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Reported phenomena — as catalogued
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1875 adobe Territorial-style homestead of former El Paso mayor Joseph Magoffin, where 'Uncle Charlie' Richardson is said to still rock in the chair where he died in 1911.
1120 Magoffin Ave, El Paso, TX 79901
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$
Admission fees per Texas Historical Commission; check site for current rates. Guided tour required for the home interior.
Access
Limited Access
1875 adobe homestead with original interior surfaces; partial accessibility. Check with the visitor center.
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1875 · 1875 Adobe Territorial-style homestead · Home of Joseph Magoffin, former El Paso mayor · Continuously occupied by family descendants until 1976 · Texas Historical Commission state historic site
The Magoffin Home stands at 1120 Magoffin Avenue in El Paso, Texas, a 19-room, 8-fireplace adobe Territorial-style homestead built in 1875 for Joseph Magoffin. Joseph Magoffin was a pioneer, politician and civic leader who served multiple terms as mayor of El Paso. The home was the center of family life for four generations of Magoffins, and family descendants lived continuously in the property until 1976.
In 1976, the home and grounds were jointly acquired by the City of El Paso and the State of Texas to preserve the property as a historic site. The Texas Historical Commission now operates the Magoffin Home as a state historic site, and the home retains many of its original family furnishings, decorative arts, and personal belongings — a rare level of intact provenance for a Territorial-era adobe home.
Among the most discussed family members at the site is Charles 'Uncle Charlie' Richardson, who was Joseph Magoffin's cousin, brother-in-law and best friend. Family records describe Uncle Charlie as animated, honest and widely loved by the household; he died around 1911 in his rocking chair on the property after lunch one afternoon.
The site offers guided tours, school programming, and community events, and the Texas Historical Commission preserves the home as an example of 19th-century Spanish-Mexican-American Territorial architecture and family life in early El Paso.
Sources
Staff and visitors at the Magoffin Home describe a layered set of resident spirits, the most commonly named being Charles 'Uncle Charlie' Richardson. According to US Ghost Adventures, Haunted Rooms America, and CBS4 El Paso reporting, Uncle Charlie was Joseph Magoffin's cousin, brother-in-law and closest friend; family accounts hold that around 1911 he sat down in a rocking chair on the property after lunch and died there. Visitors and staff describe the rocking chair continuing to move on its own, and Uncle Charlie is also credited with opening and closing doors and 'tinkering with the lights.'
Other figures reported on the property include a tall apparition referred to as 'Octavia' in a blue dress, a woman seen in white Victorian dress, a young girl, and the figure of longtime Magoffin family groundskeeper Jose Sierra still chopping wood on the grounds. Phenomena reported across the 19-room home include cold spots, doors opening on their own, lights cycling, footsteps in empty rooms, and the sensation of being watched.
A CBS4 El Paso special report described the Magoffin home as a layered haunting with multiple resident spirits, and tour guides incorporate Uncle Charlie's story into the regular interpretive program. Multiple sources characterize the spirits as gentle — Haunted Rooms America described them as 'some of the friendliest you're bound to find' — which fits the home's strong family-history framing.
Notable Entities
Media Appearances
Texas Historical Commission staff offer guided tours of the 19-room, 8-fireplace 1875 adobe home built for Joseph Magoffin. Tours cover Magoffin family history and the home's most-discussed paranormal stories, including 'Uncle Charlie' Richardson's rocking chair.
Explore the grounds and the visitor center exhibits independently to learn about the Magoffin family's role in 19th-century El Paso.
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