The Haunted Midget Mansion

You've probably heard of a place like the Midget Mansion before, only it wasn't called the Midget Mansion. Maybe it was the Midget House, the Little People's House, the Tiny House, or Hansel & Gretel's House. Maybe it was even Munchkinland. This kind of urban legend exists everywhere, and the basic construction is similar no matter where you hear about it.

There's a house somewhere nearby that's abnormally small. It was made by, or for, people of unusually small stature. Tiny chairs. Tiny tables. Tiny windows. Tiny doors. The house is usually abandoned — otherwise, no one would dare to explore it at night — and it's usually haunted.

The ghost is the protector of the house. In many versions of the story, it isn't just one ghost, but is instead an army of ghosts. They're the people who used to live in the house, and they remain to defend it from anyone who would dare to trespass — especially at night. The ghosts are angry and will chase you if you attempt to enter their home. Naturally, local teenagers dare one another to break in, and this makes great fodder for stories told around a campfire.

San Antonio has one of these houses, only ours is called the Midget Mansion, and it's possible that it's the most legitimate version of this kind of urban legend in the country. It's a house built for little people — but not just for them! A massive man lived there, too.

There were no murders. Well, maybe there was one murder, but there is no evidence of the gruesome slaughter that legend would have you believe occurred on the property. The Midget Mansion exists, though, and for a while, some people in the area did think it was haunted.

You hear all kinds of different stories about the Midget Mansion, so for the sake of consistency, I'm going to start with the legend that seems to have the widest recognition. I feel like I should say that none of these stories are substantiated by any kind of evidence, so take them with a healthy grain of salt.

The version of the story that people seem to tell the most often concerns a wealthy man — some kind of well-to-do property owner like a banker, lawyer, businessman, or maybe a rancher — who wanted to build a home for his family. The problem was that his family was comprised entirely of people with dwarfism.

Of course, this man didn't want anyone in his family to be inconvenienced, so he had a special mansion built just for them. That way, they would never have to stretch or strain to do the normal things that we all take for granted. Eating at a table. Opening cabinets in the kitchen. Walking through doorways without having to look up. Laying down in a bed.

Despite our cultural attitudes being far more sympathetic now, it was an altogether kinder time back then. The man and his family lived in the house peacefully and went about their lives without fear. That is, until people found out what they were.

As everyone knows, people used to be far more prejudiced about everything. Even though we're beyond such silly things today, back then, a wealthy man having a family with dwarfism was cause for tremendous alarm. The local people grew to mistrust the family and developed a malicious hatred for them. Eventually, this hatred manifested itself as a violent mob that attacked the house in the middle of the night. Men, women, and children all died in the attack, and the mob burned the house down in an effort to destroy all evidence of the murders. Even though the mansion was completely consumed by fire, it was later rebuilt as a perfect replica. The ghosts of the little people who were murdered inside the house now remain on the property, attacking all trespassers.

That's the most common version of the story. It's interesting that the legend stresses that the family was killed by an angry mob — yet it clearly states that the story takes place during a "kinder, more understanding time." It's also fun how the wealthy man is only wealthy enough to build a beautiful mansion, but not quite wealthy enough to hire servants.

Over the decades, the legend of the Midget Mansion has evolved, and there are different variations of the same basic story. Instead of a wealthy man having his home invaded by an angry mob, you might hear a different (more disturbing) version that goes something like this:

There was a wealthy man — some kind of well-to-do property owner like a banker, lawyer, businessman, or maybe a rancher — whose wife gave birth to a child with dwarfism.

This was an enormous source of shame for the man because he didn't want anyone in town to know that he fathered such a child. He was so ashamed, in fact, that he refused to allow his child to live in the family's main mansion. Instead, he had a separate, smaller mansion built on the property. The mansion was perfectly scaled to accommodate his child, but it was more of a prison than a home. No one was permitted to leave the grounds.

He hired servants to keep the secret, but eventually the servants became disloyal. This disloyalty enraged the man, and he went insane. In a fit of madness, he murdered everyone — including his own child.

The bodies were buried in the nearby woods, and the father tried to burn the mansion down to destroy all evidence of the horrendous crimes he committed. Although the mansion was completely consumed by flames, it was later rebuilt as a perfect replica. The ghosts of the people who were murdered inside the house now haunt it, attacking all trespassers.

That version of the story contains some interesting wrinkles, but it's still not quite extreme enough for some people. If you're one of those folks who likes a little spice in their scary stories, you might prefer this even darker telling:

There was a wealthy man — some kind of well-to-do property owner like a banker, lawyer, businessman, or maybe a rancher — whose wife gave birth to a child with dwarfism.

This was an enormous source of shame for the man because he didn't want anyone in town to know that he fathered such a child. He was so ashamed that he refused to allow his child to live in the family's main mansion. Instead, he had a separate, smaller mansion built on the property. The mansion was perfectly scaled to accommodate his child, but it was more of a prison than a home. No one was permitted to leave the grounds.

He hired servants to watch over his child, but over time, the servants came to resent their employer. This resentment grew until they decided to mutiny. The servants killed the child, then killed the man when he discovered what they had done. Finally, realizing what they had done and that they would certainly pay for their crimes, the servants killed themselves.

The bodies were all buried on the property, but even today, their ghosts haunt the grounds. Sometimes people hear ghostly screams and footsteps. Occasionally, strange lights can be seen in the windows at night. There are even people who have reported being attacked by unseen hands while walking around the exterior of the property.

