The Spirits of The Pritchard House

Posted: 02.24.2025 | Updated: 02.24.2025

Something is stirring inside the walls of a beautiful historic home in downtown Titusville, yet the owners are destined to remain tight-lipped about it. What secrets could they be hiding?

Learn all about the dark history of the most haunted places in Florida by taking a ghost tour with us at Orlando Haunts. Visit our website today to schedule your next spooky adventure.

Is the Pritchard House Haunted?

If you ask the current owners and staff members of the Pritchard House Museum if the property is haunted, you will get a very quick response. The owners disagree with any claim that the house is inhabited by ghosts, and they will come up with any conceivable excuse for the encounters visitors claim to see.

Many haunted house enthusiasts believe the owners know far too well what’s really going on inside the Pritchard House, and that’s why they vehemently deny the rumors.

The History of the Pritchard House            

The Pritchard House is a Queen Anne-style historic home in Titusville, Florida. It was built in 1891 for Captain James Pritchard, his wife Mary Haley Boye Pritchard, and their two children, Boud and Kate. Mary’s mother, Frances Delespine Boye, also lived with them.

The home was a beautiful addition to the Titusville community with its picturesque architecture featuring a tower with a conical roof, a veranda, a second-floor balcony, and a wrap-around porch.

The house was passed down from one generation to the next until 2005 when it was purchased by the Brevard County Board of County Commissioners.

Today the home is owned by the North Brevard Heritage Foundation, which assisted with its restoration and now operates the house as a museum open to the public. Artifacts that once belonged to the Pritchard family, as well as antiques donated by locals, are featured inside the home, allowing visitors to take a trip back in time. There are also beautiful gardens outside that pay tribute to several of Titusville’s founding families.

The Pritchard Family made a lasting impression on the City of Titusville not only with their lovely historic home that stands out in the downtown area but also by what they contributed to the town and its residents.

Captain James Pritchard

James Pritchard was born in New York City in 1836 and later moved to Missouri after the Civil War began. His father, John Pritchard, served as a colonel in the Union Army at the time, and James worked his way up to serve as a captain in the Confederate Army. Fortunately, the father and son never had to face each other in battle.

Following his time in the war, James moved his family to Florida in 1876, where they initially grew sugar cane. They purchased the land for the Pritchard House in June of 1891 and began building.

James later became an entrepreneur and a true leader of Titusville. He established the first bank in the area, the Indian River State Bank, where he served as president. He also operated the city’s first electric generating plant, Florida Power & Light.

Captain Pritchard retired from the bank in 1925 and died a year later, in 1926. He was buried at Oaklawn Cemetery in Titusville. His wife, Mary, died ten years later, in 1936.

Boud and Lola Pritchard

After Captain Pritchard’s death, the house was handed down to his son Boud, who lived there with his wife Lola Pauline Smith, both of whom lived in the house until their deaths. Their daughter Mary later lived in the house until 2005.

The Haunting of The Pritchard House

The Pritchard House is believed to be one of the most haunted houses in the state of Florida. Many believe the spirits of the original inhabitants wander the halls and cause unexplained activity to occur. While the Captain and his wife have been seen lounging around the home by visitors from time to time, it is Boud’s wife, Lola, who is believed to be behind the most sinister haunts.

The members of the Pritchard family, who are believed to haunt the house, exhibit very different types of behavior. The Captain and Mary Pritchard don’t seem to mind having visitors; however, the ghost of Boud’s wife, Lola, has a very different response to those who dare to enter her home.

Lola “Miss Lovie” Pauline Smith

Known as Miss Lovie, Lola Pauline Smith is not someone who is remembered for her kind and pleasant demeanor. While she has been described as an attractive woman, she is far from beautiful on the inside. 

She despised the thought of anyone entering her home unannounced and didn’t like for the townspeople to trespass on her property. She would even become annoyed by those walking past the house, often glaring out the window as they would pass by.

According to stories shared by visitors to the home, Miss Lovie is the main entity responsible for most of the haunting activities. Some nighttime joggers have seen a ghostly figure wearing a flowing white dress peering out the windows as they pass the house. While some describe the apparition as a beautiful woman, others have stated that she has a horrifying appearance similar to a zombie.  

Captain James and Mary Pritchard

The spirits of James Pritchard and his wife Mary have both been seen inside the Pritchard House at times, but not as often as Miss Lovie. The captain has been seen still wearing his Confederate uniform, sitting around the house, and not paying much attention to the living who are visiting. 

The apparitions of the couple have often been seen by guests taking a tour of the house museum. Some have also reported they have seen the captain standing in the windows at night; however, he doesn’t peer outside in the same irritated manner as Miss Lovie.

Ghostly Encounters at the Pritchard House

Those who have visited the Pritchard House experience many of the same ghostly encounters as you would expect in any other haunted house. Lights will flicker and turn on and off when no one is there. 

People have heard unusual creaking noises from the hardwood flooring and strange rustling of the Spanish moss outside the home while the wind is still. There are sounds of someone screaming, and sometimes, one can hear a young girl calling out for her mother. It has been said that the house was restored from the past so meticulously that it almost feels as if the building itself is alive.

But there is one eerie occurrence inside the Pritchard House that is unlike any other, and it always sends a chill over those who are there to experience it. The old grandfather clock that hasn’t worked for decades will still ring loudly at midnight every night. Many in town are convinced that Miss Lovie is behind the ringing of the clock, and it serves as a warning to those inside her private home, letting them know they are not welcome there.

Haunted Orlando

The state of Florida is filled with many haunting experiences, and some of the most poignant can be found right here in Orlando. If you are interested in learning about the history and lore behind these mysterious locations, be sure to book your ghost tour with Orlando Haunts today!

Don’t forget to check out our blog for the latest stories about haunted locations in Orlando and throughout the U.S. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok for more details on our latest ghost tours.

Sources:

• https://www.titusville.com/649/Pritchard-House
• https://history.titusville.com/items/show/20
• https://route1views.com/?view=ghostly-whispers-and-time-travel-discover-the-haunted-prichard-house-in-florida
• https://nbbd.com/npr/preservation/
• https://thefairytaletraveler.com/2015/09/21/haunted-places-in-florida/
• https://www.orlandoweekly.com/orlando/the-24-most-haunted-places-in-the-orlando-area/Slideshow/37881629/37881640
• https://route1views.com/?view=ghostly-whispers-and-time-travel-discover-the-haunted-prichard-house-in-florida