Watson
House

The Watson House was tucked away as a haunted hidden gem in the small town of Strawn Texas. Issa, Lisa, and Angela wanted a new challenge. Could we possibly stay overnight in a haunted funeral parlor where celebration of life became intertwined with grief? Would the Watson's welcome us, or ask us to hit the road?

The Watson House Funeral Home

The Watson house was a funeral home for 52 years and so was the Dillon Depot.

Watson’s died here. This estate was built in 1919 during the Texas oil boom. The Colonial Revival mansion overlooks Palo Pinto Creek and the sprawling 6,000 square feet of living space was once home to the Watson family. The residence has been restored beautifully to accommodate a B&B or to host glamorous weddings and events. The home was modeled after a West Virginia mansion and has double-brick walls, 7 fireplaces, and elaborate decoration.

Almost 100 years after its completion and at least 50 years since it last hosted a grand, social event, the venerable old Watson mansion flung open her doors yesterday evening (Saturday, 4/14/18), to host Strawn’s Junior/Senior Prom. 

For the last two years, owner Steven Cordrey, teams of contractors, and a handful of Strawn volunteers have been diligently renovating the house and grounds, to bring it back to its former glory.

George and his wife Lelah Allen Watson, who had become wealthy during Strawn’s coal and oil booms, chose to build their home on a 7.5-acre plot of land on the north bank of Palo Pinto Creek which was purchased from S.B. Strawn in 1917 for $1,561. 

• The Georgian Colonial-style house was completed in 1920 for $98,000 (the equivalent of $1.3 million in today’s dollars)!

• The eleven-room antebellum home with massive white columns was patterned after a plantation home located in West Virginia. The home is only one room deep to allow for optimal ventilation in the warm summer months. 

• The house has seven fireplaces, all made with imported Italian marble, the mantles were made and shipped in from New York. The porch railings and balustrades are made from imported Italian granite. The eleven spacious rooms were finished in plaster with plaster moldings on the ceilings. It has a large entry hall with a front staircase, a butler’s pantry, a back staircase (for use by the servants), and two full baths and one half-bath.

• The house was built with a breezeway that connected to a guest house and garage. The Watson House included one of the first home intercom systems so that servants could be summoned. 

• Mr. Watson remarked that he did not realize how big the house was until the house was actually built!

Paranormal History

Layla is the spiritual matriarch and won't welcome you or become friendly until you introduce yourself. The Watson family loved to host parties and even in the afterlife, it feels like the spirits are rsvp'ing yes to the guest list. 

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Shadow figures have been reported here but who they are still remains to be seen. Certain areas such as the funeral parlor area have been said to make guests feel overwhelmed with grief.

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Music randomly seems to come on if Layla feels she wants to entertain you as her guest as well as clocks coming on as well. In the game room, women are often felt unwelcome and Mr. Watson will let that be known quite quickly.

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If you stay overnight, you might even catch a light out in the backyard area when no one is present. This is said to be the lantern carried by the young neighbor boy who drowned.

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The Old Hardware store is where many paranormal adventure seekers have met a darker spirit who tends to have a bad attitude. Some have even reported being choked or scratched when his presence begins to surface.

Behind The Scenes

Elegant beauty meets spooky apparitions as the guests who checked in want to stay forever.