In Episode 368 Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger explore the haunted Fleur de Lys building in Providence, Rhode Island. Built in 1885 by artist Sydney Richmond Burleigh, the building has always served as a studio for area artists. In 1921, Burleigh’s protégé took her own life inside the building. There were rumors of an affair, and that her ghost has haunted the building ever since.
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Produced and hosted by: Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger
Edited by: Ray Auger
Theme Music by: John Judd
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The Fleur de Lys building, 7 Thomas Street, Providence, Rhode Island.
“Angela O’Leary” watercolor painted by Sydney R. Burleigh, 1910.
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT:
*A note on the text: Please forgive punctuation, spelling, and grammar mistakes. Like us, the transcripts ain’t perfect.
[CITY NOISES]
[WALKING]
RAY: We’re in the heart of downtown Providence.
JEFF: We are. The Woonasquatucket River is one block that way, and our destination is up here on Thomas Street.
RAY: Okay. It’s kind of cold today. October’s chill is settling on the city.
JEFF: That it is. A perfect time of year to look for ghosts.
RAY: So we’re looking for a haunted building?
JEFF: We are.
RAY: The houses here are close to each other. Just a few feet between some of them. Which one are we looking for?
JEFF: This haunt sticks out. You can’t miss this house.
RAY: There’s a white-steeple Baptist church to our right…
JEFF: Right, that’s not the haunt. Our destination is on the other side.
RAY: Huh… Well that house sticks out big time!
JEFF: Annnnd that would be the place.
RAY: It’s a two-and-a-half story house. It’s obviously somewhat old. There’s some paintings on either side and in the middle of the second story windows. There’s embossed stonework tiles all over it, and it’s painted golden yellow with black trim. It honestly doesn’t look like any other house on the street… or really around Providence.
JEFF: Ray, this is the Fleur de Lys building, a place for artists. It’s been here since 1885 and they say… it’s haunted.
[INTRO]
JEFF: I’m Jeff Belanger and welcome to Episode 368 of the New England Legends Podcast!
RAY: And I’m Ray Auger. Thanks for joining us on our quest to find ghosts, monsters, aliens, true crime, roadside oddities, and all of the other weirdness that makes New England great. Most of our story leads come from you! So please reach out to us anytime through our Web site.
JEFF: We’ll explore this artistic Providence haunt right after this word from our sponsor.
SPONSOR
RAY: The Fleur de Lys building definitely sticks out.
JEFF: It does.
RAY: Here’s a little more background on the building. As you mentioned, it was built in 1885. It was designed by Rhode Island artist Sydney Richmond Burleigh to be a working studio for himself and other artists. I don’t know much about architecture, but for those who do, it’s got a quote “Norman half-timbered façade.” It’s meant to look like a European city home from the 16th century. It was built by an artist for artists.
JEFF: In 1939, Burleigh’s widow, Sarah Drew Burleigh deeded the property over to the Providence Arts Club…
RAY: Burleigh was one of the big-time members of that club. So it makes sense.
JEFF: The Art Club is located a few doors down the street. Sarah Burleigh said the only stipulation to the gift was that the building always be used as an artist’s studio. It’s remained that ever since.
RAY: In 1992 it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places, and today they say it’s haunted?
JEFF: They do. They say it’s haunted by a woman scorned.
RAY: In my experience, that’s the WORST kind of haunting.
JEFF: Amen. To find out why… let’s head back to the year 1921.
[TRANSITION]
RAY: It’s early October of 1921 here in Providence, Rhode Island. The economy is red-hot, and the twenties are starting to roar!
[JAZZ SWING MUSIC]
RAY: It’s a time for prosperity, a time for innovation. And even though the Eighteenth amendment was ratified last year, and booze is now illegal…
JEFF: BOOOOO!
RAY: Calm down. It’s still pretty easy to find. Don’t worry. I know a guy.
JEFF: Okay good.
[MUSIC FADES]
JEFF: While life may be a party for some people, it’s not for all. There are the tortured souls who are struggling for a variety of reasons. There are the artists trying to express what’s inside of them. Artis Sydney Richmond Burleigh knows all about that struggle.
RAY: Burleigh was born in Little Compton, Rhode Island. He married his wife, Sarah in 1875, and that’s when his art career began to take off.
JEFF: It took off because Sarah’s family is rich, and she could afford to bank-roll his career. So he could paint instead of trying to earn enough money to eat.
RAY: True enough. Burleigh studied art in Paris from 1876 to 1880, and then he came back to Rhode Island to work and teach. He’s known best for his realist watercolor paintings, but he also occasionally works in oils and sometimes he exhibits his drawings.
JEFF: Burleigh earned a notable reputation in the art world. His work has being shown in Providence, Boston, Newport, Pennsylvania, and the National Academy of Design.
