The Southern Mansion
Built in 1863 by Philadelphia industrialist George Allen and designed by architect Samuel Sloan, this opulent bracket-style estate served as the Allen family's summer home for over 80 years. The last family member to live there was Allen's niece, Esther Mercur; after her death the estate was sold and declined into a neglected boarding house before a 1990s restoration revived it as a luxury inn. Owners and guests say the renovation "woke" Esther, described as a happy ghost. Her apparition is reported dancing through the hallways and peeking into the kitchen to supervise the chefs, and her perfume and laughter are said to drift through the rooms, sometimes with the rustle of her petticoat. The Southern Mansion appears across Cape May ghost-lore listings, including HauntedPlaces.org and the inn's own documented accounts of the haunting.
📍 720 Washington Street, Cape May, NJ 08204, Cape May, NJ · Get directions