May-Stringer house - Brooksville, FL - For The B-oo's

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Hey everybody, and welcome back to four the I.

Speaker 2 (00:06):
Just realized I think I unmuted the mic and kept
counting whoops whatever. I'm just letting Megan know when to
say her my bad, my bad.

Speaker 1 (00:15):
Now that we don't wear headphones all the time like
it do, I fear the music.

Speaker 2 (00:18):
I feel like way more personable when we do these
without my headphones because I'm not like just listening to
my voice. Yeah, so I like to not have my
headphones on when we do episodes. I mean, we do videos,
I have to, but when we do this, it just
makes me feel more normal. I don't know.

Speaker 1 (00:37):
It doesn't really bother me either way.

Speaker 3 (00:39):
I don't know.

Speaker 2 (00:39):
I know, I don't know why it throws me off
so much. It doesn't really throw me off. I just
noticed that it makes me talk different. I guess. I
don't know makes me I've never noticed. But today we
are going to be traveling back to Florida for a
place that I could have swore we did an episode
on a long time ago, but I guess we didn't.

(01:00):
Oh yeah, we're going to talk about a place called
the may Stringer House. We've seen a lot of videos
about this. This is something that is not new to us.
It's commonly referred to as being in Saint Augustine, but
it's not. No, it is not not even close.

Speaker 1 (01:17):
As a matter of fact, super weird, and it says
it's in Sant Augustine in Brooksville.

Speaker 2 (01:22):
Yeah, it's not even not even the same, dude, it
is not. But if anybody is curious about any of
the stuff that we may have divulged about, why we're
a little late, why this video is probably not very edited,
then you need to go back and watch the live
video on YouTube because we explain it. So. But yeah,

(01:43):
we are going to talk about the May Stringer House.
Do you know anything about the May Stringer House.

Speaker 1 (01:49):
I feel like I do, but I can't remember.

Speaker 4 (01:50):
So.

Speaker 2 (01:51):
I mean, the only thing up until I read a
bunch of stuff about it was that I knew it
was supposedly haunted and it was in Florida, and that's it.
And I know that like they do like haunted tours.
I believe they do a haunted houster in Halloween, but
it's very commonly believed that this place really is on it.

Speaker 1 (02:09):
I have definitely heard of it before, and I do
know they use it as like a haunted like, but
I don't know any of the history or anything like that,
so I'm very excited to learn.

Speaker 2 (02:17):
I know, we've seen some videos of people going here.
The problem is is that looking back on it, they're
not very reputable people twin paranormal talking to you. I
can't stop chewing my lip, so just driving me nuts.

Speaker 1 (02:33):
I know, the weather's changing, everything's cracking.

Speaker 2 (02:36):
Yeah, I'm gonna be all heely and stuff and it
I have like ocds, so it gets stuck on these things.
But anyways, let's jump into this, okay. Set in the
heart of historic Brooksville, a charming city in Hernando County, Florida,
with a population of just over eighty five hundred residents,
the Mainstringer House rises above the rolling Hills as one

(02:59):
of the regions most iconic landmarks. Brooksville, founded in eighteen
fifty six, spans approximately ten square miles and is known
for its stately oak trees, warm climate, and small town
southern hospitality. The city serves as a gateway to Florida's
Nature Coast, a region prized for its preserved green spaces,

(03:20):
winding rivers, an abundant wildlife, and Visitors of Brooksville can
explore a rich pass through its museums, civil war sites,
and Victorian architecture, all set amid some of the oldest
neighborhoods in central Florida. I've never heard the term nature Coast.

Speaker 1 (03:36):
No me either, And Brooksville a lot smaller population. I
thought I was going to be.

Speaker 2 (03:42):
Yeah, it's not very big.

Speaker 1 (03:44):
That's crazy.

Speaker 2 (03:45):
I would not have was that the population for Brooksville
or for the County of Fernando.

Speaker 1 (03:49):
I highly doubt it's The county counties in Florida are
pretty big and span multiple multiple cities.

Speaker 3 (03:57):
Okay, yeah, you know what I mean.

Speaker 2 (03:59):
Yeah, I know. But this is also north central Florida.

Speaker 1 (04:03):
I mean, I get it.

Speaker 2 (04:04):
But still there's some tiny towns. Yes, interlocking, I'm talking
to you.

Speaker 1 (04:10):
Yeah, Macintosh, Frontier.

Speaker 2 (04:14):
I don't even know what Frontier is where the.

Speaker 1 (04:16):
Flea market was in Bovard.

Speaker 2 (04:19):
Oh, that was a separate town, Frontier. I thought it
was front Neck.

Speaker 1 (04:26):
That's the name of the flea market.

Speaker 2 (04:28):
Yes, Why would the flea market have a city sign
on the highway.

Speaker 1 (04:33):
I don't know.

Speaker 2 (04:34):
I know, I'm pretty sure front Necks of the town.
I don't know it is. That's a that's a city.
Sign marker.

Speaker 1 (04:41):
Anyways, Florida's weird, and we got some Florida weather yesterday.

