Haunted hotel guide · Richmond, Virginia
Is The Jefferson Hotel in Richmond Haunted? Ghost Stories, Fires and Alligators
Richmond’s grandest hotel opened on Halloween 1895, was rebuilt after two fires and kept live alligators in its lobby, and guests and one famous comedian say it has company the hotel will not admit to.
The Jefferson Hotel fills a block of West Franklin Street in downtown Richmond, its Spanish Baroque towers rising above the trees. Tobacco baron Lewis Ginter built it to be the finest hotel in the South, and it opened its doors on October 31, 1895. Inside, the Palm Court lobby still has its Tiffany stained glass and Edward Valentine’s marble statue of Thomas Jefferson, and the Grand Staircase sweeps down into the Rotunda. Thirteen presidents have stayed here, along with Elvis Presley, Charles Lindbergh and Dolly Parton.
The Jefferson does not trade on ghosts. When comedian Wanda Sykes told a national TV audience in 2015 that she had seen a ghost in her room, a senior source at the hotel told local news they were not aware of any ghosts at The Jefferson. Guests, staff and Richmond ghost tour writers tell a different story: a woman in a pale old-fashioned gown on the upper floors, footsteps in empty corridors and voices from unoccupied rooms. This guide sets out what has been reported, the history behind it and how to plan a stay.
The Jefferson at a glance
Haunted Rooms Score
- Address 101 West Franklin Street, Richmond, VA 23220
- Opened October 31, 1895; rebuilt after a 1901 fire and reopened in 1907; closed by 1980 and reopened in 1986
- Most haunted spots The upper-floor hallways, the Grand Staircase and the Palm Court
- Best-known ghosts A woman in a pale gown, an elderly woman seen by Wanda Sykes, an older man in formal dress in the elevator
- Booking the haunted room No specific room is linked to the stories. Ask for a room on an upper floor when you book on the hotel’s own site.
- Good to know 181 rooms and suites over six floors, the restaurant Lemaire, and event spaces. A luxury hotel, so expect luxury prices.
The ghosts of The Jefferson Hotel
What Wanda Sykes saw
The Jefferson’s most public ghost story comes from comedian Wanda Sykes. In April 2015 she told Ellen DeGeneres that after a show in Richmond she had a strong sense that someone else was in her hotel room, and out of the corner of her eye saw an old woman. She said she was pretty sure the woman had been enslaved, and that the woman seemed happy to see her. Sykes admitted she had been drinking that night, but said she was convinced it was real.
Richmond station WTVR asked the hotel about it. A high-level source, speaking anonymously, said they were very surprised by the story and not aware of any ghosts at The Jefferson, and joked that if more reports came in they might have to start charging these transparent guests.
The woman in the pale gown
The figure most often described by guests and staff is a woman in a pale, old-fashioned gown, seen briefly in the upper hallways or near the staircase before she disappears. Nobody knows who she is supposed to be. Some say a bride, others a guest from the hotel’s early years. Ghost tour writers have not tied her to any named person.
Voices in empty rooms
Staff stories, as retold by Richmond ghost tour writers, center on rooms with nobody checked in: voices behind the door, movement overhead, and a television or faucet found running when housekeeping opens up. Night security and maintenance crews describe a figure at the end of a corridor and an elevator that stops at a floor no one pressed.
The man in the elevator
Guests have described sharing an elevator with a formally dressed older man who was never on the front desk’s records, and seeing a figure on the stairs who vanished around a landing. Investigators who have visited say they recorded a stray voice and cold spots near the staircase. These are personal accounts, not proven events.
The fires and the alligators
People looking for a reason behind the stories usually point to the hotel’s two fires. The first, in March 1901, destroyed about three-fifths of the building but killed no one. The second, in March 1944, killed six people. No account links a particular figure to the 1944 victims, and the hotel itself has never done so.
The alligators are history, not legend. For decades live alligators lived in the marble pools of the Palm Court, and the last, known as Old Pompey, died in 1948. In 1964 University of Richmond students briefly revived the tradition by donating three more. A bronze statue of Pompey and alligator motifs around the hotel remember them today.
The most haunted rooms and places to look
- Upper-floor rooms: The woman in the gown and the footsteps are reported in the upper hallways. Ask for a high floor when you book.
- Suites: The hotel has 15 suites among its 181 rooms. They are the best way to see the restored 1907 interiors.
- The Grand Staircase and Palm Court: Not bookable, but open to every guest. The staircase is where many of the sightings center, and the Palm Court has the Tiffany glass and the Jefferson statue.
History of The Jefferson Hotel
Lewis Ginter made his fortune in tobacco and spent much of it on Richmond. In 1892 he began building a hotel designed by the New York firm Carrère and Hastings, who later designed the New York Public Library, in a Spanish Baroque style. The Jefferson opened on October 31, 1895, with a Palm Court lit by Tiffany glass and a marble statue of Thomas Jefferson by the Richmond sculptor Edward Virginius Valentine.
