HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena, as catalogued
The 1866–1870 homestead of Mansfield co-founder Ralph Man, where a city worker fled after seeing a woman in white at an upper window, and free guided tours run Tue–Sat.
604 W Broad St, Mansfield, TX 76063
Research updated August 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
Admission is free. Guided tours available during regular hours; group tours outside regular hours by reservation.
Access
Wheelchair OK
Paved lot shared with adjacent dog park; historic house interior may have limited accessibility.
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1870 · Home of Mansfield co-founder Ralph Sandiford Man · Site associated with the founding of the City of Mansfield · Restored and opened as public museum in December 2020
Ralph Sandiford Man was born November 21, 1825, in Charleston, South Carolina. Trained as a bricklayer under his father, he moved progressively westward after age 22, eventually settling in Harrison County, Texas, around 1850. There he met Julian Feild, and the two men became business partners. An early joint mill venture near Fort Worth, powered by water on the Clear Fork of the Trinity River, failed during a drought.
In 1859 Man and Feild constructed a brick, three-story wheat and corn mill powered by a nearby spring in what became Mansfield — reportedly the first steam-powered mill in Texas when it opened in 1860. The town that grew around the mill took its name from the two founders. Man was also an active civic contributor, donating three acres of his land to a local Cumberland Presbyterian church for use as a cemetery.
Man married Julia Alice Boisseau on December 30, 1863. Julia died August 29, 1868, leaving two young children. He married Sarah Jane Stephens in 1870; Sarah died in 1880. Man began constructing his homestead on West Broad Street in 1866 and completed the structure in 1870. He lived there until his death on November 15, 1906. His daughter Norma managed the house after his death before eventually inheriting it.
The City of Mansfield undertook an extensive restoration of the property, and the Man House Museum opened in December 2020. Admission is free. The museum is decorated to reflect the period between 1850 and 1880, and contains one documented original artifact: a lady's rocking chair that Man purchased from a furniture maker in Sabine County, Texas, for one of his wives.
Sources
The haunting tradition at the Man House centers on Ralph Man's family. According to accounts documented by the City of Mansfield's tourism office, the spirits of Ralph himself and both of his wives — Julia Boisseau, who died in 1868, and Sarah Jane Stephens, who died in 1880 — are said to remain in the house. The framing is consistent with the history: Ralph outlived two wives in this home, both of whom died relatively young.
The most specific reported encounter involves a city employee who was clearing the flower garden on the grounds. He looked up to see a woman in a white dress standing in an upper-floor window, looking down at him. He left the property immediately and reportedly declined to return. The account has been repeated across multiple local tourism sources.
In October 2024 the Mansfield Commission for the Arts hosted a ghost hunt event at the museum, led by professional paranormal investigators. The event sold tickets at $35 per person and described the location as having a "mysterious and haunted history." The same woman-in-white apparition reportedly seen at the Man House has been described separately at the Mansfield Historical Cemetery, with local accounts suggesting a possible connection between the two sites.
Notable Entities
Free guided tours of the restored Man House homestead walk visitors through the life of mid-19th century Mansfield residents. The house is decorated to reflect the period between 1850 and 1880, and includes one original artifact: a lady's rocking chair purchased by Ralph Man for his wife.
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