Virginia Ghost Stories: Berkeley Plantation & Old Town Inn Hauntings

Haunted Berkeley Plantation: Charles City's Spectral History

Berkeley Plantation, founded in 1619 by 38 settlers from Berkeley Castle in England, stands as a testament to Virginia's rich, and often eerie, past. The magnificent manor house, built by Benjamin Harrison in 1726, has hosted historical figures like George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Its grounds also bear the scars of the Civil War, having been occupied by General George B. McClellan's Federal troops after their retreat from Richmond.

After the war, the plantation was acquired by John Jamieson, a Scotsman who had served as a drummer boy for McClellan. In 1927, his son Malcolm inherited the estate, and it has remained in the Jamieson family ever since. Beyond its historical significance, Berkeley Plantation is renowned for its paranormal activity.

Spectral Residents of Berkeley Plantation

• The Little Drummer Boy: Visitors to the meticulously restored mansion frequently report seeing and hearing the ghost of a young drummer boy. This apparition is often linked to the Civil War era, perhaps a spirit from the time of McClellan's occupation.
• The Tall, Gaunt Man: Another spectral figure, described as tall and gaunt, has been observed walking along the riverbank. Intriguingly, this figure is sometimes seen walking side-by-side with the little drummer boy along the old picket fence that stretches up the hill to the cemetery.

The Old Town Inn: Manassas's Paranormal Hotspot

Another prominent site for paranormal encounters in Virginia is the Old Town Inn in Manassas, located just outside Washington, D.C. This century-old hotel has a reputation for unexplained phenomena, as one family from Griffith, Indiana, discovered firsthand.

A Family's Terrifying Stay in Room 54

During a violent thunderstorm, the family—a husband, wife, and their ten-year-old son—sought refuge at the inn and was assigned Room 54. With TV reception knocked out, they were left to converse about their trip when the strange events began:

• Unseen Crashes: They repeatedly heard the sound of objects crashing and breaking on the bathroom floor. Each time they investigated, however, they found nothing amiss or broken.
• Mattress Tugging: After going to bed, the wife was awakened by a distinct tugging sensation on her mattress. The sensation persisted, prompting her to wake her husband and insist they switch beds. Soon after, her husband experienced the same unsettling tugging.
• Mysterious Levitation: Believing it to be mice, the husband eventually fell back asleep. His wife, however, remained awake. To her astonishment, she then witnessed her sleeping husband levitate off the bed and fall to the floor. Despite her attempts to explain the inexplicable force that had thrown him, her husband's disbelief led her to drop the subject and return to bed.

These chilling accounts solidify the Old Town Inn's reputation as a truly haunted destination.