The Castle of Peachtree has stood watch over the expanding and modernizing of the city of Atlanta for over 100 years. It’s seen the highrises come up around its once sleepy locale. It’s watched as all of the houses near it were renovated, torn down or rebuilt. Through it all, Rhodes Hall in Georgia stayed constant, with even the original furniture and artwork in place from its history as the private home of two staunch confederate supporters. Some say the family who built it to be their eternal home really did mean eternal, and still linger around the halls and towers of the castle-like structure.
Built in 1904 by eccentric millionaire, Amos Giles Rhodes, the home was intended to be the dream house he and his wife would grow old together within. He ordered the construction to be out of granite harvested from the nearby Stone Mountain quarry. He filled the home with electric lights, a luxury at the time that made the home look like something out of a fairytale with bright glittering lights in the dark streets of Atlanta. Amos and his wife Amanda moved into the estate as soon as it was completed and began filling it with little touches of home to make the austere castle-like appearance a little softer and lived in.
Ornately carved fixtures and accents, giant four-poster beds, statues of angels and most frightening of all, a mural depicting the founder of the Ku Klux Klan, Nathan Bedford Forest. It should be worth remembering that the Rhodes were very staunch supporters of the secession and the war fought over it. It wouldn’t be surprising to find a confederate flag or two among their possessions. Politics aside, the Rhodes were enamored with their own little fortress in Peachtree, even as the neighborhood changed around them. High rise buildings began to appear in the distance, more roads and homes were built in their little subdivision until the green grass they’d previously had as their only neighbors grew to sprout homes and shops.
In 1927, Amanda Rhodes passed away in the home, followed quickly in death by her husband. The two achieved their wish to grow old together in the fortress they’d built for themselves. Legend says, however, that they weren’t so keen to give up their home in death. They intended to stay for a literal eternity, walking the halls and terrifying visitors to get out of their home. Those with paranormal experiences within the home often say they would never pass the threshold again as long as they live.
The home is now protected as a National Historic Landmark, so its unique design will continue to look a little out of place for the remainder of its existence. It’s rented out now for weddings, parties, events, and they even give tours of the unique castle of Peachtree. Many have entered through the giant, imposing doors, but a few have turned around and immediately left, screaming from whatever they’d seen on the grand staircase.
One report from an employee of the house tells of a frightening encounter with Mr. Rhodes, who chased after her, cane in hand, to scream for her to get out. The Rhodes always liked their privacy, so when the old man came running down the stairs, brandishing his cane and screaming “GET OUT,” the young lady complied immediately and never returned to Rhodes Hall.
During another tour of the castle, a woman who had been feeling uneasy from the start was suddenly mesmerized by a portrait of the severe-looking lady of the house, Amanda Rhodes. The young lady had been left behind in the room while her tour group continued without her, and suddenly a noise stopped her in her tracks. It was the furniture in the room, all seeming to rock up and down in unison to create a cacophony of wood on wood, and the lights began to flicker violently. Finally, the image of Amanda Rhodes appeared in a mirror of a vanity, superimposed over the other woman’s visage. That’s when she began to scream, and ran out of the home without completing the tour.
This seems to be the norm for those who experience paranormal activity in Rhodes Hall, with the former owner’s grasp on the home still strong in the afterlife. You can tour the Rhodes Hall in Atlanta today. You might get a fright or a sighting of a specter, but even if you don’t, the history and opulence of the home are worth the experience.
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Born in Death Valley and raised on the prairie, Deborah is a Wyoming-based paranormal researcher and University of Wyoming graduate. Her interests lie in folklore, history, symbolic interaction and research. She also researches the paranormal academically and is a graduate student studying sociology.