Hernando Heritage Museum (May-Stringer House)

Built starting in 1855 by John May for his wife Marena and their daughters, this four-story Victorian became the home of Marena's second husband, Confederate soldier Frank Saxon, after John died of tuberculosis in 1858. Marena died giving birth to their daughter, Jessie Mae, in 1869; the child survived infancy but died in the house at age three of unknown causes. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997 and now run by the Hernando Historical Museum Association, the house has a reputation as one of Florida's most haunted buildings. Visitors and staff describe a child crying when no child is present, orbs and mist caught on camera, lights seen inside at night when the museum is closed, and cold drafts passing tour groups, most attributed to Jessie Mae, whose laughter is also sometimes reported.