Southernmost Ghosts

5. The Hemingway House

Key West, FL

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Welcome to the home of Ernest and Pauline Hemingway. The beauty you see around you is the result of a labor of love. What many people also see are the ghostly apparitions of its former owners. Perhaps they weren't ready to leave their earthly home after all. Built in the mid 1800's, the Hemingway's purchased this home in 1931. At that time it was in a state of disrepair and needed a lot of work just to be habitable. Pauline saw through the decay to its charm and she appreciated its potential. The Hemingway's purchased the home and property for only $8,000. Hemingway suffered from personality issues and feelings of paranoia most of his life. He felt compelled to live life on the edge, hunting big game, drinking to excess and straying from his marriages. He was a hard person to live with because his moodiness and depression made him unpredictable. Pauline did her best to accept and love Ernest as he was. She managed all of the remodeling of the house and tried to make improvements that would please and comfort her husband. The second floor of the carriage house behind the main house was updated and became Ernest's place to write. The house became their oasis and they raised Pauline's boys together in paradise. Ernest often told friends and family that when he died, he planned to return here. This was his version of heaven. So serious was he about walking these halls in his ghostly form that he commissioned an artist to paint a ghostly portrait of him sitting at his writing desk. Unfortunately, paradise didn't last. Pauline began to suspect Ernest from straying and their marriage lost much of its vigor. In an effort to win back his fickle heart, she had a pool installed as a surprise for Ernest. He accused her of trying to spend all of his hard-earned money. In 1939, Ernest divorced Pauline and moved to Cuba with another woman. Pauline and her boys remained in this home. Pauline died of a broken heart in 1959. While living in Idaho, Ernest followed in his father's footsteps. In 1961, he put a gun to his head and took his own life. Since his death, typing is often heard coming from not only the carriage house but from the main house as well. Ernest's ghostly image has been seen wandering the house and pool area and neighbors frequently spot him in a window on the second floor. The "Grey Lady" is seen by museum staff and tour guests alike. She keeps to the top of the main staircase where it's believed she could watch Ernest writing in his loft and see her boys playing outside. Perhaps Ernest and Pauline's ghostly spirits remain bound to the Hemingway House because they are both searching for the peace they couldn't find in their earthly form. The pain that caused Ernest to take his own life may make it difficult for him to let go of this world and perhaps his spirit returned to place where he once found comfort. Regardless of the reasons why, it's clear that Ernest kept true to his word. He returned to his Key West paradise after death and he remains here still. Listen carefully. Is that the sound of typing?