Haunted Places in the Roanoke, Virginia Area

Years ago, my friend Sara, my husband (the skeptic), and I went and visited different places in the area that were reported to be haunted. We referred to our adventures as "ghost hunting," and while we never saw any ghosts, we had some experiences that were unusual. In the remainder of this article, I will provide information on some of the haunted places that we visited; in addition to the history and legend of these places, I will give an account of what we experienced in each place. I will also tell of one place that we did not have the opportunity to visit but is worth mentioning.

The first haunted place that we visited was the Avenel Plantation located in Bedford, VA, a town approximately 45 minutes from Roanoke. Avenel was built circa 1838 by William M. and Frances Steptoe Burwell to be their personal residence

According to the wonderful lady from the Avenel Foundation who did our tour of the house, a "lady in white" supposedly haunts the house and grounds of Avenel. Some believe that this apparition is Letitia Burwell, the oldest of the four Burwell daughters.

Avenel can be rented for weddings, class reunions, or any other social gathering and can accommodate up to 300 people for indoor receptions, and 80 for seated banquets, and 400 including porches and grounds. We were able to arrange our tour by calling the Avenel Foundation. If you visit Avenel (and I encourage you to do so) be prepared for some possible spooky encounters.

My experience while at Avenel is the one that will remain with me forever. We had finished touring the lower level of Avenel and had gone upstairs to see the "Lee Room" as it is called. It received this name, for General Robert E. Lee was to have spent the night there on one occasion. As I entered the room, I began to feel as if I were not alone, although physically, I was alone in the room. My attention was drawn over to the bed that was positioned at the other end of the room, and next to the bed was a door that led to another part of the house. For some reason, I just could not take my eyes off of the door, and I continued to feel as if someone were in the room with me.

When my husband, my friend, my mother (who accompanied us on this occasion), and our tour guide entered the room, I asked her what was behind the door and informed her of my strange feeling and uncanny attraction to the door. She told me that the door had a tendency to open by itself and that the bed always had to be remade, because it was constantly being found as if someone had been sleeping in it.

Another allegedly haunted place that we visited in the area was the Music Department at Hollins University. Hollins University was "initially established in 1842 as Valley Union Seminary, a coeducational college" and became an educational institution for women ten years later in 1852. In one of the volumes of Ghosts of Virginia authored by L.B. Taylor, Jr., it was reported that music had been heard coming from the music department at night when no one was inside the building. A friend of mine who was a student at Hollins for a time confirmed this unusual phenomena.

On a Sunday afternoon, my husband, my friend, and I decided to pay a visit to this building. My husband tried the side door of the building and found that it was locked. He turned to tell us this was so, and then, when he looked back at the door, he saw that it was ajar. Maybe it was the case that he just thought the door was locked, or maybe it was something else.

The three of us entered the building to find dark halls and lots of lovely paintings and works of art along the walls. We took the stairs up to the second floor, and we looked down a long, dark hallway that contained a series of busts. My friend had brought her camera with her and took two consecutive pictures of the dark hallway. After this, we left the building.

When my friend had her pictures developed, she noticed that the ones taken in the dark hallway were all lit up, and in the top of both photographs was a strip of light that appeared to be going upward. What was unsettling about these pictures was the fact that the light appeared to have moved within the split second between the pictures.

Hollins University's campus is lovely, and if you would like to have a tour, you can call the admissions office to schedule one. You can also check Hollins' website for more options for scheduling as well.

A third haunted place is an old landmark movie theatre called the Grandin Theatre. The Grandin first opened for business in 1932 and is the only locally owned theater here in Roanoke. You can still go and watch movies there. Prices and a list of movies now showing are available on the Grandin website.

According to the article "Hunting for haunted" dated October 17, 2007 in the Roanoke Times, employees of the Grandin have heard a baby crying late in the night when no customers are in the building. There have been reports of a face looking down from the projection booth, a boy walking through the closed doors of a screening room, and the sounds of clinking glasses and laughter from the upstairs when employees are alone in the theater at night. In our visits to the Grandin to catch a movie, we have never personally experienced anything unusual, but the atmosphere alone is enough to give one that chilly, ghostly feeling.

Lastly, one paranormally active place that we did not have the pleasure to visit and is no longer open for business is the Patrick Henry Hotel. Built in 1925, this hotel is a national historic landmark here in Roanoke. Supposedly, several spooky spirits have been seen in this lovely hotel - these include three men in the ballroom who walk and watch people who enter the room, an old lady who continues to inhabit the room in which she died, and a man who kicks the tablecloth at a second floor table.

Whether you believe in ghosts or not, these four historic places are enjoyable to visit and learn about their history. If you are ever in Roanoke, Virginia, check out these uniquely unusual establishments.

Sources:

Allie Smith, "The Grandin Theater" in "Hunting for haunted", Roanoke Times.

The Avenel Foundation, "History", Historic Avenel.

The Avenel Foundation, "Rental", Historic Avenel.

The Grandin Theatre.

"Missions and History", Hollins University.

Morgan Wampler, "Avenel House" in "Hunting for haunted", Roanoke Times.

Tnphoenixrising, "Western Virginia", Ghost in Virginia.