Every paradise has its ghosts. Explore four haunted landmarks that might just send a chill down your spine this Halloween season.
Whitehall, The Flagler Museum
Built in 1902 as Henry Flagler’s wedding gift to his third wife, Mary Lily Kenan, Whitehall was described as “more magnificent than any private dwelling in the world.” Today it is one of Palm Beach’s grandest landmarks, and some whisper, one of its most haunted.
Flagler met his end in 1913 inside the mansion, after falling down the marble staircase at age 83. Throughout the next century, night watchmen reported hearing ghostly footsteps echoing through the halls and sightings of a suited figure who vanished when approached. Silverware rearranged itself, lights flickered, and porcelain mysteriously crashed to the floor. And then there are the wives. Flagler’s second, Ida Alice, was declared insane by her husband’s physicians and permanently locked away after her fondness for Ouija boards became too prophetic for comfort. His third wife, Mary Lily, died only a few years after Flagler under murky circumstances. Many have pointed the finger at her second husband, Robert Worth Bingham. The scandal made front-page headlines for weeks, and some say that her spirit never quite left Whitehall, still seeking the answers the living refused to give.
The museum assures visitors that there are no ghosts, only overactive imaginations, enlivened by the mansion’s dramatic Gilded Age decor. Still, if you hear footsteps on the grand staircase after dark, it might not be the air conditioning. It could be Palm Beach’s original power couple, still entertaining—and occasionally alarming—their guests.
Monkey Business
14 Via Mizner, Palm Beach
Of all the illustrious residents Palm Beach has seen, few were as beloved and mischievous as Johnnie Brown, the pet spider monkey of famed architect Addison Mizner. The creative mind behind Worth Avenue and the town’s Mediterranean Revival style, Mizner was known for his eccentricities and his affection for exotic animals. Johnnie was his constant companion, perched on his shoulder at society parties, sampling hors d’oeuvres like any other Palm Beach regular.
When Johnnie died in 1927, Mizner received special permission from the town of Palm Beach to bury him in the courtyard of his mansion. His headstone still stands, modestly inscribed “Johnnie Brown: The Human Monkey.” Later, the new owner of the mansion also received permission to add a headstone for her Scottish terrier, Laddie, making it the island’s only cemetery.
Today the two tiny graves lie hidden behind the ferns in the courtyard of Pizza al Fresco on Worth Avenue. Over the years, local children have sworn they’ve seen the furry pair playing together before disappearing back toward the old Mizner mansion.
Coral Cut, or The Witch’s Wall
Though Palm Beach is mostly flat, a ridge of coral and seashell limestone rises sharply along Country Club Road. In the cut through the rock, a small barred window set into the south wall has long inspired some of the island’s spookiest tales.
For generations, stories have circulated about who (or what) might be trapped behind the gate. Some say a witch once lived in the house above and lured children toward the opening with sweets, their souls now imprisoned forever in the porous coral. Others whisper about a mother and son who turned on each other, one locking the other inside to be forgotten. There are even those who believe the spirits belong to shipwrecked sailors, whose voices still echo through the coral after dark.
The house above the cliff is now part of a water processing station, and the barred window likely conceals part of the pump system below. Still, the sight of that small, rusted grate along the rocky wall remains unsettling. Even the most rational Palm Beach driver can’t help but glance twice when passing through the Witch’s Wall at night.
Riddle House
No story about the most haunted places in Palm Beach would be complete without mentioning Riddle House, a century-old home steeped in ghost lore. Built in 1905 as the “Gatekeeper’s Cottage” for Woodlawn Cemetery, the house is said to be haunted by several spirits, including a gravedigger named Buck, who was killed during an argument in town but returned after death, seen walking the cemetery grounds and sitting on the porch as if still on break.
By the 1920s, the home belonged to Karl Riddle, its namesake and West Palm Beach’s first city manager. During his time there, one of his employees, Joseph, hanged himself in the attic after falling into debt. Soon after, workers reported hearing chains dragging across the floor and refused to stay past nightfall. The house’s haunted reputation grew throughout the decades, as stories spread of figures moving through the rooms long after Riddle had left.
In 1995, Riddle House was moved in its entirety to Yesteryear Village near the South Florida Fair grounds. Many believed the relocation would prevent the spirits from following, but it seems they came along anyway. Tools vanished, windows shattered, and workers said unseen forces hurled objects from the attic. Today, Riddle House remains one of South Florida’s most haunted landmarks. Still home, some say, to Buck, Joseph, and a little boy named Michael who plays unseen in the upstairs room.
