Bristol Twp. Farmstead That Is Rumored To Be Haunted Up For Auction

A farmstead and mansion that have been the rumored stomping grounds of ghosts are up for auction.

The historic Sunbury House and Sunbury Farm at 2800 Newportville Road near Ford Road in Bristol Township are being marketed through the Max Spann Real Estate and Auction Company. The property is owned by Bristol Township.

Council President Craig Bowen said the township hopes to earn more than the $650,000 appraised value from the sale of the home and property. He said the township just doesn’t have the funds or a sustainable plan to keep Sunbury Farm.

The roughly 10-acre property has been vacant for several years since a day care operated by the Head Start program left the property.

A portion of the 4,700-square-foot home traces its construction to the early 1700s with additions throughout the years. Aside from a few broken windows and some outdated features, the mansion seems sturdy from the outside and still has its electricity turned on.

“I remember being a kid swimming there and it was a beautiful home,” Bowen said.

While Bowen said the home needs some work, he said he would rather see renovations or a new use for the property rather than letting it sit empty.

Bristol Township purchased the Georgian-style home in 1978 and the remainder of the farm property in the late 1990s, according to county records.

The property is currently zoned residential.

The home had various owners since its construction. The Taylor family owned the home from 1810 until the 1970s. An Bucks County history book from 1905 notes the home was a “fine country seat” for Anthony Taylor Jr., who was at one time the largest land owner in Bucks County with thousands of acres to his name. His son, Caleb Newbold Taylor, lived in the house and gained popularity while serving in Congress after the civil war. By 1894, the property was at more than 400 acres.

Rumors throughout the years state that Caleb  Taylor and the figure of a woman in a white dress with a blue sash haunt the mansion. Just down the road, the ghosts of two horse thieves who were hanged during the Revolutionary War reportedly haunt the area.

An auction for the property will be held April 21 at the Bristol Township Municipal Complex on Bath Road.