Marshall House

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The Lost Cause
Ghosts are prowling about the site of the old Marshall House.

Victors do not always write history. Sometimes the vanquished have their say. Such is the case at the corner of Pitt and King streets, where an old plaque beacons passersby with a headline boasting “The Marshall House.” Those who stay to read the rest of the plaque experience a strong dose of Confederate patriotism honoring James William Jackson, a man whom the plaque boldly tells us “the justice of history does not permit his name to be forgotten.”

Clearly his name has not been forgotten.

People are still taking about James W. Jackson. Some even say he haunts the building. He’s considered by some to be “the first martyr in the cause of Southern Independence,” the subtitle to an 1862 biography published in Richmond the year after his death. Never mind that the others consider Jackson to be a cold-blooded killer responsible for the murder of Col. Ephraim Elmer Ellsworth. From the plaque, we learn that Jackson is “an example to all” who “laid down his life … in defense of his home and the sacred soil of his native state: Virginia.”

Guests at the hotel have long reported strange things happening at the modern-day hotel located where the old Marshall House once stood. It's even been featured by the History Channel. Perhaps you have had some experience with the ghosts? Maybe someone who's been on the tour had some experience you'd like to share?