Samuel Sayre House
Samuel Sayre lived in Morristown. The site of his house still attracts attention, though the original building is gone.
John Sayre built the house in 1749 and it was a peaceful home until 1833. At that time, Samuel Sayre, son of Samuel, the current owner, hired Antoine LeBlanc to do some work in the home. On May 11, 1833, LeBlanc brutally murdered Samuel and his wife Sarah, as well as a young girl named Phoebe who worked in the house. Apparently, LeBlanc enticed the Sayres into the barn and then used an ax to kill them. He hid their bodies under a manure pile in the barn. He then returned to the house and did in Phoebe, the maid.
The authorities soon apprehended LeBlanc and set his trial date. He was sentenced to death. His execution in December of 1883 was the last hanging to take place on the Green in Morristown. Huge crowds attended the event. Apparently, it was decided somewhere along the line to tan his hide and make the pieces available to those who wished to purchase a commemorative of the event. Lampshade and wallets were made from the pieces of skin! “A half century later, when Morristown had grown into a fashionable country place for the rich and the cultured, a civic-minded citizen named A.W. Cutler made a hit at a YMCA fundraiser by exhibiting, alongside a goblet that had been Napoleon’s and a necklace that had been Josephine’s, one authentic Antoine LeBlanc wallet.”1The Lawton Constitution, 1/29/1978, page 13A
An interesting followup to the murder story appeared years later:
BONES OF A MURDERER2Syracuse, NY – The Herald – 07/30/1893
Found at Morristown – Their Owner Killed A Woman
New York, July 19. In digging the excavation for the foundation of the new Morris county Court House at Morristown, the workmen uncovered a box containing human bones. It is believed the remains are those of Antoine LeBlanc, a Frenchman. LeBlance murdered Samuel Sayre, Sayre’s wife Sarah, and a colored woman employed by Sayre. The murder was committed on the night of May 11, 1833.
LeBlanc was tried and sentenced to be hanged. The gallows were erected in the center of the park, and on September 6th of the same year of the murder, LeBlanc was hanged in full view of several thousand people. Isaac Canfield, a surgeon, dissected the body and the skin was tanned. Many residents of Morristown have in their possession pieces of the tanned skin. What remained of the body was placed in a box and buried in the rear of the court house.
After the Murders
After the Sayre family, the property belonged to the Lidgerwood family. There may have been other owners prior to the Lidgerwoods. By the late 1880’s, Lidgerwoods owned it The 1930 census shows James Graeme Lidgerwood’s family occupying the house. James committed suicide in the house the following year.3The Daily News – 11/30/1931
Morristown. Today – James G. Lidgerwood, a prominent steel manufacturer, committed suicide in his home, 217 South Street, shortly after 7 o’clock today bu shottinghimslef in the head with a shotgun.
Edward Winchester bought the property in 1947 and renamed it the Winchester Turnpike Inn. He added a restaurant and taproom to the property. A fire on the property in October of 1957 resulted in injuries to about 25 people, working all night to put out the blaze.
The next owner was William McCausland about 1962, who converted the upstairs in to banquet facilities, though Phoebe’s rooms remained notoriously chilly. Candles had a way of lighting themselves in the room as well. McCausland owned the place for 20 years and experienced several incidents. At one point, a set of keys went missing, only to drop loudly onto his desk when he turned his back. A waitress in McCausland’s tenure went upstairs to Phoebe’s room and felt hands placed on her shoulders.
In 1980, Society Hill was the name of the establishment. One of the owners, David Degraff, did not believe any of the stories about ghosts. But then, during the grand opening party, a punch bowl cracked and exploded. Throwing the opening party on the anniversary of the Sayre murders was probably not a good idea. The owners called in Lorraine Warren, the famed Connecticut psychic. According to Warren, the spirit she contacted was the murderer. The mutilation of his body after he died disturbed LeBlanc greatly, driving his appearances. At Warren’s suggestion, a catholic priest performed an exorcism, and the owners stopped hosting their weekly Ouija parties. Warren claimed the ghost is gone.[[Daily Record, 10/30/1886]]
The property became Phoebe’s some time before 1995 and around 2000 it took its final name of Jimmy’s Haunt. Quite an ironic name to end with, eh? Jimmy’s closed down in 2007. A modern bank occupies the space now, and supposedly, it’s still haunted.
A Lancaster county haunting also features a Sayre cousin.