Speaker 3 (04:45):
Last night.

Speaker 1 (04:45):
Oh my goodness, fell asleep to a thunderstorm. It was amazing.

Speaker 2 (04:49):
Yeah, dude, it lightning now, and it freaked me out
because not that I'm scared of lightning, it's just i
haven't seen real lightning in over two years.

Speaker 1 (04:56):
Yeah, we don't get that here.

Speaker 2 (04:58):
It's because we're so high up. I think we'd get more,
but we don't know. The Messled amidst the moss draped
oaks and the sun faded streets, the May Stringer House
stands as a testament to the area's layered history, a
Victorian relic whose walls have witnessed joy, tragedy, and tales
that seem to linger in the air like the human
Southern fog. Now, today's podcast episode is going to take

(05:22):
you on a journey through time, uncovering the dark history
of the May Stringer House, exploring its architectural and social legacy,
and delving into the chilling paranormal claims that have rendered
it a focal point for ghost hunters and historians alike. Okay,
it's a pretty big claim. Yeah, though often mistakenly referred

(05:42):
to as being in Saint Augustine. The May Stringer House
is located in Brooksville, Florida. Its history is no less captivating,
drawing interest from across the state and beyond. Built in
the mid nineteenth century, the home's Gothic Victorian architecture is
a rare survivor of Florida's early residential landscape. The thing
that people don't understand about Florida is when you get

(06:05):
old buildings, it's it's like a feat of impossibility because
of hurricanes.

Speaker 1 (06:11):
Yep. Absolutely, and like a lot.

Speaker 2 (06:13):
Of modern houses are built to withstand normally up to
seventy five mile hour winds' that's you know, that's really yes, yeah,
but them old houses weren't.

Speaker 1 (06:23):
No, not at all.

Speaker 2 (06:24):
You know, there was no building code that said these
must withstand hurricanes.

Speaker 1 (06:30):
And it's crazy too because like we used to live
in a wood framed house on the coast and it
was sketchy like it was it was.

Speaker 2 (06:40):
But the house has withstood a lot of big hurricanes.

Speaker 1 (06:43):
It's been around since the early eighties, right, I.

Speaker 2 (06:46):
Think so, yeah, I'm pretty sure which it went through
some bad storms. Yea, even in the time I mean,
we went through Hurricane Norman in that house, and that
was a bad storm.

Speaker 3 (06:54):
It really was mm hmm. I wrote it out Aden.

Speaker 2 (08:49):
It was the scariest hurricane I've ever been through. I mean,
we couldn't leave our house for like four or five
days because there was so much.

Speaker 1 (08:57):
Water flooded in. And Floridians get it, but to anybody else,
we don't leave unless it's a category three. And when
it's a category three, we consider it.

Speaker 2 (09:07):
Well, it's depending. If it's a low category three, we're
staying home absolutely. If it's a high category three breaching
into four, we buy supplies.

Speaker 1 (09:17):
Always by supplies. Don't listen to him always.

Speaker 2 (09:19):
Now, the land was first settled by John L. May,
a Confederate soldier, and his wife Marina Marina Okay. In
eighteen fifty six, John constructed a four room home atop
a hill overlooking what would become the town of Brooksville.
The home was modest, but the property was rich in
natural beauty, and the May family seemed poised for prosperity. Sadly,

(09:45):
fate had other plans. Now, Brooksville is in a part
of Florida. That's I mean, look, there are we talk
a lot of trash about Florida. That's because we're Floridians.
But there are some nicer parts of Florida. And I
do think northern Florida is nicer looking than southern Florida.
And for those of you who think Florida and immediately
think beaches, beaches are like ten percent.

Speaker 1 (10:06):
Of Florida, literally ten percent.

Speaker 2 (10:08):
The rest of it is farms and trees, that's it.

Speaker 1 (10:12):
Lots and lots of forests and lakes.

Speaker 2 (10:15):
People never associate Florida with forests and lakes and stuff
like that, but it is mostly that and a lot
of farms. Dude, Like I can people always like, oh,
Florida is not the South. Tell that to like the
eight billion farms in Florida. I would almost venture to say,
there's probably more farms in Florida than there is Georgia.

(10:36):
Oh yeah, dude, there's so many farms.

Speaker 1 (10:38):
Many now.

Speaker 2 (10:40):
John May died of tuberculosis in eighteen sixty nine, leaving
Marina widowed with a young daughter, Jesse May. Soon after,
Marina herself passed away during childbirth, and both she and
her infant were buried on the property, with tragedy woven
into the very soil surrounding the house. It isn't difficult
to imagine why whispers of restless Spirits began so early

(11:03):
in its history. After the deaths of her parents, jesse
May was raised in the home by her stepfather, doctor
Sheldon Stringer, a local physician who married Marina's sister. The
family expanded the house over the years, transforming it from
a humble four rooms to a fourteen room mansion adorned
with intricate woodwork, steep gables, and a prominent tower. The

(11:27):
thing about the Mae Stringer House, though, is I don't
think it looks like a mansion.

Speaker 1 (11:33):
That's crazy, though.

