If you have watched the movie The Conjuring, you probably remember the iconic house. Though not filmed in the original house, the movie is loosely based on real events. The house has an interestingly spooky backstory. It owns a story of ghosts, a family, and a pair of infamous ghost hunters.
In 1736, a farmhouse in Rhode Island was built. It was originally known as the Arnold Estate. After a series of different owners, the house ended up being the home of the Perron Family in the 1970s. Before this time, one of these owners was an alleged witch named Bathsheba Sherman, who lived in the farmhouse in the mid-1800s. Bathsheba Sherman is thought to be the most powerful, nefarious spirit in the house. Upon the Perron family’s arrival, the ghostly occurrences were strong and shared with the world. The Perron family consisted of Roger and Carolyn Perron and their five daughters.
Carolyn Perron would be the first of the family to experience the spirit’s power. At first, she only experienced missing dishes and piles of dirt in a recently cleaned kitchen. Though as time passed, she experienced disembodied footsteps, unexplained shadows, and doors opening on their own. She would report these to her family. Soon, the daughters and father would experience other paranormal accounts. They would find their stuff missing, beds floating, and odd smells.
After many odd and even harmful experiences, the family would call the Warrens for help. The Warrens, Lorraine and Ed, were infamous “spirit hunters”. They came to the Arnold Estate to help right after “solving” the mystery of a demon-possessed Raggedy Anne Doll. The Warrens suggested a seance to speak to the spirits. Carolyn would attempt the seance to communicate with the spirits. With her family around her, she would start speaking in tongues and start floating in her chair. Allegedly, Carolyn was then thrown 20 feet across the room. After the seance, Roger Perron kicked the Warrens out, worrying for his wife’s mental health.
In the 1980s, the Perrons moved out. After all of these events, a movie was made. It loosely tells the story of the Perrons’ strange encounters with spirits. In the movie, Bathsheba, the alleged witch, was the main villain, as Carolyn thought in real life.
Since the Perrons moved out, the house has had two different owners. The current owner, Jacqueline Nuñez, has made the house a tourist attraction. She gives tours to many tourists, including the YouTube-famous Sam and Colby. Recently, the board of directors in the town where the conjuring house sits, has denied the renewal of Nuñez’s business licence due to missing paperwork and taxes. The house was put on auction and was seemingly closed. The new owner is comedian Matt Rife. Matt Rife also bought the “haunted” Raggedy Anne doll that the Warrens had explored right before entering the Arnold Estate.
Overall, the Arnold Estate’s hauntings were most likely made up, though it is still an interesting story and hoax. I asked Violet Ritenour if she would go to the haunted conjuring house. “YES” she responded. The conjuring house, though probably not haunted, is still an interesting tourist attraction with a very deep history.
