The Old Town Manor sits quietly in one of Key West's historic neighborhoods, a beautifully restored Victorian home that now serves as an intimate guest house. Modern travelers find everything they need here—comfortable rooms, tropical gardens, and the charm of staying in a genuine piece of Key West history.
But some guests get more than they bargained for. They report encountering a gentleman in old-fashioned clothing who appears briefly before vanishing. They describe feeling someone checking on them during the night, as if an invisible nurse is making rounds. They wake to find their belongings neatly arranged when they left them scattered, as if someone tidied up while they slept.
These experiences, according to staff and paranormal researchers, are manifestations of Dr. William Richard Warren, the physician who practiced medicine from this house for decades. Dr. Warren dedicated his life to healing, treating everyone from wealthy sea captains to penniless sailors with the same care and attention. His commitment to his patients was so complete that death seems not to have ended it—he still walks these halls, still checks on the people sleeping in these rooms, still performing the duty he devoted his life to.
The History of the Old Town Manor
The building that now houses the Old Town Manor was constructed in the late 1800s during Key West's prosperous era. The house was built for Dr. William Richard Warren, a physician who established his medical practice on the island and quickly became one of the community's most trusted medical professionals.
Dr. Warren's house was designed to serve dual purposes—as his family residence and as his medical office. The layout allowed patients to enter through a separate entrance, be examined and treated in designated rooms, and leave without disturbing the family's living quarters. This was common practice in an era when doctors made house calls but also saw patients in their own homes.
Dr. Warren treated a wide variety of ailments and injuries—tropical diseases, injuries from maritime accidents, yellow fever and other epidemics that periodically swept through Key West, and all the ordinary illnesses that afflicted the island population. He performed minor surgeries on his dining room table, delivered babies in the bedrooms, and sat vigil with dying patients, offering what comfort he could when his medical knowledge reached its limits.
The doctor's dedication to his patients was legendary. He made house calls at all hours, often treating patients who couldn't afford to pay, and became as much a counselor and friend as a physician to many islanders. His practice consumed his life—he had little time for anything beyond medicine, family, and the few hours of sleep he managed between emergency calls.
Dr. William Richard Warren
Dr. Warren arrived in Key West as a young physician, drawn by the island's need for medical professionals and the opportunity to build a practice. He quickly established himself as competent, compassionate, and tireless—qualities that endeared him to the community and ensured a steady stream of patients.
Dr. Warren's medical knowledge was current for his era, but 19th-century medicine was limited. He worked without antibiotics, without modern surgical techniques, and with only the most basic understanding of disease transmission. Many of his patients died despite his best efforts, and he carried the weight of those losses throughout his life.
Those who knew Dr. Warren described him as a man who took his failures personally, who grieved for patients he couldn't save, and who constantly studied medical journals and consulted with colleagues seeking better treatments. This intense dedication to healing may explain why his spirit seems unable to rest—a lifetime of feeling responsible for his patients' welfare may have created a spiritual attachment so strong that death couldn't break it.
The Medical Practice
The rooms of the Old Town Manor witnessed decades of medical practice. The examination room saw countless patients—sailors injured in accidents, children sick with tropical fevers, women in difficult labor, elderly residents succumbing to age and disease. Some patients left cured or improved; others left in coffins.
Dr. Warren's examination and treatment rooms were equipped with the medical technology of his era—surgical instruments, medicine cabinets filled with tonics and powders, examination tables, and the various tools a frontier doctor needed. The rooms smelled of carbolic acid and other disinfectants, heard the moans of patients in pain, and witnessed both the relief of successful treatments and the sorrow of deaths that medicine couldn't prevent.
This concentration of suffering, healing, fear, and hope over decades created intense emotional and spiritual energy that many believe remains in the building. The rooms where Dr. Warren practiced have been converted into guest accommodations, but staff and guests report that the medical atmosphere hasn't entirely dissipated—some describe smelling antiseptic in rooms where no chemicals are used, hearing voices discussing medical matters, and feeling the presence of the doctor making his eternal rounds.