Speaker 2 (11:34):
It just looks like a really nice old Victorian erahouse.

Speaker 1 (11:39):
I want I would want to see like what it
started as and then what it turned into, because like
they have to do be doing renovations while there, and.

Speaker 2 (11:47):
Yeah, but you're talking about eighteen sixty nine, so like,
are there going to be photos of this house from then?
I don't Probably, I mean photos existed, don't get me wrong,
But was somebody coming out to Brooksville, Florida in eighteen
six say, now I had to take a picture of
some doctor's house.

Speaker 1 (12:02):
Probably not, I don't know, but.

Speaker 2 (12:04):
I but we've seen this house and it is a
big house. I just don't think if it has a mansion.
To me, it just it doesn't give off mansion. It's
just a big, nice house. It's a nice house. It is.
It's I wouldn't mind living there if it wasn't for
the heat and all the Florida around it.

Speaker 1 (12:21):
Jesse May, I love that name.

Speaker 2 (12:23):
Yeah, it's a nice name.

Speaker 1 (12:24):
It's super cool. I love it, Jesse May.

Speaker 2 (12:26):
I'd hit on a chick named Jessee.

Speaker 1 (12:28):
Southern, like very southern, now you do. They're just ma
and she lost both her parents one the TV.

Speaker 2 (12:34):
I want to know. I want to know how if
you are basically orphan because both your parents die, how
your sister's husband becomes your stepfather.

Speaker 1 (12:47):
I guess it's just who raised her, and that she
looked to them as like their mother and father. Figures
that doesn't seem weird to you, though, I mean, yeah, absolutely,
because it would be stepmom and stepdad. I feel like family,
that's your uncle.

Speaker 2 (13:00):
That's your brother in law. Well that's your brother in law.

Speaker 1 (13:04):
No, it's your sister's husband, her mom's sister.

Speaker 2 (13:09):
Oh, her mom's sister. I miss that whole uncle Okay, yeah,
it's our uncle, but it's not her done. Let's they
adopted her. Yeah, I don't know, potato potatos, and it
would be her dad stepdad. No, wait, no, whatever it did. Yet,

(13:31):
Beneath the ornate facade and genteel reputation of the Mainstringer
House lies a narrative woven with sorrow and unanswered questions.
The string of misfortunes began with the tragic deaths of
its earliest residence, and continued as the house grew in prominence.
Local lore speaks of the house as a place where

(13:51):
grief lingers, each generation, seeming to inherit a shadow from
the last. Over the years, it wasn't just the May
family who faced heartbreak within these walls. Accounts tell of
sickness that swept through the household, claiming lives suddenly and
leaving empty rooms where laughter once echoed. The house served

(14:14):
as a makeshift hospital during periods of crisis, a place
where hope and desperation collided. Some say the pain of
lost patience and the trauma of medical procedures linger in
the atmosphere, as if the very woodwork absorbed the suffering
and memories of those turbulent times. Now, Whispers abound of

(14:34):
unexplained deaths and the strange occurrences, objects moving on their own,
chilling drafts and sealed rooms, and the persistent feeling of
being watched. Some descendants and caretakers have described reoccurring nightmares
and a heaviness that settles in after dark, a sense

(14:56):
that the house itself remembers every tragedy, every secret, and
every tear shed beneath its roof. It is this legacy
of heartbreak and mystery that has transformed the Mainstringer House
into more than just a museum. It has become a
living story, a place where the veil between the past
and present feels thin, and where every visitor steps into

(15:20):
the deep shadow of those who came before. So apparently
you get this as one of those places where you
do feel an overwhelming sense of maybe not dread, but
something something in the air that lets.

Speaker 1 (15:38):
You feel what's impressive feeling.

Speaker 2 (15:40):
Not even oppressive, because oppressive to me is a bad feeling.
This isn't really like that from what I understand. Yeah,
but it's just that feeling of maybe it's not menacing,
but it's that feeling of you're not alone.

Speaker 1 (15:53):
Yeah, something is there.

Speaker 2 (15:55):
Yeah, it's not necessarily bad or evil or anything. It's
just there. You're not alone, you're not alone. And the
people who work here love this place just so, you know,
like they talk about the spirits as people who who
live there with them. Okay, you know, so it's never
you never hear about evil when it comes to this house.

(16:17):
A decades past, the Maystringer House witnessed the ebb and
flow of family life, medical practice, and the changes of
post Civil War Florida, and doctor Stringer used the house
as both a home and a medical office, seeing patients
in the very rooms that now hold historical displays in
ghost hunting equipment. After the Stringers, subsequent owners left their

(16:39):
own marks and stories, the home eventually became a museum,
preserving the Victorian furnishings and artifacts that speak to a
bygone era. So the thing about this house is there's
no real evil history. Nobody did anything bad. It's just
a lot of tragedy has happened with family deaths, and
then it was a makeshift hospital, and from what I understand,

(17:02):
it was also a hospital during the Civil War and
people did unfortunately die there. But there's no there's just
like no evil doing. It's not because of that. It's
like a hospital being haunted. It's because people lost their
lives there, you know, something like that. Now, no account
of the Main Stringer House is complete without its spine

(17:23):
tingling reputation as one of floridas most haunted destinations. Over
the years, visitors and staff alike have reported mysterious phenomena,
attributing the activity to the house's tragic past and the
souls believed to linger on the property. And we're going
to talk about the ghosts of the Main Stringer House.

