Inside the 1890 House Museum: Haunted History, the Wickwire Legacy, and What We Found Before the Investigation
“Chester Wickwire built this house, lived his life inside these walls, and died here — and when you're standing in those rooms, that history is impossible to ignore. My job is to disprove the haunting before I consider anything else, but this location is going to make that work for it.”
— Jason Hawes
Before I ever set up a single piece of equipment, I want to know everything I can about a location — its history, the people who lived there, and the events that may have left a mark on the place. The 1890 House Museum in Cortland, New York gave us a lot to work with. From its stunning Victorian architecture to the story of the man who built it and died within its walls, this location checked every box for a serious investigation.
JV and I arrived at the 1890 House Museum with the same mindset we bring to every location: skepticism first. My job isn't to confirm a haunting — it's to rule out every rational explanation before I even consider a paranormal one. That said, I'd be lying if I told you this place didn't immediately get my attention. The Wickwire family home is one of the most well-preserved Victorian-era residences I've walked into, and the history layered into those walls goes far deeper than the ornate woodwork and period furnishings suggest.
We sat down with the staff at the museum and started peeling back the history of the house and the Wickwire family — one of Cortland's most prominent and influential families of the late 19th century. Chester Wickwire, the man who built this home, made his fortune in wire manufacturing and poured that success into every detail of this residence. But what struck me most wasn't the elegance of the architecture — it was the fact that Chester died in this house. That detail matters to me as an investigator. People ask why certain locations seem to carry residual energy or report more activity than others, and while I'm always cautious about jumping to conclusions, there's a reason we pay close attention to locations where significant life events — especially death — occurred. It doesn't confirm anything paranormal, but it gives context to the reports we're hearing from staff and visitors.
During our pre-investigation interview, we documented several categories of reported activity in the house. Staff and visitors have described unexplained sounds in the upper floors, the feeling of being watched in certain rooms, and objects that appear to have moved without explanation. Again — I want to be clear that none of that is evidence on its own. Old Victorian homes are notorious for settling sounds, temperature fluctuations that can create psychological unease, and the simple power of suggestion that comes with visiting a place labeled as haunted. My approach is always to document these claims carefully and then go back in at night with equipment and try to reproduce or debunk every single one of them before drawing any conclusions.
What this pre-investigation walkthrough did confirm for me is that the 1890 House is a location worth taking seriously — not because I'm convinced something paranormal is happening here, but because the history is genuine, the reports are consistent, and there are specific areas of the house that warrant focused attention during the formal investigation. The rooms associated with Chester Wickwire's final days are at the top of that list. Whether what people are experiencing is a true paranormal phenomenon, an emotional response to a deeply historical space, or something with a perfectly logical explanation, I intend to find out. That's the job, and it's one I don't take lightly.
The 1890 House Museum is one of those locations that earns its reputation through history alone — and the paranormal claims surrounding it deserve a thorough, methodical investigation. Whether Chester Wickwire's presence still lingers within these walls or whether there's a rational explanation for every reported experience, I'm going in with an open mind and a critical eye. The truth is always worth chasing.