Murder at the Mansion....?!

     Every teenager in Perry Hall, Maryland has heard of the Perry Hall mansion. Supposedly, this historical building on Peppermill Road is haunted. Stories have said that when looking onto the property at night, lights flicker and ghostly apparitions can be seen through the windows. Of course, this attracts skeptics and ghost hunters alike.

     This mansion and its property were the beginning of what is now Perry Hall and was home to English settler Harry Dorsey Gough in the 18th century.  Gough was a wealthy man who often hosted boisterous parties and gatherings. One of the legends says that Gough invited a Methodist group to his house for a party and after, Gough went to see some of his guests off. When he returned he saw his wife Prudence and one of the slave men together. He brutally beat Prudence, murdered her adulterous lover, and tortured the others. 

      Although graphic, this story shows historical and cultural contexts including religion, racism, and sexism. The Perry Hall mansion is of historical importance in my hometown as well as an icon for the curiosity of the town's inhabitants.
      Places such as this need to be preserved because they hold such historical importance. The mansion should be preserved not only for that reason but also because it is a popular haunted attraction, just like the many haunted castles in Europe. For, as all Perry Hall teenagers know, it is a right of passage to attempt to break into the mansion to find out what ghostly inhabitants await those who dare to enter. In regards to my personal visit to the mansion, I can honestly say that the spook skeptics are wrong.