Hi everyone, I used to live in Dogue Creek Village on Fort Belvoir years ago. Before the homes were remodeled my family had been in DC all the day with my godparents and their children. When I spoke with my friend (who lived next door) the next day she asked me who we had at our house. I told her no one had been home the day before because we were all out sightseeing. Then she told me that all day she and her parents heard people running up and down the stairs. They also heard people talking, and they even heard laughter. She said that it sounded like we were having a party, and when she came over and knocked on the door everything went silent. Then when she left the noise started up again. We lived in what might be considered a townhome apartment, so you could hear through the walls quite easily.

Anyone else had any ghostly going on's in Dogue Creek Village or on Fort Belvoir itself?

Dogue Creek Village, construction, Jan. 27, 1956
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My old house at 3912 Teakwood Ave, Richmond, VA is haunted. I lived in it fourteen years. The last three were the scariest of my life. I spent over five thousand dollars and hired some of the most famous people in the medium to clear it. We were never really successful. Currently Bobbie Atristrain has a book out and the last chapter is on the house, it is called Haunted People haunted Minds. I am also writing a book. There are witnesses, photos and when i sold it, i told everyone who wanted to look that it was haunted.
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The Lady of Belvoir
http://www.virginialiving.com/virginiana/history/the-lady-of-belvoir/

If there is a ghost at the Fort Belvoir military base in Northern Virginia, it is that of Sally Fairfax, wandering about her garden, admiring her favorite daffodils while eagerly listening for the sound of hoofbeats and the approach of her young caller: George Washington.

In the spring, the daffodils still bloom, but Belvoir is no more. Long ago, the charred ruins of the lovely mansion crumbled to the ground along with its memories of candlelit balls and the sounds of coaches on cobblestone. Yet a love story remains. It is little known and less spoken of, but still an integral part of America’s colonial history. It is a chapter in the life of the American hero, George Washington, who loved, passionately, the lady at Belvoir his neighbor and the wife of his best friend, George William Fairfax. Proper credit has never been given Sally for the important role she played in Washington’s early life. Instead, she has been regarded mainly as a flirtatious Southern belle, a brainless beauty. Untrue!

The eldest and most fascinating of the four daughters of Col. Wilson Cary, owner of Ceelys Plantation near Hampton, Sally was born in 1730 to great wealth and luxury. The Cary plantation was the center of society along the lower James River. Gentry from near and far often visited, as did officers from foreign ships that sailed into port.

As the colonel was a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses, the family, during sessions, stayed at their Williamsburg townhouse and took advantage of the town’s many social events, including Assembly balls at the Governor’s Palace. A strict guardian of his four pretty daughters—Sally (Sarah), Mary, Anne and Elizabeth—the colonel was quick to discourage any suitor who was not wealthy, not from a prominent family or otherwise unacceptable as a future son-in-law. He was particularly selective of Sally’s beaux for, as everyone knew, she was his favorite. He had personally overseen her education. Let a man without wealth or family background approach the colonel for permission to call upon Sally, and he would be sent packing with the words, “If that is your mission here, sir, you may as well order your horse. My daughter is accustomed to her coach and six.”

Sally, at age 18, was highly educated and intelligent, knowledgeable of world affairs, music, art, literature and dance. She read books from her father’s vast library. She was also feminine, a coquette—and, as yet, unmarried. Many of her friends were not only married but had become parents as well. Not that Sally seemed to mind, for beaux were still plentiful and parties numerous, and she had every material wish fulfilled by her doting father. She spent her days visiting friends, attending teas (often with her mother or sisters) and learning the latest gossip of Williamsburg.

Her evenings were for merriment. It was no surprise when the family received an invitation to attend the Governor’s Ball during the session of 1747. What was serendipitous was that Sally would meet her future husband, George William Fairfax, that evening. As everyone knew, he was from Northern Virginia and lived at the magnificent Belvoir mansion on the Potomac, along with his father, Sir William Fairfax. And he was heir to the famous family title that would one day make him Lord Fairfax.

Sally was expert in dancing, and she dressed expensively, her auburn hair coiffed beautifully by her attendant. She at once caught the eye of the 23-year-old Fairfax. He also caught Sally’s attention, with his powdered wig, handsome evening costume and aristocratic features. Each queried friends about the other. When George William learned that not only were the Cary women beautiful but also from a family of great wealth, property and history (dating back to the 1400s in England, as did his own), he at once asked to call on Sally. He was accepted by the entire family, one of whom informed him, “I know of no family which has ever possessed nobler specimens of womanhood.”

