The Battles House

The Battles House from Erie County Historical Society
The Rush Battles Estate covers 130 acres outside the Erie County town of Girard, and features two homes, the Battles farmhouse, built in 1858, and the Charlotte Elizabeth Battles house, built in 1861. The first was the home of Rush, his mother Elizabeth, and sisters Alcina & Lucina.

The second was the new home of Rush, who in the meantime had gotten married to Charlotte Webster. What bride needs a mother-in-law and two sisters-in-law under the same roof? It's now operated as the Battles Museums of Rural Life by the Erie County Historical Society.

There are reports of footsteps heard on the upper floors, children singing in the first floor dining room, objects being moved to different spots, and an antique oil lamp being thrown to the floor.

The house's cats are attracted to and sometimes upset by unseen spirits. The ghost of a Victorian era lady dressed in widow's black has been seen, accompanied by a noticeable temperature drop. There were reports of a male spirit, and the specters of two young girl were seen on the second floor.

There are also sightings associated with a farmhand injured by a horse. (Yes, he was kicked in the head. Why don't any of these farmers ever get kicked in the butt?) He's been seen in the master bedroom where he was cared for, and a older female spook has also been seen, looking out the loo window.

It's thought that she witnessed the accident from the bathroom. She's also been spotted moving across the bedroom into the closet, perhaps still attending to him.

The last resident of the Charlotte Battle house, Georgiana Reed, can still be seen roaming its' halls, even though she died in the 1980s. So take the tour - you might run across more old dusty things than you bargained for!

The Battle's House is included in Stephanie Wincik's collection More Ghosts Of Erie County.