Grand Gilded Age stone mansion surrounded by mature trees and rolling lawns in misty light in Sharon, Connecticut

Real Estate

Why Is It Foggy Inside? This Gilded Age Estate Looks Straight Out of a Gothic Novel

If you've ever wanted to live inside a period drama, here's your chance. Filston, a 1903 estate in Sharon, Connecticut, sits on 106 acres of rolling hills and woodland trails, and its listing photos are so moody and mist-filled that Reddit tagged the post "Probably Haunted." The most-asked question in the comments? Why is it foggy inside the house?

A Colgate Family Country Estate

Architect William Cromwell, Jr. designed the home for Mr. and Mrs. Romulus Colgate, of the famous Colgate family, blending Neoclassical, Italianate, Palladian, Neo-Gothic, and French Empire influences into one grand country house. It spans just over 12,000 square feet, with 5 full baths and 3 powder rooms, and the grounds were designed by landscape architect Edward Hamilton Bell. There's also a 5,700-square-foot, three-story carriage house on its own parcel, plus equestrian trails winding through the property. Behind the old-world charm are some modern upgrades: all-new wiring, buried power lines, a commercial-grade generator, a new furnace, and updated plumbing.

Load-Bearing Fog and Other Theories

The photographer clearly leaned into the vibe, styling every shot like a 19th-century Gothic novel, and Reddit had a field day. Theories for the indoor haze ranged from "load-bearing fog" to someone leaving the French doors open and letting all the period atmosphere in. Commenters compared it to Knives Out, insisted the photos were screenshots from Red Dead Redemption 2, and praised the zebra-print accent for tying the room together. One popular reply called it the perfect house for building secret rooms and puzzles your grandchildren have to solve to claim their inheritance, while others pictured a hidden room straight out of The Secret Garden. Serious buyers only, though: the listing asks $6,995,000 and requires proof of funds.