Friday, October 26, 2012

Phantoms of Goat Castle - Natchez, Mississippi

In the 1890s in Natchez, Mississippi, in the an upper class neighborhood lived a couple named Dick and Octavia.  They became friends with another couple and got along well.  That is, until at one point, things drastically went wrong.

The "Goat Castle" of Natchez, Mississippi which is actually the estate named Glenwood
The "Goat Castle" of Natchez, Mississippi which is actually the estate named Glenwood


Dick and Octavia lived in their beautiful home called Glenwood, where they passed the time playing the piano, reading, and taking care of their animals.  They became close friends with a neighbor, Jennie Merrill, who lived in an estate next door called Glenburnie.  Jennie was not married, but in a close relationship with a man named Duncan.  It is thought they were forbidden to marry because they were cousins. He would visit with Jennie during the day and return to his home at night. The couples were close and would spend lots of time together.

All this changed when things fell apart between the couples. They stopped going out together and kept apart from each other. Dick and Octavia ran into financial troubles and let their estate run down. Animals roamed freely all over the place. Then one day in the 1930s, Duncan went to visit Jennie at Glenburnie and discovered a trail of blood leading from her house.  After a search by police, Jennie's body was discovered in the woods nearby.  She was murdered.  Her body was found riddled with bullet holes.  Suspicion went directly to Dick and Octavia.  This is when the previously beautiful Glenwood estate got the name Goat Castle.  The couple became the center of investigation and soon people far and wide learned of the dilapidated, animal infested mansion with goats roaming freely about the place.

Dick and Octavia claimed that they could hear and see strange things in the woods were Jennie's body was found.  The believed that it may have been her ghost returning to haunt them. Later, they were cleared of all suspicion when the real killer was found.  The couple decided to charge admission and give tours to Goat Castle so that they could make money.

Gravestone of Octavia Dockery the Mistress of Goat Castle


Eventually, Dick and Octavia passed away and their beloved Goat Mansion was bulldozed to the ground.  Today, a community sits on the grounds of the former estates and the area is known as Glenwood. Many claim that the apparition of two women can be seen floating through the woods surrounding the area and on certain nights, the sounds of piano music can be heard on the wind.


 

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