HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena, as catalogued
+ 1 further entry on record
Hillsboro's 7,000-square-foot Queen Anne Victorian
211 N Pleasant Street, Hillsboro, TX 76645
Research updated May 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$
Mid-range bed and breakfast with seven guest rooms; check current rates and availability.
Access
Limited Access
Historic three-story Victorian with stairs
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1895 · Largest historic home in Hillsboro · Queen Anne Victorian architecture · Tarlton family legacy
The Tarlton House at 211 N Pleasant Street in Hillsboro, Texas was built in 1895 by prominent local attorney Green Duke Tarlton for his growing family. The three-story Queen Anne Victorian, with a distinctive square tower and wraparound porch, totals more than 7,000 square feet, making it the largest historic home in Hillsboro. Architectural details include seven original coal-burning fireplaces rimmed in imported Italian tile and a two-story entry staircase carved and paneled from European wood.
The house is located just off the main downtown square of Hillsboro, the seat of Hill County in central Texas. The Tarlton House now operates as a bed and breakfast with seven unique guest rooms, each with its own private bath, most equipped with claw-foot tubs and showers. The B&B is included in the Heart of Texas Bed and Breakfast group and appears in regional Texas hospitality directories.
Sources
Local Hillsboro tradition associates the Tarlton House with the continuing presence of builder Green Duke Tarlton. Former owner Pat Lovelace has been quoted in regional Texas paranormal writing describing the third-floor presence as the figure of a man in formal attire, identified as Tarlton himself. Guests have reported footsteps on the upper floors and gentle brushes felt at the forehead, described in B&B marketing materials as 'soft kisses.' Eyewitness accounts can be read in journals kept in each of the seven guest rooms.
Local tradition holds that Tarlton ended his own life on the third floor after the death of his second wife. The historical record is not publicly indexed online, so the account is presented here as inn folklore and treated with clinical restraint. Visitors who find the topic distressing should ask the innkeepers for the lighter folklore versions. The tradition has been documented by regional Central Texas television (KWTX) and ghost-research aggregators, with reports also describing a black shadow figure said to manifest in the attic and the sensation of mattresses sinking as if someone has sat down on third-floor beds.
Notable Entities
Media Appearances
Book a room at the Tarlton House, a 7,000-square-foot Queen Anne Victorian built in 1895 by Hillsboro attorney Green Duke Tarlton with seven original coal-burning fireplaces rimmed in imported Italian tile and a paneled two-story entry staircase carved from European wood.
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