Lets start off talking about the  Putnam Historic Museum. The museum dates back to 1838 and is the oldest surviving structure in the town of Palatka. Its a Greek revival building not very large but it was the head quarters for officers serving at Fort Shannon during the Second Seminole War. The museum today has a large collection dating back from several periods of the history of Putnam Country.  That is about the only history I have and you could tell it was a barracks for soldiers the building is very long and narrow.  The walkways are made of brick and their is a white picket fence that surrounds it. One can fathom a ghostly soldier just staring out the windows at us.

Now lets talk about the Bronson Mulholland House which has ALOT of history. Although its not the oldest structure this Greek Revival Plantation Manor is one of the more stunning structures in Palatka. I had no plans on investigating it till I realized that it sat right next to the museum so I felt that since it also sat on the Fort Shannon site their had to be some level of paranormal activity here. Little did I know the history of it till I actually delved deeper and was quite pleased. 

Near the manor was the site of a ferry cross on the road from St. Augustine to Fort King which is Ocala today. On the site of the manor was Fort Palatka or known as Fort Shannon in 1838. It was built because of the Second Seminole War which probably was the bloodiest of them all because during that war many plantations were burned, people were massacred and many decisive battles were fought in central Florida. Most of them sites we will continue to visit. The fort was permanently abandoned in 1843 and wow I wish I could live during that period I could have investigated such forts and military outpost. 

If you want to get more technical about Fort Shannon it had stables for 400 horses, eight block houses, a hospital, several barracks, and a trading post. It was built in 1821 and by 1836 the Seminole Indians burned it to the ground. It once was called Fort Palatka and was a major army depot in the area. Although other forts were nearby Fort Shannon surpassed them all in size and strength.

Judge Isaac Hopkins Bronson and his wife Sophronia moved to Palatka from St. Augustine in 1853 to live on a tract of land deeded to him by Robert Reid back in 1852. Bronson had built a Greek Revival manor styled home for his family and named it Sunny Point. Bronson was one of the first three state supreme court justices of Florida and a congressman. When he died he was buried on the grounds only later to be moved to Oak Hill Cemetery a place where I hope to investigate in the future. 

After his death the civil warm came around so the house was a strategically important structure which would eventually be occupied by the confederates who would watch from the third floor windows the St. Johns River for Union Soldiers. The house had taxed windows which were often disguised as doors.  Eventually however the Union Soldiers did occupy the house so it did play a part in the civil war. The manor having 3 floors is quite a large structure with porches all around it, various entrances, walkways, stairs etc so it was a great look out point and safe haven. 

After the civil war Mrs. Bronson a widow sold the property to Charlotte J. Henry who operated a school for freed slave children within the manor. Eventually Charlotte married Nathaniel P. White and they did pass away handing the manor over to their Nurse Mary Mulholland. 

In 1914 Mary Mulholland subdivided the large track of land in lots to various businesses, real estate companies etc and their is proof of this cause their are many old homes in the area as well as new. Although the tract in front of the manor is very large you can tell its been sized down. In 1946 the manor was divided into many apartments and was owned by several people. The city eventually required it in 1966 of course I am sure at one point in time the manor was abandoned as I seen photos of its restoration. 

Eventually this would be the place of the Putnam County Historical Society which was established in 1961 and of course I believe by the early 1970s the manor became its headquarters. The manor was placed on the National Register Of Historic Places. 

Palatka is known as the bass fishing capital of the world so I am sure that back in the day the servants at the manor would cook up the fish that Bronson and their family caught on the St. Johns. 

The manor is haunted although this is from a psychic stand point view of things. I mean you are looking at almost 200 years of history on the grounds. You are looking at history from the Seminole War, The Civil War, Slaves, Deaths Here, Burials On The Grounds and artifacts relevant to Putnam Counties History. So their is alot of energy and I remember on our first investigation how no matter where we walked nuts and branches were falling on our heads as if something was playing a prank on us. 

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Rick-AngelOfThyNight