The Haunted Brandywine Valley

Covered bridge in The Valley

 Stretching out from the Delaware border into Pennsylvania is a series of long windy roads, dense woods, and beautiful farmland known as the Brandywine Valley or simply "The Valley" to many of the locals. During the day, these roads provide a quaint drive through the country. You may drive through a few covered bridges like the one pictured to the left, or alongside a babbling brook, or rolling pastures. At night however, The Valley transforms into a completely different place. As darkness settles in, the roads seem to wander on endlessly into the night. Each turn leads to an unknown stretch of darkness that appears to be a completely different road than it was during the day. The trees seem to move with the vehicle as if you're not even moving forward. Dark shadows dart out in front of you and strange creatures seem to run alongside your vehicle in an attempt to catch you. Many mysterious and strange things lurk in the darkness of The Valley.

Leaning trees along Cossart Rd

One of the most spine-tingling roads you will find in the Brandywine Valley is Cossart Road aka Devil's Road. There have been many strange sightings along this road and its said to be so evil that the trees reach away from the road. This was one of the first urban legends that VAPI visited back in 2009, and one that I use to frequent years before that. There is definitely an uneasy feeling the entire time you are on this road, and I have to say, there's no better way to experience it than in the back of a pick up, especially when you are being pursued by a vehicle with the headlights out.

VAPI Jeff with Noah in the pick up bed
patrolling down Devil's Rd 2009

As a teenager, the summer I got my driver's license, my friends and I would spend many nights driving through The Valley. This fueled my passion for urban legends, dark creepy roads, and hauntings. One night as we were exploring the long dark roads, we came upon a dead end. as we were making a U turn, the headlights shown into the woods and lit up a large mound with a woman standing on top of it. There were no cars in sight and no houses around for miles. The woman didn't move, but stood there staring at us with her hands by her side. Needless to say, we didn't stick around (this was 10 years before VAPI). Another night, we were driving down a long road surrounded by farmland, when we passed a woman walking along the road. Startled at first, we discussed where she may have emerged from. We drove further down the road and saw no disabled vehicles or houses that she may have come from. I of course brought up the idea that she may have been a ghost. We decided to turn around and go back to the location where we passed her. As we drove down the road, surrounded by nothing but fields, the woman was no where in sight. It's possible that she cut through one of the fields, but there were no other cars, or houses along the road. Maybe a ghost? It's exciting to consider as a possibility.

along Cossart Road

Quite a few years have passed since my friends and I would spend our nights driving through The Valley. Sights that I would have run from at the time, I now seek out in our search for indisputable evidence of the spiritual realm. The Brandywine Valley still holds the same mystery and allure as it always has. These long roads, twisting through the night, still present unexplainable sights and eerie feelings. Even though we return to The Valley each time I return home, it always seems new and exciting, yet so familiar. I never know what to expect as I look forward to our next venture into the Brandywine Valley.

by Jeff Santos

Cold Harbor Battlefied in Hanover County, VA

Cold Harbor battlefield is a serene and picturesque landmark lying off Route 156 in a residential section of Hanover County, Virginia. A small, brick building serves as the visitor center, and separates the parking lot from the battlefields. The structure is easy to miss if you aren't looking for it.

Between the visitor center and the battlefield, a few trees rise from a blanket of pine needles and look out over the rolling, emerald field to the dense forest beyond. Two solitary cannons remain among the trees, which appear to stand guard over these wrought iron and wooden-wheeled structures as if they are aware of their significance and of the role they played in the battle.

To the far side of the battlefield, a dense forest harbors the remains of trenches and other fortifications where so many soldiers fought and lost their lives. Dirt trails and a paved tour road cut through the shadowy forest and wind around these fortifications, and if you venture onto them, you will find yourself surrounded by a variety of trees, plants, and shrubs. However, a short distance into the forest, you may begin to feel as if someone is standing among the foliage, watching you as you pass. The deeper into the forest you get, the more intense the feeling becomes. Perhaps the soldier spirits that nearby residents see on the battlefields at night are simply curious about the living who have come to walk the trails.

