Hiram B. Scutt Mansion sold

JOLIET – A 132-year-old Joliet mansion known for both its stately architecture and ghostly reputation has been sold.

The Hiram B. Scutt Mansion, 206 N. Broadway, sold May 2 for more than its original listing price of $159,900, according to Maria Cronin, an agent with Carrington Real Estate Services.

The property, which sold in less than a week, drew inquiries from across the country and as far away as England and Ireland, Cronin said.

A weekend showing of the property drew more than 175 visitors, Cronin said, both because of its aesthetic value and rumored paranormal activity there.

“It drew a lot of interest,” Cronin said. “A lot of people wanted in it because of the notoriety.”

Two paranormal investigations were held on the property before the sale, Cronin said.

The mansion, formerly owned by the Magosky family of Joliet, was in foreclosure.

Online advertisements for the 4,960-square-foot property listed five bedrooms, two full and two half bathrooms and a two-car garage on a half-acre.

The red brick mansion was entered in the National Register of Historic Places in 2003. The Second Empire-style home was built by James Weese, one of Joliet’s first architects.

The mansion is named after Hiram Scutt, a Civil War veteran who later became Joliet’s first barbed wire manufacturer. It was built in 1882 and dubbed Barb Villa.

The house’s recent history is somewhat dark.

Brian Kearney, a Chicago real estate broker, bought the property in 2004 and planned to convert it into a bed and breakfast.

In 2006, a Joliet teenager was shot to death outside the mansion during a party hosted by two University of St. Francis football players who rented rooms there.

It was purchased later that year by Seth Magosky, a Joliet real estate agent, historian and John Wilkes Booth impersonator. Magosky planned to convert it to the P. Seth Magosky Museum of Victorian Life & Joliet History. But in March 2007, Magosky, 39, was found dead in the mansion.

“He was only there for six months, so it wasn’t a really long time,” said Serena Magosky, Magosky’s sister.

After his death, Magosky’s parents and sister tried to continue his efforts.

“He had specifically stated that he would like to open a museum and when he passed away, my parents thought ... why not try to keep up with his dream,” Serena Magosky said.

The family sought nonprofit status and set a price for tours. They began the task of rehabbing the house to the right period. They held events at the mansion, including fundraisers and murder mystery dinners.

“We wanted to make it a positive thing that came out of his death,” Serena Magosky said.

But in 2012, tragedy struck again for the Magosky family.

“My dad fell and broke his neck in September 2012,” Serena Magosky said. “He was ... the one who did the upkeep of the building and [after that] he just could not do it.”

Cronin said the new owner plans to restore the building.

“He wants to rehab and bring it back to its original condition,” Cronin said. “He loves old homes and is a collector. The guy has a lot of respect for the old lady.”