Yorktown
Yorktown, Virginia is most famous for its place in American history where the Revolutionary War ended as Lord Cornwallis surrendered to General George Washington on October 19th, 1781. Less than one hundred years later, the Civil War was being fought between the North and the South. Although there were no major battles actually fought in Yorktown, many soldiers died there from the environmental elements and disease. This tiny little colonial village is home to a little over 200 people, and has a rich and ghostly past. On the shore of the York River, there is a small cave that was man-made.
During the Revolutionary War, many of the townspeople sought protection in the cave, and it is rumored that Cornwallis himself was hiding in the cave in the corner. Ever since then, the residents and visitors to Yorktown have claimed to hear sounds of voices and screams coming from inside the cave.
Anyone that knows anything about Yorktown knows that the Nelson House on Main Street is the most beautiful home in the entire town. It was built in the 18th century, and was the home to Thomas Nelson Junior who was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. During the Revolutionary War, it was used as Cornwallis’ headquarters, and during the Civil War it served as a hospital. The medicinal practices at the time were pretty crude, including the harsh method of amputations. Many men have lost their lives within these walls. Gusting winds and scents of rotting flesh are two that are considered to be common in this house. People have reported seeing men of the Civil War era and the sound of voices.
Grace Church was built in 1697. It has been destroyed and rebuilt not once, but two times. It still serves as one of the main churches in Yorktown to this day. In the cemetery surrounding the church, there was a scene of ghosts at a Colonial-era funeral. This was first recorded in 1791. There is also an apparition of a woman holding a dead infant that is found inside the actual church. Other haunted sites in Yorktown include a field across from the Nelson House where men in red coats have been spotted running around the property. At the Moore house, there is a woman in white who wanders the grounds. The most paranormal-active spot in Yorktown is Great Valley Road, which leads through the woods from the waterfront to Main Street. Voices have been recorded here, as well as cold spots and mists that appear from no where.
(Source: Belanger, Jeff. Encyclopedia of Haunted Places. 2005.)
Related Posts
Haunted Places, Historical Horrors, Psychotic Killers, Uncategorized