Speaker 1 (17:41):
Like specifically, yes, okay, at least two people believe who
is there?

Speaker 2 (17:48):
Now? Of course there's Marina, may you know, lady of
the house. The most frequently encountered spirit is said to
be Marina herself. Guests report seeing sensing a gentle, watchful presence,
and some have claimed to see a spectral woman gazing
mournfully from upstairs window, as if searching for her lost child.

(18:11):
And this is the thing is like, it's not evil stuff,
it's you know, Marina wasn't a bad person.

Speaker 1 (18:18):
Yeah, she's literally just a grieving mother.

Speaker 2 (18:20):
Yeah, and she's still in her house, apparently looking for
her lost child, which speaking of the Cries of a
baby are sometimes heard in the night, especially near the
rooms believed to be the closest to where Marina died
and where her infant was buried. Oh my god, you
know so what they're together in the afterlife. You know
what more could you ask for?

Speaker 1 (18:41):
I hope so yeah.

Speaker 2 (18:42):
And next is my girl, Jesse may, hey, Jesse me,
how you doing? The daughter who grew up amidst sorrow
is also believed to haunt the house. Some have reported
the laughter of a child, fleeting glimpses of a girl
at play, and even the feeling of a small hand
reached out in the dark.

Speaker 1 (19:01):
No thank you, very creepy, No thank you Jesse. Yeah,
thanks now.

Speaker 2 (19:07):
The homes medical history has led some to believe that
doctor Stringer himself his spirit still walks the halls, especially
in the rooms where he practiced medicine, and reports include
the sound of footsteps, the opening and closing of doors,
and the smell of old medicines wafting through the air,
which is such a very specific thing. It's such a

(19:27):
unique smell that we would all know. It's that antiseptic
band aid smell which we've talked about on the show before.
I forget what episode, but we remember we talked about
a hospital and we went on and on about that.

Speaker 1 (19:40):
Smell, like very specific smell.

Speaker 2 (19:42):
It's the same smell as the tattoo soap it is.
It's that anti microbial. Yeah, it's very antiseptic. It's ghost.
Sniff a box of band aids and you'll know a
box of band aids is what a hospital smells like.

Speaker 1 (19:55):
It is.

Speaker 2 (19:56):
It's weird. Now, there is some paranoi almal phenomena that
has been documented in this house. Okay, Visitors frequently experience
sudden drops in temperature, even on the hottest summer days.
I'll move there right now. Then that sounds great. Paranormal
investigators have tracked these cold spots to areas where deaths
have actually occurred and where artifacts belonging to the deceased

(20:19):
are on display. Interesting now. Ghost hunters have also recorded
unexplained voices, whispers, and sounds throughout the house, and some
recordings appear to say things like help me, mother, or
even leave.

Speaker 1 (20:35):
Oh, don't tell me what to do.

Speaker 2 (20:38):
Doesn't make it evil though, you know, maybe it's just
get out of my house. You know. One company right now,
we believe these are the spirits of old you know,
people who lived here. Maybe it is possible that it's
not you know, malevolence. They just want you to get
out of their house.

Speaker 1 (20:55):
Absolutely, party's over, I'm done now.

Speaker 2 (20:59):
Dark still wets are also said to dart across rooms,
especially at dusk, and witnesses describe these figures as fleeting
with a palpable feeling of sadness or urgency. Again, not
evil though, right. This is something I really like about
this location is that it's not deeming this demon that
evil evil evil. This is just like, you know, things

(21:20):
that coincide with the house and things that have happened
at the house. Yeah, you know, urgency and sadness. Obviously,
people died in those south, Lots of people died. Items
such as rocking chairs, picture frames, and even antique toys
reportedly have moved on their own, and sometimes in full
view of startled guests and staff have found objects in

(21:40):
different locations than they were left with no explanation at all.

Speaker 1 (21:44):
Okay, right, you know, moving objects sneaky, sneaky.

Speaker 2 (21:49):
Now, footsteps on empty staircases, doors creaking, and the sound
of piano music drifting from rooms where no one is
present are also common occurrences, you know, dinner in a show.

Speaker 1 (22:04):
Hey, all right, I'll take it now.

Speaker 2 (22:06):
For many, the stories of the main Stringer House transcend
mere legend and they become startlingly Oh, I can't believe
I got that startlingly real in the hush of twilight
or the solitude of a shadowed hallway, and visitors from
near and far have shared accounts that range from subtle
sensations to dramatic heart pounding encounters.

Speaker 3 (22:27):
Oh, all the varieties.

Speaker 2 (22:29):
Yeah. Now. Guests often describe a sudden, inexplicable chill or
the feeling of being watched, particularly on the grand staircase
or in Marina's old bedroom, and some have felt gentle
brushes against their arms, as if someone unseen sought comfort,
while others swear they heard their names spoken softly in
an otherwise empty room.

