Rosewell Plantation Ruins in Gloucester County, Virginia

 



 

 

Situated on the banks of the York River in Gloucester County, Virginia, Rosewell Plantation was one of the finest mansions constructed in the colonies. It was begun in 1725 by Mann Page. Mann Page II continued the construction after his father’s death in 1730.

For over a century, the Page family occupied the home, hosting grand parties and events which many notable figures of that time period attended. And it is speculated that John Page, grandson of the builder, along with his friend from college, Thomas Jefferson, began to formulate a plan for the future of the country there at the grand mansion.

Although the mansion and its owners experienced many hardships, the greatest of all was a fire that ravaged the home in 1916, destroying all but the chimneys and masonry framework that still stands today.

There are many ghost stories associated with the home and its surrounding grounds. The first story is of a young neighbor boy who began to frequent the home when it was being constructed. He was eager to lend a hand in the building of the home, so Page put him to work. The boy was on the roof working when he slipped off and fell to his death. To this day, the spirit of a young boy is seen around the ruins.

Another haunted tale involves a slave who, during a party at the home, attempted to escape. He was captured and returned to the home where he was locked into the wine cellar until he could be properly dealt with in the morning. Overnight, the residents heard yelling and the sound of glass breaking emanating from the cellar. Figuring that the slave was simply protesting his capture, they ignored the sounds. When they opened the cellar door the following morning, they found multiple bottles of wine broken and the slave lying dead among them, with no evidence as to the cause of his death. In recent years, the slave man has been seen around the home, sometimes terrifying the living who venture down to the ruins.

There is, of course, the most famous tale of a young woman descending the front steps of the home by the light of the moon. However, there are various theories as to the woman’s age and identity. Some say she was just a girl. Some say she was a young woman. No matter her true identity, many locals have seen the apparitions floating down the steps at night.

Other stories include strange smells around the grounds that have no earthly origin, and the sounds of slaves working the fields around the home.

 

For more information on Rosewell, visit www.Rosewell.org. Around Halloween, they host one of the best ghost tours in the area.



Moon River Brewing Company

The Moon River Brewing Company was first used as a hotel in 1821. Named the City Hotel, it was the first hotel in Savannah. In 1851, Peter Wiltberger bought the hotel and put a live lion and lioness on display in order to attract business. in 1864, just before Sherman and his troops arrived, the hotel closed down. In the early 1900's, it was used as a warehouse for lumber and coal. In the 1960's, the building was converted into a printing press and office supply store. In 1979, Hurricane David ripped the roof off the building and the store closed down. There is a report that another brewing company attempted to use the building, but was driven out by paranormal activity. In 1995, Moon River Brewing Company renovated the building.

There have been several reports of hauntings in this building. Bottles have been thrown off the shelves, and there have been reports of a noisy spirit named Toby in the billiard room. Witnesses have seen a woman walk up to the bar around closing time. They say she kind of faded out towards her feet as she walked up to the bar and disappeared.

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Bunny Man Bridge

Bunnyman Bridge, located in Clifton, Virginia, has been the focus of a famous urban legend. The legend tells of a man in a bunny suit, wielding a hatchet.
The Bunnyman's story begins at an alleged asylum for the criminally insane, that used to be located somewhere in the woods near the bridge. There was a fire in the asylum and Bunnyman escaped. He hid out in the woods and would kill anyone who passed under this bridge. There are several versions of this story, this is just the one we are familiar with. 
There was a report of someone pulling off in a field near the bridge and the Bunnyman appeared. He was yelling about trespassing, and threw something through the vehicle's rear window. Upon further examination, they discovered a hatchet laying in the backseat of the vehicle.
It was a Saturday night when VAPI sent a team of investigators to test this urban legend. We were unable to obtain permission to stop the vehicle and get out to investigate. According to local authorities, it's illegal to stop anywhere in this area. Therefore, the most we could do was a drive by. The location is easy to miss. There is a "Dead End" sign at the beginning of the street, leading one to believe there's nothing down there. We drove through the winding back roads of Clifton for quite some time before arriving at the bridge. As you can see in the video, we drove through, turned around and drove back, slowing down as we passed through the tunnel. We didn't have the opportunity to do any EVP sessions or utilize the EMF detector, but we did get some video and pictures. Though we've definitely seen worse, this is a fairly creepy location. However, the Bunnyman failed to make an appearance that night. This doesn't mean he's not out there. Maybe one dark night, an unsuspecting traveler may catch a glimpse of him lurking in the darkness, carrying his hatchet, looking for his next victim.

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Winter Night at Old House Woods

One winter night we decided to visit Old House Woods. We took a few pictures and observed. In a few of our pictures we captured a fog/mist moving in front of the house. This was not breath from the person taking the pictures, which was my first guess when I noticed the fog. I held my breath and took more pictures and the fog was still visible. As you can see in the last photo, this was a clear night. The fog was not visible to the naked eye, it only appeared in the photos.

Notice the fog/mist moving in from the right.

This was taken on a clear night.

Compare to the photos above - no fog.

Old House Woods

There are many legends about Old House Woods. One of the legends is of pirates who buried treasure out in the woods. The pirates drowned out at sea when their ship encountered a storm. They never returned to reclaim their treasure. 

Throughout the years, there have been many reports of paranormal activity in Old House Woods. There have been stories of ghostly lantern lights, sounds of shovels digging, skeletons in British uniforms, a banshee screaming through the woods, and the ghosts of the pirates who returned to reclaim their treasure. Many people have ventured out into these woods in search of treasure. It is said that they were never seen again.

During our investigations of this location, we have encountered some unusual activity. We have heard voices in the woods, seen strange shadows, and heard something knocking in the direction of the house. A lot of the stuff we encountered had a reasonable explanation, but we do feel that this area definitely has something unsettling about it.