I'm sure there are plenty of other versions of the story, but these are the three most common ones. Although the details shift, the basic legend is always pretty similar. A wealthy man either has a family with dwarfism, or his wife gives birth to a child with dwarfism. A custom mansion is built on his property. Everyone dies in a horrible tragedy. Ghosts. The End.

According to all of the stories, there are ghosts at the Midget Mansion. They are the spirits of the people who were murdered inside the house, and they remain on the property to take their revenge on anyone who would dare to trespass. There is the sound of disembodied footsteps and the sight of figures in the windows. Objects get thrown at the visitors by unseen hands. Sometimes, the ghosts will even chase the trespassers — but no one has ever been hurt.

Now you might be wondering, "how do we know that no one has ever been hurt by the ghosts at the Midget Mansion?" The answer is that it's impossible to know for sure, but if someone were hurt by the ghosts, there would likely be evidence of it. You could verify it by finding a mention in an old newspaper, a hospital report, or even an arrest record. This kind of evidence has never come to light, and I looked everywhere for it!

On that point, you might be wondering: "Surely, if the version of the legend that's supposedly the most popular really took place, and if there really was a wealthy man whose family was murdered by an angry mob, then there would be some evidence of that, too. Wouldn't there? What about that evidence?"

That's a great question!

There are plenty of reports from people who've actually seen the Midget Mansion that corroborate what the legend describes. It is indeed a small house. Everything is scaled down. There is furniture that was left behind, and it's much smaller than furniture would typically be.

Now, none of that means there are ghosts haunting the place. However, in the case of the Midget Mansion, there is a small mountain of circumstantial evidence to attest to the possibility of ghosts. There are tons of reports from visitors who claim to have seen strange things. You can find them almost anywhere online — paranormal message boards, Youtube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter.

Do ghosts exist at the Midget Mansion? Well, let me ask you this: do you want them to exist? If you do, then by all means, go ahead and believe in them! There's no harm in it as long as you keep an open mind and stay skeptical. It can be fun to believe in something, even if it's just for the sake of having a good time.

The evidence that always seems to be missing when discussing the legend of the Midget Mansion is proof that a wealthy man's family, or child, was murdered on the property. Not only is there no evidence to suggest this ever took place, but there's also very strong evidence that it did not take place. The house still stands today at 427 Donore Place in San Antonio, Texas. If you know anything about San Antonio, you probably already guessed that Donore Place is a nice area. Locals who are familiar with the property (and there are several of them on message boards discussing the legend) have stated that the land is worth about a million dollars. They've also pointed out that expensive, new construction homes surround the Midget Mansion.

So, let me ask you this: do you think it would be possible to build a million dollar home right next door to a place where a gruesome murder — or series of murders — took place? In Texas, you are required to disclose when a death occurred inside of a home you're selling, but you are not required to disclose it if the home is located near a place where a death occurred. Although that's true, do you think people would move into those million dollar homes if there was even a whiff of scandal in the area?

As I said earlier: there's never been any evidence to corroborate the story that a wealthy man's family, or child, was ever murdered on the property. If such a murder had taken place, you'd think there would be proof of it somewhere, but there is none.

If you study urban legends long enough, you'll probably find that many of them have no basis whatsoever in truth. The Midget Mansion is a little different because it's a real place. It exists, and you can even visit it if you want to (though I wouldn't recommend it). But does the fact that it's a real place actually mean anything? Does it suggest that the legend is somehow more valid than other urban legends? No, not really.

Consider the Amityville Horror as an example. Like the Midget Mansion, the Amityville Horror is a real place. It exists, and you can visit it if you want to (though, again, I wouldn't recommend it). The house is located in Amityville, New York, and there are plenty of people who will tell you that it's haunted. In fact, there have been several books written about the hauntings at the Amityville Horror House, and there have even been movies made about it. So, is the Amityville Horror House actually haunted? No, it isn't. The whole story was a hoax perpetrated by the family who moved into the house after a notorious murder took place there. They wanted to make money from the legend, and they were successful in doing so.

Now, I'm not saying that the Midget Mansion is a hoax. I'm just saying that the fact that a place exists doesn't necessarily mean that the legend associated with it is true. It's important to keep an open mind and to be skeptical of all claims until you have evidence to support them.

The Midget Mansion is located in San Antonio, Texas, and it is a private residence. You can view it from the street if you want to, but I would not recommend trespassing on the property. Not only is trespassing illegal, but it's also disrespectful to the people who live in the area. If you do decide to visit the Midget Mansion, please be respectful of the property and the people who live nearby.

If you're interested in learning more about the haunted history of San Antonio, I would recommend taking a ghost tour of the city. There are several companies that offer ghost tours in San Antonio, and they can provide you with a lot of interesting information about the city's haunted past. Ghost City Tours offers a Ghosts and Ghouls Tour that takes you to some of the most haunted locations in San Antonio, including the Alamo, the Menger Hotel, and the St. Anthony Hotel. It's a great way to learn more about the city's haunted history, and it's a lot of fun!

So, is the Midget Mansion haunted? I can't say for sure, but I can tell you that it's a real place, and there are plenty of people who believe that it is haunted. Whether or not you believe in ghosts is up to you, but if you're interested in learning more about the legend of the Midget Mansion, I would recommend doing some research and visiting the property (from the street, of course).