Northeast Florida has witnessed centuries of history, and not all of it has been pleasant. Murders, suicides, betrayals, executions and other tragedies have left spiritual echoes behind that can give the creeps to people who encounter them today. Here are some of our favorite haunted places in the area.
King House, Mayport
The King House on Ocean Street in Mayport is known for its rich history. Built in 1800s, the building is on top of an old Spanish graveyard. For a while, the building was a boarding house for sailors. The stories shared by relatives of William King, who rebuilt the house in 1907 after a fire, include a jealous man killing his ex-lover with a pitchfork on the porch. Relatives said a chair on the porch would later rock even when no one was sitting in it. — Diane Uhley, Florida Times-Union archive
Florida Theatre, downtown
The Florida Theatre in downtown Jacksonville opened in 1927. Since then, millions of people have been through its doors. And quite a few of those have reported some strange occurrences. When it was featured on a local haunts television show, the host said cameras caught movement in the balcony and the creaking of chairs. Some have reported that a former organist who used to work in the theatre haunts it. In 2020, the theater replaced all of its seats except for two in the balcony, where the ghost is said to reside. — Jeff Davis, Florida Times-Union archive
