Fort Monroe
Fort Monroe is located in Hampton, Virginia on a piece of land called the Old Point Comfort. It is an irregular hexagon-shaped stone fortress that is surrounded on all sides by a moat. It is the largest fort in the United States and has been occupied since 1823. It was one of only four Southern forts to never be captured during the Civil War.
Ghosts occupy this spot quite numerously. Old Quarters Number One is a plantation-style house where the spirit of Abraham Lincoln was reported standing by the fireplace while deep in thought. Lincoln had stayed at the Fort in 1862 in an effort to plan the attack on Norfolk. The General Ulysses S. Grant has also been seen in the house. The Confederate’s president was Jefferson Davis who was imprisoned at the fort from May 25th, 1865 to May 13th, 1867. Casemate Number 2 was the cell that Davis spent his first year at the fort. People have seen the figure of a woman staring out of a window from the second floor across the hall from Casemate Number 2. This is believed to be the spirit of Davis’s wife Varina, who is known for fighting for good treatment of her husband while being held captive. Davis’ ghost is also seen walking the grounds near the flagpole. However, the best known hauntings are not that of people that are well-known. For example, the entity of a woman at the fort is called the Luminous Lady. This lady supposedly was married to one of the officers. She eventually found comfort with another man, with her husband catching her in the act one night. He then killed her by gunshot on the spot.
She is now seen walking around the alley behind the quarters where she lived years before. The Chamberlain hotel on the base is also home to another spirit of a woman who is often seen walking around the eighth floor. This female entity appeared so often that they had to eventually closed the eighth floor to all guests. In the Old Slave Quarters, people have reported seeing furniture moving around and objects floating in the air. People have also witnessed unexplained noises and footsteps while in Robert E. Lee’s former house at the fort. Battery-operated toys turn on and off, even after the batteries have been taken out.
(Source: Belanger, Jeff. Encyclopedia of Haunted Places. 2005.)
