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Ashton Villa Mansion
HauntedHouses.com
Haunted Place — Ashton Villa Mansion
ADDRESS:
2328 Broadway Street
Galveston, Texas 77550.
___ web site
Located in Galveston's historical district,
the Ashton Villa Mansion is now a museum open to the public, run by
the Galveston Historical Society.
Hours:
Memorial Day weekend through Labor
Day: 10am to 4pm.
Monday through Saturday and Noon to 4pm Sunday.
Winter Hours: Noon to 4pm, 7 days.
Guided tours begin on the hour, with the last tour at 4pm.
DESCRIPTION and HISTORY:
Ashton Villa Mansion is an immense, 3
story, palace-like masterpiece, built by a proud, wealthy hardware
businessman, James Brown, who believed in showing his wealth, right
before the Civil War. This royal residence, fit for royalty, took 4
years to build, from 1861 to 1865. The showplace of this glorious
Italianate Villa was and is the ornate, formal living room, called
The Gold Room, located near an alcove, within the spacious every
day living room. There is a grand, center stairway that connects
the floors, with the customary landings on each floor.
During the Civil War, Ashton Villa was put
to good use as a hospital for Confederate soldiers. And, as
Galveston was at various times under the control of either the
Union forces or the Confederate forces, Ashton Villa became the
headquarters for whatever General was in control at the time. At
the end of the Civil War, popular tradition reports that the
surrender of Confederate forces in the southwest took place in this
Gold Room.
As Galveston was a bustling trade port,
fortunes returned soon after the end of the Civil War, and things
got back to normal in a hurry, unlike the rest of the South. James
Brown continued to be immensely wealthy, and lived at his Texas
palace with his stunningly beautiful, golden-haired daughter,
Bettie Ashton Brown, who was born in 1855. She grew into a
strikingly lovely, tall, well figured, sophisticated blonde lady,
who often wore her hair on top of her head.
History behind the Manifestations: Bettie
Brown grew up in an atmosphere of abundance of material goods and
privilege, and developed the point of view of a Texas princess. She
was also very much a free spirit, who loved adventure and travel,
with no desire to settle down with any one man. Instead, she spent
her life collecting expensive clothes, elaborate gowns and
costumes, gentlemen callers, unusual, ornate fans, traveling the
world, going to resorts, going to and having grand parties, being
totally self-absorbed it seems. All of her various collections, art
treasures are on display within Ashton Villa.
MANIFESTATIONS:
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Bettie's strong presence is felt most intensely on the central
stairway, and in the hallway on the second floor landing.
Her full, stunning apparition was seen by a guide on the second
floor landing. She was wearing a beautiful turquoise evening gown,
and holding one of her fans, described as an ornate, Victorian
one.
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She also likes to hang out in The Gold Room, and surrounding
area, where her fans and favorite possessions are on display,
easily within her reach.
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The furniture moves by itself, and the clocks stop working for
no mechanical reason.
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Her presence has been felt, seen and heard in the Gold Room. A
substitute night caretaker, Mr. T., one stormy night was awakened
by the wild barking of the regular caretaker's dog. Thinking that
someone was breaking into the Villa, he left the caretaker's home
and entered the Villa. He heard a man and a woman arguing in The
Golden Room.
When he entered the area, he saw in the moon-lit room, a beautiful
woman, sitting on the piano stool, who was dabbing her eyes with a
handkerchief, as she faced toward a handsome gentleman, who looked
cross and was standing up, looking down at her. The man had dark
curly hair and a beard. Both were dressed in costumes from the
1800s.
Mr. T got the feeling that they belonged there and he was an
intruder. He hid behind a Chinese screen. Suddenly, he could hear
their heated conversation clearly, like it was coming from a radio.
The man told her: "It is foolish for any man to talk to you about
marriage. You couldn't really love anyone, for you are too absorbed
in your own pleasures, your collections of meaningless objects, and
most of all, your looks."
She answered him: "Harrison, do you really believe this? I won't
listen to such hateful words." She turned around and started to
play the piano. MR. T then heard a creaking sound on the boards
behind him in the hall, like someone was walking away. When he
looked back the man was gone, and the lady was crying, laying her
head on her arms on the piano. She pulls herself together, walks
over to her fan collection, which was real near to where Mr. T was
hiding, and picks up a fan. Then, going over to a wall mirror, she
said in low melodic tones, while starring into it, "Mirror, mirror
on the wall, who is the fairest of all." She drops the fan, and
slowly dissolves into thin air.
Still Haunted?
Definitely Yes!
Bettie Brown loves her home and possessions
so much that she can't bear to leave Ashton Villa Mansion. She also
has unfinished emotional business with a fellow spirit, Harrison,
who seemed to deeply love her. He perhaps is the only one who could
rival her love for her possessions and herself, making her
conflicted within herself. Perhaps at the end of her life, she had
regrets.
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