Christian Gilberti, current resident at the Billmeyer House, stands at the top of the stairs where phantom footsteps have been heard. (Photo by Richard W. Fink II)

Christian Gilberti, a junior student at the Germantown Friends School, has heard plenty of accounts about ghosts in his historic home. While he insists that he “has experienced nothing particular” in the house, he does acknowledge finding comfort in the fact that his bedroom “only has one entrance and one exit.”

Christian and his family currently reside at the corner of Germantown and Uspal in a historic home commonly referred to as the “Daniel L. Billmeyer House.” The home retains its name from a wealthy businessman, Daniel L. Billmeyer, who built the house in 1793. At the time of construction, Germantown was serving as a temporary capital for the United States as the yellow fever epidemic ravaged downtown Philadelphia.   

It is from the yellow fever outbreak that the origins of a long-standing ghost story begin.  From a house tour manual put together by the Germantown Historical Society in the late 20th century, it can be determined that Billmeyer rented rooms on his property to numerous families over the years. One of these families was a recently engaged couple who purchased the home with the hopes of beginning a new life on the fashionable Germantown Avenue. They were living a dream for the first few months at the Billmeyer house until tragedy struck.

Legend has it that in late 1793 the groom-to-be died, a victim of the plague spreading across Philadelphia at the time. It also happened to be the eve of the couple’s wedding, a night that has lived in spiritual perpetuation ever since. Numerous articles in the Philadelphia Inquirer during the 1960s recount this event, claiming that any bride-to-be who slept in the home’s master bedroom could hear the footsteps of the groom climbing the stairs to claim his bride.  

The ghost story at the Billmeyer house was spread in the late 20th century, when the Smith family purchased the home. In 1959, Carol, the oldest child of the Smith family, was sleeping in the master bedroom on the eve of her wedding. That night Carol heard footsteps running up the stairs. When the mysterious footsteps reached the top of the stairs, there was a breathless pause. As a 1968 article titled “175-Year-Old Ghost Still Goes Haunting” recalls, the “footsteps then continued slowly, sadly, down the backstairs.”

The footsteps were just the beginning of the supernatural activity for the Smith family.  While in the Billemeyer House, Mrs. Manning Smith, the mother of Carol, had several encounters with resident poltergeists. She described the spirits as “mischievous, but very friendly” and that there “were literally dozens of these noisy creatures.” The noisy ghosts hid important papers throughout the house, moved furniture across rooms and left the house disorderly on numerous occasions. “Some persons have suggested that I misplaced the things,” stated Mrs. Smith, “but I know better, it’s the poltergeists.”

As a result, Mrs. Manning Smith invited over 100 experts in extra-sensory perception into her home in 1960 to determine if the house was indeed haunted. All investigators were certain they felt “presences” in the home, some even noting a man standing in the corner of the living room. The psychics stated that the man was “standing there watching us since we entered the room.” Could this have been the spirit of Daniel Billmeyer looking after his home?

Apparently noticing the popularity of her “haunted house” within the Philadelphia media, Mrs. Manning Smith opened up her home to curious tourists in the late 1960s. Charging $10 for ghost hunts and tours, Mrs. Smith advertised in the Philadelphia Inquirer for adventures with her resident poltergeists. In a January 12, 1971 article, Mrs. Smith implored people to “get out their infrared lenses” and “join her in her home on the next full moon,” to search for the spirits. She continued running her paranormal tours through the late 1970s and even offered overnight investigations around the Halloween holiday.

It is believed that nearly 30 families have lived in the home since the time Daniel Billmeyer began renting it out.  The latest homeowners, the Gilberti family, don’t seem to be bothered by the house’s haunted history. Much like the ghost story printed in the Inquirer, Christian Gilberti claims to have heard footsteps on the stairs and in the hallway when nobody else was around. Additionally, the heavy dining room door frequently closes on its own without any logical explanation. 

According to Christian, the theory about future brides hearing footsteps has never been tested. Since the Gilberti family moved into the Billmeyer House in 2004, no women in the house have been married. “Perhaps when my sister gets married,” Christian stated, “then we will be able to put the legend to the test.”

The Daniel L. Billmeyer House is currently one of six landmarks on Germantown Avenue between Johnson and Sharpnack streets that have been designated as “historic” by the State of Pennsylvania. The home is a classic example of “Late Georgian” Federal style architecture and features a vintage façade and white marble steps that are noticeable from the Avenue. The next time you drive by, be sure to note the incredible architecture that provides a visual for Germantown’s place in revolutionary history. Also, be sure to look out for the spirit of Daniel Billmeyer and the ghosts of Germantown Avenue’s past!

This is the second in a series on the Ghosts of the Northwest that will run periodically. Richard “Rick” W. Fink II, education director at Cliveden of the National Trust, 6401 Germantown Ave., is not sure if he believes in ghosts or not. He is currently studying for his master’s degree in history, with a focus on spiritualism in the 19th century.