History & local legend
James Russell built his house at 203 South Juliana Street in Bedford in 1816. It later housed the Pate family’s funeral business and county offices. A young investigator’s account describes a possible apparition on its staircase.
The writer was twelve and attending a first ghost investigation. The group entered around 6:15 in the evening, looked through the house and began their work by seven. They placed a recorder in the upstairs kitchen. As the evening continued, noises repeatedly drew their attention toward the stairs, where they thought shadows were moving.
When the writer examined the photographs afterward, one shape seemed to resemble a person standing on the staircase, possibly a woman. On the audio recording, the group heard a grunt immediately after someone asked whether anyone present had once lived in the house.
