In the early 1880s, Maria became the patroness of a young Chinese immigrant and missionary sponsored student named William New Kim. William, while living in the home during his studies, fell in love with Sophia Hoff, a chambermaid. The two pledged their love for each other, and it is believed that they physically consumated the relationship as well, leading William to feel that he was considered "married."
Sophia was sent off to Cincinatti, but the lovers kept up their correspondence and even managed to visit each other from time to time. All was well until Mrs. Maria Woodbridge discovered the love letters. Not approving of the relationship, she sought the advice of the pastor of the First Congregational Church. The pastor gave William a long lecture, presumably on the evils of premarital sex, sin, and who knows what else. Whatever was said, however, was enough to put the young Chinese immigrant into quite a depression.
One November day, on his way home from work, he stopped at a local pharmacy to pick up a bottle of chloroform. The next day, on November 7, 1881, the young man was found dead in his room. He had dressed himself in his own funeral clothes, and had taken his life. He is buried in the Oak Grove Cemetery, under a unique monument written in 3 languages.
During the house's tenure as a bed and breakfast, strange things began happening that led guests and staff alike to believe that the young Chinese man's spirit never left. Creaking stairs and floorboards were common, but the middle bedroom on the second floor is said to be the center of the haunting. It is the room where dogs refuse to enter, and those sensitive to such things claim to feel an overwhelmingly negative energy.
The majority of the above-mentioned info from Forgotten Ohio website
Photo from Itinerant Foodies
*Just a quick note: This home has nothing to do with the popular Buckley Family Murder photo that is circulating around the web. Please see the embedded link for THAT spooky story!*
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