A small bungalow on First Avenue North in St. Petersburg has a new tenant: the Museum of Haunted History, a paranormal-themed collection featuring antique dolls, investigation equipment and a wedding gown some believe is haunted by a bride who never made it to her reception. The museum, founded by longtime paranormal investigator Dr. Brandy Stark, held a soft-opening preview over the weekend before a planned wider rollout.
According to WFLA, the centerpiece of the collection is a gown known as Irene's wedding dress, which the museum's curator says is believed to be haunted by a bride who died shortly after getting married. The outlet reported that, per the story behind the gown, the bride died in the 1990s in a car crash while traveling to her own wedding reception. Alongside the dress, the museum displays antique dolls and equipment from past paranormal investigations, giving visitors a look at the tools ghost hunters use in the field.
Reports on the museum's exact address have varied. St. Peter Rising reported the soft opening took place at 4754 1st Avenue North on Friday and Saturday from 6 to 9 p.m., while Patch reported the address as 4764 First Avenue North for a soft opening held the same Friday and Saturday evenings. Pinellas County property records cited by the same outlet show Stark purchased the 952-square-foot bungalow for $342,500 in September.
A Collection Built on Decades of Investigation
Stark has been investigating paranormal activity since 1997, according to the St. Peter Rising report, leading local ghost tours and working hundreds of cases before deciding to give her findings a permanent home. “I've always wanted to present the supernatural in a manner that, number one, is safe, number two, is educational, and number three, is a little bit of fun,” Stark told the outlet. The museum's lineup of exhibits is drawn largely from her group's own casework, including artifacts recovered during past investigations.
Per WFLA, Stark described wanting to offer visitors a historic, educational and entertaining experience built around exploring the supernatural, and she has said the Museum of Haunted History is not meant to be a traditional haunted house. The museum instead gives ghost hunters and paranormal enthusiasts a chance to explore eerie artifacts, unexplained encounters and the stories behind them, per the same report. Stark founded the SPIRITS of St. Petersburg paranormal research group, and Patch described her as the driving force behind the museum, which she said she plans to preserve while educating the public on paranormal topics.
Voices, Cold Spots and a Name Called William
The museum's own investigators say the bungalow has produced activity worth documenting. WFLA reported that the museum's team says it captured what it believes are unexplained voices inside the historic building, along with cold spots, movement detected by REM pods and electromagnetic field meters, and sessions conducted with a spirit box. The team also reported seeing placards move and recorded what it describes as electronic voice phenomena, according to the outlet.
Stark's group separately told Patch it had recorded unexplained voices and spirit-box responses at the bungalow, including one instance in which the device produced the name “William.” Per stpeterising.com, the group has recorded what it believes are unexplained voices and responses through the device since acquiring the property. These recordings and spirit-box sessions reflect the group's own beliefs about the activity rather than independently confirmed findings.
What Comes Next for the Bungalow
The museum was initially expected to be open Fridays through Sundays, though its exact hours were still being finalized at the time of the soft opening, per the same report. A grand opening is planned for February 2027, timed to coincide with Stark's annual Valentwe'en art show. Stark has said the museum has received an encouraging response so far and plans to expand its collection and offer more paranormal experiences going forward.
Future additions described by Patch include a haunted doll room, a spiritual apothecary and classroom, and a psychic reading space, along with classes, seminars and overnight investigations. Stark previously received a St. Petersburg Arts Alliance grant in 2019 to create a pop-up paranormal museum inside her ArtLofts studio, laying the groundwork for the permanent space. For now, those interested in visiting or learning more about the group's investigations can turn to SPIRITS of St. Pete, which provides information about the museum and how to experience the paranormal firsthand.
