Tour explores if strange sights, sounds at the Hay House are the work of ghosts

The Hay House has never really been known as a purveyor of the paranormal … until now. Hosting its very first ghost tour Friday night, about 25 patrons were given a tour of the historic home in hopes of hearing a few things go bump in the night.

Since the Georgia Trust acquired the site in 1978, staff, workmen and even visitors have told of spine-tingling experiences ranging from odd sounds and mysterious problems with lights and doors to actual sightings of apparitions, according to a news release.

In fact, in 1981 The Telegraph published a few “grave accounts” of these reports.

According to that article, at least three different people have sighed strange apparitions at the Hay House. A housekeeper said she saw a lady with a big bun on the back of her head and wearing a long white gown at the top of a stairwell; on a separate occasion, another worker spotted the same lady on the lawn. The ghost is believed to be Ann Tracy Johnston.

Fire alarms have sounded for no reason, chandeliers have been swinging with no breeze and strange warm drafts have come up out of nowhere.

At the time, there were many renovations going on at the site, and then director Fran La Farge attributed the work to disturbing the sensitive spirits. In a separate Telegraph article, also from 1981, La Farge reported having a medium come to the house in an attempt to communicate with the ghosts. The medium said she received messages from several spirits who were “eager to talk.”

That particular medium wasn’t the only one listening, however. The Hay House has been included in ghost anthologies, including Nancy Roberts’ “Georgia Ghosts” (1997). In 2015, the house was named by Architectural Digest as one of the “13 Most Beautiful Haunted Destinations Around the World.”

“Recognizing that the stories themselves are an important facet of our history and appeal, we are for the first time offering a special seasonal opportunity for visitors to enjoy,” Hay House director Jonathan Poston said in a news release. “As with most Behind the Scenes Tours of Hay House, this specialty tour will feature areas of Hay House that are not accessible on the regular tour such as the wine cellar, attic and cupola. Guides will also explain the myths and realities of certain architectural features such as the Secret Room and the underground tunnels. For the first time, the tour will feature the original springhouse, located under the nearby Harris-Hall-Bennett House, a site with stories of hauntings as well.”

This story was originally published October 28, 2016 at 8:38 PM with the headline "Tour explores if strange sights, sounds at the Hay House are the work of ghosts."