Visiting Haunted Sites
Each of the haunted sites in this book is located in one of six different geographical areas: the Northern, Central, Coast, Mountain, and Valley regions of Virginia, and Washington, D.C. A great many haunted sites in these various regions have some connection to the Colonial era or to the Civil War, two defining elements in the history of both the Commonwealth of Virginia and the District of Columbia.
All of the information in the following section has been verified to the best of my abilities — and was often what I used while working on this book — but ghosthunters are advised to confirm as much as possible before heading out into the field.
VIRGINIA
Virginia has an area of 42,774, square miles, making it the thirty-fifth largest state. It is bordered by Maryland and the District of Columbia to the north and east; the Atlantic Ocean to the east; North Carolina and Tennessee to the south; Kentucky to the west; and West Virginia to the north and west. The Commonwealth of Virginia is divided into thirty-nine independent cities and ninety-five counties.
Northern
Northern Virginia consists of Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, and Prince William counties, and the cities of Alexandria, Falls Church, Fairfax, Manassas, and Manassas Park. Important battlefields and other Civil War-themed attractions dot the region, most notably Manassas National Battlefield Park. Other attractions include Mount Vernon, home of George Washington, and the Pentagon.
Arlington National Cemetery (703) 607-8000
Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA 22211
http://www.arlingtoncemetery.org
Spirits of those who have fallen over the past two centuries in the service of their nation are believed to haunt many locations within this burial ground for America’s military personnel.
Bunny Man Bridge
Colchester Road (just south of the intersection with Fairfax Station Road) Fairfax Station, VA 22039
While it is often described as being in Clifton, it is easier to find the correct section of Colchester Road by treating it as a Fairfax Station location. This site is reputed to be linked to a serial killer from the 1970s, whose spirit is said to make his presence known in some way if his name is uttered three times. Bunny Man Bridge may also have influenced scenes in at least one movie and one video game.
Gadsby’s Tavern (703) 548-1288
138 North Royal Street, Alexandria, VA 22314
http://www.gadsbystavernrestaurant.com
gadsbys@verizon.net
A beautiful young woman who died at this historic tavern nearly two hundred years ago is sometimes still seen there, as are a variety of other strange phenomena.
Manassas National Battlefield Park (703) 361-1339
Park Visitor Center, 6511 Sudley Road, Manassas, VA 20109
Site of the first major battle of the Civil War, ghosts of fallen soldiers have long been seen roaming the fields where they fell during the bloodiest conflict in U.S. history.
HOURS: The park is open daily from dawn to dusk. The visitor’s center is open daily, 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m. It is closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.
Historic Occoquan (703) 491-2168
Route 123 (a few miles west of I-95 south of Washington, D.C.)
Occoquan, VA 22125
According to local legend, an Indian chief haunts a restaurant in this historic town; activity is said to be especially predominant upstairs in the ladies’ restroom.
HOURS: Operating hours vary for the shops and restaurants, but most shops are closed daily by 5 p.m.
Rippon Lodge (703) 792-6000
15520 Blackburn Road, Woodbridge, VA 22191
This Colonial-era home acquired a gruesome reputation for being haunted that it has only shaken in recent years. At this writing it was under renovation, so call for hours and visitation information.
Weems-Botts Museum (703) 221-2218
Corner of Cameron and Duke Streets (Annex at 3944 Cameron Street) Dumfries, VA 22026
http://historicdumfries.com/weemsbotts.html
Formerly the home of Mason Locke Weems, the man who fabricated the story of George Washington and the cherry tree, this site is now a museum and is said to be haunted by the ghosts of two women who dwelled there in the past century.
HOURS: The museum is open Tuesday–Saturday, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. No tours are given after 3:30 p.m.
Central
Much of the Civil War was fought within this broad region, which stretches from Spotsylvania County in the north to the North Carolina state line in the south, and links the coastal areas to the east with the valley and mountain regions to the west. Cities within it include Charlottesville, Danville, Fredericksburg, Lynchburg, Richmond, and Petersburg. Its counties include Appomattox, site of Robert E. Lee’s surrender at the end of the Civil War, and Bedford, location of the National D-Day Museum. Attractions include Monticello, home of President Thomas Jefferson, and Montpelier, home of President James Madison.
