The Haunted Mansion At Newton Falls

In the early part of the last century a prominent easterner named Cornilias DuBois purchased a fifty-acre tract of land in what is today, Newton Falls. The purchase was made from the Connecticut Land Company which once held title to the entire Western Reserve territory. Sometime in the 1830's Cornilias' son Dr. Henry DuBois came from his home in New York to see the property. He was immediately charmed by it and decided to build a country home here, away from the troubles and the hectic life of the city.

Dr. DuBois, a French educated surgeon was not only an heir to money, he had also earned a considerable amount in his profession, and was in addition married to a woman who was wealthy in her own right. So when the doctor set about having a house built, the cost was of little concern.

(doctor) "Oh no no no you don't understand, the basement walls must be thicker."

(builder) "Thicker? Why this is as thick as we ever make basement walls. You're building a home here doctor, not a prison."

(doctor) "Make them twice that thick."

(builder) "That'll take time doctor. Lots of time."

(doctor) "I don't care how much time it takes or how much money."

It took four years to build the house exactly as Dr. DuBois wanted it. And when it was finished it was indeed the most pretentious residence in the whole area. A showplace of which any community could be proud. But even then the pride was tinged with uneasiness.

(builder) "How do I know what he's gonna use it for. When Dr. DuBois said build a pit in the basement, I built a pit in the basement."

(man) "Well didn't he ever give you a hint or say something about what he wanted it fer?"

(builder) "Nary a word. Another thing, all them funny little dark rooms in the attic. He knew just how he wanted em, he's got some plan or other in mind."

(man) "Sort a, sort a makes you wonder but sort a makes you wonder."

But the activities of the doctor, at least those visible to the community, didn't seem to fit the dark character rumor was trying to build for him. His home was the center of the communities social activities. The doctor and his wife had five children. And in addition to this good sized family, two other individuals made their home at the mansion. Mrs. DuBois' brother Peter J. a lawyer, and the doctors brother, a reverend Washington DuBois, an Episcopalian minister.

The social affairs staged by the doctor were invariably successful. Occasionally one of the guests would let his curiosity get the better of him. (guest to audience) "I've been hearing about the rumors, you know people would sort of whisper about the odd things somebody or other had seen in the basement. Oh there was a lot of silly talk about experiments on bodies and that sort of thing. I just figured if I got a chance I could slip down the stairs and see for myself. Well, I was sort of standing at the edge of the crowd watching for a chance to slip away....."

(doctor) "Oh, Mr. Collins."

(guest) "Good Evening Doctor."

(doctor) "My heavens, you're jumpy tonight Mr. Collins. I didn't mean to startle you."

(guest) "Oh that's alright, I just - just thinking about something else at the moment. Wandering mind, you know."

(doctor) "Oh, yes, yes I know. Here, I'll see that your glass is filled again."

(guest to audience) "He was an odd sort of fellow, bright eyes that looked through you. Well, I waited a few more minutes. When I saw the doctor was involved in a conversation with a couple of the talkative ladies, I figured he had forgotten about me. I'd spotted the door to the basement when the butler went for some more wine. I slipped through it without anyone seeing me. Well the first thing I did was almost fall down the stairs. Well, it was as dark as the inside of your hat. I finally found a candle and got it lighted, and let me tell you, that was the dadblamest basement I ever saw in any house. First there was the wine cellar, well, we all know the doctor was sort of continental you might say. And he had enough wine down there to take care of a thirsty army. But that was only the beginning. Down past the wine cellar was a big heavy door, I expected to find it locked....It wasn't. Well, it's hard to describe exactly what was in there. For one thing there was this immense copper cauldron, sort of. It was arranged so the fumes from anything that might be cooking in it would go up a big chimney. Then there was a furnace, I guess you'd call it. I was stooped down to get a better look inside of it."

(doctor) "Is that you Collins?"

(guest) "Yea, yea uh uh Yes Sir."

(doctor) "How can you see anything with that pitiful little candle? Here, I'll bring my lamp over."

(guest) "aaaaaa, I wasn't, aaaa I mean, well, well, I was looking for...."

(doctor) "Well, I'm flattered Collins. Not many people bother to take such an interest in my experiments."

