Entry No. 15 — the Memphis file — filed under: haunted
Woodruff-Fontaine House
In this 1871 Victorian Village mansion, Mollie Woodruff endured a stillbirth and later watched her husband die of pneumonia in the same rooms; visitors and staff have long reported a woman in a green dress pacing the staircase, slamming doors, and the smell of cigar smoke from an unidentified male presence with no known source.
The story
In 1871, Adams Avenue was the residential strip where Gilded Age Memphis flexed its wealth, and 680 Adams stood out as a French Victorian powerhouse. Built for carriage maker and banker Amos Woodruff, the mansion saw its most heavy-hearted history under his daughter, Mollie Woodruff. Inside these heavy brick walls, Mollie suffered a devastating stillbirth, and not long after, watched her young husband die of pneumonia in the very same room.
While much of Victorian Village was eventually torn down or repurposed over the decades, this three-story house survived with its grand mansard roof and period details intact. Today, it operates as a house museum, but staff and quiet afternoon visitors often report that the past hasn't quite packed up. Accounts persist of a female figure in a green dress pacing the main staircase, doors latching shut in silent hallways, and the sudden, unmistakable scent of cigar smoke drifting through rooms where smoking has been banned for decades.
What it's like
You'll wander at your own pace on a self-guided route through three full floors of restored Victorian rooms, packed with authentic 19th-century furniture, clothing, and decor. It feels like a standard historic house museum on the surface—quiet, creaky, and self-contained—without any theatrical jump scares or costumed actors playing up the ghosts. Take your time along the staircase landings and upper hallways, and keep an eye on current afternoon hours before heading to Victorian Village.
The move: Take the self-guided tour through all three floors of restored period rooms Wednesday through Sunday afternoon, then walk across the street to compare notes over drinks at Mollie Fontaine Lounge, named for the house's other resident ghost.
- 📍 Victorian Village / Downtown
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 680 Adams Avenue, Memphis, TN 38105
Hours: Added 2026-07-20 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- Elmwood Cemetery — Pair the high-society mourning traditions of Adams Avenue with a walk through the 1850s cemetery where many of Victorian Village's residents were laid to rest.
- A. Schwab / Beale Street Hoodoo History and Folklife Museum — Trade 1870s French Victorian architecture for Memphis's oldest operating general store on Beale Street, complete with its upper-floor hoodoo collection.
- The Cotton Museum at the Memphis Cotton Exchange — Visit the downtown trading floor that generated the raw cotton fortunes that funded the grand mansions on Adams Avenue.
Good to know
When can you tour the mansion?
Self-guided tours run Wednesday through Sunday afternoons. Always double-check current hours online before you go, as schedule updates occur.
What specific hauntings are associated with the house?
Staff and guests frequently cite a woman in a green dress seen near the staircase, doors slamming shut without a breeze, and an unaccounted scent of cigar smoke in empty rooms.
How many floors are open to visitors?
The tour route grants access to three floors of fully furnished, restored 19th-century rooms.
What is the connection to the lounge across the street?
Mollie Fontaine Lounge sits directly across Adams Avenue in a neighboring Victorian mansion, named after the prominent Fontaine family who later owned the Woodruff residence.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · ilovememphisblog.com · Wikipedia · historic-memphis.com
last checked: 2026-07-20