Berry Hill Road
Berry Hill Road’s northern end intersects with
Route 58 east of Danville.
Creepy under ideal conditions, this seven-and-a-half mile stretch of road in Pittsylvania County and the ones leading off from it are home to ghosts, abandoned farmsteads, blighted woodlands, rotting animal carcasses, an uncanny number of vultures, gravitational anomalies, and “Satan’s Bridge.”
Exchange Hotel Civil War Hospital Museum (540) 832-2944
400 South Main Street, Gordonsville, VA 22942
Once a historic hotel that served as a battlefield hospital during the Civil War, this site is now a museum that is said to house the spirits of soldiers who died from their wounds during the bloody conflict.
HOURS: The Museum is open 10 a.m.–4 p.m., Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. On Sundays, the Museum is open 1–4 p.m. Closed Wednesdays and holidays. Museum is closed for the season: November 15–April 1. Special tours, groups, and educational tours by appointment.
Poe Museum (804) 648-5523
1914–16 E. Main Street, Richmond, VA 23223
Located near to where Edgar Allan Poe lived and worked, this museum is located in a historic house and contains a shrine to the troubled American horror author. It is, perhaps almost naturally, believed by some to be haunted by various ghosts.
HOURS: The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m., Sunday, 11 a.m.–5 p.m., and is closed on Mondays.
The Trapezium House (804) 733-2400
244 N. Market Street, Petersburg, VA 23803
This early 19th century house contains no parallel walls, having been constructed according to the guidance of a West Indian servant who advised that building it in this way would ward off evil spirits. According to some, the house is nonetheless haunted by the ghosts of former inhabitants.
HOURS: This site is open to visitors only a few days a year and ghosthunters are advised to call for more information before scheduling a visit.
Wreck of the Old 97 (Danville) (434) 793-4636
Route 58/Riverside Drive (near the intersection with Highland Court)
Immortalized in the first recorded song to sell a million copies in the United States, the Southern Express train “Old 97” plummeted into a ravine in 1903, killing eleven people and injuring all but one of the others on board.
Coast
This section includes sites located in the Chesapeake Bay, Eastern Shore, and Tidewater/Hampton Roads regions of Virginia. Its cities include Chincoteague Island, Norfolk, and Virginia Beach, home of psychic Edgar Cayce. Counties include Accomack, Hampton, and Smithfield. It is the location of the original settlements in the state and includes the historic triangle of Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown.
Assateague Lighthouse (757) 336-3696
Assateague Island, VA
http://www.assateagueisland.com/lighthouse/lighthouse_info.htm
Built in 1867 to warn mariners of treacherous shoals around islands made famous for their wild ponies, this site is believed by some to be inhabited in death by those responsible for tending its light in life.
HOURS: Assateague Lighthouse is open every Friday–Sunday, 9 a.m.–3 p.m., Easter weekend through Thanksgiving weekend
1848 Island Manor House (757) 336-5436
4160 Main Street, Chincoteague Island, VA 23336
Built by two affluent professionals in 1848 as an impressive manor house, this home played an important role during the Civil War and is today the most historic B&B on Chincoteague. No fewer than three ghosts are believed to haunt its chambers.
Colonial Williamsburg (757) 229-1000
P.O. Box 1776, Williamsburg, VA 23187-1776
One of the oldest municipalities in the United States, the colonial-era heart of Williamsburg is the site of numerous 18th-century buildings said to be haunted by ghosts.
Fort Monroe (757) 788-3391
Casemate Museum, P.O. Box 51341, Hampton, VA 23651
http://www.monroe.army.mil (click on “Contact Us” and scroll down to the link for “Casemate Museum”).
In continuous usage by U.S. military forces for more than 170 years, this coastal redoubt is the site of several famous hauntings and was the inspiration for the Edgar Allan Poe story “The Cask of Amontillado.” Public access to military installations can vary, so please call the above number.
