Our Haunting Stay at Farnam Manor

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As you’re reading this story, we hope it can inspire you to donate to help the Farnam Foundation to aid in the preservation and restoration of this beautiful place. Every dollar counts. If you donate today, Shane and I will send you a personalized post card with a picture of the Farnam Manor as a Thank You as well as recognition on our blog. Click here: Farnam Manor Restoration Go Fund Me

Farnam Manor: Richfield, OH

I love taking road trips and finding new places to stay even if it’s just for a night. It settles my wanderlust itch before I’m craving to travel somewhere further away. One day while browsing for nearby places to stay for my birthday weekend, I came upon a unique camping experience at a place named, Farnam Manor. 

For $65 a night on AirBnB, I found we could camp right outside a haunted manor. This price not only included the haunting camping experience, but a spirit tour of the estate and the manor itself. This sounded like such an exciting opportunity, so we took a chance. We’re so glad we did!

As we arrived to the Manor in Richfield, Ohio, Ravens were sitting on top of a standing dead tree singing to us as we pulled in. The caretakers, Tim and Kathleen, gave us a warm welcome and pointed out that the Ravens and the spirits were happy to see us. Everett Farnam, who built this manor, wanted to be reincarnated into a Raven when he passed. Coincidence?

Kathleen took us for a quick walk around the property and told us we could pitch our tent anywhere on the grounds. We learned we were going to be the only ones staying the night at this terrifying place! We chose a spot behind the Carriage House that was private and towards the woods line. Soon after settling in, she took us for a very thorough and haunting tour inside the Farnam Manor.

Farnam Manor was built in 1834 by a man named Everett Farnam. He built this home for his wife, Emily where they raised five children together. Everett loved his estate and wanted to create it so the community could come together and enjoy it as well. They had beautiful parties and a very social life. However, Everett and Emily had a few dark days while living in this home. They lost their little daughter, whose name was also Emily, from drowning in the well right outside their home. They also lost their youngest little boy as a baby.

Farnam Manor at the time resided on 3200 acres making Everett Farnam the largest land owner in the county. However, the 3200 acres have been parceled out since then. Some lots are now residential, a cemetery, the Furnace Run Metro Park, and other AirBnB’s that help support the Farnam Foundation. The Farnam Foundation, which was founded by Tim & Kathleen, hope to connect the lots and make them whole again someday.

Everett Farnam became a conservationist way ahead of his time, always taking care of his crops and planting trees. He even had an infamous horse race track on the land that may still exist today deep in the woods. We searched for traces of the track during our walk through the woods the next morning, but had no luck in finding anything. People would travel from all over just to race on his track.

Everett moved to the land with his Father, John Farnam, his Mother, Mary and about 9 other siblings when he was just 12 years old back in 1812. His Father, John had served as a special agent to George Washington in the Revolutionary War before moving here to Ohio. As a gift for serving in the war, he was offered FREE land anywhere of his choosing. He chose the land where Farnam Manor resides today. When first arriving in Ohio, Everett befriended some of the Native American children that also resided on this land.

An Indian Signal Tree still stands in front of the manor, held together by straps placed by volunteers. The Native Americans used to shape the trees just like this one to indicate North and South. They also designed these trees so the moon could be visible between them to indicate what time is was. Kathleen showed us a flint rock sitting on the tree which gives the tree and the land healing properties. The tree is falling apart and they hope it can restore itself someday.

After the Farnam family had passed around 1880, The Farnam Manor was sold to a widow of an Akron Police Chief, Ella Mayor. She added some additions to the home, including the kitchen overtop where little Emily had died. She operated an elegant club and brothel for Aristocrats for some time. After the manor’s club days were over, the Farnam Manor was sold to the Kirk Family who turned the manor into a restaurant known as a “Danish Smorgasbord”.  The beautiful sunroom and entry way, which was my favorite room in the whole house, was the seating area for the restaurant. The addition to the kitchen also helped serve the restaurants purpose in the back of the house.

The manor was once again taken over by the Zaruba Family around the 1990’s who tried doing renovations to the home. They eventually ran into some issues and the house fell into foreclosure in 2002.  The beautiful home sat vacant from this time and was almost torn down by the bank. In 2007, Tim & Kathleen created The Farnam Foundation, Inc. to protect this endangered historical landmark and fought hard in doing so. As the manor sat vacant, they took care of the home while the Foundation came up with the money to save it. Finally, The Farnam Foundation was able to buy out the home from the bank and has since been reopened as a museum, wedding and event venue, and camp site since 2016.

Walking into the front door of the manor as Kathleen told us the history of the place, we felt a warm, spiritual presence. It wasn’t chilling or haunting by any means. In fact, she said, “It’s haunted by love.” The house smelled old and the doors creaked which are some of the charms I love about old homes. I remember that smell from spending time at my family’s cabin long ago. I miss that smell. The smell and the sense of being in this manor made it feel as if you stood still long enough, you had jumped back in time.