RAY: In addition to working as an artist, Burleigh serves on the board of directors of the Rhode Island School of Design, and he teaches and mentors there as well.
JEFF: It’s at this prestigious art school that Burleigh met Angela O’Leary. O’Leary was about 20 years old when Burleigh became a mentor to her at school. O’Leary also works in watercolors, and she’s been known to model for other artists. Burleigh was taken with the beautiful young girl to the point where he painted a portrait of her.
RAY: The painting is gorgeous too! It depicts O’Leary in a pink skirt and blue blouse hiding her eyes and standing in front of a gnarled tree. It’s a beautiful painting.
JEFF: Over time, O’Leary and Burleigh got closer. O’Leary even accompanied Mr. and Mrs. Burleigh on a trip to France. She often traveled with the family.
RAY: There are rumors…
JEFF: What kind of rumors?
RAY: Rumors that Angela O’Leary is a little too close with her mentor.
JEFF: Ohhhh those kinds of rumors.
RAY: We don’t know for sure, but O’Leary has spent the last 20 years being pretty close to Sydney Burleigh. She’s modeled for him. She still considers him a mentor. People will talk.
JEFF: And over those past twenty years, O’Leary has been making a name for herself as well. Her impressionistic watercolor style have earned praise from many. One critic with New England Magazine describes her work as having quote “poetic landscapes, remarkable color quality, and great charm.”
RAY: And while those accolades are nice for any artist to hear, inside, O’Leary is tortured. Maybe she has a tortured artist’s soul. Maybe the rumors of her love for her mentor are true and she knows they can never be together. Maybe she’s made bold moves and was rejected. We don’t know for sure, but we do know she’s suffering from depression.
JEFF: It’s October 1st, and 45-year-old O’Leary is painting inside the Fleur-de-Lys studios owned by Sydney Burleigh. But something is very off with O’Leary. Even painting—the occupation that’s brought her joy her entire life–isn’t helping. She’s despondent.
[FOOTSTEPS ON FLOOR]
JEFF: She walks to the kitchen.
[HISSING SOUND]
JEFF: She pulls the gas line hose from the wall. She’s lying down, and placing the hose in her mouth.
RAY: This is awful. (BEAT) It only takes a few minutes for Angela O’Leary to slip unconscious.
[DOOR OPENS AND CLOSES]
[RUNNING ON THE FLOOR]
RAY: It’s a few minutes later when another artist comes in to discover O’Leary’s unconscious body. She’s rushed to the hospital.
JEFF: Angela O’Leary holds on for two more days before she slips away. Breathing in the gas was more than her system could take. And that brings us back to today.
[TRANSITION]
JEFF: Though Angela O’Leary died in the hospital, she basically took her own life at the Fleur-de-Lys house in Providence. This story and her spirit have haunted the building ever since.
RAY: Sydney Burleigh died in 1931 at 76 years of age. That would be a decade after Angela O’Leary. And though the rumors of their affair have never been confirmed, from the outside it definitely looked suspicious. O’Leary never married anyone else, she never had children. But she was quite close with Burleigh and his family.
JEFF: Who knows? Maybe there was an arrangement or understanding. Or maybe it was platonic. We won’t ever know, but some suggest an affair and a spurned woman who took her life because she couldn’t be with the man she loved is the reason behind the haunting.
RAY: Or maybe the Fleur-de-Lys house is where she was happiest. Where she did some of her best creative work, and that’s why she still hangs around.
JEFF: There are as many reasons for ghosts as there are hauntings. As a guy who makes a living in creative fields, I adore the working artist life. The struggle to express yourself but also be able to earn a living and you know… eat. It’s a brutal existence hoping the muse descends and gives you something with enough value that others will pay for it.
RAY: It makes sense that creative people are drawn to other creative people. They get the struggle. For Angela O’Leary, the struggle was so great she took her own life. I have no doubt that’s haunted every artist who has walked into the Fleur-de-Lys buildings ever since.
[OUTTRO]
JEFF: And now this iconic building is a stop on the Providence ghost tours, and many locals know of its haunted reputation. And that takes us to After the Legend where we take a deeper dive into this week’s story and sometimes veer off course.
RAY: After the Legend is brought to you by our Patreon Patrons. We’d love for you to join our growing group of New England Legends insiders who are the backbone of everything we do. Our patrons help with our hosting, production, marketing, and all of the other costs it takes to bring you two shows each week. We appreciate them more than we can express. All we ask is $3 bucks per month—though some give more. And for that you get early ad-free access to new episodes plus bonus episodes and content that no one else gets to hear. Please head over to Patreon.com/NewEnglandLegends to sign up!
To see some pictures of the Fleur-de-Lys house plus Angela O’Leary, click on the link in our episode description, or go to our Web site and click on episode 368.
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Until next time remember… the bizarre is closer than you think.