Mountain
Located in the far southwestern corner of the state, this is Virginia’s most isolated, sparsely populated, and beautiful region and encompasses the Blueridge Highlands and Heart of Appalachia sections of the state. Its cities include Bristol, Abingdon, and Blacksburg. Attractions include the Crooked Road, “Virginia’s Music Heritage Trail,” and Mount Rogers, highest point in the Commonwealth.
Barter Theatre (276) 628-2281
127 West Main Street, Abingdon, VA 24212
Opened during the Great Depression, people in this isolated town could trade homegrown produce for tickets to live entertainment that they otherwise would not have been able to afford. It is believed by some to be home to numerous ghosts, including that of its founder and some of the entertainers who once worked upon its stage.
HOURS: The box office is open Monday and Tuesday, 10 a.m.–4 p.m., Wednesday–Saturday, 9 a.m.–5 p.m., Sunday, 1–5 p.m., and offers extended hours for evening performances.
Carroll County Courthouse (276) 728-5397
515 North Main Street, Hillsville, VA 24343
http://www.VisitVirginiaBlueRidgeMountains.com
Tourism@VisitVirginiaBlueRidgeMountains.com
In 1912, a murderous spree at the conclusion of a trial claimed the lives of five people, including the sheriff and presiding judge. The site of those attacks, the Carroll County Courthouse, is believed by some to be haunted by the spirits of the slain, forever searching for justice.
HOURS: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday (closed Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday), 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Devil’s Den (276) 730-3100
80 Cemetery Road, Fancy Gap, VA 24328
http://www.hillsville.com/recreation_pgs/nature_trails_pg/devil_den.htm
CarrollTourism@ChillsNet.org
This cold, damp cave in the Blue Ridge Mountains has a history as a hiding place that goes back at least as far as the days of the Underground Railroad and was used as a refuge by some of the gunmen in the 1912 shooting at the nearby Carroll County Courthouse. It is also the site of multiple unquiet spirits.
HOURS: May–November, 8 a.m.–8 p.m.
Historic Sidna Allen Home (276) 728-2594
5935 Fancy Gap Highway (Route 52), Fancy Gap, VA 24328
http://www.VisitVirginiaBlueRidgeMountains.com/attractions.shtml
Tourism@VisitVirginiaBlueRidgeMountains.com
This beautiful Victorian home was owned by one of the shooters in the Carroll County Courthouse shooting and is believed by some to be haunted by his embittered spirit and possibly those of his family members.
Octagon House
631 Octagon House Road, Marion, VA 24354
This crumbling brick edifice is believed by many who have visited it to be haunted by the spirits of slaves who were tortured by the master of the house. It is abandoned and on private property, and ghosthunters are advised to exercise caution when visiting it.
U.S. Route 58
While it may not be actually haunted itself, the western stretch of Route 58 — a mountainous road that runs along Virginia’s southern boundary running through Lee, Scott, Washington, Grayson, Carroll, and Patrick Counties — passes by numerous ghost hamlets and is a useful thoroughfare for those hunting for haunted sites in this most isolated part of the Old Dominion. It runs from the far southwestern end of the state in the west to Virginia Beach in the east.
Valley
Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley region, a portion of the Great Appalachian Valley, is bounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains to the east and the Appalachian and Allegheny Plateaus to the west and is named for the river which stretches much of its length. It encompasses several Virginia counties, including Augusta Clarke, Frederick, Page, Rockbridge, Rockingham, Shenandoah, and Warren. Cities within this region, from the south, include Roanoke, Staunton, Harrisonburg, Winchester, Lexington, Waynesboro, Front Royal, and Harpers Ferry, where the Shenandoah flows into the Potomac River.
Belle Grove Plantation (540) 869-2028
336 Belle Grove Road, Middletown, VA 22645
This historic grain and livestock farm was once the centerpiece of a great 7,500-acre estate. Today, it is both a popular tourist attraction and the apparent home of several ghostly entities.