If any battlefield could have the reputation of being haunted, it is Cold Harbor. The Battle of Cold Harbor is described as one of the bloodiest and lopsided battles of the war. Approximately 108,000 Union soldiers and 62,000 Confederates engaged in the thirteen-day battle. Over 1,800 Union troops were killed, while the Confederates suffered significantly less casualties, with only 83 killed. 

The official website for the Civil War Trust, at www.civilwar.org, describes the battle at Cold Harbor in the following way:

          On May 31, Maj. General Sheridan's cavalry seized the vital crossroads of Old Cold
          Harbor. The following morning, Sheridan was able to repulse an attempted reposses-
          sion by Confederate infantry. Confederate reinforcements soon arrived and clashed
          with the Union Sixth and Eighteenth Corps when they reached Cold Harbor that
          evening. By June 2, the armies had formed a seven-mile front that extended from 
          Bethesda Church to the Chickahominy River. General Grant was poised for a major
          assault to General Lee's right flank and cut off the Confederates off from Richmond,
          but when Maj. General Hancock's Second Corps arrived after midnight march, too
          fatigued to support the Union left flank, the operation was postponed until the 
          following day. This fatal delay gave Lee's troops time to build an impressive line of 
          trenches. At dawn June 3, the Union Second, Sixth, and Eighteenth Corps, followed
          later by the Fifth and Ninth Corps, assaulted along the Bethesda Church-Cold Harbor
          line and were slaughtered at all points. Grant pulled out of Cold Harbor after nine
          days of trench warfare and continued to try to flank Lee's army at Petersburg. Grant 
          later expressed remorse for the egregious Union casualties at Cold Harbor, stating,
          "I have always regretted that the last assault at Cold Harbor was ever made [...] no
          advantage whatever was gained to compensate for the heavy loss we sustained."

On the 151st anniversary of the battle, the National Park Service hosted events at the battlefield to provide visitors with information about the battle and its aftermath. Jeff Santos and I were among the visitors at this event. We spent the day walking the trails through the forest, hoping to catch a glimpse of who- or whatever seemed to be watching us as we ventured deep into the forest.

In addition to the unseen onlookers, we also came upon encampments of reenactors. The white, angular forms of their canvas tents were a stark contrast to the emerald forest surrounding them, and the smoke from campfires rose up to the canopy of the trees, filling it with an eerie, blue-gray haze. The reenactors stood cleaning their muskets, or sat upon rough wooden benches as they enjoyed their lunches. They were friendly and informative, and willing to endure our relentless camera flashes and video clips.

The finale of the two-day event was a luminary tour, in which visitors were guided on a walking tour past actors who provided a glimpse into the reality of life as a Civil War soldier. The paved road that stretches from the battlefield and into the forest was lined with white paper bags illuminated by LED lights. The road ended at another field, far more secluded than the first, that was filled with the same white bags. The LEDs and the bags that contained them cast off an unearthly, bluish-white glow in the blackness of the surrounding forest. 

 

We tagged along at the back of our tour group as we made our way along, snapping pictures at anything and everything, even into the shadow-filled forest that flanked the tour road. At the end of the road, the entire group took turns taking pictures of the field full of luminaries with the gibbous moon hanging high above it. 

 

When satisfied with the pictures we'd taken, we turned an made our way back down the road to the visitor center. And as we rounded a gentle curve in the road, I happened to glance off the side of the road to my left. My breath caught in my throat. Standing in the tree line, beyond the reach of the luminary glow, atop a small hill beside a trench, were two grey figures leaning against a tree. They were as silent as death, and simply stared back at us as we passed. I lifted my camera and snapped a picture of them before continuing onward. It's possible that they were reenactors who'd emerged from the forest, as curious about us as the unseen onlooker from the trails earlier in the day. However, it's also possible that they were the spirits of two soldiers killed during the battle, perhaps standing beside the trench where they lost their lives. There's no way to be certain.

One thing is for sure, though. The battlefield of Cold Harbor was the site of both great victory and great tragedy, and the spirit of that battle lingers in the air as thick as the smoke from the reenactors' campfires. It serves as a reminder and as a tribute to those patriots who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.

by Linda Cassada
Virginia Paranormal Investigations

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.