Samuel Townsend, a Quaker and a well-to-do merchant, made his living by importing items like tea, spices, wine, rum and pottery in his four ships. The vessels sailed to the Caribbean, Europe and South America. In 1738, Townsend bought the property that is now a museum. It originally had four rooms, but as Townsend's family grew to include his eight children with his wife, Sarah, they added more rooms.
During the American Revolution, Townsend's house became the headquarters for the British under Lieutenant Colonel John Graves Simcoe for a period of six months from 1778-1779. One of Simcoe's frequent visitors was the British Major John Andre. Legend has it that Townsend's daughter Sally overheard the two men discussing Benedict Arnold's plot to surrender the fort at West Point to the British.
She immediately alerted her brother, Robert, who was in a secret group called the Culper Spy Ring. He passed this information over to then General George Washington and the plot was foiled. Benedict Arnold escaped, but Major John Andre was captured and hanged.
Ghost stories have long swirled about Raynham Hall. From strange noises in the night to a spectral lady who slowly strolls through the house at night, weird and unusual tales about this historic house abound.