(guest) "Ah, what I was doing was........"

(doctor) "Yes, excellent workmanship don't you think? Notice the size of the furnace, why, why, two or three persons would fit in there, with room to spare. And look here isn't this interesting. Did you notice the pit? Beautiful stone work, see, only one opening there at the top."

(guest) "What's, what's all this for?"

(doctor) "My work Collins, my experiments. Now as you may know, I have a lively interest in chemistry and scientific subjects. This makes an excellent laboratory."

(guest) "But, what, what are you experimenting on or in?"

(doctor) "It's rather involved Collins, I'm afraid the details would bore you."

(guest to audience) "Well, sir, I was never so glad to get out of anyplace in my life. When he explained all of it to me he seemed very rational, and unexcited about it. I felt sort of ashamed about snooping around like that. Well, I figured he was probably right about those experiments, I probably wouldn't have understood them. And I was thinking about how I'd set people straight the next time they started on crazy stories about Dr. DuBois' experiments. That is I was thinking that until I left the house that night. On the front porch as I was saying good night, my wife dropped one of her gloves. I stooped down to pick it up."

(doctor) "Er, Collins, what's the matter? Can't you straighten up?"

(guest) "What? Oh, aaa, sure, sure, I aaa had trouble finding the glove."

(doctor) "Well, I hope you've enjoyed your little tour tonight Mr. Collins."

(guest) "Oh aaa yes sir, yes sir, thanks very much. Good night."

(doctor) "Good night. And Reverend Winters, it was a pleasure to have you."

(guest to audience) "You see, the reason I was so long picking up that glove was, when I bent down I saw that I was standing on a trap door. Yes sir, a trap door built right into the porch floor. And do you know what it led to? I could figure it out because of what I had seen in the basement. It led directly to that pit. The pit with the thick stone walls and only one other opening. A little door at the top through which you could look in and see, and see, well now you understand why I was so long picking up that glove."

Those are the facts of Dr. DuBois famous mansion. And those are all the facts we're sure of. As far as his experiments are concerned. Naturally when the word got out what he had in the house, the wives tales got bigger and bigger."

(man) "Well, I, I ain't saying it's true but uh, just stop and figure it out. Now, say you was standing on that trap door, on a cold dark night and somebody pulled the lever, and you found yourself dropped into a pit! Now sir, let's just suppose this here doctor, now I ain't mentioning any names now, let's just suppose he was carrying on some kind of experiment that required the use of human bodies. And then let's suppose when he's through he's got to dispose of these bodies. What would be a better way then boiling the flesh off the bones in that there copper cauldron and burning the bones in that big furnace. Now sir, that's all supposing mind ya. Just supposing. But aaa, what about it. Wouldn't that explain it?"

Many people who knew the DuBois family laughed at the rumors. They pointed out the kindness of the doctor in responding to emergencies when medical help was needed even though he was not in practice in the community. And that he never charged for his services. They reminded the tale bearers of the doctors many good works for the community. How he built a paper mill, a saw and grist mills. And two large warehouses along the canal. How he fitted up the town hall as a church for his brother to preach in. But the peoples imagination would not be fettered. Eventually the doctor and his family left Newton Falls and later the house had many other occupants. The stories continued, and later on when the house was home only for owls and bats and the wind whistled through it's empty windows and banged it's remaining shutters, it was not to difficult to imagine ghosts, ghouls, goblins and spirits flitting through the famous old residence. It truly became to many people, a haunted house.

When the Baltimore and Ohio railroad was built through Newton Falls the old DuBois's house which had been empty for many years, was used to shelter the workers who were putting in the tracks. Local residents managed to convince many of them that the house was really filled with haunts. And more then once an unusual noise in the middle of the night would send dozens of them scurrying out the doors. On the night of May 8, 1904 the house caught fire. No one knows how. There was a tremendous scene of confusion as the track workers evacuated. Out the windows and doors came the workers and all their belongings. All of them escaped. But the house burned to the ground, laying bare the mysterious cellar of Dr. DuBois, and leaving to generations to come, the spooky whispered stories of what really went on in the haunted mansion at Newton Falls.