Newton County has been around for a long time. It was founded in 1821 and has been blossoming ever since. However, many of the houses have been around before the founding.
Many cities have been around so long that they can’t remember the first home that was there. Luckily, in Newton County we do know our oldest house. That house is Orna Villa, or the Andrews/Means house.
Newton County is home to history, hauntings, and Hollywood. Of course Orna Villa fits this bill. From its rich history as a Civil War hospital to its Hollywood use of a frat house for The Vampire Diaries, we are proud to call this house part of our homegrown trilogy.
What we haven’t mentioned yet is the speculated haunting in Newton County at Orna Villa.
Newton lore rumors that Alexander Means’ son Tobe haunts the house. Alexander Means was a well-educated man who was very prominent in the city of Oxford- He was one of the founders of the city of Oxford and Oxford College! It was a strong belief of Means’ that his kids should be educated too.
It is said that this didn’t settle well with his son Tobe.
Apparently, Tobe was more interested in traveling than going to school. This clash of beliefs caused heated arguments. It is rumored that after one particularly passionate argument Tobe stormed off never to be seen again.
Perhaps this angry departure is what caused the rumors to start about the house. It is said that you can hear stomping in different parts of the house. This stomping might be the ghost of Tobe remembering the arguments he had with his father.
We don’t know if the rumors about Orna Villa are true or not, however, we still love hearing old Newton lore. Do you know about any other hauntings in Newton County? Let us know if you do!
