Although Gillistown Farmhouse now stands derelict and partially demolished, it has long carried a reputation that discouraged many from ever crossing its threshold. Locals spoke of a ghost known as Bess, a figure believed not to cause harm directly, but to act as a harbinger of death or grave illness within the household.

The farmhouse was once home to James McCausland, an unmarried landowner, and his widowed sister Sarah. In 1928, James’s health began to fail following a serious fall. As his condition worsened, he was moved to the home of his brother William in Drumenan, where he could be properly cared for.

At the same time, Sarah was showing early signs of dementia. To assist her, an eleven-year-old girl named Margaret McCausland was sent to live at Gillistown. Unaware of the stories attached to the house, Margaret soon began to experience unsettling phenomena: loud, deliberate knocks on the table, and the sound of heavy footsteps pacing back and forth along the corridor.

When Margaret voiced her fears, Sarah dismissed them calmly, insisting there was nothing to be afraid of. According to local belief, however, these disturbances were attributed to Bess – a warning that misfortune was about to strike the family.

On 19 July 1928, James McCausland died in Drumenan, seemingly confirming the ominous significance of the events at the farmhouse. Margaret remained with Sarah for a time afterward, but matters soon worsened. Sarah suffered severe scalding injuries to her legs from boiling water, and her mental condition deteriorated rapidly. She was eventually moved to Drumenan for full-time care, where she later died.

In later years, Margaret recalled that she had been strictly forbidden from entering one particular living room in the farmhouse, which was kept locked at all times and widely regarded as the most “haunted” part of the house. Her sister Isobel refused outright to stay at Gillistown, having also heard stories of Bess and fearing what might be encountered within its walls.