Tulsa Garden Center Mansion Said To Be Haunted By Former Resident

By Dan Bewley, The News On 6

TULSA, OK -- The mansion that's home to the Tulsa Garden Center is said to be haunted by a former resident.

The Tulsa Garden Center has called the mansion home since the early '50s, but there are those who believe something else patrols the grand hallways.

"You know, there have been an awful lot of instances of hauntings here," said Barbie Raney, Tulsa Garden Center.

Barbie Raney is the Tulsa Garden Center's executive director. She has long heard stories of ghostly specters brushing past employees as they walk down the staircase. So, she decided to have the mansion investigated for the paranormal.

"My name is Teri French. I am the founder of the Paranormal Investigation Team of Tulsa," said Teri French.

French says it started when her team first came to investigate. The elevator, she says, opened and closed by itself. The doorbell chimed and the telephones began to ring, all at the same time. In the library, Tulsa Garden Center brochures unexplainably flew from the shelves.

"There's absolutely no ventilation in here, no ventilation, no windows were open, there's no fans, we have no explanation for it," said Teri French.

For the skeptic, French says they go into each investigation looking for logical explanations, but she says they simply can't find that at the mansion, and that's enough for the people who work there.

"It may just be that the house is old and it's creaky, but there are enough goose bumps that go down my spine to think that it might be a little something else," said Barbie Raney.

Raney believes Mary Hull is the woman behind the hauntings. Mary Hull lived there in the '20s, she died while giving birth and her body lied in state in one of the rooms.

Raney says the odd happenings may never be truly explained, but she has no doubt it's from the other side...everyone else will have to decide for themselves.

The Tulsa Garden Center mansion is open for tours, Tuesday through Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. This year they had a special tour to explain the hauntings. They plan to do that again next year.