The home, reputed by some, to be Miami’s most haunted, was built in 1926 for the Cuban consulate to Miami. The first occupants were Cuban Consul Don Domingo Milord and his wife, Paula. A few years later, she died in one of the bedrooms, under mysterious circumstances attributed to complications from a leg amputation. Villa Paula was sold to Muriel Reardon who lived there for until she died in 1960. After her death, there were various owners until the early 1970s when it became a senior citizens’ home. By 1974, it was an unofficial shelter for drifters. Cliff Ensor bought the building from HUD that year.
Hauntings Begin During Ensor’s Ownership
When he bought Villa Paula, the house was in a dire state of disrepair. Vandals shot out the stained-glass windows, graffiti was scrawled on the exterior stucco walls and the county was ready to demolish it. Ensor and some friends worked on the place: removing graffiti, painting, cleaning, replacing broken windows and restoring the interior and grounds.
He witnessed various phenomena, both ghostly and poltergeist.
- A phantom one-legged black-haired woman in a long gown floating down the hallways
- Aroma of coffee brewing and the scent of roses when neither was present
- Mysterious piano music
- High heels clicking on the back porch
- Dishes and silverware tossed onto to the floor
- A chandelier inexplicably falling from the ceiling
- Inexplicable knockings on the front door
- Bedroom doors slamming shut by themselves
Haunted Villa for Sale
There was much publicity about paranormal activity. Ensor tried to sell the place, failed and finally resorted to auctioning it in 1985. Larry Cozart, won, but backed out of the deal when he learned Villa Paula was haunted.
Two years later, Ensor sold it to Lucien Albert, a Haitian pediatrician who was skeptical of things paranormal. Albert sold Villa Paula in 2003. Marc Swedroe, a real estate investor, is the current owner of the house which he bought as an investment property. He hasn’t spent much time in the house and says he had no unusual experiences.
Cuban fashion designer Fernando Garcia briefly rented the house. While he doesn’t believe ghosts exist, he had some strange experiences. One day, when he was sitting at his desk, a windowpane fell from its frame behind him. After he went to investigate, a 40-pound chunk of plaster fell from the ceiling onto where he had been sitting. He heard footsteps on the wooden ramp leading to the back door.
Haunted Villa Paula: 2008
Eighty-one year old Cliff Ensor gave a recent interview. He still believes the house is haunted and had some new information. When Reardon’s daughters, living in Alaska, heard about his experiences, they sent him a letter. There was a room they weren’t allowed to go into. They discovered Muriel was terrified of it. A professor from the University of Miami brought a self-professed Satanist to the house and pushed her into the room. She immediately started to choke as if she were being strangled. Could it have been the room Paula died in?
The current groundskeeper, who wants to remain anonymous, lives in Villa Paula. He has repeatedly experienced putting objects in one place, then finding them in another. One night, three bulbs in the bathroom light fixture began to flicker on and off in random order. He told Paula to stop it. The activity ceased. The man explained that he’s not afraid of ghosts. He hadn’t yet seen Paula’s apparition, but sensed her presence.
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"Mini Canal,” New Orleans Ghost
Sources:
Cantarella, Terence, “Villa Paula and the Ghosts of Little Haiti.” Biscayne Times. http://www.biscaynetimes.com/news/news_2008/news_0408_cover1.html
Historic Haunted America,Michael Norman & Beth Scott, (Tor, 1995)
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