Is the legend of the “White Witch of Rose Hall” in Montego Bay, Jamaica fact or fiction? Visit and judge for yourself.

The legend is brutal and tragic. This massive hilltop Georgian mansion was built by sugar plantation baron John Palmer in the 18th century, some 6,000 acres and unwilling home to thousands of slaves lorded over by the mistress of the manor, Annie Palmer, who, the story holds, was versed in voodoo and blessed—or cursed—with cruel, supernatural powers.

It is said she tortured her slaves, taking some as lovers, killing them off when they bored her. Legend also has it she murdered three of her husbands in various rooms of the mansion; ghosts supposedly roam restlessly here, infesting the lower chambers were slaves were tortured.

The slaves eventually revolted, smothering her in her room, and her ghost has also been spotted here. She is buried on the grounds, spacious, green and lush, belying the horrific legend that permeates the place.

But Is The Legend Real?

Visitors to Rose Hall Great House have taken photos that they swear hold the images of Annie in the pictures, eerie reminders of an infamous past.

But the facts beg to differ, historians note. Annie never learned voodoo in her native Haiti, they say, nor abused slaves, carried out sexual trysts with any, or killed her husbands.

They say Rosa Palmer, wife of John Palmer's great uncle, was mistress of Rose Hall a century before Annie came on the scene, and had three previous husbands—none of whom were murdered.

The original mansion had gleaming mahogany floors, dark paneling, gorgeous furnishings, the trappings of wealth. But during the Jamaican slave revolution in the early 1800s, the house was abandoned, left to rot, falling into disrepair, open to the harsh elements of salt-bearing sea breezes and powerful Caribbean storms.

In the 1960s, Americans John and Michelle Rollins bought the property and spent millions on renovations that were completed by 1971.

The house was lovingly restored to its former glory, and now boasts antique furnishings, ornate chandeliers and silk wallpaper, quite possibly how it looked in days long gone.

What to Expect

Guides wearing traditional Jamaican folk attire give tours of the great house including the three bedrooms where the murders allegedly occurred.

It's easy for the mind to recreate the grisly lore; standing in the open doorway of the second floor overlooking the spacious grounds, you can envision Annie ordering slaves tortured and abused, and then casually returning to her luxurious rooms while her heinous commands were carried out.

The tour also includes viewing the myriad of secret passageways throughout the house, and the basement—the site of the old dungeon where slaves were held and tortured.

There is an imposing bear trap on display, among other mementoes of the property's shadowy past; these were scattered throughout the grounds to keep slaves from escaping.

The downstairs, dark and spooky, has been converted to a bar where welcome relief may be found in cold drinks and a place to sit, relax, and ponder the nefarious history around you.

The tour concludes near a gorgeous frog pond at the grave of Annie Palmer, where your guide will sing a folk song about the alleged white witch of Rose Hall. You'll then leave the grounds to wonder if what you'd just seen and heard was fact or fiction.

Let your imagination run wild. It's better that way.

Rose Hall is open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is US$20 for adults, US$10 for children.