HAUNTINGS
Definition:
Occurrences of paranormal activity associated with a particular location or structure and usually attributed to the activities of an anomalous entity.
Hauntings involve two main types.
Intelligent Haunt
An intelligent haunt involve a ghostly presence, a sentient spirit that interacts with its human counterparts. All departed souls who continue to interact with the living as if caught between this world and the next.
Residual Haunt
Also called an “imprint” or “energy” haunt, parapsychologists believe that a residual haunt is the product of stored energy from spirits or events, caught within their earthly environment and replayed like a video in a never-ending loop. Footsteps continually ascending the same flight of stairs or spirits seemingly caught in a time warp where they must continually repeat an event from their lives.
Known haunted locations in or around the city of Fredericksburg, VA.
*Always remember to get permission before entering private property and always investigate in a group. Never alone.
Aquia Church:
The ghost of a woman killed there has
been seen in the belfry.
Chatham Manor
The apparition of a white lady walks a
path on these grounds that has become known as Ghost Walk. Chatham was
built in 1771 by William Fitzhugh. He named it after a close friend,
William Pitt, the Earl of Chatham. Another English friend of Fitzhugh
brought his daughter to live at Chatham in an effort to break up her
romance with a commoner. But the man followed her to America, and the
two planned to elope from Chatham Manor. He gave her a rope ladder and
waited in a small boat in a nearby river. Unfortunately, none other
than George Washington, another close friend of Fitzhugh, was staying
there at the same time. He learned of their plans from a maid and had
his men arrest the suitor. The girl returned to England with her father
and later married. But she vowed to return to Chatham Manor to look for
her lover. Her ghost was first sighted there on the day she died, June
21, 1790, and returns every seven years on the anniversary of her death
to wander along the path to the river, looking for her lost love.
Fall Hill Plantation:
Reports of electrical problems,
cabinets opening and closing, ghostly figures circling one’s bed, cold
spots, strange odors, and disembodied voices.
Kenmore Plantation
Some say the presence of Colonel Fielding Lewis still lives here, still worrying about his finances. An apparition of him dressed in 1776 era clothing is seen sitting in an upstairs room, sitting at his desk, looking at his papers in a very bad mood. Downstairs he is felt as well. Visitors hear steady heavy footsteps walking back and forth. The sound of door knobs turning is also heard.
The Chimneys
*Currently undergoing name change. Built in 1770. The ghost of a little girl has been seen. People also hear a childs voice singing. Footsteps are heard, chairs rock by themselves, and windows and doors fly open or slam shut. Reports of china flying across the room and glasses crashing to the floor. It was the childhood home of Nell Herndon, who later became President Chester Arthur's First Lady.