“ | All I can say at this point is that no one will convince me to stay in that house overnight, certainly not at a full moon. | ” |
— Doris Kearns Goodwin[src] |
The Roanoke House is the main location of Roanoke. The house is a Shaker mansion, built by Shakers in North Carolina under the watchful eye of Edward Philippe Mott.[1] Mott would later become the first to mysteriously disappear from the house, and the property would soon after become infamous for its mysterious and gruesome events.
Background[]
The mansion was built upon the land which was granted by Scáthach's gods to Thomasin White in the afterlife in exchange for her loyalty. Such was her bloodthirsty revenge that the Roanoke Colonists were tethered to the land after their gruesome deaths. Due to the curse, the spirits of those who died upon the cursed land can tangibly slip the boundaries and move freely only during the night of the Blood Moon, in October. Because their souls are not trapped by a concentration of negativity and despair to the place of their death, but rather, by a curse, the Roanoke ghosts often appear in a horrific, twisted disfiguration of their former appearance during physical materialization.
History[]
1792[]
The old farmhouse located in North Carolina was completed by Edward Philippe Mott, who bought a 10-acre plot of land from the state, along the Roanoke River's edge. Today, it is located at 900 Sappony Rd.
A police report and newspaper article collected by Elias Cunningham shows the house to be located in Martin County, North Carolina, near Williamston.
After Edward Mott's disappearance, the house remained in the Mott Family Trust for well over a century until the last Mott died in South Florida in 1952.[2]
October 3, 1952[]
Three hunters stayed at the Roanoke House before something caused them to turn their rifles on each other.
October 19, 1973[]
The Chen family moved from Taiwan to America. After gaining citizenship, the family moved into the Roanoke House. One night, during a Blood Moon, the entire family was slaughtered by the spirits of the land. A sheriff's deputy conducted a wellness check and found no bodies and believed the family abandoned the property as their vehicle and all their belongings still remained.[3]
1989[]
Miranda and Bridget Jane bought the house, where they opened an assisted living facility. The house they purchased had previously been unoccupied for 15 years. The family before had lived in the house only for a brief time before they suddenly vacated. In the months the sisters inhabited the house, they led bloody murder at the expense of patients left behind by careless relatives. On October 29, 1989, police were called to investigate the facility by concerned patients' family members after no one answered the phone for three weeks. Miranda and Bridget were gone, leaving behind a trail of dead bodies and a mysterious red writing on the wall - "MURDE" - which continues to appear despite the successive tenants and sellers having tried to remove it.[4]
From August 1997 to January 1998[]
For six months, Dr. Elias Cunningham lived in the Roanoke House but had owned it up until the Millers bought the house at auction.[3]
October 2014[]
After Elias missed a property tax payment, the property was to be sold at auction. The bid started at $21,000, but was purchased for $40,000 by Shelby and Matt Miller.[5]
October 2016[]
At the end My Roanoke Nightmare, Sidney bought the house in order to shoot the second season, Return To Roanoke: Three Days In Hell. He hired Rory, Monet, Shelby, Audrey, Lee, Matt, and Dominic to survive three days of the blood moon in the house, with cameras scattered around the house.[6] One by one, each of them was killed, either by suicide, The Butcher, the ghosts trapped in the mansion, or by being shot down by the police. Due to paranormal activities and the gruesome deaths, the place has been torn apart, with the chandelier collapsing into the stairs, and blood stain scattered on the wall. However, Lee was the lone survivor, despite being captured by the Polk Family, being chased by The Butcher, and murdering the remaining cast.[7]
Ever since the second season, the mansion has been infamous for its gruesome and eerie history. It attracted fans to trespass the place to explore and vandalize it until a metal fence topped with barbed wire surrounded the place.
November 2017[]
A group called 'Spirit Chasers' decided to illegally trespass by cutting through the metal fence. They were teamed with Ashley Gilbert, totally skeptical about their surroundings. They began investigating around the room with a thermal meter, until when they were interrupted by the presence of Lee Miller, who was looking for her daughter, Flora. She softly warned the group to leave this place, which they refuse to. The ghosts started killing the group, and shot arrows at the last 'Spirit Chasers' host, including the confused cops waiting outside and the innocent cameraman. Meanwhile, Lee finally reached Flora, who confessed about sacrificing her life for Priscilla, in order to protect her from the Butcher's harm. Lee pleaded her to stay, and offered her life instead. They both agreed for Priscilla to shoot a willing Lee, before igniting the entire place on fire, the cops rescued an emotional Flora, and loitered outside witnessing the death of a place which was once a place of mysterious and gruesome events. But little did they know, the restless blood moon waited outside, with the Roanoke colony marching in the background.[8]
Locations[]
The farmhouse has three bedrooms, two stories, and a basement. It also includes ten acres of forest around the house, but as protected area, it is non-building land.
