Update: Latest on "Bleeding Walls" at Haunted House in Florida

Russ House in Marianna, Florida

Update 2/24/2013 - The historic Russ House in Marianna, Florida, has attracted quite a bit of attention over the last week thanks to the discovery by employees of a strange liquid coming from a wall inside the house.

The home now provides office space for the Jackson County Tourist Development Council and the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce and is located at 4318 West Lafayette Street in Marianna. The strange phenomenon has had employees there wondering if they might have an a visitor hanging around who wants them to leave!

"Bleeding Wall" at Russ House

According to TDC Director Pam Fuqua, there have been no additional incidents since the one last week where a strange sticky liquid was found dripping down a wall in an upstairs area of the house and pooling on the floor. The staff still has no explanation for the incident.

The Russ House was built by Joseph W. Russ, Jr., in 1895 as a typical Victorian home and remodeled to its present appearance 15 years later. It is one of the most imposing structures in Marianna, a charming community that is the county seat of Florida's third oldest county.

Russ House in Marianna, Florida

There is a long tradition in and around Marianna that the house is haunted. The ghost of its builder is said to roam its halls and various people who have worked in the structure over the years have described doors opening and closing on their own, the sound of footsteps coming from the staircase and upstairs areas of the house, cold spots, etc.  Several groups of paranormal investigators have visited the Russ House and their announced results range from no findings to claims that as many as three restless ghosts haunts the structure.

Whether you believe or not really depends on your own beliefs about such things. Some people around town think the house is haunted, others do not.  What is indisputable, however, is that a strange liquid was found running down a wall of the house last week and that, to date, no explanation has been found.

The story of the Ghosts of the Russ House is among those explored in my new book:

The Ghost of Bellamy Bridge: 10 Ghosts & Monsters from Jackson County, Florida (Book)

The Ghost of Bellamy Bridge (Kindle $9.95)

You also can learn more about the Russ House at www.exploresouthernhistory.com/russhouseghosts.