Visit Körners Folly, the Strangest House in the World, declared haunted by paranormal investigators

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Visit Körners Folly, the Strangest House in the World, declared haunted by paranormal investigators
July 27,2009
Barbara Dolny-Bombar
Examiner.com

When Jule Gilmer Körner (pronounced Kerner) began building his Kernersville home in 1878, he knew it was unusual. Now that the “Strangest House in the World” has been officially declared haunted, the eccentric Körner would probably be delighted. Jule Körner, an artist and interior designer, created the home as a place to show off his talent to prospective clients. It was also supposed to be a temporary residence. That status changed to permanent after the bachelor took a wife.

The house at 413 South Main Street is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. None of the 22 rooms on the seven levels are alike in size, layout, or design, with some of the ceilings set as low as six feet. Narrow passageways, also of varying size, connect the rooms and floors leading up to a little theater on the top floor, which was the first private theater in America and still offers presentations today. Jule named the place Körner’s Folly after a comment made by a neighbor noting the building’s progress.

Visitors are greeted warmly and get a brief introduction before they continue the tour independently. Jule Körner’s creativity and skill are evident in the home’s detailed trim work, whimsical architecture, and the antique furniture he designed, which is displayed along with many other antiques throughout the home. Paintings and sketches by Jule Körner and by his cousin, the German painter Jean Baptiste Kirner, hang on the walls.

Throughout the years, the house has undergone a series of evolutions that included time spent as an antique store and later, a funeral home. The non-profit Körner’s Folly Foundation oversees it now and is working to preserve and restore the home.

Although the energy in the house is good, it has long been thought to be haunted. In the spring of 2009, a research team from the Southern Paranormal & Anomaly Society (SPARS) ran a series of “ghost hunting” tests using voice recorders and special video equipment. Testing was done during times the house was closed to the public. Rather than try to prove a location is haunted, this group does the opposite, looking for logical explanations that can be attributed to odd occurrences.

After extensive testing and review of their results, the group officially proclaimed Körner’s Folly as haunted, presenting voice and video evidence to back their claim that something was present. Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVP) was captured in the children’s’ room, reception room, sewing room, the theater, and even the outhouse. One of the clearest EVP’s was a child’s voice saying “Peek-a-Boo”, another says the name “Annie”. Given the history of the house and its eccentric designer, the results seem quite fitting.

Kernersville is located in the center of the Piedmont Triad metropolitan area, near the cities of Greensboro, High Point, and Winston-Salem. I also mention this site in my Easy Piedmont Sandhills Road Trip article. Parking is available in a lot on the grounds. The house is not wheelchair accessible.

Trivia: Jule Gilmer Körner became famous as the painter of Bull Durham bulls (tobacco company advertising) across the south.

For more info: For current information on tours, prices, and special events call 336.996.7922 or visit their web site at: www.kornersfolly.org