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.

Are the walls of a Florida "haunted house" bleeding???

Bleeding Walls at Haunted Russ House?

Employees working at the historic Russ House in Marianna, Florida, walked in to an unexpected sight this week - bleeding walls!

The beautiful old structure currently houses the Jackson County Tourism Office and the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce. Various ghost hunter and paranormal investigation groups have visited the Russ House and proclaimed it to be haunted, but none of them encountered anything like this!



Russ House in Marianna, Florida

The mysterious "bleeding" liquid was coming from the wall below a storage area, but nothing found in the storage area could explain the source of the liquid.  It is the first time staff of the house have encountered anything like it and they were visibly disturbed by the phenomenon when I visited shortly after it was discovered to take the photographs seen here.

What is it?  No one knows!

Another View of Strange Liquid

According to tradition, the house is haunted by several restless spirits.  The best known of them is said to be that of the home's builder, Marianna businessman Joseph W. Russ, Jr.  He had the house constructed in 1895 in a traditional Victorian style, but his wife later had it remodeled to its present magnificent design.

Russ committed suicide during the Great Depression and legend holds that he still roams the halls of his beloved house to this day. 

You can read more about the Ghosts of the Russ House at www.exploresouthernhistory.com/russhouseghosts.

Ghosts of the Russ House - Marianna, Florida

Built in 1895, the historic Russ House in Marianna is one of the most beautiful old houses in Florida. Some say it is also one of the most haunted.

Now the home of the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce, the restored house faces West Lafayette Street (U.S. 90) in Marianna, a Northwest Florida city founded in 1827 and rich in history. For 100 years, however, the Russ House was a family residence and seems to have been the focal point for an unusual series of tragedies. These included disputes over a marriage, the loss of a family fortune and the suicide of its builder.

Perhaps because of these events, the house has developed a reputation for ghosts. Photographs taken of the structure's exterior sometimes show what appears to be the indistinct of a man looking out from the windows, even when no one is inside. Visitors report encountering strange scents that remind them of old-fashioned powder or perfume. Employees say the elevator opens and closes on its on and without explanation.

Ghost hunters have investigated the house and have come away convinced that it is haunted by at least two ghosts, one of a man and one of a woman. Those who believe in such things are convinced and many report having seen the figure of a man with a mustache looking down from the top of the stairs. Skeptics, of course, say that the stories originate from the fact that for many years it was a big, weathered, spooky old house.

To learn more about the history of the Russ House and some of the ghost stories told about it, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/russhouseghosts.