Missing Halloween? Friendly Ghosts Haunt a Historic Florida Home From the 1890s

Historic Florida Home From the 1890s

MLS via Realtor.com

Halloween has come and gone, but the ghosts are sticking around at one historic Florida home.

On the market for $899,000, the Birger S. Axelson House in Pensacola dates to 1897 and is home to at least one friendly ghost.

“It’s not a scary ghost at all,” says listing agent Kathy Tanner, with Tanner Realty. “This family is known to have one or two.”

Even the agent wasn’t immune to paranormal activity. Tanner says she’s felt a tap and a tug on her scarf while she was talking about the ghosts to someone in the house.

“I was standing there and turning around looking to see who was there,” she recalls.

Front exterior

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Plaque

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Back exterior

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The 1,932-square-foot home in a historic area of the Panhandle town came on the market this summer for $975,000. A recent price cut means the spirits—and the property—are even more affordable.

“The land value in downtown Pensacola is exceptionally expensive. A postage stamp-sized lot in the area might sell for $275,000,” Tanner explains. This lot comes with space for the construction of a guesthouse, garage, or pool.

Built from cypress wood, the home has withstood over a century of hurricanes and other perils. It sits in a nonflood zone and has views of Pensacola Bay.

“The windows are wavy glass, and they’re beautiful,” Tanner says. “They are the original glass windows on a home from the 1890s.”

Kitchen

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Main bathroom

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Living room

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Stairs

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Old-timey toilet

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Double doors

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There are three bedrooms and two bathrooms. The living areas are large for their era, and many historical elements remain, including fireplaces and doors. The new buyer will probably want to work on the kitchens and bathrooms and banish the 1980s-era remodels.

“The perfect buyer would be somebody who appreciates history and [wants] the opportunity to be embraced by something that hasn’t been ruined,” she says. The home is livable now, but a sizable investment will make it shine.

“You could put $80,000 into this house, or you could put $400,000 to $500,000 into this house,” she says. “But you could go in and live in it today. You can live it and park yourself there until your plan is ready.”

The bathroom with an old-timey toilet has a history.

“There’s a fancy French potty commode, and it replaced the old outhouse,” Tanner says. “It has a pull chain and it has a filigree bowl. It’s beautiful and really interesting.”

The home was built for two women, a girl and her cousin, who lived there alone. Tanner says the arrangement was rare in the late 19th century.

“There are large bedrooms, and there was a sleeping porch. It was built for comfort and was planned for people who had moved from the East Bay to the city.”

Many of their relatives were sea captains and at least one was lost at sea. An apparition is still in search of those lost seamen.

“The ghost is a woman. [She] kind of sets a beacon light up in a window to the south,” Tanner says. “The ghost has been known to kind of tap somebody on the back, like saying, ‘I’m here.’ It’s just something like a child patting you.”

Exterior

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The post Missing Halloween? Friendly Ghosts Haunt a Historic Florida Home From the 1890s appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.

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