Welcome to Inside McRaven – the blog for all things history, hauntings and Vicksburg happenings! Here at McRaven we love to tell the stories of the past, help you discover our little town of Vicksburg and keep you coming back for more. Inside McRaven is for anyone interested in McRaven Tour Home, Vicksburg MS hotspots, the Civil War era, Ghost Stories and Good Ole’ Southern Charm. You’ll hear stories of McRaven’s ghostly hauntings, history, and what it has to offer. Not to mention how to investigate and discover the best things to do in Vicksburg! Subscribe to our email list for exclusive offers, behind the scenes and monthly updates!
What is McRaven? McRaven is Vicksburg’s oldest home, originally built in 1797 in the Frontier style by our very own “pioneer pirate.” In 1836, one of the first sheriff of Vicksburg and his twelve-year-old wife added the middle portion of the house in Empire style. They lived at McRaven less than a year before she passed away shortly after giving birth to her only child. Years passed before the home was purchased by John H. Bobb, a wealthy plantation owner who added the Greek Revival section to the home in 1849. Him and his wife, Selena, opened the home as a field hospital during the Civil War. They both survived the Siege of Vicksburg only to be met by the occupation, where Mr. Bobb was murdered by Union soldiers on his own property. In 1882 the home was purchased by Mr. William Murray and his wife Ellen Flynn. Together they raised seven children in the three-bedroom home. Two of his daughters, Annie and Ella, became very popular in Vicksburg. They were known as the Spinster Sisters. The Spinsters stayed at McRaven until 1960, but rarely left while they lived there. As a result, they lived as if it were the 1800s-despite the modern conveniences of the outside world.
When each section of McRaven was added, the previous section wasn’t updated. This resulted in National Geographic naming McRaven “The Time Capsule of the South.” McRaven’s history is colorful and varied but our ghostly residents give McRaven a completely different aspect. From pioneer pirates, an untimely death of a young bride, the Civil War, the bloody Siege of Vicksburg, and lastly the strange ways of the spinster sisters-It’s no wonder McRaven has been called “Mississippi’s Most Haunted House”. Join us next time for more history, hauntings and Vicksburg Happenings!
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