CitegeistApril 15, 202600:32:4845.04 MB

Winderbourne Mansion: Unwinding its Tangled History

A haunted mansion. A tragic history. An an official government document that seems to confirm it all...except...its wrong. The Winderbourne Mansion in Boyds, Maryland has long been surrounded by stories of death, misfortune, and ghosts, but what happens when you peer into the archive?

In this episode, we revisit a case I first covered in 2021 and attempt to untangle the twisted threads of a widely accepted, albeit incorrect, narrative. Children who were said to have died… didn’t, a supposed victim may never have even existed...and the foundation of the entire story traces back to a single government document that made one fatal flaw. Through census records, newspaper archives, death certificates, and historical context, this episode examines how misinformation can spread and ultimately become accepted as truth, even in respected national publications.

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SOURCES

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“1900 United States Federal Census.” 1900. 57:7602?tid=&pid=&queryId=77426bcee4ef96704997c9b6b70ace89&_phsrc=eBA275&_phstart=successSource" data-type="link">https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/discoveryui-content/view/33891257:7602?tid=&pid=&queryId=77426bcee4ef96704997c9b6b70ace89&_phsrc=eBA275&_phstart=successSource.

“1920 United States Federal Census.” 1920. https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/imageviewer/collections/6061/images/4313936-00657?_gl=1*h373dr*_up*MQ..*_ga*MzcwMDk3MDU4LjE3NzU0MzMzNTU.*_ga_4QT8FMEX30*c2RjYTQyNzNlLTAyMmQtNGM4OC04OWMwLWMzN2EyYTQxNDA2OSRvMSRnMSR0MTc3NTQzMzM2MyRqNTEkbDAkaDA.*_ga_LMK6K2LSJH*c2RjYTQyNzNlLTAyMmQtNGM4OC04OWMwLWMzN2EyYTQxNDA2OSRvMSRnMSR0MTc3NTQzMzM2MyRqNTEkbDAkaDA.&pId=41965381.

“Abandoned: The Decaying Splendor Of Winderbourne Mansion, Boyds, Maryland - The Ghost In My Machine.” Accessed April 13, 2026. https://theghostinmymachine.com/2021/05/10/abandoned-the-decaying-splendor-of-winderbourne-mansion-boyds-maryland/.

“ACHS Summary Form M 18-10: Winderbourne (Totten House).” November 3, 1978. https://mcatlas.org/hp2/hpdocs/M_%2018-10.pdf.

“Alice Crosby Totten (1869-1884) - Find A Grave...” Accessed February 8, 2021. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/38919506/alice-crosby-totten.

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Crumbling Decay America. Winderbourne Mansion Maryland - Drone (Abandoned). 2020. 07:17. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVBRJeD5oKw.

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Green Bay Advocate (Green Bay, Wisconsin). October 16, 1884.

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http://www.facebook.com/johnfranciskelly. “For Sale: The Faded Grandeur of the Winderbourne Mansion.” Washington Post. Accessed February 7, 2021. https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/for-sale-the-faded-grandeur-of-the-winderbourne-mansion/2016/04/18/2138eeda-0568-11e6-a12f-ea5aed7958dc_story.html.

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Richmond-Times Dispatch (Richmond, Virginia). “Lecturerer Dies.” November 17, 1927.

The Daily Critic (Washington, D.C.). “Died.” October 8, 1884.

The Evening Star (Washington, D.C.). “Col. Totten Dead.” November 12, 1898.

The Evening Star (Washington, D.C.). November 7, 1901. 00:332569778" data-type="link">http://newscomwc.newspapers.com/image/207674218/?terms=%22Edith%2BTotten%22&pqsid=x3NN_YD5pyhW_nx6SDusZg:489000:332569778.

The Evening Star (Washington, D.C.). June 6, 1915. 00:1697821625" data-type="link">http://newscomwc.newspapers.com/image/332078312/?terms=%22Winderbourne%22%2BNOT%2BKennels&pqsid=x3NN_YD5pyhW_nx6SDusZg:1063000:1697821625.

“The Strange, Fascinating History of This Abandoned Mansion Gave Me Goosebumps.” Trending. Definition.Org, November 30, 2016. https://definition.org/strange-fascinating-history-abandoned-mansion-gave-goosebumps/.

The Times Dispatch (Richmond, Virginia). November 17, 1927.

WATCH on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/@Joshua.Spellman

https://citegeistpod.com/
Have a ghost story you want to share? Leave a voice note or send an en email at https://citegeistpod.com/contact
Podcast Instagram: http://instagram.com/citegeistpod
Personal Instagram: http://instagram.com/joshua.spellman

Channel illustration by GiAnna Ligammari:
https://virtualgia.com/
https://www.instagram.com/virtualgia.zip

Royalty Free Music: "Behind the Veil" by 8er41