On March 29, 1901, an electrical fire swept through the hotel and destroyed about three-fifths of it. No one died. Rescuers dragged the Jefferson statue out of the flames, and its head broke off on the way; it was repaired. A group led in part by Lieutenant Governor Joseph Willard began a full restoration in 1905, with J. Kevan Peebles as architect, and the hotel reopened in May 1907 larger than before.
For the next half century The Jefferson was where Richmond went to celebrate. Its guests included presidents from Grover Cleveland to Barack Obama, Henry James, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Charlie Chaplin, Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley. The alligators in the Palm Court pools became a local legend, and Old Pompey, the last of them, lived until 1948.
A fire in March 1944 killed six people and began a long decline. By 1980 the hotel was closed to the public, though its ballroom appeared in the 1981 film My Dinner with Andre. A restoration costing more than $34 million began in 1983 and uncovered original mahogany paneling and marble, and The Jefferson reopened on May 6, 1986. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1969.
The hotel has been renovated several times since, most recently with a full rebuild of its rooms and public spaces. It is a member of Historic Hotels of America, has 181 rooms and suites on six floors, and its fine-dining restaurant, Lemaire, is named for Etienne Lemaire, Thomas Jefferson’s maître d’hôtel.
Tips for a haunted stay
- Book direct on the hotel’s site and ask for an upper floor, where the woman in the gown is most often described.
- Even if you stay elsewhere, walk in to see the Palm Court, the Tiffany glass and the Grand Staircase in the Rotunda.
- Count the bronze alligators. They are a tribute to Old Pompey and the real alligators that lived in the lobby pools.
- Do not expect ghost tours from the hotel: The Jefferson does not promote its stories, so ask politely and take what staff choose to share.
- Combine your stay with Richmond’s other haunted sites; see our guide to haunted places in Richmond.
- Have a drink or dinner at Lemaire, named for Thomas Jefferson’s maître d’hôtel, before a late walk on the staircase.
Want to investigate, not just sleep?
Sleeping in a haunted hotel is one thing. Investigating one after dark is another. On a Haunted Rooms ghost hunt our team takes you through the building with professional ghost hunting equipment, runs EVP sessions and lets you explore on your own during free roam.
- Berkeley Plantation Ghost Hunt, Charles City, VA: Our nearest ghost hunt, east of Richmond on the James River.
- Belle Grove Plantation Ghost Hunt, King George, VA: General admission or an overnight VIP night in one of the four suites.
- 1852 Linville Manor Ghost Hunt and Sleepover, Upper Marlboro, MD: Investigate all night, then sleep in the manor.
More haunted hotels nearby
- Edgewood Plantation, Charles City: a haunted plantation inn east of Richmond on Route 5
- Belle Grove Plantation, King George: James Madison’s birthplace and a Haunted Rooms venue
- Haunted places in Richmond: the rest of Richmond’s ghost stories
- Haunted hotels in Virginia
Stayed in one of these hotels? Tell us what happened
We collect first-hand accounts from guests and add the best ones to our guides, with your first name and the date of your stay. We read every story before it’s published.
Frequently asked questions
Is The Jefferson Hotel in Richmond haunted?
Guests and staff describe a woman in a pale gown on the upper floors, footsteps and voices in empty rooms, and comedian Wanda Sykes said she saw the ghost of an old woman in her room in 2015. The hotel says it is not aware of any ghosts. These are personal accounts, not proven events.
What did Wanda Sykes see at The Jefferson Hotel?
On Ellen in April 2015 she said she sensed someone in her room after a Richmond show and saw an old woman out of the corner of her eye, who she believed had been enslaved and who seemed happy to see her.
Were there really alligators in The Jefferson Hotel?
Yes. Live alligators lived in the marble pools of the Palm Court for decades. The last, Old Pompey, lived until 1948, and bronze alligators around the hotel remember them.
Did anyone die in The Jefferson Hotel fires?
The 1901 fire destroyed about three-fifths of the hotel but killed no one. A fire in March 1944 killed six people.
When did The Jefferson Hotel open?
On October 31, 1895, Halloween Day. It reopened in 1907 after the 1901 fire, and again in 1986 after a major restoration.
Is there a haunted room at The Jefferson?
No specific room is linked to the stories, and the hotel does not sell a haunted room. Most reports come from the upper hallways and the staircase.
Sources
Facts on this page are checked against the hotel’s own website, historic records and news coverage. Ghost stories are reported as guests, staff and local historians tell them. Read how we rate haunted hotels.
- Wikipedia: Jefferson Hotel (Richmond, Virginia)
- Historic Hotels of America: The Jefferson Hotel history
- The Valentine: Alligators, the invasion of the Jefferson Hotel
- WTVR CBS 6: What Wanda Sykes saw at The Jefferson Hotel (2015)
- Ghost City Tours: The ghosts of The Jefferson Hotel
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About the authors
The Haunted Rooms Team runs public ghost hunts and overnight investigations at historic venues across the United States. We research every hotel in our guides using hotel histories, local archives, news coverage and the accounts of guests and staff, and we review each guide regularly so you are not booking a hotel that has closed or changed its name. Spotted something out of date? Let us know.
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