TONIGHT A COUPLE IS SHARING
THEIR EXPERIENCE OF LIVING IN A
HILLSBOROUGH HOUSE THEY SAY, IS
HAUNTED.
CBS 17 NEWS SPOKE TO THE
MAXWELLS ABOUT THEIR TIME IN
THE HOUSE AND DUG INTO THE
DARK HISTORY OF THAT PROPERTY.
BY DAY, THIS HISTORIC
COLONIAL HOME OFFICE THAT MANY
PEOPLE WHO DRIVE THROUGH
HILLSBOROUGH.
PEOPLE ARE LIKE WOW, HOW
DREAMY.
IT SEEMED VERY IDEAL.
BROOKE AND TOM MAXWELL WERE
SEARCHING FOR A NEW HOME IN
2014 WHEN THE PROPERTY CAUGHT
THEIR EYE.
THE WALK-THROUGH WAS ANYTHING
BUT ORDINARY.
THEY HAD GRANDPARENTS IN THE
DINING ROOM, THEY HAD A
MAKESHIFT BEDROOM, SO MANY
CHILDREN, THEY WERE MOVING,
KIDS FOLLOWING US UP AND DOWN
THE STAIRS.
CAPTIVATED BY THE LOW RENT
AND QUIZZICAL VIBE THEY SIGNED
A LEASE, THE MAXWELLS MOVED
INTO THE HISTORIC HOME KNOWN AS
POPLAR HILL, WHICH WAS ONCE
OWNED BY JULIAN CARR. JULIAN
CARR WAS A NASTY PIECE OF WORK.
HE WAS A TEXTILE
MANUFACTURER AND A WHITE
SUPREMACIST.
HE PURCHASED THE HOME WITH HIS
WIFE IN 1891.
I DON'T THINK THERE WAS ANY
STOPPING WHATEVER WAS GOING TO
HAPPEN FROM HAPPENING.
IT WOULD TAKE US HOURS TO
SHARE ALL OF THE EXPERIENCES
THE MAXWELLS HAD THERE.
HERE'S JUST A HANDFUL.
I HEARD A CAR PULL UP, I
HEARD WILLS ON THE GRAVEL
DRIVEWAY AND I HEARD THE DOOR
OPEN.
THE SQUEAKY MUD ROOM DOOR.
I KNEW SHE WAS HOME AND I WENT
DOWNSTAIRS TO GREET HER AND NO
ONE WAS THERE.
THE CAR WASN'T THERE AND THE
DOOR WAS CLOSED AND LOCKED.
I WOULD SEE THIS FIGURE COME
OUT OF THE FIREBOX, AND CRAWL
ACROSS THE FLOOR.
AND APPEAR NEXT TO ME IN BED.
I WAS FACING THE HOUSE,
BEHIND ME IS THE CIRCULAR
DRIVEWAY THAT GOES AROUND THE
HOUSE AND I LOOK OVER TO MY
RIGHT, AND MOVING LIKE A
SPINNING TOP, IS A CYLINDRICAL
SHADOW, TAPERED AT BOTH ENDS.
THIS BOTTLE WENT FLYING OFF
OF THE SHELF AND IT ROGUE ALL
OVER THE FLOOR.
SHE AND I JUST, WE BOTH SAW IT
HAPPENED IT WASN'T LIKE OH, IT
FELL DOWN, IT SHOT ACROSS THE
ROOM.
THE MAXWELLS AREN'T ALONE,
THEY SAY RELATIVES WHO VISITED
ALSO SAW OR FELT SOMETHING.
IT WAS VALIDATING BECAUSE, A
SHARED EXPERIENCE OBVIOUSLY YOU
CAN COOPERATE WHAT JUST
HAPPENED.
IT MAKES YOU FEEL LESS CRAZY.
THE MAXWELLS SAY THEY DIDN'T
TALK ABOUT WHAT THEY WERE
SEEING OR FEELING DURING THEIR
TIME AT THE HOUSE.
THE FREQUENCY IN WHICH IT
HAPPENED IT WOULD BE ANNOYING
TO KEEP SAYING DID YOU SEE
THAT?
THEY SAY WHATEVER WAS ON THE
PROPERTY WAS BECOMING MORE
BRAZEN AND THAT LANDLORD LET
THEM OUT OF THE LEASE EARLY.
WAS SHUT THE DOOR AND NEVER GO
BACK.
WE DIDN'T KNOW ANY OF THE
HISTORY OF THE HOUSE WHEN WE
LIVED THERE.
NOW THAT WE KNOW ABOUT IT, IT'S
EASY TO GO BACK AND MAKE
NARRATIVE SENSE.
I WENT TO THE LIBRARY IN
HILLSBOROUGH TO SEE WHAT I CAN
LEARN.
A MAN NAMED JAMES HOGG TOLD THE
HOUSE IN 1794, THE HOGG FAMILY
NAME CHANGE, DURING THE TIME
THE PROPERTY WAS IN THE FAMILY,
12-YEAR-OLD MARY WAS SHOT AND
KILLED AT THE HOME BY A FAMILY
FRIEND.
IT WAS DEEMED A TRAGIC
ACCIDENT.
MANY PEOPLE CONNECTED TO THIS
HOUSE, HAVE SOMETHING IN COMMON
THEY ARE.
RIGHT HERE AT THE HILLSBOROUGH
OLDTOWN CEMETERY.
RECORDS SHOW IT WAS MOVED TO
WHERE IT IS NOW IN 1980 BY A
MAN NAMED JAMES FREELAND,
RESEARCHERS FOUND AND EXCAVATED
GRAVE ON THE PROPERTY.
NEIGHBORS TELL ME, ONLY ONE
OTHER FAMILY HAS LIVED IN THE
HOUSE SINCE THE MAXWELLS MOVED
OUT, THEY WERE ONLY THERE FOR
HALF A YEAR, THE HOUSE IS NOW
EMPTY.
I WOULD THINK I WOULD MAKE
THIS A MUSEUM.
IF YOU COULD TURN IT INTO SOME
SORT OF BENEFICIAL, SOME SORT
OF LIKE, GENERATOR FOR MONEY
FOR A TOWN LIKE HILLSBOROUGH.
PERHAPS THE KNOWLEDGE MEANT
OF THE HISTORY AND THE
ENERGETIC SIGNATURE WOULD MAKE
THE MADNESS STOP.
THERE IS A HISTORY HERE
THAT'S NOT BEING TOLD.
THE MAXWELLS SAY THEY WILL
NEVER GO BACK.
I'VE HAD PEOPLE CONTACT ME
AND SAY THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN.
HAVE YOU CONSIDERED THIS, HAVE
YOU CONSIDERED THIS, I'VE
CONSIDERED EVERYTHING.
THEY SAID THEY ARE NOT HERE
TO CONVINCE ANYONE JUST SHARE
THEIR STORY.
THE EXPERIENCES THAT I HAD
OR BROOKE HAD, I DON'T EXPECT
ANYONE TO BELIEVE IT AND IT
DOESN'T MATTER.
I KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO ME.
I TOTALLY BELIEVE THEM.
NO DOUBTS.
IF YOU DON'T BELIEVE THEM,
THE HOUSE IS EMPTY, GO CHECK IT
OUT.
THE HOUSE IS PART OF A
HAUNTED GHOST TOUR WITHIN
HILLSBOROUGH.
WE WENT ALONG WITH ONE OF THOSE
TOYS, WE WILL HAVE THAT STORY
ON WNCN.COM.
WE DID REACH OUT TO THE CURRENT