The Spirits of the Riddle House

Posted: 03.18.2025 | Updated: 03.18.2025

The beautiful oceanside town of West Palm Beach offers luxurious vacation getaways and breathtaking sunsets, inviting thousands of visitors to Florida each year. However, this glamorous beach community has an obscure history filled with mysteries and legends, such as the story of the Riddle House, where spirits from long ago still reside.

If you love learning about the rich history of the most haunted places in Florida, you should schedule your next ghost tour with us here at Miami Haunts.

Who Haunts the Riddle House?

This early 20th-century home was once the residence of the local overseer for the Woodland cemetery located across the street. And it seems that many of the spirits of those laid to rest have decided they would rather stay at the Riddle House than in their assigned final resting place. But who are these ghosts, and why are they so adamant about sticking around the Riddle House?

The History of the Riddle House

Originally known as the Gatekeeper’s Cottage, the Riddle House was a Victorian “Painted Lady” style house located at 327 Acacia Street in the downtown West Palm Beach area. It was built in the early 1900s and was initially used as a funeral parlor, then later converted into a private residence for Karl Riddle.

Karl Riddle became the first city manager and superintendent of public works in West Palm Beach during the 1920s. The city offered him the gatekeeper’s cottage as a place of residence. In exchange, along with serving his duties as the city manager, he also had to oversee the cemetery located across the street.

The Haunting of the Riddle House

During his time as city manager, Riddle had a hired hand who was facing money issues. The employee was in such a depressed state of mind he was too far gone to be saved. He committed suicide by hanging himself in the rafters of the attic. Following the tragedy, Karl Riddle had that particular beam permanently removed from the top story of the house.

News of the tragic event quickly spread throughout the community, causing Riddle to have a difficult time maintaining his employees. When he did manage to hire some help, the new workers heard and saw many unexplainable things in the house that frightened them. One of the most popular ghost stories in the area at that time, which is still being told by locals today, is the story about a man named Buck.

The Ghost of Buck the Graveyard Worker

Buck was a large man who worked in the cemetery. According to the story, Buck was killed in town following an argument that escalated to a brutal end. The ghost of Buck has been seen walking the grounds around the house as well as on the front porch of the cottage, where most of the cemetery workers would eat their lunch.

The ghostly encounters workers mentioned inside the home include hearing the sound of chains dragging across the floor and seeing ghostly apparitions lurking in the dark corners. Out of fear, the workers quit their jobs following the suicide, leaving Riddle in a desperate state.

The Relocating and Renovation of the Riddle House 

Karl soon left the house with his family and moved on to find a different job in another town. The house went through several owners after that before it was finally used by Palm Beach Atlantic College as a dormitory for female students. By 1980, the house was abandoned and had fallen into disrepair.

The Riddle House was scheduled to be demolished until the city intervened. They donated the building to Karl’s nephew, John Riddle, who then donated for historical preservation. The house was dismantled and then relocated to Yesteryear Village, where it would be on permanent display for the public to enjoy and admire.

While many believed the house would no longer be haunted after it was uprooted and relocated, the ghosts remained and seemingly became angry when they were forced to be moved away from their longtime residence and the Woodland cemetery.

During the renovation process, the ghosts quickly let everyone know they were still around. Carpenters would show up for work in the morning to find their tools had been thrown from the attic outside to the backyard below. 

Something was also mysteriously breaking the windows on the third floor. The reconstruction of the home had to be temporarily paused for six months because the workers were so disturbed by the haunting encounters they witnessed.

The Grand Unveiling 

Once the renovations were completed, there was a private unveiling held in honor of the Riddle House. An unexpected couple attended, dressed in attire from the early 1900s. Many of the guests believed they were actors who were there to help set the mood of the event. They commented on the couple on their costumes and how historically accurate they looked.

When an old photograph was unveiled showing the Riddle House as it was years ago, those in attendance were shocked when they recognized the same couple they thought were actors were also in the photo. But by the time that happened, the pair was no longer around.

No one knows more about the history of the Riddle House than its current curator, James Danford. Originally, Danford was skeptical when he heard stories about the old house being haunted. But after witnessing some strange occurrences, he was a believer.

A Ghost Named Mary

A psychic once visited the home, and Danford accompanied them on a tour. The psychic told him she felt the presence of a woman who was upset in the kitchen. She said the woman was screaming, telling her that she was dissatisfied with the wallpaper. She didn’t like the style and wanted it removed immediately.

Danford brushed the story from the psychic off until he was giving another tour of the home six months later to a man from the UK. To his surprise, the man also mentioned he felt the spirit of an angry woman while they were in the kitchen. He also said she was upset about the wallpaper. He told Danford that her name was Mary.

The Boy Named Michael 

In the second story of the home, the ghostly activity tends to remain in the children’s room. Danford recalls one time a four-year-old boy was taking a tour of the house with his family. 

He went into the children’s room and was playing there alone, but it seemed to Danford that he was playing with another child, even though no one else was there. When Danford asked the boy who he was playing with, the child looked back at him strangely and said, “Michael.”

Danford had heard tales of the spirit of a little boy named Michael. Some of the visitors in the past heard the sound of two children talking and playing as if they were having a tea party.

Danford asked the four-year-old, “Can you actually see him?” The little boy replied, “Of course! He’s here.” As if everyone should have been able to see him.

Ghostly Encounters in the Riddle House

Additional strange encounters have occurred at the Riddle House over the years. During a private tour, one visitor was struck in the head by a piece of wood as they walked up the staircase. The wood seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.

There was also a maintenance worker who said he was attacked by a ghost. He left the job and never returned to the house again.

Another witness said they saw a hanging torso, like that of a mannequin used by seamstresses, in the attic window. When he went upstairs to get a closer look, he found that there wasn’t a single mannequin in the attic.

Security personnel have also noticed common haunting activities, such as the lights switching on and off on their own. Many of them refuse to enter the home alone.

Haunted Miami

The Riddle House is one of the most prevalent haunts in Southern Florida. Even after the home was completely relocated to a new street, the structure itself held onto memories that belonged to the souls of those who once lived there. The reason why they are still connected to the Riddle House will always remain a mystery.

If you would like to learn more about the most haunted places in Florida, you can check out our blog. Or schedule a ghost tour with us here at Miami Haunts, where you can see some of the most haunting locations in the South with us.

Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok for historical facts and urban legends on the scariest locations throughout the country.

Sources:

• https://www.travelchannel.com/shows/ghost-adventures/articles/riddle-houses-haunted-history
• https://palmbeach.floridaweekly.com/articles/the-haunting-of-riddle-house/
• https://the-line-up.com/riddle-house