You’ve heard the story of the ghostly figure who resides in the Bracken Tenement Kitchen. But it’s not the only Colonial House in the Revolutionary City with spooky specters. Here are three other stories of possible hauntings, including one about a founding father.
Market Square Tavern
One of Colonial Williamsburg’s 88 original buildings, the Market Square Tavern was once home to Thomas Jefferson as he studied at the College of William & Mary. One guest reported hearing footsteps in the hallway and named the being “Tom.” The guest said he told Tom goodnight, and a chair scraped across the floor as though the person in it was standing up. Does the author of the Declaration of Independence still visit his old stomping grounds?
Orrell House
The Orrell House is another of Colonial Williamsburg’s 88 original buildings. Guests reported finding all of the furniture turned upside down after coming back from a meal. Nothing else was touched, just the furniture. Who could be responsible for such a thing?
Brick House Tavern
The Brick House Tavern isn’t an original building, but it was reconstructed on its original location. In the 18th century, guests of the tavern would share a bed with each other, even strangers. A coworker shared this story, “Some spirits seem to still be searching for a comfortable rest… two sisters shared an experience of being woken up by a press on their shoulder and the covers pulled off.”
Do spirits haunt some of our Colonial Houses? So much history surrounds the Revolutionary City, it’s hard to think they wouldn’t. Even Dr. Goodwin acknowledged them.
Want to stay in one of our haunted Colonial Houses for Halloween? Book your stay and you’ll also get all-access passes to the ghostly fun included in this year’s Haunting on DoG Street: Blackbeard’s Revenge.
I truly believe there are spirits of people in and near the restored area. One is John Lowe who for many years portrayed James Shields at Shield’s Tavern. We had a casual relationship with John. He would kind of remember us when we would visit CW. We’d remind him of something and he’d finish the story. He knew we understood the interactive theater of CW. And if we were there for dinner he knew he could get us involved to loosen everybody else up and get them involved in festivities. We were visiting at Christmas time shortly after John’s passing. He lived in one of the houses on DoG Street. We had lunch at Shield’s one day and I went downstairs to use the restroom. It was a cold day so the heat was on throughout the building. Has I got to the bottom of the stairs there was a very cold breeze that swirled around me. The door to the outside was closed tight. I felt john’s presence. I wasn’t thinking about John when this started. This happened again on a different trip too. So I think John will be watching over Shield’s Tavern for some time.
On a different Christmas trip to CW we were at the Jefferson Dinner at the King’s Arms and I went upstairs and again I was pasted by a very cool breeze. I looked around to see if there were any windows open upstairs for ventilation, but all windows in sight were closed. I have no idea who the cool breeze represented.
On the same trip, we were staying off-sight at a motel on By-Pass Road. We had taken one of the ghost tours that evening. This motel has interior hallways so the only place you can get a blast of cool air is from the window on the other side of the room which was closed. I was already in bed and my husband was by the sink. He turned very quickly to see if I was behind him. I have bad knees and would not have been able to move that fast. And he would have seen me in the mirror too. He said he felt a blast of cool air go past him. So I’m convinced there are spirits still roaming in the woods trying to find peace or something.
These all sound crazy I know, but they did happen.