Mischievous Ghosts: The Hauntings of The Emporium Mystic Connecticut

We’re back in Mystic, Connecticut, not for pizza but for ghosts! On 15 Water St., an old Italianate-style building was home to a shop called The Emporium. It has drawn both the living….. and the dead for over a century. 

Built-in 1859 as a general store by a businessman named Issac Randall, it has drawn in not only customers but is also said to have drawn in spiritual activity. It has been reported that laughter and children playing could be heard. The names of the little boy spirits are Willy and Billy.  Many speculate that the spirits of the two little boys have turned The Emporium into their playground. 

Over the years, each building owner would hear loud footsteps running through the first floor. At one point, one of the previous owners was repainting the interior. When he came in the next day, footprints were everywhere, including on the walls and ceilings. 

The Emporium opened in the building in 1965. Artist Paul Lowell White opened it from Ohio and Leland (Lee) Howard. In 1976, a fire broke out, which caused much damage to the emporium. It is said that an over 300-year-old curse is responsible for it and many other fires in Mystic. That, though, is a story for another day. 

Around this time, as technology advanced,d orbs appeared in photographs, and recorded noise also started to capture potential evidence. 

The store and art gallery sadly closed in 2013 after 48 years. Some sources say 2014, but I’ll go with the Historic Resource Inventory with documented info on the building. When it was announced on Facebook, many patrons shared fond memories of visiting the Emporium. It was the Mystic Art Center for several years before becoming a seafood restaurant called The Port of Call. Faces are sometimes reported to be seen peering through the windows, and images can be found on Instagram.