Virginia’s Woodlawn Plantation
http://seeksghosts.blogspot.com/2014/02/virginias-woodlawn-plantation.html

George Washington never slept at this home but his ghost is seen on the property.

The first president of the U.S. never had children of his own but after he married Martha Custis he became a devoted stepfather to her 2 children, Patsy and Jackie from a previous marriage.

Jackie as a young adult married and gave George and Martha 4 grandchildren. Her youngest daughter Eleanor nicknamed “Nelly” was only 4 and half months old when her mother died. George and Martha then brought Nelly and another young sibling to Mt. Vernon to raise.

When Nelly grew up, to the delight of the entire family she married George Washington’s nephew, Major Lawrence Lewis. George gave the newlyweds a gift of 2,000 acres from his 8,000-acre estate. Washington arranged for a distinguished architect, Dr. William Thornton to design a home for the young couple.

Nelly and Lewis had this grand home built on a hill overlooking Mt. Vernon, between 1800-1805. * Washington spent a lot of time supervising this construction--it became his favorite pet project. But he died before the home was complete so he never saw it finished.

The Lewis' furnished their new home lavishly and immediately started to throw elegant parties. The couple had 8 children of which only 3 survived past childhood. The rest died at Woodlawn.

When Lawrence died in 1839 Nelly left Woodlawn and went to live with her only surviving son at a plantation called Audley.

The plantation then was bought and sold several times. In 1896 the home was damaged by a hurricane--after this it sat empty for 6 years.

The home was restored and in the mid 20th century the National Trust for Historic Places acquired the property. Today only 127 acres of the original 2,000 remain. The home is a museum and hosts thousands of visitors each year.

* Woodlawn is just south of Alexandria, Virginia.


The Hauntings

Ever since the home was restored in the 20th century there have been reports of ghost sightings.

This activity occurs throughout the home but a lot of it is concentrated on the south side--where an open basement well is located. Many believe wells are portals or natural entryways for ghosts. It is felt this well located beneath the kitchen allows spirits to enter the home. *

Witnesses over the years have reported being disturbed by footsteps, slamming doors, banging sounds and whispers without any known source.

Items in the home often crash down from shelves and pictures fall off the walls and smash onto the floor. Doors also often lock by themselves.

A ghost is heard thumping loudly up and down the stairs. Some believe this ghost is that of John Mason a previous owner of the estate during the Civil War. Mason had a wooden leg.

The Lafayette room a bedroom upstairs is very active. When candles were still used to light the home they were often found relit after they had been extinguished. Chairs in this room are found rearranged. A ghostly figure is seen at the window of this room when the home is empty.

In the 1930s the owners of the home experienced a terrifying event in this bedroom. The wife put her infant down in his crib for a nap when moments later she heard him crying loudly. When she entered the room she found him lying on top of a tall dresser.

The Lorenzo room another bedroom upstairs also has unusual activity. This was the Lewis’s only surviving son's bedroom. People see the door on an antique armoire open without explanation.

Odd noises are often heard and many people have reported having their shoulders tapped by an unseen hand while in this bedroom.

Downstairs in the master bedroom the lights go on and off mysteriously. Visitors have reported a cold rush of air that went passed them in this room.

Both dogs and cats refuse to enter the home’s center hall area.

Floating figures are seen in the home and overnight visitors have been awakened only to see men dressed in old-fashioned clothing walking around.

The ghost of George Washington is seen on moonlit nights outside the home. He is seen riding around the estate and circling the drive on a translucent white horse. Some speculate his ghost still lingers because he never saw his pet project completed.

* The home's kitchen has been converted to the present day gift shop--so the well can be seen here.

Eleanor "Nelly" Lewis and Major Lawrence Lewis. Woodlawn is just south of Alexandria, Virginia.
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Wow, this is some interesting shit. Until I saw this thread, I had never even heard of Woodlawn Plantation and I've lived in Northern VA for 40 years!

I was reading this at 3 a.m. like a bad ass and got scared and stopped reading all the way through.

Funny how a ghost story always turns you into a little bitch in the middle of the night.

