The state of Virginia played a key role in the Civil War, which means that towns like Richmond have rich histories full of battles and bloodshed. This leaves a mark and as a result, the town has a high volume of paranormal activity happening.
Many of the ghost stories here revolve around the civil war, after all Richmond was home to the White House of the Confederacy, which happens to be one of the haunted locations on our list!
Let’s check out the 10 most haunted places in Richmond VA:
10 - Tuckahoe Plantation
Tuckahoe Plantation was actually the childhood home of Thomas Jefferson and it is one of the most haunted houses in Richmond.
For over 100 years now there have been reports of various spirits appearing here along with a handful of other activity.
One of the most commonly reported apparitions at Tuckahoe Plantation is the ghost of a bride who is often seen walking up the garden path.
9 - Waverly House
Waverly House is a stately home built between 1770-1800 where there have been many sightings of a sad, elderly gentleman sitting on the stairs.
Some of the past residents and tenants of the house have encountered him and upon further research they have identified the man as Benjamin Green, a former resident of Waverly House.
Mr Green worked at a bank where an employee stole $500,000. He was suspected of the theft and his home was searched and despite no money being there and no evidence to suggest he was the thief his public reputation was destroyed and he moved out of town leaving the home he loved behind him.
Perhaps that is why he has now come home following his death.
During the civil war, the house also served as a hospital.
Some residents have reported seeing wounded soldiers around the property as well.
8 - Julep’s
Julep’s is now one of Richmond’s most popular restaurants, but back in the 1820s it was a weapons shop. In 1826 an apprentice gunsmith named Daniel Denoon was shot by the owner of the shop, a Mr James McNaught.
It is Denoon’s ghost which is allegedly haunting the property these days. The reports of paranormal activity began in 2003, when the owners started to remodel the building to make way for Julep’s.
As part of the renovation, a set of stairs was closed off and turned into a storage closet.
These were actually the stairs that Denoon fell down as he died from his gunshot wound.
Ever since the alterations were done there has been unexplained thumps and other noises coming from the closet!
7 - Museum of The Confederacy
Part of the Museum of the Confederacy actually served as the White House of the Confederacy and now displays a range of civil war artifacts, manuscripts, photos and confederate books.
The museum is also said to be home to its very own ghost! It is believed that the little boy haunting the museum is the 5 year old son of Jefferson Davis.
6 - The Virginia Governor’s Mansion
The Virginia Governor’s Mansion, also known as Executive Mansion, is actually the oldest governor’s mansion in the United States that is still occupied!
It has been in service since 1813 and reports of it being haunted began as early as the 1890s when the governor of the time, Philip McKinney, saw the apparition of a lady sitting by the window!
The same apparition has been seen a number of times over the years by a variety of witnesses including police officers!
There are also reports of a number of strange occurrences happening in the house including paintings moving, lights refusing to turn of even when the switch is flipped.
Some people have also said that they feel an ice cold blast in the basement even on the hottest of days. Nobody has been able to identify the female spirit or explain why she might be tied to the property.
5 - Cold Harbor Battlefield Park
Aside from the infamous Gettysburg, Cold Harbor is considered to be one of the most haunted battlefields in the entire United States.
It was here at Cold Harbor that General Lee celebrated one of his final victories over Grant.
The battlefield has now been designated part of the National Park System and is a popular place to visit. It is also one of the most haunted places in Richmond VA.
4 - Edgar Allan Poe Museum
The small stone house that is now home to the Edgar Allan Poe Museum was originally built in 1754 as a private residence.
It is very close to Poe’s childhood home and has been displaying its small collection of Poe related items since some time in the early 1900s. It was around the same time that the museum opened that the first reports of the building being haunted began.
There are three different ghosts who are apparently living, or at the very least visiting, in the building.
Two of the ghost are little blonde children that are believed to be the children of the property’s original owners while the third spirit is a dark shadowy figure that is thought to be Edgar Allan Poe himself!
The children most often appear in photographs that visitors have taken in the museum.
The other figure, that is alleged to be Poe seems to be attached to Edgar Allan Poe’s walking stick and his wife’s hand mirror and will often been seen close to where they are displayed, although he has also been seen in the hall and in the gardens.
On one occasion, he was captured in a photograph standing behind a tour group listening in on what the guide had to say!
There is also one fun tale in which the gift shop had received a shipment of Edgar Allan Poe bobbleheads which was left overnight in the shop ready to be unpacked the next day.
However, the following morning the box had been unpacked and the figures lined up neatly on a shelf!
3 - The Byrd Theatre
The Byrd Theatre is said to be one of the most haunted places in the city. The theatre’s manager states that there are two different ghosts who haunt the building.
The first is the spirit of a little girl who is most often seen playing in the women’s bathroom. The other is a former manager of the Byrd Theatre, Mr. Coulter who worked there between 1928 and 1971.
He is seen all over the theatre, but his favourite spot seems to be the balcony.
There have been a couple of paranormal investigations carried out in the theatre which have turned up some EVP evidence of a little girl talking and an older male voice which seems to back up the claims regarding who the spirits here are.
2 - Hollywood Cemetery
There is something inherently spooky about most cemeteries, but the Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond is said to be particularly haunted.
Among those that are buried here in this vast graveyard are around 18000 Confederate soldiers, 25 Civil War Generals, 2 United States Presidents and the President of the Confederacy, Jefferson Davis!
The cemetery is also home to a number of spooky tales! For example, when you visit Hollywood Cemetery, you may come across a large cast iron statue of a Newfoundland dog standing over a small grave.
This is the grave of a young girl who died under tragic circumstances in 1862. The dog is said to guard her resting place and sometimes can be heard barking and growling at night.
There is also a mausoleum that is the final resting place of a W.W, Poole, however; according to local legend it is actually the home of the Richmond Vampire!
There have also been reports of various other spirits that are said to be haunting the cemetery and they can be seen roaming around at nighttime.
1 - Byrd Park Pump House
One location that frequently tops lists of haunted places in Richmond VA is the Byrd Park Pump House.
One of the spirits that is said to linger here is a man named Daniel Tetweiler who hanged himself in the house.
There is also a female spirit called Elizabeth who will usually appear in the form of a glowing orb of light.
Paranormal investigator and inventor of the ‘Parabot’ Robert Bess has investigated the property and he also claims that there is a third apparition, this time a woman in white who he has dubbed ‘Spectra’.
His theory is that the combination of water, steel and slate present in the building has helped to create a portal through which paranormal entities can enter.