The Haunted Mansion
Does this plantation home contain a portal to the underworld?
Everybody at Woodlawn Plantation seems to have a spooky story about something strange that has happened at the historic house — a well that’s a conduit to the underworld; the sound of footsteps from otherwise empty rooms or music from a Wurlitzer organ that doesn’t exist; or a notorious portrait that can’t seem to stay on the wall.
Built in 1805 for Martha Washington’s granddaughter Nelly Parke Custis and her husband Major Lawrence Lewis, Woodlawn passed through several owners before ending up as a museum operated by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Many generations have passed through its walls, and some people will tell you that their spirits are still wondering around the building.
In his popular “Ghosts of Virginia” series, ghost-hunting author L.B. Taylor referred to Woodlawn as “the most haunted home in Virginia.” What do you think about that? Do you have your own Woodlawn story you'd like to share?