Speaker 1 (22:51):
Creepy but not bad, No, not at all. You know,
it's just like maybe the shivers, you know.

Speaker 2 (22:58):
They think it's a comforting thing. Though I'd rather have
that than something trying to kill.

Speaker 3 (23:02):
Me, absolutely, now.

Speaker 2 (23:04):
Several have recounted seeing the figure of a woman in
antique dress wandering the upper floor, her gaze distant and sorrowful.
Others tell of a child's laughter echoing from the empty rooms,
or a small, translucent hand slipping into their own for
the briefest moment, sending a shirer down their spine. I

(23:26):
think that's creepier.

Speaker 1 (23:28):
It is, but it's super sweet.

Speaker 2 (23:32):
A lot of this stuff is going to sound repetitive
to what I just read, but these are based on
actual people accounts. These aren't just part of a story.
These little segments are actually based on what real people
have said about this place all right now. The creak
of footsteps, the slow sway of a rocking chair, or

(23:53):
the sudden movement of toys, and these are among the
most frequently mentioned experiences, and some visitors startled by doors
opening on their own or by cherished items inexplicably relocated,
have actually left convinced that the spirits are both playful
and persistent. So people have reported, not just whispered to about,

(24:17):
they have seen things move here that shouldn't be moving.
Actual people have seen Yeah, dude, it's it's wild now.
Amateur photographers and ghost hunters report strange anomalies in their pictures,
misty shapes, glowing orbs, and blurred figures, appearing where nothing
was visible to the naked eye. EVP sessions have yielded

(24:39):
mysterious voices, including urgent, urgent pleas, and tender words that
seem to reach out from the past. So it's not
just get out and stuff like that. Sometimes they get
what seem more like loving voices coming through, which so weird, weird. Now,
Beyond the sights and sounds, many guests recount a powerful
emotiontional response to the house, overwhelming sadness, inexplicable anxiety, or

(25:05):
a sudden sense of peace, and some leave with the
feeling that they have brushed against histories not entirely their own,
touched by the lingering presence of those who once called
the main Stringer House home. So while I know that
hearing anxiety makes it seem bad, but it's not. Remember

(25:26):
people died here. People also rush to save lives here.

Speaker 1 (25:29):
Yeah, oh yeah, So there's the urgency there. There's also
you know, the family members who you know, had you know,
the life lost to her husband beforehand, like that. That's
definitely going to leave some anxiety.

Speaker 2 (25:43):
Well, and that's just one, that's just one case. What
about all the family members who came here to watch
another family.

Speaker 1 (25:48):
Member die, yeah, absolutely.

Speaker 2 (25:50):
Or like soldiers because this was a Civil War hospital,
soldiers getting shot and you know, being dragged here and
dying in the house. A lot of people died here
because it's the hospital. And during the Civil War time,
you know, it's either your two best options during the
Civil War was like you die or we take a
hacks out of your limb. There's no anesthesia. It's drink

(26:12):
this whiskey.

Speaker 1 (26:13):
Really fast, bite down on this leather strap.

Speaker 2 (26:16):
Or this piece of wood. Hey. But these parroanormal stories,
collected in guest books and whispered in the museum's hallways
add new layers to the mainstreamer houses enduring mystery. Whether
skeptics or believers, those who cross its threshold often find
themselves changed, haunted not only by ghosts, but by questions

(26:38):
that linger long after the tour ends. But what do
people just visiting and leaving reviews on the internet have
to say? And these are accounts from people online who
wanted to share their experience. Now. In January twenty twenty,
someone named Sherri Jay on trip Advisor had this to say.

Speaker 1 (26:58):
This house is amazing. We were greeted by two very kind,
sweet ladies who gave us the basic information on the house,
including you know it's haunted, right. I'm horrible with names,
but all the ladies working there were awesome and the
tour was fantastic. Lots of old stuff in this house,

(27:18):
very interesting. At times, it became very creepy, cold, and
felt like I was being watched A must visit house
when in the area, for sure.

Speaker 2 (27:29):
So real people visiting are having some of the stuff
that's claimed to happen here. And for those of you
who listen to the show, you know that's my favorite
because that adds validity to every claim. If real people
are coming here and experiencing it, Oh yeah, there has
to be something to this that just has to be now.
In January of twenty sixteen, someone named bureau D on

(27:52):
yelp dot com wrote, quote, we went for the Haunted
House tour on a rainy night. Although the tour finished
in about forty minutes, even if it was a two
hour session, we were allowed to roam around the house
for the left over time. The experience was certainly enjoyable
and thrilling. As I am writing this review, I kind
of feel sick to my stomach after experiencing this place.

(28:15):
This was my first ghost tour, many more to go
if I survived.

Speaker 1 (28:19):
That is oh sang.

