The Ghost of Lilburn

Lilburn is one of the most beautiful homes in the town of Ellicott City, Maryland and it is also the most notorious of the town's haunted residences. The unexplained happenings here have
given rise to ghost stories that date back more than a century.. and they still continue today. Lilburn was built in 1857 by Henry Richard Hazelhurst, a prosperous business owner who would go on to make a fortune in the iron trade during the Civil War. As the years passed, a series of tragedies struck the family as Hazelhurst lost his wife and several children. One of them, a daughter, was said to have died in childbirth at Lilburn. Hazelhurst outlived most of his family and died in 1900 at the age of 85.
In 1923, the Maginnis family purchased Lilburn and it was during the time in which they lived in the house that the stories of ghostly activity in the mansion began making the rounds in town. It was said that footsteps were heard by the family in the tower, along with many other strange noises which could not be explained. It was suggested that the ghost might be the daughter of Henry Hazelhurst who had spent her final days in the house before dying when giving birth. Tragedy almost struck another family at Christmas time that year, when a fire broke out and much of the mansion was ruined. The place was completely rebuilt, except for one minor change.... when the tower was reconstructed, Maginnis chose to replace the gothic peaks that had been on it with stone battlements.
Apparently, this slight change did not sit well with the ghosts of Lilburn, because paranormal activity began to increase, leading many to wonder if Henry Hazelhurst himself might still be lingering behind. The stories of ghosts continued for years and the house was owned by several different families. In the 1960's, it was purchased by the Balderson family who had their own share of supernatural tales about the house. The phantom footsteps continued to be heard and the family dog refused to go into a small room on the second floor hallway. On another occasion, a heavy chandelier in the dining room began swinging back and forth during a party, startling many family friends. The windows in the tower refused to stay closed and at one point, Balderson resorted to tie the windows shut with a heavy rope. By the time he had finished tying the rope and walked outside to see the windows from the exterior of the house, the ropes had already been undone and the windows opened by unseen hands. A housekeeper for the Balderson's claimed to hear a child crying in the house and also to have smelled a man's cigar in the library... even though there was no one else in the room. She also claimed to see several apparitions in the house, including the shadowy figure of a man and a girl in a chiffon dress, walking down one of the hallways.
Following the Balderson's tenure in the house, it was purchased by Dr. Eugenia King, who lived there with her son. They also reported problems with the tower windows and a repeat performance of the chandelier in the dining room. An additional occurrence took place when a vase of flowers suddenly turned upside down and emptied itself onto the floor. In 1983, the house was purchased by another family, who restored the house and made some major renovations. They claimed to have no encounters with the supernatural occupants of the house..... and yet by 1988, it was on the market again.
The house is private property today, but watch for it to soon be included in the upcoming book, haunted Ellicott City by David Ketchersid and Troy Taylor.
HISTORY OF MANIFESTATIONS:
In Ellicott City, Lilburn Mansion's ghosts have been made public knowledge since the 1920s, with new stories being added to town lore throughout the years. In a small town, news travels fast.
The mansion was ruined in a fire around Christmas of 1923, though the new owner, John McGinnis, and his family got out safely. The mansion was completely redone, with the only structural change being the steepled gothic tower. The gothic peaks were taken off and stone battlements, similar to the top of a castle were put there instead. This change didn't meet the approval of the discerning unseen presences, who before this took place were unnoticed residents. The active manifestations began in earnest during this time, as entities don't like change of any kind.
Being rich in the 19th century didn't guarantee that family members wouldn't fall victim to circumstance or disease or dumb human accidents. The Hazelhurst family lost several children. One daughter died in childbirth in this home. Mrs. Hazelhurst died as well. In fact, most of the Hazelhurst family died before Henry Richard Hazelhurst finally received his eternal rest or is he still residing in this mansion? Perhaps members of his family stayed to keep him company.
MANIFESTATIONS:
Entity of a small child
This little entity makes its presence known by crying in an upstairs bedroom.
One family who lived here reported that their dog was afraid to enter a second floor room off the hallway.
Entity of a young girl
Housekeepers have seen an apparition of a young girl wearing a chiffon dress, playing in various rooms of the mansion.
This entity of the same young girl was seen walking down one of the hallways with an entity of a man. Two ghosts seen together, sounds like a father-daughter duo!
Entity of a man
The form of a male apparition once materialized in a doorway right in front of a witness.
The aroma and sometimes the actual presence of cigar smoke drifting through the air is noticed in the library.
Manifestations in the dining room
The heavy chandelier in the dining room began to swing with vigor during a 1960 family event, which surely livened up the party. This chandelier did the same thing in front of a future owner who lived here several decades later.
A vase of flowers elevated off its stand and turned itself over, pouring the water and dumping the floral arrangement on the floor.
Manifestations in the tower area
The sound of heavy footsteps climbing the tower stairs is heard by the living.
The windows in the tower area open by themselves, sometimes refusing to close. One energetic resident even tied them down with rope. No sooner had he come outside to see the efforts of his labor, the windows were untied and open once more!
STILL HAUNTED?
Yes Indeed.
The entities who reside here coexist with the living, and get their chuckles on occasion but never hurt anyone.