The Duke Mansion is rumored to be haunted by Jon Avery, a former owner who died a week before a planned meeting with a writer, Maggie, who had previously ended their affair and later saw his apparitional form in the mansion. The story depicts Avery as a kind, book-loving man whose pale, skeletal ghost is said to appear to guests, a story promoted by Charlotte ghost tour operators. The Ghostly Story: The spirit is said to be that of Jon Avery, a former owner of the mansion. Avery was known for his love of books and poetry and had a secret relationship with a writer named Maggie. A year after their affair ended, Maggie agreed to meet Avery at the mansion at midnight. Avery's ghost appeared, described as deathly pale with hollow gray eyes and a skeletal frame, shortly before Maggie realized she was meeting him in the afterlife.