The Haunted Thornton House

Posted: 11.28.2024 | Updated: 11.28.2024

If you’ve seen Donald Glover’s hit show Atlanta, you’ll know that this Georgia city can sometimes be hauntingly surreal. From the occasionally dark history to the beautiful surroundings, Atlanta is at once beautiful and terrifying. 

And nowhere does that mixture of beauty, terror, and darkness manifest better than at the Thornton House. It’s a historic place that’s been around since 1792 and is still quite famous to this very day. And, of course, it’s said to be haunted, even showing up in an episode of SyFy’s Ghost Hunters series.

The tale of its spooky inhabitant has everything you’d want in a good ghost story: stunning architecture, unsolved mysteries, and scary sightings. In other words, it’s the perfect tale to introduce someone to Georgia's wild and weird ghost world. 

Keep reading to learn more about the ghosts inhabiting the Thornton House. After that, and only if you dare, be sure to take an in-person ghost tour with Atlanta Ghosts to find out even more about Georgia’s spooky history! 

And just a small note: Georgia actually boasts two historical places named Thornton House. We’re referring to the James A. Thornton House in Stone Mountain, Georgia. 

Who Haunts the Thornton House?

This is a difficult question to answer because not just one ghost haunts the place. Note, we’re not saying that there aren’t any ghosts that inhabit the Thornton, just that there’s not one ghost. 

The truth is that there have been many sightings and reports about the many ghosts that call the Thornton House home. Because of the unverifiable nature of some of these reports and the similarities that some of these ghosts have with one another, it’s difficult to pinpoint which visitor has spotted which ghost. 

One thing that is sure is that the Thornton House is teeming with history, life, and visitors from beyond the grave. But don’t just take our word for it. Keep reading and find out why the Thornton House has garnered such a reputation over the years.  

Thornton House History

As mentioned above, the Thornton House was constructed towards the end of the eighteenth century. Redmon Thornton and his wife, Sarah, built the house to serve as the couple’s new home, having moved from Virginia to Georgia in the 1790s. Economic opportunity may have been a pull factor for them, as the indigo plantation around the Thornton House was quite profitable.  

While Georgia has no shortage of 18th-century plantation houses, many even surviving today, the Thornton House stands unique for several elements. There is a fireplace in almost every room in the house, save one. In between two of the chimneys lay a secret chamber that the Thornton family used to warm their food up in! 

These luxuries were indicative of wealthy farmers of the time, and it seemed that Redmon Thornton did quite well for himself. He sent his sons Vincent, James, and Jesse to college - a rare achievement at the time - and used his wealth to establish and fund the local Bethesda Baptist Church. 

His efforts and charitable nature paid dividends; Vincent went on to become a preacher, Jesse a poet, and James - who the house would later be named after - became the founder of the local Thornton Academy. The Thornton name and house continued to be pillars in Atlanta, although the house eventually slipped out of the family’s ownership. The Atlanta Art Association would move the house closer to Atlanta, and then the house would be moved again for renovation to its current resting place. 

Thornton House Hauntings

However, despite such an illustrious and well-to-do history, the Thornton House nevertheless had a darker side. For students of history, this answer might be obvious.

The Thornton House was a plantation, and like all Southern antebellum plantations of the time, it relied on slavery for it to run. Numerous enslaved people came through the Thornton House over the years under the oppressive yoke that was American slavery. Thus, it’s no wonder that stories abound that a heavy presence can be felt in the Thornton House’s former slave quarters. 

In fact, when the Ghost Hunters show was filmed here, there was footage of the hosts’ EMF detector going off in the slave quarters. They also heard the screeching cry of…something that the hosts described as sounding inhuman. That’s not all they uncovered while they filmed, either. 

While in the courtyard, they saw a mysterious light flash upstairs in the carriage house despite no one being around to generate such a light. Not only that, but whispering voices seemed to float on the wind constantly, and there was a persistent feeling that some unseen person was in the house with them. 

And it’s not just that film crew that has reported strange sightings at the Thornton House. Many staff and visitors have reported seeing the same little boy pop up throughout the years. Details sometimes vary, but what is known is that the boy is in his teens, dressed in a 19th-century style, and while he likes spying on guests, he will retreat if he is spotted. A prankster? A trick of the eye? Or perhaps a mysterious stowaway from a time long gone? 

A Mysterious Girl 

Speaking of mysterious ghosts, telling the story of the Thornton House would not be complete without mentioning the mystery girl who’s by far the most spotted phantasm of the property. Details are even more hazy about her than the mystery boy described above. 

She’s young, though no one knows precisely how young. In fact, the only reason that we suspect she may be young is that she’s often suspected of pulling young girls’ ponytails and pigtails whenever they visit the Thornton House. Of course, as soon as they turn to see who pulled their hair, no one is there. 

Other guests have more of a benign experience with her as sometimes she’s known to lead them upstairs to show them around. Maybe she’s even showing off her living quarters too, as no one knows which room in the Thornton House she calls home. In fact, she may not even be alone. 

Staff members also reported spotting this mystery girl, and during some of those sightings, a family could be seen peering through the windows of rooms the girl disappeared into. Maybe they’re her original family, who also stayed behind? Or perhaps they’re some friendly ghosts looking after one of their own? It’s anyone’s guess.

One thing is clear, though - if you’re scared of the dark, it might be best to avoid the Thornton House. Ever the prankster, this little girl ghost doesn’t just confine herself to pulling hair. She’s also known to blow out candles during the most inopportune moments, startling more guests than we can count!

Haunted Atlanta 

So, there you have it. If you’re looking for Atlanta ghosts, the Thorton House is as good a place as any to find them. But that’s not the only place you can visit in Atlanta if you’re looking for something spooky on your trips. Take an in-person tour with Atlanta Ghost, and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok for more ghostly information. Keep reading our blog, which can help you find more real Georgia hauntings.

Sources:

http://daysgoneby.me/thornton-house-ghost-georgia/

https://www.ghostvillage.com/encounters/2009/06192009.shtml

https://www.ajc.com/lifestyles/home/the-most-haunted-old-houses-atlanta/RLa22HprBGryjGnHYD1u8H

https://www.syfy.com/ghost-hunters/season-6/blogs/episode-recap-the-oldest-house-in-georgia

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=208583