Welcome to the Riddle House, a place where history and mystery combine in West Palm Beach, Florida. This Edwardian house, originally built in 1905, has a story as colorful as its past residents. Initially known as the ‘Gatekeeper’s Cottage,’ it was constructed using leftover wood from Henry Flagler’s hotel projects. The house began its life as a residence for the overseer of the Woodlawn Cemetery, standing just across the Dixie Highway.
In 1920, the house was acquired by Karl Riddle, the first city manager and superintendent of public works for West Palm Beach, giving the house its current name. Riddle’s tenure in the house was brief, as he moved out after a closely contested recall election in 1923. The house then served various purposes, including a temporary home for city employees and later, in the 1970s, as an art school known as the Flagler Arts Center.
The Riddle House was almost lost to demolition in the 1980s, but it found a new lease on life when Palm Beach Atlantic College donated it to the Yesteryear Village at the South Florida Fairgrounds in 1995. The building was meticulously dismantled, moved, and reassembled, preserving its 1920s charm thanks to a generous state historical grant.
However, the Riddle House is perhaps most famously known for the spirits that are said to linger within its walls. It gained notoriety after being featured on the paranormal series ‘Ghost Adventures’ in 2008. Visitors and ghost hunters alike are drawn to the house, fascinated by tales of unexplained noises, sightings of spectral figures, and objects moving of their own accord.
The Riddle House stands today as a testament to the rich and sometimes eerie history of West Palm Beach, offering visitors a rare glimpse into the life and times of early 20th-century Florida.
