DYING FOR LOVE

sunnieside (52)in #newbieresteemday • 8 years ago

Down the street from my sister's home in Monticello, Arkansas sits the most famous haunted house in the state.

Ladell Allen lived with her parents in this house in the early 1900s. The house, a lovely Queen Anne, Victorian style home was built by her father Joe Lee Allen. Joe Lee made sure the house was an eye-catching show piece that everyone would admire. Allen, his wife and three daughters lived there and all was well until his death in 1917.

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During the last week of 1948, Ladell Allen poisoned herself with mercury cyanide. For the next 40 years, Ladell’s room was sealed off by her mother. No one ever knew during that time why Ladell had taken her own life.

After Mrs. Allen’s death, the house was sectioned off into apartments and became rental property run by the Allen family. That’s when strange things started to happen.

Tenants reported seeing out of the ordinary happenings and experiencing paranormal activity. It's said that sometimes a misty figure appears in Ladell's upstairs bedroom window and can be seen by passersby!

To make a long, long story short, in 2009, the newest owners of the home found 84 letters under the floor boards of the attic written by Ladell Allen. Finally, after many years, the reason for Ladell's suicide is revealed. These letters describe a very sad love story between herself and a man named Prentiss Hemingway Savage.

Seems Prentiss was a married man who fell in love with Ladell and she with him. Their affair ran from March of 1948 to December of of 1948.

Ladell knew that Prentiss was married, but he promised her he was going to leave his wife and they would live happily every after. You know how that goes!

There was just one problem…..Prentiss’s wife made it impossible to divorce her and he was unwilling to give up his life’s fortune. In other words, he loved his money more than he loved Ladell.

Prentiss wrote one last letter to Ladell explaining to her that he couldn’t leave his wife and would not be at that Christmas party in 1948.

Ladell decided to take her life because she could not bear the thought of living without him. How sad that she thought she couldn’t exist because of this one man!

If you would like to read the entire story with all the spooky details, there is a book by the owners of the house who found the letters. A HAUNTED LOVE STORY, THE GHOSTS OF THE ALLEN HOUSE, is a great read by Mark and Rebecca Spencer.

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Guided tours by appointment are also available if you ever find yourself in Monticello, Ar.

I’ve been through this house, it’s very interesting, intriguing and most of all haunted!!! My sister's late husband was related to Joe Lee Allen which makes it even more interesting to me.

Oh by the way, Ladell is not the only ghost who haunts the house, there are many more that you'll discover should you read the book or visit the house.

Halloween is a good time to visit!! Just saying!