Outside & Garden[]
The exterior of the farm consists of ten acres of woodland. Surrounding the house, there is a dry garden with several pieces of scrap iron, an evident result of years of neglect. There is a detached deck with a hot tub in the backyard.
Entrance[]
The entrance is a large hall with a round staircase in front of the main door. The main entrance is preceded by a portico. Following a home invasion, the entrance was covered with vines and anthropomorphic totems made of sticks hanging from the railing of the stairs and the ceiling.[5]
The Basement[]
The basement is a large room with several shelves, furniture and odds and ends piled against the walls or crammed into rickety stacks. Shelby and Lee were hiding in the basement during a home invasion at the house when they discovered the existence of disturbing footage shot by Elias.[5]
The Parlor/Dining Room[]
A large room with windows overlooking the front garden and a long table. The previously moldy walls were repainted by Shelby in the weeks following the move-in.
Master Bedroom[]
Wide and empty and dark, the master bedroom has a king-size four-poster bed and a large window on one of the walls.
Kitchen[]
A rustic kitchen with a large working table and an old-fashioned stovetop.
Living Room/Library[]
A sitting area composed of vintage furniture and a library chock full of old books crammed on the shelves.
Ghost Sightings[]
It might be assumed that the spirit of everyone murdered within the supernatural demesne of the Roanoke Estate remains trapped. However, only some have been documented to have appeared to the living.
- Roanoke Colonists - a group of settlers led by John White who settled in what is now part of North Carolina in 1585. When mysterious occurrences led to their disappearance, they become known as the Lost Colony
- The Butcher - leader of Roanoke Colonists, willingly killed by Scáthach on October 23, 1589 to give service to her for eternity
- Ambrose White - son of The Butcher, killed by her on October 23, 1589
- Lee Harris - sister of Matt Miller, ex-sister-in-law of Shelby Miller, ex-wife of Mason Harris and mother of Emily and Flora Harris, killed by Priscilla on November 19, 2017 at Lee's own request to protect her from the Roanoke Colonists ghosts.
- Edward Philippe Mott - builder of the house, killed by Roanoke Colonists in October 1792
- Piggy Man - the so-called Piggy Man was once a deserter of the colony who stole provisions from the colony's storehouse. He was later killed by Scáthach and The Butcher in late 1500s
- Priscilla - a sacrifice to the Old Gods which was killed by The Butcher in 1589
- Miranda and Bridget Jane - two violent nurses who were killed by Roanoke Colonists in October 1988
- Chen Family - a family of Taiwanese immigrants who were unaware about the history of the Roanoke House. They moved in to live the American Dream and learned through immersion. They were later killed by Roanoke Colonists on October 19, 1973
- Diana Cross - assistant of Sidney Aaron James, killed by Piggy Man on October 12, 2016
- Mason Harris - ex-husband of Lee Harris, killed by her in October 2014
Residents[]
Throughout the decades, numerous residents and owners have been forced against their will to face the horrors surrounding the house.
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Cast and Crew |
Notes[]
- The Roanoke House, a term initially coined by fans ahead of the official name mentioned on the show, and later confirmed in "Chapter 9", vaguely resembles the Murder House of the first season, with a violent past and haunted by ghosts.
- In addition to the main rooms, the Roanoke House is composed of rooms and corridors not yet defined.
- The Shaker mansion is located at 900 Sappony Road, Martin County, North Carolina.[5]
- While Roanoke, North Carolina, is a real place, the old farmhouse doesn’t actually exist. TMZ revealed in early August 2016, that the house was secretly built in a California forest just for the show. However, the American Horror Story crew didn’t just build the front of the old home. According to the outlet, it’s fully furnished and took the crew four months to build. [9]
- The property used can be found on Google Maps (34.086402,-118.701597).
- The mansion was used as the setting for the filming of the in-universe documentary "My Roanoke Nightmare" and its follow-up series "Return to Roanoke: Three Days in Hell".
- Roanoke House is one of several buildings with a spiral staircase playing a key role throughout the series, and all have been displayed from a birds-eye view at least once or more in their retrospective seasons. All of these staircases exist in places known for having dark and sordid histories — the Murder House, Briarcliff Manor, Mott Manor and Hawthorne School — implying a possible connection to Satan.
References[]
Murder House | |
---|---|
Asylum | |
Coven | |
Freak Show | |
Hotel | |
Roanoke | Roanoke House |
Cult | |
Apocalypse | |
1984 | |
Double Feature | |
NYC | |
Delicate |