The Haunting of Bacon’s Castle – A Fortress of Spirits and Rebellion

Surry County, Surry, Virginia

Photo: Wikipedia

Bacon’s Castle is one of America’s oldest standing brick homes — and one of its most enduringly haunted. Built in 1665 by prosperous planter Arthur Allen, the mansion is a rare example of Jacobean architecture in the New World. It wasn’t long before this stately home was entangled in bloodshed, rebellion, and centuries of lingering unrest.

The house gained its ominous nickname during Bacon’s Rebellion in 1676, when followers of rebel Nathaniel Bacon seized the property from Allen’s son. Though Bacon himself never set foot inside, the mansion became a symbol of defiance — and that rebellious energy seems to have soaked into its very walls.

The structure itself looms with history: grand Flemish gables, ornate chimneys, and fortress-like proportions. But it’s what can’t be seen that draws ghost hunters and curious visitors. Paranormal reports at Bacon’s Castle are frequent — cold spots, phantom footsteps, unexplained voices, and apparitions that vanish into thin air.

Some believe the spirits are those of the Allen family, disturbed by the violent seizure of their home. Others point to enslaved individuals who lived and died on the plantation, their stories mostly untold. A few say the rebellion itself left behind an energetic imprint — an unresolved echo of resistance that refuses to die.

One of the most commonly reported hauntings is the "Crying Lady", a female spirit seen looking out from the upper floor windows. Some believe she mourns a lost child; others think she’s a remnant of the rebellion or an enslaved woman grieving a life stolen.

Today, Bacon’s Castle is maintained by Preservation Virginia and offers guided tours — but even in daylight, the shadows stretch long across its grounds. Whether drawn by the history, the ghosts, or both, visitors leave with a sense that the past is never truly gone here. It waits in the walls, in the silence between footsteps, and in the chill that brushes your shoulder when no one is there.

Visitor Information

Location:
Bacon’s Castle
465 Bacon’s Castle Trail
Surry, VA 23883

Website:
Preservation Virginia – Bacon’s Castle

Tour Information:
– Open seasonally (typically March through December)
– Guided and self-guided tours available
– Check website for current hours, events, and closures
– Group tours can be arranged in advance
– Occasional special events: ghost tours, candlelight evenings, historic reenactments

Contact:
📞 (757) 357-5976
📧 info@preservationvirginia.org

Note:
The grounds also feature preserved outbuildings and a reconstructed 17th-century garden. Photography is allowed in most areas, and paranormal investigators sometimes host events onsite during Halloween season.

The Haunting of Hotel Ändra — Spirits of the Claremont Hotel

King County, Seattle, Washington

Photo: Wikimedia

Formerly known as the Claremont Hotel, Seattle’s elegant Hotel Ändra holds more than just luxury within its walls — it holds echoes of a forgotten past. Nestled in the heart of downtown, this 1926 landmark has long been rumored to house restless spirits, remnants of Prohibition-era glamour, heartbreak, and mystery.

A Gilded Beginning, a Haunted Legacy

Originally built as the Claremont Hotel, the property was a beacon of refinement during the roaring twenties. With hidden speakeasies and a rotating crowd of wealthy elites, the building’s golden era was filled with both celebration and secrecy. But beneath the champagne-soaked glamour, tragedy seeped in — and some say, it never left.

Ghostly Jazz and Phantom Parties

The 9th floor of the hotel is infamous for unexplained sounds that seem to drift from nowhere. Guests and staff have reported the faint strains of jazz piano, bursts of laughter, footsteps in empty hallways, and the occasional clink of glass — as if the building itself still remembers the illicit parties of the past. Paranormal researchers believe these may be residual hauntings, moments frozen in time and replaying over and over again.

The Woman in Room 924

Room 924 has become the subject of repeated guest complaints, though no one ever stays long. Visitors describe waking to a woman standing silently at the foot of the bed — dressed in 1930s attire, with eyes that seem both mournful and pleading. She disappears without a word. Some believe she was a heartbroken guest who never checked out, while others think she may have been involved in an illicit affair that ended in betrayal.

The Maid in the Stairwell

Another spirit said to linger in the hotel is that of a former maid, who allegedly fell down a service stairwell during the hotel’s earlier days. Staff have spotted fleeting shadows darting around corners, especially near elevators and back staircases. Sudden drops in temperature, phantom touches, and malfunctioning lights are common in these areas.

Unexplained Energy and Poltergeist Activity

Beyond visible apparitions, several reports describe objects shifting on their own, lights flickering with no electrical reason, and electronics powering on or off mysteriously. A few guests have claimed to witness items levitating briefly — such as pens, paperweights, or drink glasses — though these claims remain unproven. Still, the energy is undeniably strange, especially at night when the air feels thick with presence.

