1. A death in Pavilion X?
This particular entity does not have a name, though he has been seen wandering Pavilion X at all hours of the night. The first documented sighting of this spirit occurred when Edward Younger, a University history professor, lived in the Pavilion. While the exact year is not known, Younger and his wife lived in the Pavilion from 1946 to 1974. One night, his visiting mother-in-law awoke in the middle of the night and screamed at the sight of a man staring down at her. By the time help arrived, the man had vanished. The ghost was spotted again when Younger’s nephew was visiting and he heard a noise at the top of the stairway. When he went to investigate, he saw the same man in period clothing standing at the top of the stairway. The man vanished again as soon as help arrived.
2. Poe’s crime
Edgar Allan Poe has always been a mysterious and shadowy figure. His stories are the things of nightmares, and his life certainly doesn’t inspire any happy, fuzzy feelings. Despite this, he fascinates us. Even today, his old Range room is held as a shrine to this dark writer. But what did he do while at the University? Did he socialize with his peers and do his work? Or did he suspiciously sulk about the halls at night? Some accounts suggest the latter. According to the Raven Society, before Poe left the University on Dec. 15, 1826, he etched an ominous message on a windowpane — a message that makes us wonder just what he did during his time at the University — “O Thou timid one, do not let thy form slumber within these unhallowed walls, for herein lies the ghost of an awful crime.”
3. Heartbreak in the Romance Pavilion
There are many theories as to how Pavilion VI obtained the nickname the “Romance” Pavilion. Many believe this is due to the Romance languages taught there for some time. But could it really be so simple? There are other theories — darker theories — that speak of heartbreak and death in the Pavilion, one of which takes place in the mid-1800s. According to some, there was a wife of a professor who loved the Pavilion so much she never wanted to leave. Tragically, her husband died, and she knew she would be expected to move. Instead of letting the authorities know of his passing, she kept his body, changed his clothes daily and propped his corpse in the window so that all could see the beloved professor alive and well. She was discovered and asked to leave.
4. A ghostly Confederate
Alderman Library is recognized for many things — the number of books, the sheer volume of manuscripts, and — surprisingly — its two resident ghosts. The first of which is the ghost of Confederate surgeon, Dr. Bennett Wood Green. An avid book collector, Green’s collection ws donated to the University after his death in 1913. The books were put in the Rotunda, which served as the University library until 1938. Soon after, strange things began to occur in the Rotunda. Students and staff reported the sounds of unexplained footsteps when alone in a room and the sense of being watched — especially after midnight. When Green’s collection was moved to Alderman Library, his ghost followed.
5. A ghostly physician
Students wouldn’t be so eager to spend time in Alderman if they knew there wasn’t one, but two ghosts in residence. Aside from Dr. Bennett Wood Green, it is said that the Garnett Room is haunted by the family physician of Muscoe Russell Hunter Garnett. Though his name is not known, the physician is said to have visited the Garnett’s family home in Fredericksburg often and greatly admired their book collection. After the Civil War, the estate was abandoned and fell into disrepair. However, the book collection remained flawless. Some believe that the physician’s ghost took care of the books and does so to this day in the Garnett Room.
6. Murder at the Dunlora Mansion
If you were even mildly freaked out by the U.Va. ghost stories, then don’t read on. They are nothing compared to the horrors that have happened around Charlottesville — the most gruesome of which is the murder of six Boy Scouts at Dunlora Mansion. According to this legend, a witch lived in the mansion back in the early 1900s. Everyone knew about her and avoided the property. However, six Boy Scouts and their leader went camping in the woods behind the mansion, unknowingly infringing upon the property. That night, the Scout Leader awoke to a strange noise and found all the scouts gone. Searching the woods in a panic, the leader saw a light in the distance — a single candle burning in the window of the Dunlora Mansion. Finding the door to the mansion open, the Scout Leader entered and heard a noise coming from the basement. He slowly crept down the basement stairs only to see a Boy Scout hat on the floor. Hearing a noise, he turned suddenly and was confronted with the sight of the old witch standing just inches from his face, smiling. The Scout Leader screamed and ran. On the dirt road leading away from the house, the Scout Leader saw the missing six Boy Scouts. They were calmly standing in a line, covered in blood, stomachs split open. The Scout Leader passed out in fear. The authorities later found him incoherent and babbling about witches and children. They then found the bodies of the six Boy Scouts at the campsite, disemboweled and the Scout Leader’s bloody knife sticking out of a log. He was arrested for the murders and spent the rest of his life in an asylum. It is said that the six Boy Scouts still haunt the trees surrounding the Dunlora Mansion.
7. Bodies under Caspari
Before it was a luxury paper goods store, the building that houses Caspari was a Woolworth’s for 40 years. Before that, it was the funeral parlor of Edward Perely. When Perely moved out to make room for Woolworth’s, it is said employees had only two complaints — the coffins in the basement, and inexplicable noises from below.
8. The haunted candle
Built in 1785, the Charlottesville Inn at Court Square has served as a private home, a law firm, a church and much more. Despite the building’s old age, a ghost may have taken up residence as recently as a decade ago. Rob Craighurst, leader of a downtown Charlottesville haunted walking tour, said an employee of the inn once complained that a sconce on the wall holding three candles often got in the way of the luggage he carried upstairs for guests. The sconce was never moved. Later that year, the employee died due to an allergic reaction to a bee sting. After his funeral, friends gathered back at the inn and some noticed water coming out of the wall near the sconce. Later, while the owner was standing in the room with the sconce, she felt something fly past and heard it fall to the ground. It was a candle.
9. A ghost in Castle Hill Manor
Castle Hill Manor was built by Dr. Thomas Walker before the Revolutionary War in 1765. Sightings of a ghost have been reported by many past guests and owners such as Amelie Rives, who is now buried in the family plot on the grounds of the manor. Sightings are largely confined to a suite on the first floor to the back of the home — known as the Pink Bedroom — which was used by Rives during her time at the house. Manifestations of the ghost include the smell of an unfamiliar perfume, unexplained noises and footsteps, as well as the occasional sight of a young, pretty woman in period clothing at night. She is known to disturb the sleep of those she does not like staying in her room. It is also believed that a second, gentler ghost now haunts the Pink Bedroom as well — the ghost of Amelie Rives.
10. The McCue murder
One of the most infamous murders to occur in Charlottesville — this story is true. On Sept. 4, 1904, Fannie McCue was found murdered in her home. Her husband, former Charlottesville mayor Sam McCue was convicted and hanged on Feb. 10, 1905. After a long and controversial trial, it is still not known for sure whether Sam McCue was guilty of his wife’s murder. On the night in question, Sam claimed to have been knocked unconscious while attempting to retrieve a revolver after hearing Fannie’s screams from the bathroom. After regaining consciousness, he called his brother, who found Fannie dead in the bathtub, bloody, with water up to her chest. While Sam had offered a reward for information and hired a detective agency to investigate the crime the very next day, the public and newspapers had already decided Sam was guilty and he was convicted for Fannie’s murder. To this day, there is stillspeculation as to the identity of the real murderer. It is said that Fannie haunts the room in which she was murdered — now a bedroom that many refuse to sleep in — and her husband, Sam, stalks the basement of the home.
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