Fort George Island’s Neff House: The Castle, the 22-Pound Betz Sphere, and a Persistent Paranormal Mystery

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Fort George Island’s Neff House, nicknamed The Castle and designed by Mellen Greeley for Nettleton Neff, rose to fame when the Betz family moved in and later reported a 22‑pound hollow steel sphere that allegedly rolled on its own, opened doors, and produced eerie sounds, drawing investigators including J. Allen Hynek, while Gerri Betz suggested a mysterious device rather than ghosts, and after 1985 the house declined further with a wing demolished in 2002, leaving a storm‑scarred, largely closed landmark in the Timucuan memory that continues to spark curiosity.