Description:

<h1><strong>The Haunted History of the Elizabeth Inn — the Sabiston House, Beaufort, North Carolina</strong></h1><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">On a low, salt-brushed street in Beaufort where gulls wheel overhead and the bay breathes against old pilings, there stands a white clapboard home whose porches remember more than rocking chairs. Locals know it as the&nbsp;</span><strong>Elizabeth Inn</strong><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">. Historians and storytellers call it the&nbsp;</span><strong>Sabiston House</strong><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">. Ghost hunters just call it&nbsp;</span><em>restless</em><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">.</span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">This is the long, creaking tale of that house — part history, part rumor, part shadow.</span></p><h2><strong>Bones of the House: What We Can Trace</strong></h2><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">The house known today as the Elizabeth Inn (and in earlier historic records as the Sabiston House) is tied to the Sabiston family and is believed to date to the mid-19th century. In recent decades it operated for a time as an inn before returning to private ownership. Its age, location in Beaufort’s historic district, and connection to an old local family put it squarely on lists of haunted places throughout Carteret County.</span></p><h2><strong>The Tragedy That Gave the House Its Teeth</strong></h2><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">The Sabiston House’s haunted reputation centers on a dark local legend involving a violent killing in the early 1800s. The story most often repeated tells of a Captain Sabiston — sometimes named David — who was brutally murdered with an oar in 1811. The case led to a highly publicized trial, with an enslaved man accused, convicted, and executed.</span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Like many coastal legends, details shift in retellings: some versions name a different killer, emphasize injustice surrounding the trial, or interweave elements from other Sabiston family members who lived decades apart. The lines between fact, rumor, and embellishment blur easily, but the violence of the story made it unforgettable — and folklore naturally attached it to the house still bearing the family name.</span></p><h2><strong>Ghostly Encounters Reported Through the Years</strong></h2><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Stories collected by visitors, amateur investigators, and local guides repeat the same eerie motifs:</span></p><ol><li><span></span><strong>A shadowy figure in doorways</strong><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">, sometimes described as a man in old seafaring clothes, other times an indistinct presence trailing behind guests.</span></li><li><span></span><strong>Sudden cold pockets</strong><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">&nbsp;in warm rooms, especially near old stairwells or the waterfront-facing side.</span></li><li><span></span><strong>Footsteps along the porch</strong><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">&nbsp;when no one is outside, or the soft thud of a shutter even on still nights.</span></li><li><span></span><strong>Objects shifting</strong><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">, beds disturbed, and the faint sense of someone pacing a room after midnight.</span></li></ol><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Whether you interpret these as supernatural events or the natural creaks of an antique home, the stories endure — and multiply.</span></p><h2><strong>Why Beaufort Keeps the Story Alive</strong></h2><h3><strong>1. Maritime Towns Remember Dramatically</strong></h3><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Beaufort’s long history of shipwrecks, sea captains, and public justice sets the stage for stories steeped in violence and tragedy. The Sabiston legend fits perfectly into this older coastal narrative.</span></p><h3><strong>2. Tourism Feeds on Folklore</strong></h3><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Ghost walks and haunted-history tours weave the Sabiston House into their scripts, ensuring the tale is passed to each generation of visitors.</span></p><h3><strong>3. The Sabiston Name Echoes Through Time</strong></h3><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Multiple Sabistons lived in Beaufort over many decades. Their recurring names and occupations complicate the historical picture, but they also help the legend stick to the house like sea mist on a window.</span></p><h2><strong>Reading a Haunted House: With Curiosity and Care</strong></h2><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Haunted houses are best approached with a dual mindset:</span></p><ol><li><span></span><strong>Skeptical enough</strong><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">&nbsp;to appreciate the gaps in the record.</span></li><li><span></span><strong>Respectful enough</strong><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">&nbsp;to understand the human stories behind the legends — including the very real violence and injustice experienced by enslaved people whose lives often appear only in trial notes and rumors.</span></li></ol><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Folklore can entertain, but it can also preserve uncomfortable truths.</span></p><h2><strong>For the Curious Visitor</strong></h2><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">If you’re drawn to Beaufort and want to explore its haunted history:</span></p><h3><strong>Walk the Historic District by Day</strong></h3><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">You’ll get a feel for the architecture, the town’s maritime layout, and the quiet corners where stories linger.</span></p><h3><strong>Join a Guided Ghost Walk</strong></h3><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Local guides often pair folklore with verified history, giving you the town’s full emotional range — not just the chills.</span></p><h3><strong>Respect Private Property</strong></h3><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">The Elizabeth Inn/Sabiston House has not always been open to the public. Admire from the street unless invited in.</span></p><h2><strong>The Allure of a Haunted Home</strong></h2><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">The Elizabeth Inn endures in Beaufort’s imagination because haunted houses do what good stories always do: they keep the past breathing. They remind us that behind every creak and every legend is a town’s attempt to make sense of its own memory — the beautiful, the tragic, and the unresolved.</span></p><p><br></p>