Speaker 2 (28:22):
I put that in here because I really liked that one.
But the weird thing is, these are the only two
reviews I could find. What for some reason, this place
has a very high rating. It has a lot of rating,
Like a lot of people have reviewed it, but most
people don't leave like an actual yeah, they just five

(28:44):
start it, okay, you know, so it makes it a
little more difficult. But those are the only two I
could really find that really meant much. I don't know
if that's a good thing, because like word around the
street is like it is on it and I don't know,
maybe it's just people talking about it in videos, because

(29:05):
I have heard people in videos talk about how hunted
this place is.

Speaker 1 (29:08):
Oh yeah, but you've definitely seen it.

Speaker 2 (29:10):
But you gotta remember, like these are just reviews. I'm
looking up for reviews, you know what I mean, because
I'm trying to find the most basic of people, the
most raw, like what happened to you? So I'm not deep.
I'm not watching YouTube videos to hear what people are
saying and stuff. But there are people out there in
videos all across the Internet that do claim that this

(29:31):
place is haunted. You just got to go find the
videos and watch them.

Speaker 1 (29:35):
Yeah, I can. I can definitely remember us watch it.
Like I can't think of the look at the House
or anything like that, right, I want to say, definitely
seen and heard about this house. I just couldn't remember
any of the histories, so I definitely enjoyed it.

Speaker 2 (29:48):
I want to say exploring with Joshua here, I think
that's one of the videos. I'm pretty sure. I definitely
remember twin.

Speaker 3 (29:57):
Yep, that one.

Speaker 2 (30:00):
Those knuckleheits went there, and I know that there were
some others. We did watch it back in the day.
Like it's been years now. Yeah, but almost every person
that I remember ever seeing about this place has all
said that they have had experiences here, not including you
to in paranormal because we know you fake everything. I
don't care what you say.

Speaker 1 (30:20):
Call them out.

Speaker 2 (30:21):
You could tell me this guy was blue and I
would still have to check. Now. Today, the Mainstringer House
serves as the Hernando Heritage Museum, inviting visitors to explore
its history and perhaps encounter its resident spirits. The museum
offers guided tours that blend historical fact with the tantalizing

(30:42):
possibility of supernatural encounters, and ghost tours are especially popular,
drawing enthusiasts from across the country. They do a lot
of ghost doors that they do. I think it's like
what that one guy said, it's like a two hour
experience you go at night. But I do know, if
I remember correctly, that you can rent this place out overnight.

(31:05):
I mean it makes sense, like if you're a ghost
hunting group, not like you can't go to sleep there
over night. Well maybe again, I don't. I don't know
the logistics find it right, but I do know that
they have a lot. They have a lot of ghost tours.

Speaker 1 (31:16):
It definitely reminds me like the tour itself reminds me
of when we went to Saint Augustine Lighthouse. Yeah, where
they gave us a guid to tour. They gave us
the history. You kind of walked us around and they
were like, okay, here you go, and we walked off
on our own. Is it our own thing?

Speaker 2 (31:29):
Yeah? They Yeah, they give you the equipment and they
tell you some history for an hour and then I
don't I don't even remember how long was that.

Speaker 1 (31:38):
I think we're there for cause it like four hours
because we we had a few.

Speaker 2 (31:42):
Hours where we were just walking around.

Speaker 1 (31:44):
I think the tour was about two and then we
had two on our.

Speaker 2 (31:46):
Own, and I don't remember the tour being two hours.
I remember it being maybe an hour.

Speaker 1 (31:50):
It was pushing close to midnight by the time we left.

Speaker 2 (31:52):
Yeah, it was fun though, around eight or nine ish.
We should find something like that to do around here.

Speaker 1 (31:56):
Oh my gosh, it would be amazing.

Speaker 2 (31:58):
We'd have to find somebody to want your kids, Yeah,
they can watch themselves now. The house is carefully maintained,
with volunteers and dedicated staff working to preserve both its
architecture and its legend. Numerous documentary crews, podcast hosts, and
journalists have featured the site, and its reputation as a
haunted mansion actually still growing. It is perhaps the confluence

(32:23):
of history and tragedy that gives the main Stringer House
its haunted reputation. Homes like these, with their layers of
sorrow and survival, echo the stories of those whose lives
ended too soon or whose hearts never truly left. The artifacts, rooms,
and even the gardens seem charged with memories, inviting speculation

(32:44):
and wonder. The haunted history of the May Stringer House
is not simply a tourist attraction. It reflects the community's
embrace of its own past and the resilience required to
honour both joy and pain. Local residents speak with reverence
about the ghosts and the families who built Brooksville, and

(33:04):
the house remains a source of pride, curiosity, and a
little apprehension. But I can only imagine this is the
biggest thing in Brooksville. Okay, Brooksville for a non Florida people,
is not a big town. It's a small place.

Speaker 3 (33:23):
Yes it is.

Speaker 2 (33:24):
You know, this is north central Florida, middle of nowhere.
I mean, I'm sure it's bigger now, but I mean
it is very small town and there's not a lot
going on. They also do a Halloween is a big time,
a big time for this place. They do a lot
of Halloween stuff. And I don't quote me on this,
but I think they're they're They do like a Halloween

(33:45):
ghost tour, but it's not really a ghost tour because
they have reenactors jumping out at you and stuff.

