010 and have continued under successive guide staffs.
Notable Entities
Guided tours of the 1872 Italianate villa built by John Wesley Mann, covering the home's architecture, furnishings, and the Mann family history. The paranormal accounts associated with the house — reported by night security guards and tour guides — are part of the interpreted history.
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