Manor
House is a historical landmark located in Ohio. The estate was built in 1789
during Ohio’s expansion as part of the Northwest Territory.
A
colonist named John Manor built the house with a team of hired hands before
making it his residence. Legend has it they built Manor House on sacred ground
where the indigenous people had buried their dead. But no proof has been found
to support this theory. In 1801, a maid found John Manor in the house’s east
wing, hanging from a noose in what was declared a suicide.
After
Manor’s suicide, his brother Eugene took over the estate in 1802. Notorious for
being a depraved and immoral man of the times, Eugene Manor held infamous
private parties at the estate. Parties were rumored to involve acts of
sadomasochism and other sexual taboos too vulgar to describe here. There were
even rumors of witchcraft at the estate. Some claimed Eugene Manor to be a
warlock himself. While there was no proof to support this idea, the legend of
Manor House grew nevertheless. Some time between 1838 and 1844, Eugene Manor
vanished without any proclamation and was never seen…or heard from...again.
The
estate remained abandoned for years until the Civil War (1861-1865) when the
Union army turned the grounds into a camp. Here, they trained soldiers and
nursed the wounded. Due to the many lives lost during this time, a graveyard
was built near the estate for proper burials. They also held prisoners of war
in the cellar basement of the estate. Some Union soldiers were suspected of
treason and held as prisoners as well. It is claimed that these prisoners were
tortured for the pleasure of their sadistic tormentor by the name of Wilhelm
Barnes. Barnes was said to have been a model soldier until the war broke him
mentally. He was accused of torturing and killing many prisoners during this
time. After the war, Barnes was found dead in the cellar basement. His jugular
had been cut with a broken piece of pottery.
Manor
House was abandoned yet again after the war except for the graveyard which was
maintained for memorial purposes. Reports of ghosts and lurking spirits were
rampant during this time.
In
1903, the site was maintained by a non-profit group made up of the Manor
lineage: the Manor House Preservation Society.
Today,
Rock Manor is the President of the Board of Directors for the Manor House
Preservation Society. A voice actor by trade, he is responsible for Manor
House's transformation into a historic house museum and country estate.
Due
to its nefarious past, Manor House has become a haunted attraction. The museum
contains macabre objects fron the estate's history. The Spanish Donkey torture
device, used on prisoners during the Civil War, is on display. There is a wax
museum with figures depicting former inhabitants such as John and Eugene Manor.
The
Manor House museum also contains macabre objects from all over the world. Some
of these include one of the original “Old Sparky” electric chairs, a hanging
post used during the Salem Witch trials, one of Ed Gein’s bowls made out of a
human skull, an urn containing what is claimed to be Grigori Rasputin’s ashes,
a blade used in a guillotine during the French Revolution, and many others.
Click
here to see the Macabre Collection.
In
2003, Manor House added a haunted house attraction during the Halloween season.
Manor
House is open Wednesday through Sunday but closed December through March.
Admission fees vary. Children and senior citizens are free.
There’s
a whole lot more to Manor House. Check it out at:
More
promotions coming soon!
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