Robert the Doll - is it Haunted?

Key West was home to the Otto family. They were apparently very stern people, and their son was held to rigid expectations. Their son Robert, who was often called Gene, had a nurse who looked after him most of the time. Mrs. Otto and the nurse had some sort of disagreement and the nurse was let go. Before she left, she gave Gene a hand-sewn stuffed doll, which bore a resemblance to Gene.

Gene took to the doll immediately, and the doll was named in his likeness - Robert. From then on, Gene could be seen everywhere with Robert. Robert even had his own seat at the dinner table. After a while, the house staff would hear Gene Otto talking and playing alone in his room with Robert the doll. They would then hear an insistent voice entirely different from Gene's. Whenever someone checked in on Gene, they would find him cowering while the doll glared down at him. No one but Gene was in the room.

It didn't take long for the Otto family and the house staff to decide the doll had something wrong with it. Glassware would be thrown, servants would find themselves locked out of the house, and toys that Gene loved would turn up mutilated. Gene was blamed for these occurrences but he always insisted that Robert did it. His parents were reluctant to believe, but the servants immediately believed that Robert the doll was haunted.

As an adult, even after his parents died, Gene Otto continued to live in the house. His bond with the haunted doll Robert remained unbroken. People continued to hear maniacal laughter and giggling from the Turret Room, which Gene spent a lot of time in as a boy. This room had become Robert's - everything from Gene's childhood that Robert tolerated remained in the room, as if time had not passed since childhood.

Servants came and went, and those that would work in Gene's house would not stay in the house after sunset or go near the Turret Room for any reason. Gene Otto eventually married, and he insisted that the haunted doll Robert go everywhere with him and his wife. Robert even sat in a chair next to the couple's bed every night. This undoubtedly placed a strain on the marriage. Mrs. Otto eventually went insane and died; she is said to haunt the house.

After Gene died, the new owners of the house placed Robert in a box in the attic. They would find him all over the house, in seemingly unimaginable predicaments. The new owners even woke up one night to find Robert standing at the foot of their bed, giggling and holding a knife.

Robert the haunted doll now "lives" at the East Martello Museum in Key West, Florida. He is well guarded, and many of his visitors have seen him smirk at them. Many have claimed he does not like to have his photo taken - some cameras malfunction and some photos come out blank. Robert may have a hard time staying put - some still see him looking down from the Turret Room.

Sources:

http://www.hauntedamericatours.com

http://hauntsofamerica.blogspot.com