The Homestead Restaurant is one of the most famous sites in the Jacksonville area when it comes to paranormal activity. The history and occurrences has been documented in numerous books and articles pertaining to local ghost stories.

 

The history on the location dates back to the late 1700s at which point the property was acquired in a Spanish land grant. In the 1930s, a two-story, pine-log building was constructed. The building, originally designed as a private residence, was operated by the owner, Alpha O. Paynter, as a boarding house. She eventually expanded the business to include a restaurant.

 

Ms. Paynter took a great deal of pride in her business and enjoyed her time there. She died in the 1960s and many think she is still in her beloved Homestead. Witnesses have seen her apparition standing next to the large fireplace on cold nights, looking toward the front door, waiting for her boarders to return for the night. Through the years she has been seen in various areas of the building watching over staff, contractors and customers.

 

Additionally, there are reports of two women committing suicide in the building. It is believed that the mother Angle Rosenburg and daughter Annie were the women that killed themselves.   Both were believed to suffer from depression and eventually ended their lives, ten years apart, by hanging. Both their spirits are also believed to inhabit The Homestead. Numerous reports indicate a female looking out of the upstairs window, watching workers. It is believed this woman may be one of the Rosenburgs.

 

Over the years, the establishment has passed through numerous hands with the current owners operating the establishment as a family oriented restaurant focusing on Southern Cuisine. The building itself has gone through renovations and expansion. It is believed that the majority of the paranormal activity occurs in the original portion of the building.

 

This investigation was a new experience for us in that we were working with a local television station filming for a new series on paranormal investigations. Steve and Amy accompanied us during the night and things went smoothly. They performed interviews with the owner while we went through our preliminary sweeps to record EMF and temperature readings.

 

We set up our IR cameras in the reported hot spots and began our investigation. We broke up into teams and given the size of the establishment, we were able to have two teams operating at the same time. One team focused on the upstairs while the other covered the downstairs. 

 

The evidence gained during the investigation indicated that the upstairs area was the most active. While upstairs, John and Ray heard a disembodied voice saying go away, which was recorded. Ray also saw the unexplained movement of a chair in the office. Steve also picked up EVPs while also investigating upstairs. Much of this evidence will be part of the sixth episode of Local Haunts to be aired on CW 17.

 

During the investigation, there was an uncomfortable feeling in the back dining room by some of the members. This area is off of the main dining area that has the fireplace. Based on the research on the Homestead, this may be the area of one of the suicides. The members of the group that are sensitive were experiencing discomfort in their stomachs as soon as they entered the room. We did note a high level of EMF in the room due to electrical wiring running along the wall and below but don’t know for sure if this is the reason for their discomfort. This room was also the location that wine bottles were heard tapping together during the night.

 

This investigation was a great experience for all involved. The owner and management were very hospitable and a joy to work with. Working with Steve and Amy was also an enjoyable experience and we wish them luck with their show and look forward to the launch in April. We hope that we will have an opportunity to work with them again in the future.

 

Based on our investigation and evidence, we do feel there is paranormal activity at the Homestead. It is a surprise in that many of the EVPs we are evaluating are pointing toward a male presence. We will be reviewing our findings with the owner and posting evidence on our webpage. If you have the opportunity and would like an enjoyable eating experience, visit The Homestead. The food and atmosphere is fantastic and you will not go home hungry. The individual portions are large enough to feed the whole table. The owner and staff are comfortable with their ghostly friends and many of the customers have their own experiences. If you stop by, say you heard about it from NEFLPI.