Hidden away down tree-shaded lanes, stately manors remind passersby of a bygone era when parasol ladies in bright dresses strolled past enslaved workers tilling the fields. Today they are historic sites, museums, or private homes, but something from the past remains. Perhaps you can catch a glimpse of a smokey figure at one of these most haunted plantations in Virginia.

Elmwood

Elmwood Plantation in Essex County, Virginia was established in the late 18th century by the Wickham family, who were prominent landowners in Virginia. The Wickham family lived in a large brick mansion on the plantation, which was likely built in the late 18th or early 19th century. The mansion still stands today and is a private residence. It was unoccupied for much of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, leading to widespread rumors of ghostly activity. The most notable occurrence is that of a spectral couple wearing extravagant clothes who appear in the midst of parties, dancing obliviously to the perplexed crowd. Their waltz takes them down the main staircase and into the garden, where they disappear.

Blandfield

Blandfield is a Georgian-style plantation house in Essex County, Virginia. It was built around 1750 for William Beverley (1696–1756). As the house has been in possession of the Beverley family for over 250 years, it comes as no surprise that several family members are believed to haunt the grounds. An unknown male entity has been seen in the library, and the specter of a woman wearing a long dress appears upstairs.

Kenmore

Kenmore Plantation, a National Historic Landmark, sits at 1201 Washington Avenue in Fredericksburg, Virginia and was once the center of a sprawling plantation. The house itself dates back to the 1770s. Fielding Lewis, its owner, was married to George Washington’s sister, Betty, and Kenmore is widely believed to be haunted by his ghost. The disembodied sound of boots pacing upstairs, cold drafts, stuck doors, and door knobs turning on their own are all attributed to his presence.

Westover

Westover Plantation is a historic plantation located in James City County, Virginia, which was established in the late 17th century. The plantation was owned by the Byrd family, who were prominent landowners in Virginia and played a significant role in the early history of the colony. Its ghostly activity is attributed to Evelyn Byrd, eldest daughter of William Byrd II. She was thought to have died of a broken heart and has appeared in the gardens for over 200 years. William Byrd III, Evelyn’s half-brother, was burdened by gambling debts and committed suicide. His ghost also appears in the house. The mansion still stands today and is a private residence.

Rosewell

The Page family was certainly not the most well-known or influential Virginia family, when compared to luminaries like Washington, Mason, Jefferson, and Lee, but they were determined to build its most impressive house. Construction on Rosewell Plantation in Gloucester County, Virginia began in 1725 and it became a center of upper-class life in the Tidewater. It burned down in 1916, leaving a brick edifice that continues to impress visitors. It is also widely believed to be haunted by a woman wearing a red dress, among a host of other less visible phantoms.

Shirley

Shirley Plantation in Charles City County, Virginia is among the Old Dominion’s most historic haunted abodes. Sir Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr and first colonial royal governor of Virginia, first settled on this land in 1613, making it older than even the Plymouth colony in Massachusetts. The manor itself, built in 1723, was constructed in magnificent Georgian style. Its most famous ghost story dates back to the seventeenth or early eighteenth centuries with the death of “Aunt Pratt”, whose portrait hung in a prominent place on the ground floor. In later years, an owner removed the portrait and stored it in the attic, touching off a flurry of strange activity widely blamed on Aunt Pratt’s ghost. After a brief but ‘lively’ stint in New York, the painting was finally returned to its place on Shirley’s walls. The otherworldly activity has since dissipated.

Castle Hill

Dr. Thomas Walker (1715–1794) built the plantation known as Castle Hill in Albemarle County, Virginia in 1764. Walker was a friend of Thomas Jefferson’s father and served as guardian for the young Thomas after his father died. It has played host to many prominent Virginians over the years, and even has a dramatic Revolutionary War story. The house itself has undergone many renovations, from a simple clapboard manor to the majestic facade we see today. In the early twentieth century, it developed a reputation for being haunted. Guests reported the inexplicable scent of roses and the sensation of being grabbed by unseen hands. Others witnessed mysterious apparitions or heard the sound of a party in empty rooms.

Carter’s Grove

Carter’s Grove is among the most well-known haunted plantations in Virginia. Carter Burwell, grandson of Robert “King” Carter, completed this stately home overlooking the James River in James City County in 1755. It played host to many prominent Virginians, and its ghostly legends date back to this time. Most infamously, the parlor at Carter’s Grove earned the moniker the “Refusal Room,” for being where two ladies of the house turned down proposals from none other than George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. Since then, white carnations placed in the parlor are found the next morning torn to pieces, and visitors still find white carnation pedals strewn about, even if no one brought flowers into the room. The property itself was also the scene of a colonial-era massacre of settlers at the hands of Powhatans in 1622. Evidence of the historical settlement was found by accident in the 1970s. Today, Carter’s Grove is a U.S. National Historic Landmark but privately owned, closed to the public.

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References

• Hauck, Dennis William. National Directory of Haunted Places. New York: Penguin Books, 2002.
• Kinney, Pamela. Virginia’s Haunted Historic Triangle. Atglen: Schiffer Publishing, 2019.
• Schwartz, Susan. Haunted Charlottesville and Surrounding Counties. Atglen: Schiffer Publishing, 2019.
• Taylor, Jr., L.B. Ghosts of Virginia, I. Lynchburg: Progress Printing Co., 1993.
• Taylor, Jr., L.B. Ghosts of Virginia, II. Lynchburg: Progress Printing Co., 1994.
• Taylor, Jr., L.B. Ghosts of Virginia, III. Lynchburg: Progress Printing Co., 1996.
• Taylor, Jr., L.B. Ghosts of Virginia, IV. Lynchburg: Progress Printing Co., 1998.