Williamsburg is Haunted! See for yourself...Haunted Tours & Dining

Yorktown Victory Center - Yorktown, VA

Continental Army Encampment

Visitors explore the re-created Continental Army encampment at the Yorktown Victory Center.

In the heart of America's Old Dominion country lies the quaint colonial town of Williamsburg. Lined with shops and restaurants harking back to the days of the newborn nation, Williamsburg gives visitors a taste of life in the 1700s, both human and supernatural. The Williamsburg historic area is notorious for its many ghosts, spirits and tales of folklore, and several books have been written on these topics. "...it appears that it's true due to the long history of the state and the fact that there has been so much trauma and tragedy here, with the Indian conflicts, the Revolutionary War and the Civil War. Couple that with the abundance of old, historic houses here and you have an explanation for all the paranormal activity. Ghosts seem to hang around old houses," explains L.B. Taylor, author of The Ghosts of Williamsburg, a book published in 1983. Visitors in Williamsburg can experience these legends for themselves on The Original Ghosts of Williamsburg Candlelight Tour, a nightly walking tour led by a storytelling certified historical interpreter.

Another haunted tour in Williamsburg is based on the book by Jackie Eileen Behrend, The Hauntings of Williamsburg, Yorktown and Jamestown. Hauntings of Williamsburg tour-goers may have the chance to hear the Wagon of Death as it rumbles down Nicholson Street, bearing a load of prisoners to the gallows; or possibly catch a note of the colonial celebration going on at the Raleigh Tavern; and just as likely to be heard are ghosts still fighting the Revolutionary War in an otherwise quiet residential area.

In addition to Williamsburg's ghost story and folklore tours, the town is also known for its share of haunted old houses, such as the Wythe House. Known as "The Most Haunted House in Williamsburg," this former residence of Declaration of Independence signer George Wythe is home to as many as four ghost occupants. The most commonly experienced happening is the sound of a high heeled shoe clicking on the stairs at exactly midnight. Others have heard chairs being dragged across the floor, smelled a lady's perfume when there are no others present, or even seen kitchen candles move from the window to the table without human help.

For those who doubt the existence of the supernatural, let it be known that even the Reverend Dr. W. A. R. Goodwin, a minister who directed the Colonial Williamsburg Restoration in the '20s and '30s, believed in the presence of spirits in the town. In 1936, he said to visiting newspaper columnist Ernie Pyle, "I wouldn't give a hoot for anybody who didn't believe in ghosts." So when in Williamsburg, why not take a candlelight or historical homes tour, and find out for yourself?

• Those Detestable Slaves of the Devil! — October 30-31, 2004. Book Discussion and signing by local author Carson Hudson; discussion of 17^th and 18^th century Virginians' beliefs and superstitions, as well as witchcraft proceedings and supernatural occurrences in Virginia.
• Williamsburg's Haunted Dinner Theatre. — Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays in October 2004. "Ding. Dong. The Witch is Dead!" murder mystery and 71-item dinner buffet at Captain George's Restaurant.
• An Evening with Edgar Allan Poe. October 29, 2004. Hear storytelling of the famous author's most scary tales, including "Black Cat," "The Raven" and "The Tell-Tale Heart" in Colonial Williamsburg at the Williamsburg Lodge.