User:Richiebermea24

Thriller

The Prescott Manor

The Prescott Manor is located in Harrisonburg, Virginia and was constructed in November of 1847. The manor lies on twenty-four hundred acres of land, and the main house itself takes up sixty-eight thousand square feet of that space. The manor was originally designed by Henry Austin, a renowned architect at the time, at the request of Lord William Bennett, a wealthy Englishman who had at the time just migrated to America. However, construction under ownership of Lord Bennett was never completed. It was not until 1863 that Mr. Anthony Prescott purchased the land and the manor and put forth the capital to complete the $56 million dollar project.

Today, the property remains vacant as there has been speculation that the main house is haunted by the souls who previously resided there. It is of common town gossip to be keen to the stories that have been told around the Prescott Manor. It now serves as a topic for fearful conversations amongst those who live in Harrisonburg. All that there is to be seen of the property are overgrown shrubs, unkempt facilities, and a large, gothic building that is obviously unsought after. The only ones who visit the Prescott Manor, to this day, are youthful teens looking for a thrill and those who are interested in being reminded of the souls who have passed.

History

In 1847, during the beginning stages of construction, Lord Bennet (the original owner of the land the Prescott Manor now sits on) had been staying at the estate of one of his mistresses, Elizabeth Farrington, a famous playwright. That is until an argument between the two arose. No one knows the whole story, but many in the town had witnessed spurts of violent outrage on the part of Miss Farrington. Most speculate that she had caught wind of Lord Bennett’s promiscuous endeavors and became outraged at the thought of him with other women. After being exiled from Elizabeth Farrington’s estate, Lord Bennet was forced to reside in his manor that had already been partially constructed. Only two months had passed when Lord Bennet’s corpse was found hanging from a structural beam in the center of what would later become the foyer of the Prescott Manor.

Because there wasn’t a soul in the town capable of financing the remainder of construction after the mysterious death of Lord Bennett, the unfinished building laid to waste for 16 years. That was until in 1863, Mr. Anthony Prescott, a fortunate entrepreneur had taken to the land and made it his home. He, along with the help of his employees, had finished the construction in late December of 1864.

After the last plank was nailed, he quickly moved his wife, Eleanor, and two daughters, Sybil, and Josephine into the home. Two months later, Sybil took extremely ill and passed shortly after. Accounts state that the family never truly seemed the same after the death of Sybil. They hardly left the home and when they did, they rarely socialized or even said hello to those in the town.

In December of the year 1865, the local grocer, John Danoby, had been making his normal delivery to the Prescott Manor when no one was present to answer the door. When he peeked his head through, he screeched at the sight of Mr. Prescott hanging from a beam in the middle of the foyer, blood oozing from his eye sockets. On his forehead wrote, “PLEASE, DON’T LEAVE ME.” The grocer had looked to his right and he saw Mr. Prescott’s daughter, Josephine and his wife, Eleanor, both mangled to the point of unrecognition. To this day, no one dare enter the Prescott Manor, and never shall they.