HOURS: Guided tours are offered daily April through October, and on select weekend days in November, including the Friday after Thanksgiving Day. Tours begin 15 minutes after each hour, departing from 10:15 a.m. until 3:15 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, and from 1:15 to 4:15 p.m. on Sundays.
The Carriage Inn (304) 728-8003
417 E. Washington Street, Charles Town, WV 25414
StayAtTheCarriageInn@comcast.net
Located just across the Virginia state line in Charles Town, West Virginia, this beautifully restored, Civil War-era bed-and-breakfast was both the location of a historic meeting during the war and the home of a Southern spy. It is also an ideal location for anyone exploring the area around the northern end of the Shenandoah Valley, and is convenient to historic areas like Harper’s Ferry.
Cedar Creek Battlefield (540) 868-9176
7718-1/2 Main Street, Middletown, VA 22645
This battlefield has been the site of numerous apparitions in the years since one of the Civil War’s bloodiest battles was fought on it.
HOURS: April 1–October 31, Monday–Saturday, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.; Sunday, 1–4 p.m. November 1–March 31, call (540) 869-2064 for an appointment.
Cork Street Tavern (540) 667-3777
8 West Cork Street, Winchester, VA 22601
This restaurant is located in a building reputed to be haunted by at least two ghosts, one of which has a reputation for tripping female guests and staff.
Fuller House Inn (877)-722-3976
220 W. Boscawen Street, Winchester, VA 22601
Located in a historic home with sections that date to the 18th century, this inn has been the site of numerous paranormal phenomena. It is also a great place to stay while exploring haunted places in and around Winchester and the northern end of the Shenandoah Valley.
Poor House Road Tunnel
Lexington, VA 24450
Local legends have long branded this out-of-the-way tunnel as the site of horrible events in the past. Various ghosthunting expeditions have collected evidence that it might, indeed, be haunted by troubled spirits of some sort. It is located about a half mile north of the intersection of Poor House Road and the old Valley Pike.
Village Square (540) 667-8961
103 North Loudon Street, Winchester, VA 22601
http://www.villagesquarerestaurant.com
info@villagesquarerestaurant.com
Located in a building that once served as an apothecary and speakeasy, this fine-dining restaurant is now apparently the abode of numerous ghosts.
Virginia Military Institute (540) 464-7207
111 Smith Hall, Lexington, VA 24450
Strange occurrences of various sorts have been reported over the years at this state military college, including a weeping statue, a mural with moving figures, and a ghastly phantasm known as “the Yellow Peril.”
The Wayside Inn (540) 869-1797
7783 Main Street, Middletown, VA 22645
http://www.alongthewayside.com
info@alongthewayside.com
For more than 210 years, this inn in the heart of Virginia has catered to the needs of travelers. Visitors and staff members alike have had numerous experiences with the ghosts that have remained behind in its storied rooms.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Located along the northern banks of the Potomac River, Washington, D.C., was established in 1790 as the capital of the United States and is one of the few major planned communities in the country. It is bordered by Maryland to the northwest, northeast, and southeast and Virginia to the southwest. Features include a number of older historic communities like Georgetown that are encompassed by the district, national museums like the Smithsonian Institution, and governmental edifices like the Capitol and the White House.
Ford’s Theater (202) 638-2941
511 10th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20004
Ever since President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated here by actor John Wilkes Booth while attending a showing of Our American Cousin, this small, historic theater has been the site of strange sightings and occurrences.
HOURS: Ford’s Theatre and the museum on the lower level are currently closed for renovations and will reopen in winter 2009.
Stephen Decatur House (202) 842-0920
1610 H Street, NW, Washington, DC 20006
Located near the White House on Lafayette Square, this two-hundred-year-old house was tainted by untimely death and is reputed to be one of the most haunted places in the capital city.
HOURS: For cell phone tour hours, brochures can be picked up at the house Monday–Saturday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m., and Sunday, noon–4 p.m. The tour can be accessed 24 hours a day. Exhibit gallery tours are conducted Monday–Saturday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m., and Sunday, noon–4 p.m. House tour hours are Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m., and Sunday, noon–4 p.m.