Monday, August 3, 2009

THE HAUNTING AT MILLENNIUM MANOR



The Haunting at Millennium Manor

Note: Most of the information about this house was pulled from websites I have found. You will find links at the end of this post. I want to give credit where it is due.





This is a story that reminds me of the story of Sarah Winchester, and the Winchester Mansion. They are not identical but there are parallels. I want to tell you about this freaky, creepy and very beautiful house that is practically in my neighborhood.

What is so cool about this place is that it’s practically right up the road from my house!! In fact, I drive by it on my way to work if I take the scenic route and have some time to kill. It is Located on Wright Road in Alcoa, TN. It is known as the Old Stone House, or Millennium Manor. This house was the home of William Andrew Nicholson, who constructed the house, and his wife, Fair. It was designed to withstand Armageddon, the return of Christ. According to some, Nicholson claimed to have been told by God to build the house and that for as long as he continued construction on the house that he would never die, and he planned to live in that house for a thousand years or eternity. He and his wife believed that as long as they kept on working on the stone house that they would never die. (1)

History:
Millennium Manor was built from 1938 to December, 1946, by William Andrew Nicholson and his wife Fair. They had moved to Alcoa, Tennessee, from Pickens County, Georgia, where he was a mason and carpenter. In 1937 he got a job with the Alcoa plant as a replacement for striking workers. Mr. Nicholson started construction of Millennium Manor at the age of 61 while maintaining a full time job at the Alcoa plant across the street.

Millennium Manor was built to survive Armageddon and a thousand years beyond. If any structure can endure that fate, it is this one. Millennium Manor was built using Roman architecture which can still be seen standing in structures after more than 2,000 years. The light colored stone of Millennium Manor is Tennessee Pink Marble found in nearby Friendsville, Tennessee. The "Arch and Keystone" visible over doors and windows continues throughout the entire house, including the floor and roof. First built was a wooden "form," shaped like the inside of the building. A rubber tarp was laid over this form. Stone was stacked on top of the form and a "Keystone" inserted. (At this point in the construction, the wooden form could have been pulled completely out, and the roof would still stand on its own without any mortar). Cement was poured over the stacked marble rock, and the cement sifted through to the rubber tarp and hardened. Wrinkles in the rubber sheet can still be seen on the inside ceiling The form was then removed, at which point that part of the roof (or floor) was finished. In theory, it should be possible to remove ALL cement from the entire building and have it continue to stand, since the only function of the mortar was to hold the rock in place and not to bear a load.

Over 4,000 bags of cement were used, and in some places agricultural lime was used instead of sand for less water seepage. The thinnest inside wall is 19 inches. The thinnest outside wall is 25 inches. The roof is greater than 3 feet thick, and the floor is greater than 4 feet thick. The roof alone supposedly weighs 423 tons. All walls are load bearing. There are 14 rooms and a two-car underground garage, for a total of about 3,000 square feet under roof. The upstairs has 7 chimney flues. A six-story deep well is 5 feet in diameter
.(2)

That is some house, huh? And what an amazing story behind it!! Sadly, in 1950, his wife passed away. Nicholson felt that Fair had lost her faith and that as a result she died. Her death devastated him, but he continued with the belief that he would live forever if he kept building.

He lived in the house until his death in 1965.

Urban legend has it that his wife was buried within the walls of the house. This is not true, and in fact both she and Nicholson are buried in Clarks Grove Cemetery, their graves are unmarked. Another rumor had it that William Nicholson was a devil worshipper and a cruel man, but that was far from the truth. He was more of an eccentric man with ideas that he could live forever, and many found that to be odd and started making false claims about him.

There are folks who believe that Mr. Nicholson’s ghost is residing in the house. There are claims where people have seen strange and unexplainable lights in the house and heard activity going on when the house in uninhabited, even during the day time.

I also came across a cool picture taken at the Millennium Manor (3) . Take it as you may. There could be many explanations for the face in the window. Our eyes and mind play many tricks on us, so tell me what you think.


What is your take on this house or the picture above? Have you ever been there? Share any thoughts or experiences you might have. I plan on visiting this house and doing my own investigating (after I get the okay from the owner).



















GIVING CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE!! CHECK OUT THESE LINKS FOR MORE PICTURES AND OTHER INTERESTING TIDBITS!!!!

