Save Our Haunted House

The story of our haunted house in St Augustine, Florida starts with a very odd and quirky family. The Barbours lived in the sprawling three story house on Arenta Street in the early and mid 1900s. There were many rumors amongst the neighbors about the strange family, including that there was a peculiar albino boy sometimes seen in the third story windows. No one knew who he was and no one ever saw him come outside. At some point, he wasn't seen any longer and the rumor was that they'd starved him and buried him in the backyard. Although this has never been proven, that is still the story that persists today.

Even though we can't prove anyone was murdered and buried in the backyard, there have been several deaths inside the home that can be proven through death records. In one incident, a daughter of the family passed of natural causes but was laid on a table in the living room and left there for days until the smell alerted the neighbors and she was removed and buried. That was noted in the newspaper at the time it occurred.

Our family has many stories of strange happenings in this beautiful home. Doors open and close on their own. Cold spots are a common occurrence, even though the three story house has no working central heat and air conditioning. Voices can be heard, both with one's ears and on audio recordings taken within the home. Orbs are sometimes captured in pictures taken by some family members and several members have seen unexplained anomalies with their own eyes. There have been several pictures taken of the outside of the home which seem to show faces or full bodies of people in the windows when no living person was in that room or even that floor of the house at the time. The feeling of being watched persists in every room and even in the yard. Can you see the face in the window?

The most famous telling of the lives of the Barbour family is a fictional book that was based on their true life stories titled The House, by June Moore Ferrell. June was my mother and passed away in January of 2021. Her book, which was published in January of 1979, is out of print and very difficult to find. It tells the story of Mrs. Barbour running off with the circus at a young age and then retiring in this beautiful home. If you are ever lucky enough to find a copy of it, we highly recommend it.

The house is also of some architectural significance as well as historical significance since it was built in 1876 and possesses the last remaining Mansard roof in all of St. Augustine. For this reason, it was featured in the book, The Houses of St. Augustine by David Nolan. On page 38, you will find a picture of the house showing the Mansard roof along with a description of the house and mention of my mother's book.

The Haunted House of Barbour, as my parents always referred to it, has been in our family since roughly the 1970s, having been purchased by my mother and father in a dire state of disrepair. Unfortunately, due to their aging and limited income, the house finds itself in a similar state today. The family would love to make it a haunted bed and breakfast or maybe even a paranormal research facility but extensive repairs must be made first. My mother often talked of making the home a museum or bed and breakfast. She even had brochures about the home printed up many years ago with a spirit sanctuary in mind.

Our family humbly asks for help bringing this beautiful house back to its glory days. Any amount would be an amazing blessing. The wooden foundation of the three story home is rotted and needs extensive repair. There is also visible damage to the south facing side of the home which needs immediate attention. The eaves also bare damage that is visible from the street and needs to be addressed quickly. After Mother's passing, it has been all we can do to keep up with the payments on the home, much less repair any of these issues. If you are in a position to help, it would mean the world to us! I'm sure it would also mean the world to the spirits still inhabiting our family's Haunted House of Barbour. We hope this can someday be a thriving Paranormal Research Facility. That's what my parents always wanted.