09/03/2026
📜 HISTORIC HIGHLIGHTS: THE CLAREMONT HOUSE 🏡
🔁 Shared from RAHF Member Sam Moses 🔁
A rare drawing of the famous Claremont House in Rome, Georgia from an early review book of Northwest “Cherokee” Georgia.
To many Romans it was simply known then as Colonel Yancey’s home. But now throughout the world, it’s known (and feared!) as the haunted Creel House from the hit Netflix show Stranger Things.
In the show, the Creel family moves into this beautiful home to live an idyllic life in the 1950s. But psychological torment by mysterious forces leads the father to (apparently) murder his entire family. That’s when the show’s chief antagonist assumes the house as his headquarters to plot the destruction of the world.
But it feels like destiny that Rome’s Claremont House would someday serve as the setting for a spooky story. For decades, the home’s mere presence has stirred local rumors of paranormal activity, and that’s partly due to its striking appearance. In fact, the home was described in the National Register of Historic Places as the “finest example of the Second Empire style” in the entire state.
The Second Empire architectural style was popularized under the rule of French Emperor Napoleon III (nephew of the legendary Napoleon Bonaparte) who filled Paris with the grand boulevards, buildings, and parks for which it’s known today.
The style was so popular that it heavily influenced architecture in the growing United States, with so many municipal buildings following the trend that it became known here as the “General Grant Style” for U.S. president and former Civil War general Ulysses S. Grant.
You’ll recognize the style in Washington DC’s Eisenhower Executive Office Building across from the White House, Boston’s Old City Hall, and Philadelphia’s historic City Hall which is still in use and serves as the city’s most iconic landmark.
Atlanta’s second Union Station was built in this style, replacing the 1853 Union Station which was burned by Union forces under General Sherman in November 1864. The architect of the second structure was none other than Max Corput, a Belgian-American who immigrated to Rome, Georgia and later commanded the famous Cherokee Artillery battery during the nearby Battle of Resaca.
A defining characteristic of the Second Empire style is the Mansard Roof, a double-pitched roof with a steep lower slope that creates a full-sized upper floor instead of an attic. It draws the eye upward, giving the appearance that the building is even larger than it is.
And with all that extra attic space, there’s more room for ghosts, right? That was likely a contributing factor in the selection of the by the creators of . But does the real home have a tragic past like the haunted that it portrays? The truth reads more like a child’s storybook than a campfire tale.
Hamilton Yancey moved to Georgia from South Carolina and attended the University of Georgia before studying law at the University of Virginia. Yancey was only 12 years old when the Civil War broke out, but that didn’t stop locals from later dubbing him “Colonel,” as was the case with many prominent Southern gentlemen of the past (including Colonel Sanders of KFC fame).
Yancey was one of North Georgia’s most prominent citizens, practicing law in Rome for 17 years before quitting for health reasons. At one time or another, he was city attorney of Rome, solicitor of the County Court of Floyd County, alderman of East Rome, manager of the Rome Fire Insurance Company and later the Commercial Union Assurance Company of England, and special deputy insurance commissioner in charge of the State Mutual Life Insurance Company of Georgia.
A man of that great prominence needed a grand house to entertain, and for that he spared no expense. The home features a dramatic peaked portico, sweeping porch with gingerbread trim, tall arched windows and doors, ornate wood framing, and a striking central tower. The slate tile roof caps off a sprawling attic space, two stories of 14-foot-high ceilings, 11 fireplaces, and remarkable carved woodwork throughout.
But Yancey also needed a warm home for his seven children. The large family lived for three years in a cottage behind the home as workers constructed the 7,100 sqft. mansion, completing it in 1882. Yancey’s wife, Florence, named the home Claremont in honor of her beloved cousin, Clare De Graffenreid, and their youngest daughter who was also named Clare in her honor.
The children had a grand time romping around the mansion, as did two successive generations of the Yancey family who called this place their home until the 1960s. It’s since served as the Claremont House Bed and Breakfast and a private home for other families, as it remains today.
So the famous Claremont House does not share the tragic past of the world-famous Creel House that it so notably portrays. But is it haunted?
Well, ask any Roman. The stories you hear just might be more interesting than those that Hollywood has dreamed up.
❝❞
Molly Kelly Steeves, Hardy Realty Georgia's Rome