(1 & 2) STRANGE USA


(3) UNEXPLAINED MYSTERIES

20 comments:

  1. Did they cover that house on the Travel channel? I only say that because I remember the face in the window. VERRRRRRRRRRy creepy.

    I'm following you. I love stuff like this!

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  2. Hey Stephanie!!! I am not sure if this house was featured on Travel Channel (I don't have cable...but will look into it). I actually saw this house one day and thought it was creepy. Then I was doing research on local haunted hot spots and saw this house on several websites...ever since then I have been intrigued!! I might even drive by it tonight and see if anything unusual happens. :)

    Thanks for following, Stephanie!!! You are AWESOME.

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  3. I think it was featured on roadside America. Is that on the travel channel? I remember it used to be on PBS. As far as the picture, glass reflects so many outside things can be mixed with what is seen inside the window to create things that are not really there.

    See... you got me over here and I discovered I already had a blog on here. Now I got two...

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  4. Hey Rev!!! You know, I guess nobody will ever truly know what was lurking behind or in front of that window...I would like to think it was William Nicholson saying hi. I think extra visitors are ultra cool. LOL.

    So, you have a blog here? Well I am gonna have to subscribe! I like the atmosphere here much better than on myspace. At least anyone can view this blog and not have to be a "member". So are you going to keep up with BOTH blogs now, Rev?

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  5. I used to live close to that house and always wondered about it too! What a neat story!

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  6. didn't know it was haunted or anything cool until I started researching local haunted places. I am hoping to get permission from the owner and possibly get a tour...& check the place out and see if anything spooky happens...thanks for stopping by, Mona! Hope to see you again soon!

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    1. Hello I live in Knoxville tn and just drove by this house the other day. Then ran across this blog. While searching stone house in Alcoa. Did you ever get permission by the owner. I heard they do tours in May.

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  7. We'll see if I can do both. Time is tight as it is so it may be the same blog both places, lol.

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  8. When I see or hear about old, haunted houses, I always think of that old antebellum style house in Marshes. They've since torn it down, but as a kid, I heard stories about it. Both haunted and a witch lived there. It was certainly creepy. It had that old, Victorian gothic-like shed beside it. Do you rememeber it?

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  9. No, I don't think I have seen it...do you know if there are pictures anywhere? And any house that "stands out" is always reputed to be lived in by a witch. LOL.

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  10. I don't know of any pictures of it. I think it was abandoned and falling in even when I remembered it. I hated that they tore it down, or any old house, but it probably couldn't have been saved. It sat on the corner, near the railroad tracks.

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  11. My band GRETCHEN actually shot our music video
    "Fading" at Millenium Manor a few years back.
    Interesting place.
    Here's a link to the video if you'd like to see it...

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPNmR-uWISo

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  12. It is still standing. An Arcitect said it would stand for thousands of years. It is being remodeled right now. Open house every year on Memorial Day Observed.

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  13. Thanks, Mia!! Will check it out! =)

    Anonymous: I agree, that thing looks like it would withstand an atomic bomb. I will have to go visit when it is opened to the public. Wished they would open it during Halloween instead of Memorial Day, though.

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  14. I just happened to come across this and I don't know if anyone will even see this now but I had some family rent this place for a while before it got fixed up. They were drunks and they didn't care but they got it super cheap but I have heard some stories and was inside it before they got it fixed up. It was definitely a scary place. There is a room that they don't open up for the Memorial day visits that looks like it should be a bathroom but the chair (toilet) doesn't have a hole and it's just concrete and then there is a slab instead of a tub. Looks like a torture type area to me. Before they fixed the downstairs, it was really scary.
    My uncle had stayed there when the family was renting it and said he woke up in the middle of the night and there was a woman hovering over him and when he moved, she floated off into the wall.
    Libby Berry
    Rocksweeti@gmail.com

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  15. I live like 15 mins from this house. Unusual yes but, I think that is the drawl to it.

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  16. I grew up there in the 80's . It is definitely haunted. I think a church owned it , they would open it every year for Halloween. You could feel the old mans presence

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  17. This is my Great Grandfather's house. I got to see inside once and it is very scary. My cousin and I had to take boards off the windows just to see inside. We didn't have a flashlight did take a few pictures but the ones inside didn't take very well. Are family had no idea that the house had back taxes owed but that is how the guy that now owns it got it for a few thousand dollars. I don't know if I would want to live in it anyway. Also they had eight children and I was told my Great Grandfather more his family ever actually lived in the house.

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