ST. PETERSBURG, FL — A 1939 bungalow that escaped demolition three times is getting a new life as a home for haunted objects, paranormal investigations and the supernatural history of St. Petersburg.
The Museum of Haunted History, St. Petersburg, at 4764 First Ave. N. will hold a soft opening Friday and Saturday from 6 to 9 p.m.
The museum is a longtime dream of Brandy Stark, founder of the SPIRITS of St. Petersburg paranormal research group.
"Finally, it's been years to build," Stark told Patch. "I'm excited — I mean, I'm terrified — but excited. So it's a weird mix right now."
Her vision for the museum combines paranormal exhibits with historic preservation.
The bungalow was once slated for demolition to make way for townhouses, but plans never materialized. After other potential sales fell through, Stark purchased the property, which she plans to preserve while educating the public on paranormal topics and exploring the home's own supernatural activity.
"Part of my goal with the haunted history element is to also preserve history," she said.
The house is thought to have a ghostly resident of its own, according to a news release from the organization.
Stark's team has recorded electronic voice phenomena and received the name "William" through a spirit box. The name may belong to William, listed as one of the property's original owners in 1939, she said in the news release.
Handymen working on the house have also reported mysterious knocking sounds that stop when they investigate and sometimes seem to move elsewhere in the building, according to Stark.
The museum will feature haunted objects and artifacts connected to local history. Among the displays planned for the soft opening is Irene, a reportedly haunted wedding dress. Visitors also can explore a collection of haunted dolls that Stark and her team have been evaluating.
Stark said she's been careful about which dolls to include, focusing on those marketed as having positive attachments. The SPIRITS team has tested the dolls with paranormal equipment and evaluated them through members' personal sensitivities and the stories accompanying the objects.
"I only go for the friendly ones," Stark said. "There's like a whole submarket of dark, and I'm like, no, thank you. I don't have time for that."
The soft opening also will feature a haunted-doll adoption event, allowing visitors to meet dolls available for purchase.
The museum remains a work in progress, she added. Future plans include a haunted doll room, a spiritual apothecary and classroom, a psychic reading space, and displays combining paranormal objects with historical information. Stark also hopes to offer classes, seminars and overnight investigations.
Another central goal is preserving pieces of places the SPIRITS team has investigated, particularly historic buildings that have been demolished. Stark hopes to incorporate salvaged architectural elements, such as windows and light fixtures, into the museum, accompanied by information about the properties and their reported hauntings.
The planned garden will follow a similar approach, featuring plants rescued from historic sites. One example is a piece of grass from St. Petersburg's former inverted-pyramid pier that Stark rescued after its demolition. She propagated the plant at home and plans to bring a section to the museum.
"Actually having those built into the house so that some of their legacy lives on is kind of cool," Stark said of the salvaged artifacts and architectural pieces.
She previously received a St. Petersburg Arts Alliance grant in 2019 to create a pop-up paranormal museum in her ArtLofts studio. The new location serves as a permanent version of her early vision.
The museum's official opening is tentatively planned for February 2027, when Stark hopes to host Love Letters to the Dearly Departed, an art exhibition honoring celebrities who have died in recent years. Visitors will be invited to write letters to accompany the artwork.
For now, the Halloween-season soft opening offers a first look at Stark's effort to bring paranormal exploration and historic preservation together under one roof.
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