Historic Meets Modern — With a Side of Spirits

Hotel Ändra now operates as a boutique destination known for its Scandinavian-inspired elegance, but its bones are still those of the Claremont. The building’s past is layered in its very structure, from the original brickwork to the hidden spaces beneath. Though the management doesn’t advertise the hauntings, they’ve never outright denied them either — and some staff quietly admit they’ve had their own encounters.

Visitor Information

Address: 2000 4th Ave, Seattle, WA 98121
Phone: (206) 448‑8600
Website: www.hotelandra.com

SpookFest January 2026 Edition, Part 2: Haunted Women of the District

Power, punishment, and the women history tried to silence

Washington, D.C. is a city built on decisions—laws passed, wars waged, lives altered from behind closed doors. But beneath its monuments and marble halls lies another, quieter history: the stories of women whose lives were shaped, judged, or destroyed by the machinery of power.

Some were accused.
Some were imprisoned.
Some were confined by expectation, illness, or reputation.

Their stories did not end quietly.

Across the District, certain homes and buildings have become repositories of this unresolved history. Visitors and staff report voices, footsteps, apparitions, and a lingering emotional weight that cannot be explained away. These are not random hauntings. They are deeply personal—tied to grief, injustice, isolation, and endurance.

This week’s SpookFest entry explores four of Washington, D.C.’s most compelling female-centered hauntings, where the past refuses to remain silent.

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Guilt, Judgment, and an Unfinished Sentence

Mary Surratt’s name is forever tied to one of the darkest moments in American history: the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. As the owner of the boarding house where John Wilkes Booth and his conspirators met, she was arrested, tried, and ultimately executed—becoming the first woman put to death by the United States government.

To this day, historians debate her level of guilt.

Visitors to the house report an overwhelming heaviness, sudden drops in temperature, and the sensation of being watched. Apparitions believed to be Mary herself have been described as a sorrowful woman in dark clothing, often seen near stairways or doorframes—as if waiting for a verdict that never truly came.

Some claim to hear quiet sobbing. Others report an inexplicable sense of dread or moral unease. The house does not feel violent—it feels wronged, as though the building itself bears witness to a punishment that exceeded certainty.

Mary Surratt may have paid the ultimate price, but the question of her innocence still lingers—and so, many believe, does she.

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Madness, Memory, and the Weight of Expectation

Tucked away in Georgetown, Halcyon House carries a long and troubled history, most notably its use as a mental health facility for women in the 19th century. At a time when grief, defiance, or even intelligence could be labeled “hysteria,” many women were confined here for reasons that would be unthinkable today.

Reports from residents and visitors include phantom footsteps, doors opening and closing on their own, and disembodied voices—often described as female and distressed. Some have felt sudden waves of sadness or panic upon entering certain rooms, as if emotional trauma has soaked into the walls.

Unlike some haunted sites, Halcyon House does not announce itself loudly. Its presence is subtle, psychological, and deeply unsettling. Those who experience activity often describe it not as fear, but as intrusion—as if the past presses too close.

The women who lived and suffered here were rarely heard in life. Many believe Halcyon House has become the place where their voices finally echo.

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Isolation Behind Elegant Walls

Fox Hall’s history spans generations, but its most disturbing chapter involves prolonged isolation and tragedy within its walls. Once a grand residence, the house became associated with reclusion, illness, and emotional confinement—particularly of women whose lives unfolded largely unseen.

Paranormal reports include shadow figures, unexplained noises, and strong feelings of loneliness or sorrow. Apparitions believed to be female have been reported near windows and staircases, often appearing briefly before vanishing.

What makes Fox Hall especially haunting is its contrast: beauty on the outside, suffering on the inside. The energy reported here is not aggressive—it is aching. Visitors describe a sense of abandonment, as if someone is still waiting to be noticed.

Fox Hall stands as a reminder that not all prisons have bars, and not all hauntings are loud.

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Survival, Loss, and the Echo of Domestic Life

The Old Stone House is one of the oldest standing structures in Washington, D.C., and while its history predates the nation itself, its hauntings are deeply personal. Stories center around women who lived, worked, and lost within its walls—particularly during times of war and hardship.

Visitors have reported the sound of footsteps, whispered voices, and apparitions believed to be women in period clothing. Some claim to feel sudden physical sensations, such as chills or pressure, while others experience emotional waves of grief or anxiety.

Unlike more sensational hauntings, the Old Stone House feels grounded in daily life—cooking, waiting, worrying, surviving. Its spirits, if they remain, seem tied not to notoriety, but to endurance.

This house does not demand attention. It simply remembers.

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A Shared Thread

What unites these hauntings is not spectacle, but consequence.

These women were judged, confined, silenced, or burdened by forces larger than themselves. Their stories were shaped by power structures that offered little mercy—and the emotional residue of those lives appears to linger still.

In Washington, D.C., power is often discussed in terms of laws and leaders. But these hauntings suggest another truth:

Power also leaves scars.

And sometimes, those scars speak.