As we walked through the first few rooms, she introduced us to Everett and Emily, whose photos hung on the wall. We said hello and thanked them for letting us stay on their beautiful land. Soon after, we continued to walk through the dining room and she showed us the beautiful dining room table. It used to be an old butcher table and I felt like it was a table from the Game of Thrones. Overlooking the table, was a few angels on the hearth of the fireplace. You can find many angels all over the house inside and out because she says the house isn’t haunted by evil spirits, but by angels. Even though you can’t see them, they are always watching over you to make you feel safe.

When we arrived in the kitchen, divining rods and a copper ring sat on the table. Kathleen picked up the divining rods and we asked little Emily (the ghost of the little girl who has the most presence in the house) a few easy questions. The divining rods moved back and forth to signal a yes or a no. She even gave us hugs by moving the divining rods close to our bodies. Divining rods are typically used to find water underground or buried metals. Energies from the spirits are known to move these rods as well. Next, I asked what the copper ring was for, and Kathleen said it’s used to balance your chakras. She used it on me, and I felt a warm sensation as she slowly moved the ring up and down my body.

If you’re interested, Kathleen runs some Metaphysical classes to learn more about spiritual healings here at the Farnam Manor. Annual lantern tours, manor tours, and paranormal investigation tours are also offered here by appointment. 

 

 

We eventually crept upstairs, these beautiful stairs were made from only one tree. All the floors and structures throughout the house are in pristine condition.

Upstairs consisted of 5 bedrooms and gave me a bit of an eerie feeling. The first room we walked into had a cluster of scratches on the floor. It was odd because these scratches were only in one area as if someone was trying to claw through the floor. Kathleen said the last family who lived here had a few children and a dog. The children claim they saw someone or something standing there and from then on, the dog would always claw and dig at that specific spot on the floor. Just writing this gives me the chills!

Down the hall was a cradle with a baby doll laying in it. While fixing it’s night gown, Kathleen said this is to represent the Farnam’s child that passed away as a baby. Sometimes the cradle can be seen moving back and forth on it’s own. Not to mention, as she’s walking through the bedrooms, Kathleen seemed to be moving things back into place. Finally she admitted, “Thing’s always seem to be moved and not where I left them.”

Once we got to little Emily’s room, there was a golf ball laying in the middle of the floor with dolls all around the room. People love to come up to this room because Emily will play ball with them. No matter where you roll the ball to, it will always come back to you. They’ve even had specialists come in to see if the room is level! Lucky for us, in this room was the only bathroom in the entire house that worked – which made for a terrifying evening when I had to go and use the toilet! The reason this is the only bathroom that works is because of bad plumbing. With the house being vacant for so long, many pipes froze and burst. Some of the things the Farnam Foundation is trying to fix.

As our tour was coming to an end, Kathleen took us for a quick walk through the Carriage House. They’ve actually found underground tunnels from the Manor to the Carriage House that is believed to date back to the abolitionists and prohibition time period. However, the Carriage House now is in sad shape. The floors and walls are falling apart slowly and needs some TLC.

Kathleen told us some stories of when she’s been here at night with her friends. The only thing that made me uneasy was when she told us about the time she was sitting by the bon-fire and heard chanting in the woods. Even to this day, I’m sure there’s been many spiritual rituals that take place on these sacred grounds.

After the amazing tour, Tim & Kathleen left us on our own to fend for ourselves with the spirits. As it was about to get dark, we created a large bon-fire in one of the many fire pits they have around the property. It was a peaceful, relaxing night. We even walked through the house together alone in the dark, which was a bit terrifying for me! I felt like someone or something was watching us the whole time.

As we woke up at dawn, I looked at the house and felt peace. The sun was quickly rising over the trees and field next to the house. We realized, there wasn’t anything scary to be found here, but serenity and contentment. I fell in love with this manor and it’s history. I hope one day we can come visit again. We can’t thank Tim & Kathleen enough for letting us stay here.

When we left the Farnam Manor and drove up the street to see the Farnam family at the Cemetery. The border of the cemetery near the road was lined with the same masonry that was used on the front of the manor, so we knew it was the correct place. Up on the hill was the family. Legend has it, if you leave a pebble or a stone on Everett Farnams’ grave, it will come back to you someday.

If the Farnam Manor and it’s history has touched you in any way, we ask that you donate to help the Farnam Foundation to aid in the preservation and restoration of this beautiful place. If you donate today, Shane and I will send you a personalized post card with a picture of the Farnam Manor as a Thank You as well as recognition on our blog.

Click here: Farnam Manor Restoration Go Fund Me