History & local legend
The Columns Museum in Milford holds belongings of philosopher Charles Sanders Peirce and his wife, Juliette. A room and adjoining hallway associated with the collection became the setting for reports that Juliette might still be nearby.
Museum director Lori Strelecki described seven visitors, over a period of years, reporting a sense of being watched or hearing the rustle of taffeta. The sound suggested a woman's dress, and Juliette's wardrobe offered a particular association: many of her garments entered the collection in black, reflecting her long mourning after Charles's death.
Juliette had kept her husband's ashes on her mantel before they were eventually buried with her.
Sources
- Lori Strelecki, Does Juliette Peirce haunt a room and hallway at The Columns?, Autumn Guide to the Upper Delaware, 2017
- Pike County Historical Society, Charles & Juliette Peirce exhibit
- Trek Zone, The Columns Museum location
- Allison Mowatt, “Do You Love the Chills?”, Connections, February 2012, printed page 7
