"King House is a historic building on 4627 Ocean St, Mayport, Florida, believed by some to be haunted by the spirit of a sailor.
It is not known when the original building was constructed. The first record of the building is from April 25, 1881, when it was destroyed by a fire. The records note that before its destruction it was used as a boarding house for sailors and that the land had previously been used as a Spanish graveyard.
The building was reconstructed by William Joseph King in 1907 and was occupied by his son until his death in 1977. During this time, due to reports of hauntings, the house was investigated by researchers from the Rhine Institute of Duke University and several other paranormal research groups. A rocking chair was purported to move on its own accord. It had been reported that an aunt of William King had been pitchforked to death on the same chair by a jealous sailor ex-boyfriend. The house was also used as the local Catholic church in the 1940s and mass was held there every week. Congregants reported hearing high-heels moving about in the attic when no-one was there.
Other supposed ghosts who occupy the building include a 'Little Butler' who is said to open doors for visitors and guide them into the living room. There have also been sightings of a maid in the kitchen who acts aggressively towards those using 'her' space. A bride who died in a car crash outside the house on her wedding day is also rumored to haunt the building.
The book Jetty Man by Bill Reynolds was released about the hauntings and house in 1999.
The house is currently used as a centre of operations for the Mayport Cats Program, which assists feral cats."
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"The story goes that the King House was built on an old Spanish graveyard, used at first as a boarding house for sailors and traveling men. it was rebuilt on the same site in the 1880s after a fire burned it to the ground.
It really became a popular “haunt” when John King owned the house. He loved a spooky tale and was good at amusing the children of Mayport with his ghostly yarns. He believed that the place was haunted and he told stories about the strange happenings and gruesome events.
He claimed that an aunt of his died in a rocking chair which apparently used to rock when no one was sitting in it. Auntie, according to the tale, didn’t die in her sleep, but was pitchforked (that’s right, pitchforked) to death by a jealous ex-boyfriend sailor.
The place is a veritable hive of hauntings. Mediums who have investigated the place have said that it seems to have an atmosphere that attracts spirits of the dead, perhaps because of all the tales John used to tell.
There’s the inevitable lady in white (killed on her wedding night in a nearby car wreck), poltergeist activity and a strange little man wearing a red suit.
With the lady in white and the little man in red, there really shouldn’t have been any need to keep on a staff, as the little man sometimes acts as a ghostly butler before disappearing and the lady tidies the house and does the dishes.
Sign me up for a haunting! If I were to have a ghost in my house, I’d want one that does chores. Haunt me please, I’ve got laundry."
--EU Jacksonville (
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