The Spirit of Dr. Warren
The haunting at the Old Town Manor centers primarily on Dr. Warren's spirit, though other paranormal phenomena are also reported.
The Physician's Rounds
Dr. Warren's spirit is most commonly encountered during the night, when guests report seeing a distinguished gentleman in old-fashioned clothing moving through the hallways. Witnesses describe him as wearing what appears to be late 19th-century medical attire—a dark suit, vest, and sometimes carrying what looks like a black medical bag.
The doctor appears to be making rounds, moving from room to room with the purposeful stride of someone checking on patients. He pauses at doorways, peers into rooms, and occasionally enters, seeming to observe the sleeping guests before moving on. These manifestations are brief but vivid, with witnesses reporting that he appears solid and three-dimensional until he suddenly vanishes.
Some guests report waking to find Dr. Warren standing beside their bed, looking at them with a concerned expression as if checking their condition. The encounters are startling but not frightening—witnesses consistently describe feeling that the doctor means no harm and is simply performing his duty as he understands it.
The Healing Presence
Beyond visual manifestations, guests report experiencing what can only be described as a healing or comforting presence. Those who stay at the Old Town Manor while sick or recovering from illness describe feeling exceptionally cared for, as if an attentive nurse or physician is watching over them.
Some guests report waking to find their fever broken, their pain diminished, or their anxiety calmed in ways that seem beyond normal recovery. While skeptics attribute this to the placebo effect or natural healing, believers suggest that Dr. Warren's spirit continues to exercise his medical skills, providing comfort and perhaps even healing to those staying in his former practice.
Staff report that guests staying in rooms that once served as examination or treatment areas are most likely to experience this healing presence, suggesting that the spiritual energy is strongest in spaces where Dr. Warren spent the most time treating patients.
Medical Sounds and Smells
The Old Town Manor experiences various sensory phenomena connected to its medical past. Guests report hearing sounds of medical activity—voices discussing symptoms and treatments, the clink of medical instruments, footsteps hurrying as if responding to an emergency, and occasionally the sound of someone crying or moaning in pain.
The smell of antiseptic or carbolic acid appears suddenly in rooms where no such chemicals are present, strong enough that guests sometimes mention it to staff. These olfactory manifestations are brief but unmistakable, described as exactly the smell you'd expect in a doctor's office from a century ago.
These sensory phenomena may be residual hauntings—recordings of past events that replay under certain conditions—or they may be Dr. Warren's spirit recreating the atmosphere of his active practice, continuing his work in the spiritual realm as he did in life.
Other Paranormal Activity
Beyond Dr. Warren's spirit, the Old Town Manor experiences other unexplained phenomena. Guests report feeling hands gently touching their foreheads as if someone is checking for fever. Others describe having their pillows adjusted or blankets pulled up while they sleep, as if an invisible caregiver is ensuring their comfort.
Objects occasionally move on their own, particularly medical-related items or books about medicine. Lights flicker in patterns that seem purposeful rather than random. Photographs taken in the guest house sometimes show unexplained orbs or mists, particularly in areas that once served as examination rooms.
Some guests report dreams or visions of the house as it appeared during Dr. Warren's practice—seeing patients waiting, hearing medical consultations, witnessing the doctor at work. These experiences are so vivid that guests can describe details of the practice that they had no way of knowing, details later confirmed by historical records.
Visit the Old Town Manor
The Old Town Manor operates as a guest house in Key West, welcoming overnight visitors who wish to stay in this historic building. The inn offers comfortable accommodations with the added possibility of experiencing Dr. Warren's caring presence.
Our Ghosts of Key West Tour passes by the Old Town Manor, where our guides share Dr. Warren's story, his dedication to healing, and the numerous reports of his spirit continuing to make rounds and check on guests. We discuss why physicians and healers sometimes seem unable to stop caring for patients even after death, continuing their life's work in the spirit realm.
Join our Ghosts of Key West Tour to learn about the Old Town Manor and discover why Dr. William Richard Warren's commitment to healing was so profound that it transcended death itself.
