Virginia offers plenty of spooky spots if you’re in search of some thrills and chills. From Native American villages to Civil War battlefields, Virginia boasts plenty of scary locations to visit.
Coast Artillery Road near Fort Story has long been known to be haunted, and guards have reported hearing voices and witnessing ghost-like figures walking along its length.
Ferry Plantation House
Ferry Plantation House is an engaging home with rich history, but it is also one of the most haunted locations in Virginia. According to staff reports, visitors and employees have reported strange occurrences; and even one ghost known as “The Witch of Pungo” has been seen roaming its premises.
The plantation boasts an extensive and vibrant history dating back to the 1600s. Once serving as a ferry stop on Lynnhaven River, later used for school, post office and courthouse functions before eventually becoming a museum and center for education today.
Ferry Plantation House is believed to be haunted by eleven ghosts. Grace Sherwood, commonly known as the Witch of Pungo and who was imprisoned there until her release on July 10, 1706 is widely thought to still roam its grounds and haunt its corners; she may still linger here as one of its ghostly residents. Grace Sherwood may still linger here today as one of its more popular spirits who still haunt its areas.
Weems-Botts Museum
Paranormal activities have become more and more prevalent since the rise of horror movies and paranormal theories, creating an upsurge in paranormal activities across Virginia. While people enjoy scares, it is essential to distinguish fact from fiction. Virginia offers plenty of real haunted houses or educational resources dedicated to paranormal subjects that will keep your nerves on edge!
Weems-Botts Museum can be found in Dumfries and is said to be home to both human and feline spirits. Once serving as a tavern and inn, its residents were infiltrated by an anonymous female stranger who made everyone take an oath not to reveal her identity. Renovations caused unexpected events including books falling off shelves.
Staunton Train Depot only began becoming known for its creepy atmosphere recently, yet it quickly established a scary presence within Virginia. Rumor has it that it is home to the ghost of a young woman who died after her room burned down during an 1800 fire.
Old Central State Mental Hospital
Mental hospitals and asylums can often be seen as hotbeds for paranormal activity, due to many patients who were mistreated during their stays or experienced abuse from doctors or were victims of abuse themselves. Therefore it’s not surprising that the spirits of those individuals can sometimes haunt these buildings where they once called home.
King Davis, former Virginia mental health commissioner, secured funds and digitize Central State archives and photos a few years back. Now, he is making these records accessible to the public.
Central State was the first mental institution established specifically to treat black Americans, remaining segregated until after passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Many believed that being black and landless provided immunity against mental illness – thus leading to many people who did not belong there being admitted and subject to horrifying treatments like plunge baths and electric shocks.
Major Graham’s Mansion
One of Virginia’s most haunted places is Major Graham’s Mansion in Wythe County. With a long and turbulent history spanning gothic Southern and Civil War eras, its origins can be traced back to Squire David Graham purchasing this land back in 1780; after buying, slaves killed Joseph Baker who previously owned it before they drowned him in moonshine barrels as revenge against Squire David Graham’s purchase.
Major Graham Mansion became the focal point for his descendants’ successful iron industry family and is situated on an expansive estate that features reconstructed slave quarters, spring houses and barn. Today it plays host to historical weekends and musical festival GrahamFestUSA; tours can also be taken during September and October; this year also sees Street Survivors performing; this tribute band takes its name from Lynyrd Skynyrd’s last album released before their tragic plane crash in 1977.
