The Scarlet Parlor

Before being converted to a parlor in 1808, this room originally served as a maid's quarters. In those days, the upstairs maid served also as a nurse and a governess, and the Carter household had plenty of children and illness to attend to. According to Arkham records, a Miss Evelyn Barstock was employed in exactly this capacity from 1800 to 1808...the year of her death. An article in the Arkham Beacon reads: May 7,1808: Local constables responded to an emergency at the Carter Mansion early this morning following the gruesome discovery of the body of a domestic servant. The bloody corpse of Evelyn Barstock,27, of Boston Mass. was found in her third-floor quarters shortly before the breakfast hour. Authorities claim to have found the murder weapon: a sledgehammer, and have detained a suspect for questioning. The suspect is a Mr. Ronald Behr, resident of Arkham, and former employee of the Carter family. No motives for the brutal deed have yet been speculated upon, however one source from the Mansion claims that the two had been courting while Mr. Behr was in the employ of the estate. The records show that Miss Barstock's murderer was never brought to justice, as the only suspect, Behr, was found dead in his cell two weeks after his arrest. It was with great sadness that Carter and his staff shipped Evelyn's belongings off to Boston and attempted to clean her quarters. Burning most of theblood-spattered items from her room, they set to scrubbing the walls, which were equally stained. They could not, however, remove a bloody hand-print found on one wall next to the window. Evidently, the poor woman had unsucessfully tried to use it to escape at some point during the attack. The room was painted white...then repainted. Scarlet was eventually used, but each time the paint dried the grisly handprint appeared. Finally, in desperation, Carter (or one of the staff) hung a picture over the spot: a painting of Boston that Evelyn Barstock herself might have chosen...

Go east to view the Den. It served as a more spacious
(and less maudlin) parlor, and was usually referred to
as the Drawing Room.