I call bullshit, no such thing as ghosts

"Ever since the home was restored in the 20th century there have been reports of ghost sightings."

Guess the ghosts slept in late. Doubt it's haunted by a ghost who never lived in the house.

Gerrymanderer2 Wrote:
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> I was reading this at 3 a.m. like a bad ass and
> got scared and stopped reading all the way
> through.
>
> Funny how a ghost story always turns you into a
> little bitch in the middle of the night.


A++ for admitting this. Why were you p at 3a?!

"I call bullshit, no such thing as ghosts"

Tell that to the ghosts.

Right sure after the restoration - thats the ticket. Sounds like its been occupied more by drunks and drug addicts than by ghosts...

> Funny how a ghost story always turns you into a
> little bitch in the middle of the night.

Happens to us all. I like to walk around at night and usually fear nothing, but I was up along the Blue Ridge once and I got it into my head I was being followed. I wasn't but once I got it in there, I was jumpy as a mouse, turning back and firing up my flashlight to see if I could catch whatever it was. Long couple of miles back to the cabin that night.

This piece mentions that ghosts were seen before and after the restoration.

Observer47 Wrote:
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> This piece mentions that ghosts were seen before
> and after the restoration.


People have reported hearing the sounds of children playing at Woodlawn Plantation.
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Does anyone have anymore information on the Virginia’s Woodlawn Plantation? I can't seem to find much more than what is in this thread.

Here's information about the plantation from the Virginia Historical Society:

http://www.vahistorical.org/collections-and-resources/garden-club-virginia/plantations/woodlawn-plantation

Observer47 Wrote:
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> Here's information about the plantation from the
> Virginia Historical Society:
>
> http://www.vahistorical.org/collections-and-resour
> ces/garden-club-virginia/plantations/woodlawn-plan
> tation

Thanks for sharing, this is interesting...

Woodlawn Plantation
http://www.vahistorical.org/collections-and-resources/garden-club-virginia/plantations/woodlawn-plantation

Address: Route 1, Box 37, Mount Vernon, VA 22121
Phone: 703.780.4000
Web site: http://woodlawn1805.org

The extensive, heavily wooded estate given by George Washington to his nephew Lawrence Lewis and step-granddaughter Eleanor Parke Custis upon their marriage in 1799 became the site of a handsome late Georgian mansion, surrounded by equally impressive grounds. While evidence of the actual layout and look of the gardens and surrounding landscape at Woodlawn is scanty, that evidence does reveal that the Lewises all their lives were devoted to enhancing the grounds around their stately home.

The property passed out of the hands of the Lewis family in the 1840s, and through a succession of owners, some of whom never even occupied the place, much of what was originally envisioned became obscured. In 1951 the National Trust for Historic Preservation assumed responsibility for the restoration of the mansion, and the committee created to oversee the property approached The Garden Club of Virginia to undertake a parallel garden restoration. Thus began an unusual, and at times challenging, partnership that ultimately produced a remarkable example of joint house and garden refurbishment.

With so little documentary evidence to guide him, The Garden Club's landscape architect, Alden Hopkins, relied on archaeological survey work to recreate some of what had characterized the property in the Lewis's day. A line of cedar trees, a broad entrance drive and serpentine paths, and an impressive expanse of lawn were meant to blend elegantly with the surrounding forest. Two parterres planted with roses, summer annuals, and flowering shrubs were envisioned by Hopkins as a gateway to an elaborate kitchen garden, based on contemporary gardening manuals. A parking area, necessary to accommodate expected visitors, he obscured from the house by a series of diverse plantings of trees and shrubs common in the Lewis's time.

Hopkins's plan was modified over the years, as circumstances and additional research suggested various alterations, but the design itself, and its execution, has served as a model for other projects focused on the restoration of gardens from the early national period of our country's history.

Note:
The images presented here record various stages of the property's landscape restoration. Since additional work has been supported by The Garden Club of Virginia at many properties, these images do not necessarily represent the current-day experience. Also, accession numbers reflect the year in which an image was received by the Virginia Historical Society, not the year in which it was taken.

not sure if i can belive in haunted places