Speaker 1 (33:50):
Okay, so they just put on like a Halloween spectacle basically.

Speaker 2 (33:54):
Yes, Okay, but we got also got to remember it.
It's not just that here. It's all so they do
legitimate ghost doors too, or people aren't jumping out at you.
But a lot of people very speak very highly about
their like Halloween time stuff as well hymes of like Waverley. Yeah,

(34:14):
oh yeah, we've talked about them in so long. I
miss I miss Waverley. I don't even know this is
still is still there.

Speaker 1 (34:22):
I don't know. We need to look into it. I
remember they did like the petition to help save it.

Speaker 2 (34:27):
I hope it because Bobby Mackie's is gone, which I
don't really think Bobby Mackie's was haunted, but still it
had a cool story absolutely, you know, and now it's
all gone.

Speaker 1 (34:38):
Which we did an episode on if anybody wants to
come back.

Speaker 2 (34:41):
We've done two episodes, yep, because we did one a
year or two a year or two later because we
had gotten better at this. Yeah, we did Waverley, we
did Bobby.

Speaker 1 (34:54):
Mckie's Ghost Adventures, and yeah.

Speaker 2 (34:57):
It's been three years, so it's hard to remember. I
think it's been like three years since we did the redo.
May we've been doing this a while now. While skeptics
may dismiss the tales of imagination or folklore. The May
Stringer House endures as a place where history and legend intertwined.
Whether you come for the facts nineteenth century Victorian mansion,

(35:21):
the site of multiple family tragedies, and a museum preserving
Florida's heritage, or for the thrill of the unknown, the
house offers a unique window into the shadows that shape
our understanding of the past. So as you step through
the creaking front doors, listen closely. The echoes of the

(35:42):
Maystringer House may just have a story to tell.

Speaker 4 (35:45):
The frozen I M hmmm.

Speaker 2 (36:32):
So this one's a very This one's kind of interesting
to me because there's usually when we talk about a
haunted place, there's a lot of skeptics that try to
kind of be like, you know, it's not honed, and
this place is pretty widely accepted as being haunted. But
nothing bad happened.

Speaker 1 (36:49):
Here, right, nothing terrible. I mean, I wouldn't say terrible,
because there were people people he passed away here.

Speaker 2 (36:56):
Yeah, but it was under normal circumstance. If you think
of war time, I mean, it was a time.

Speaker 1 (37:03):
I mean, it happened. It's part of history, you know,
there was war, there was sickness, and you know.

Speaker 2 (37:08):
But the point is people weren't coming here and getting
killed at the house. No, you know, this was a
place where they were trying to save their lives. So
I don't know, this one's just different because ninety percent
of the places that we talk about have some sort
of dark history, oh yeah, and this one just doesn't
really seem to have that issue. This is, by all accounts,

(37:34):
was a loved family home. It was a you know,
a pretty popular hospital spot during the Civil War, and
nobody really has a whole lot of bad stuff to
say about it, right, and again, like the people who
are there now, they stand by it. They they stand
by this place being really haunted and when they and

(37:55):
but the thing I like is that when they talk
about the spirits, they talk about them like they are
really in the.

Speaker 1 (38:00):
House, like they're there with them every day.

Speaker 2 (38:02):
Yes, And they do everything they can to keep that
house up and running and make the spirits happy, I guess.
So they're trying to preserve that for the people who
they believe still reside in the home, which I like.
That's great, you know, because I love history. So anything
that gets preserved historically is that's my gem. I love it.

(38:25):
But that's the main Stringer House. Again, not a super
long story, but an interesting one that I wanted to
talk about a long time ago. And I don't know
how that fell by the wayside, but we did it.
Just and just remember again, this is not in Sant Augustine.
And that's the problem. Is a lot of stuff I
looked into says it's in Saint Augustine and.

Speaker 1 (38:43):
It's definitely not.

Speaker 2 (38:45):
It's not. I don't know why or who came up
with this idea of saying that it was in Sant Augustine,
because when I originally looked it up, I would be honest,
like I remember hearing before that it was in Brooksville.
But I immediately searched may Singer House, Saint Augustine and
all the information, all the information came up, but.

Speaker 1 (39:06):
Not in Augustine.

Speaker 2 (39:08):
But that's the May Stringer House. Very honestly my old story.
If I'm being honest, Nothing bad happened.

Speaker 1 (39:16):
I don't know. I like this one.

Speaker 2 (39:18):
I mean I like it too. I like it when
we get like happy stories where you know, because I
think we've said this also in the past, you know,
we we talk about a lot of bad things happening,
evil people, you know, crazy stuff, And every once in
a while we get one that's just haunted because people
like their home and I like that and it's nice,

(39:41):
and this is one of them. I remember the other
one that I think it was also in Florida. I
don't remember the name of it, so I can't even remember.
It was a house that we had talked about in
Florida that had the same thing. Nothing bad happened. People
believed they they're sticking around because of it's their family home.
But regards wordless either way, I do got to ask

(40:02):
you a question, Kagan. Do you believe the may string
your house is haunted?

