House of a Thousand Cadavers

The House of a Thousand Cadavers is located in Columbus, Georgia. A slave owner, John W. Woolfolk, once owned it. The name of this house implies that a thousand cadavers may have once lain here, but the actual story is about 18 slaves that may have been murdered by Mr. Woolfolk on the premises. Even this story has been challenged and no evidence has been found that supports the murder of the slaves. There are other relatives that may be more directly linked to murder than John W. Woolfolk. The following information may help to unravel the mystery surrounding the House of a Thousand Cadavers.

Mr. John W. Woolfolk, a resident of Virginia, had his nephew Sowell secure his property in Columbus, Georgia in 1828 along with his slaves. Mr. Woolfolk already had other properties in Georgia along the Chattahoochie River at Woolfolk's Bend and Jenny's Island.

Mr. Woolfolk was indeed a slave owner, but was probably not the monster he has been made out to be over the centuries. Upon his death he requested that his slaves would be equally divided between his children, and no families should be separated. He was, however, believed to be the uncle of a famous slave trader, Austin Woolfolk. Austin was known to be abusive to the slaves he managed and sold. He was even taken to court for attacking (and almost killing) an abolitionist, Benjamin Lundy. Austin attacked Benjamin because of his objections during a hanging of a negro slave who had been part of an uprising on a slave ship, which resulted in the murder of two white men onboard the ship.

Austin Woolfolk operated his slave trade business in Baltimore, where he had his slave pen located near the intersection of Washington and Frederick. He is known to have threatened the slaves with death if they tried to run away or were out of line in any way. Due to this business connection, and his history as a violent individual, it is more likely that he may have murdered slaves than his uncle, John Woolfolk.

It is also important to note that even if a slave owner had murdered his own slaves (which would have been counter productive since they were valuable), it wouldn't have been illegal. Slaves were considered no different than horses, which could also be killed without raising an eyebrow during this time in history. This would explain why no records are available which detail the murder of 18 slaves in the Woolfolk house in Columbus, Georgia.

The house is currently a private residence listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The address is 1615 12th Street, Columbus, Georgia. The residence is also known as Colonial Apartments and Old Woolfolk House. It is a Greek Revival style home with 14 foot ceilings, 5 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms and currently selling for $995,000. It has been for sale since August, 2007. It is unknown whether the price is the deterrent or whether people are afraid of buying a haunted residence.