In the early afternoon sunlight pouring down on the grounds and buildings of Mordecai Historic Park in downtown Raleigh, it’s hard to imagine anything other than birds chattering in the ancient trees, antsy schoolchildren skipping about during tours and history enthusiasts milling about the property.

However, according to employees, when visitation is low and the site gets quiet, an ethereal sort of activity takes place, resulting in everything from ghostly greetings to paranormal piano-practice sessions. Education Manager Kimberly Puryear, a graduate student in public history, said employees aren’t the only ones who have seen strange things on the grounds of Mordecai Plantation. Visitors to the park, including children and adult tourists as well as a few handymen, have seen and heard things they cannot explain.

The Mordecai House — the namesake of the park — is the oldest home in Raleigh on it’s original foundations and was once the seat of one of the largest plantations in Wake County. Puryear said it was originally built by Joel Lane in 1785 as a wedding gift for his son Henry. The house acquired its name when Henry’s daughter Margaret married Moses Mordecai.

After harboring more than five generations of Mordecais, the house was finally purchased by the state of North Carolina in order to preserve it.

Puryear and other employees believe the ghost that haunts the place belongs to the one family member who lived here the longest and then finally died here at the ripe old age of 89, Patty Mordecai. She never married and was the one person to see the plantation at its lowest point, as well as its peak. Employees believe she is just making sure the house she loved so dearly is still being cared for and maintained. And the house isn’t simply being maintained. Since its purchase by the state, preservationists and historians have worked toward restoring the house to some of its original 18th and 19th century glory, according to Puryear. And one of the houses most chilling tales took place during one of these renovations.

According to Puryear, a handyman was doing work in what was the original downstairs parlor when he said he saw a woman in period clothing come down the stairs, shut the french doors to the addition, lock them, and then walk back upstairs, never so much as acknowledging him. The worker ran from the room and refused to come back.

Puryear said she is almost certain the apparition he saw was that of Patty. Patty Mordecai was responsible for keeping the family in the house as long as it was there. Quite the businesswoman, Patty began to sell off fields as the Mordecai’s agricultural income began to wane, and much of downtown Raleigh sits on what was once Mordecai land. She was dedicated to her family and their well-being, and because she never married, the Mordecais and their Raleigh abode were everything to her. Because of this, it simply makes sense that even today, years after passed away from her responsibility as caretaker, Patty remains. The house and its inhabitants are all she’d ever known.

And while Puryear has not personally seen “Ms. Patty,” as employees endearingly refer to her, she has heard from her on more than one occasion. The gift store, which is both the beginning and end of the tour for visitors to the site and therefore the main station for employees, is located in the back of the house on the first floor. Puryear said it is not uncommon for employees waiting for their next tour to hear footsteps above them, and she has heard someone walking around upstairs when she knows she is the only person in the house. Sometimes she wonders how much of it is her imagination, and how much of it is actually a spirit tracing its path from long ago, because she said she does get spooked in the house. But there is one ghostly encounter she said she can’t argue with or explain.

Once, while in the house alone, Puryear heard the distinct sound of music coming from the square piano in the front parlor. She walked into the room to be sure no one was messing with the antique instrument, and to her amazement the keys were not moving and there wasn’t a living soul in sight — but the music was still playing, just as loud as ever.

But Mordecai House isn’t the sole place in Raleigh where legend and history intertwine. Associate Professor and Associate Head of Philosophy and Religion Jason Bivins, said belief in the existence of the supernatural has repeated itself through the course of American history.

“As a historian of American religions, I can say that fascination with ghosts, hauntings, the Gothic and with horror in general has certainly defined American culture since at least the 17th century,” he said.

According to Bivins, the influence of this macabre preoccupation can be seen in a whole host of religious practices, from Native American ancestry worship to Mormon baptism of the dead to 19th-century spiritualists conversing with spirits. And throughout history this same creepy captivation has been used as everything from a source with which to scapegoat off-key characters to a jumping point for new religious ideas.

But even with all the ghostly comings and goings at Mordecai House, there are those on site — those who have had experiences themselves — who still don’t believe.

Erin Callis, assistant site manager for the property, said she has heard a number of stories, but that she doesn’t really put much stock in them. Skeptical as she is, however, Callis does have a few stories of her own.

As the assistant site manager, Callis assumes many responsibilities relating to the property, such as preparing the house for special functions. In April, there are tea parties held at the house, and it’s Callis’ duty to come in and begin setting up, sometimes as early as 6 a.m., alone.

One of these early spring mornings, Callis entered the house, ready to begin her work. She had scarcely removed the key from the lock when she heard a distinct female voice greet her.

“Good morning, Erin,” the disembodied voice had said.

Callis knew she was alone in the house, but she said she didn’t stay there for long.

“I said ‘Peace out Ms. Patty!’ I walked outside, and I locked the door until someone else got here,” she said.

Callis said she has also heard strange noises in the house — even voices — but that she tries to put them out of her mind as soon as they happen.

But regardless of whether or not one is a believer in supernatural occurrences at Mordecai Plantation, according to Bivins “there’s little more American than a haunted house.”