Speaker 1 (40:16):
Absolutely? One hundred percent, Okay, absolutely. I think a lot
of love was in this house. A lot of hard
work was put into the renovations of this house while
families lived there. And I mean add on top the hospital,
I mean during the Civil War. Like, there's just so
many aspects to this, but I think so many good

(40:39):
intentions went into this house. It's hard to say. It's
like that, like you said earlier, like the demon hauntings
and like the evil hauntings, Like I feel that this
place is just so full of love and people are
just sticking around to try and preserve that themselves.

Speaker 2 (41:00):
What about you, Yeah, I think it is. I think
something's happening here. I think the fact that it's just
a loved family home where you know, some stuff happened.
But and I think to me, it makes more sense
for places like this to stay there, to be haunted,
because if so much bad stuff happened in a place,
why would you want to be there.

Speaker 1 (41:21):
Why would you want to stick around?

Speaker 2 (41:23):
Yeah, but if it's a loved family home where everybody
was happy and that's where everything was the best, that
makes sense to me to want to stay around. And
not only in life was everything the best, but now
even in death they have caretakers who still make it
the best. So to me, it makes sense for you know,
somebody in their afterlife to want to stick around because

(41:44):
it's their happy place. I get that. That I understand
versus you know, a lot of bad things happens, let's
stick it out here, forget that.

Speaker 1 (41:53):
Yeah, no, thank you.

Speaker 2 (41:54):
Unless you're literally just there to freak other people out,
then I get that. But yeah, I mean, I'm not
gonna be like this is the most haunted place in America.
But I could see something. I could see something lingering,
you know, even if even if it's just an imprint
or a copy of a times past just because it
was a love family home. I don't know absolutely, but yeah,

(42:16):
so that means it's going to get a big old
I'm not editing that in the big ol' seal of approval.
It's a lot that little tiny clip everybody, people do
not understand how much goes ended up a little tiny,
tiny like two second clip. So yeah, I guess we're
saying that we believe the Mainstringer House has some some
paranormal going on in there. Absolutely, And it's a nice

(42:38):
one again, like that's a one. It's always nice to
have one that is is haunted with love.

Speaker 1 (42:45):
Yeah, it's very refreshing for the awful and creepy stuff
we talk about half the time.

Speaker 2 (42:50):
So we talk about a lot of bad stuff. I know,
I feel like we haven't talked about a place.

Speaker 1 (42:55):
Super bad in a while, though maybe we should.

Speaker 2 (42:58):
We should have to find some and I'm ready with
an extra.

Speaker 3 (43:04):
Past.

Speaker 2 (43:05):
God, I don't even know where I would talk about, honestly,
but yeah, so that that's another one in the books.
I have to figure out what to do for next week.
And if you guys have a suggestion or reach out,
you know, if you just want to say hi, or
or if you're interested in maybe coming on the show,
you know, hit us up at four the Booze twelve

(43:26):
at gmail dot com.

Speaker 1 (43:27):
That's right.

Speaker 2 (43:28):
Where else can they find us?

Speaker 1 (43:29):
Find us on Facebook, Instagram, X I almost said Twitter,
but that is x the same thing, Tiki Talkies all
the places you know, and we're at for the Booze
or for the Booze podcast.

Speaker 2 (43:42):
And if you don't want to email us, you can
reach out to us to us on any of those places.

Speaker 1 (43:47):
That's right.

Speaker 2 (43:48):
Still, email is going to be the easiest.

Speaker 1 (43:50):
And if you'd like to join the ranks of our beautiful,
beautiful Patriot family. We do extra podcasts over there. We
do two different small podcas but little MANI episodes for
supporters of our show.

Speaker 2 (44:03):
Yes, but again, Patreon, if you're listening to this, there
will not be a famous and frightened this week because
things are a little open the air. They already know.
I kind of already put it out to Patreon, like
what was going on? Why we are.

Speaker 3 (44:17):
Shifting?

Speaker 2 (44:17):
I don't want to say having a hard time because
none of this is like a bad thing. It's all
because of good stuff. But having a hard time doing
the show this week. Yes, it'll all even out. Eventually,
we'll figure some new something.

Speaker 1 (44:30):
But it all work out. It'd be great.

Speaker 2 (44:32):
It always does. It never doesn't, I know, figure it out. So, yeah,
that's Patreon's email, that's social Medis Yeah, anything else, No, Well,
have nothing else to talk about. I guess that's this
is going to be it. You take us out.

Speaker 1 (44:51):
Well, thank you everybody so much for listening, and we
will see you in the next one.

Speaker 2 (44:57):
But I really don't have anything to say.

Speaker 4 (44:59):
It was just

Speaker 3 (45:01):
Ms th

All Episodes

May-Stringer house - Brooksville, FL

Episode Transcript

Popular Podcasts

Stuff You Should Know

Dateline NBC

The Burden

.css-15opob5{left:0;position:absolute;top:0.8rem;} All Episodes

.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}May-Stringer house - Brooksville, FL