George William was hooked. He at once wrote to his cousin, Robert, in England, the only man who stood between him and the Fairfax title: “Attending here on the General Assembly, I have had several opportunities of visiting Miss Cary, a daughter of Colonel Wilson Cary, and finding her amiable person to answer all the favourable reports made, I addressed myself and having obtained the young lady’s and her parents’ consent, we are to be married on the 17th instant. Colonel Cary wears the same coat of arms as the Lord Hunsdon.”

Col. Cary thoroughly researched the Englishman’s background and happily discovered that not only did he stand to inherit Belvoir, with its 2,700 acres in northern Virginia, but he also owned properties in Yorkshire; the famous Leeds Castle in England was among the Fairfax possessions. Yes, if asked, he would be pleased to hand over his daughter to such a prominent man, never mind that there was an arrogance about the future lord, a noblesse oblige that puzzled some and awed others. Love had little to do with it.

How did Sally react to all this? She was dazzled with the prospects. One day, she reasoned, she would become Lady Fairfax. None of her friends could make such a claim. Belvoir would be her home, to live in, to entertain in, to do with as she liked. She had heard much good about the Fairfax men and their great wealth and position in the colony. And so, on the 17th of December, 1747, she and George William were married and at once left for Belvoir, the mansion perched high on a bluff above the mighty Potomac.

As the coach rounded the curved drive in front of Belvoir, Sally caught her first glimpse of her new home and at once fell in love with it. Built by her father-in-law, Sir William Fairfax, who was still in residence, the mansion was without a hostess as the owner was a widower and lived there with his two sons, George William and young Bryan. His two daughters had married well: Anne to Lawrence Washington, the neighbor at Mt. Vernon, and Sarah to John Carlyle, the merchant prince at Alexandria, short miles from Belvoir.

Seeing Sally’s awe of the mansion, George William is known to have commented, “It’s a nice little cottage in this wooded land.” Indeed. A large hallway ran the width of the home, allowing river breezes to cool the interior. Off the hall were four high-ceilinged rooms, all magnificently furnished with carved mahogany and cherry furniture. Persian rugs covered the hardwood floors, and oil portraits and landscapes hung on the walls. Sally’s own chambers were equally extravagant: There was a great curtained bed with steps leading up to it, a dressing table with large mirror in gilt frame, a chest on chest of drawers, comfortable chairs, a tea table complete with silver tea service and candelabra, and a large fireplace.

While Sally was delighted with the estate, she completely lost her heart to Belvoir’s magnificent flower garden, 160 feet wide and 215 deep. Patterned after a garden in the county of Stirling, Scotland, the garden contained tulips, violets, roses, hollyhocks and her special flower, the daffodil, of various varieties.

Determined not to become overwhelmed by all this grandeur, Sally soon took her place as chatelaine of this new mansion. Neighbors told her that it outshone the other Potomac homes—Mt. Vernon of the Washington family and Gunston Hall, George Mason’s home. Her husband, eager to show off his prized new bride, suggested an evening when she would meet his family and friends from Alexandria and the neighboring area. And they soon came for an evening of festivity, not only including dinner but dancing as well, as was the custom of the times. No one knows exactly what Sally wore that evening to greet her guests, but perhaps it was the gown that would one day be returned with her personal things to the Cary family and now rests, carefully cared for, in the Valentine Richmond History Center in Richmond: an off-white silk brocade gown embroidered with multicolored flowers. Pearls were the fashion, and it is known that Sally had beautiful ones to wear.

And the guests? Among them were John and Sarah Carlyle, her new sister-in-law, with whom Sally would soon become good friends. The Lawrence Washingtons were there as well: Anne Washington, George William’s other sister and, loved to dance as much as Sally did.

With the Washingtons that night came a tall, broad-shouldered young stepbrother, George Washington, who now lived at Mt. Vernon. Lawrence had invited him. The young man stood before Sally, staring at her steadily, for never had he seen such an elegant woman. Manners would have kept Sally from staring back, but briefly she saw the tall 16-year-old, fresh from the farm where he had lived with his mother and other siblings. He was plainly dressed, his dark brown hair drawn back from his strong face in a queue, large hands and feet waiting for the rest of his frame to grow into them, George Washington continued to stare at Sally with a masculine assurance, head held high, looking directly into her eyes with his own of blue-gray.

The evening was lively, with good food, conversation and dance. When it ended, Sally invited George to visit as often as he chose. He chose to visit very often, and was awed by how knowledgeable was the wife of George William. They spoke of books and plays. Sally introduced him to Joseph Addison’s play Cato (1713) and gave him her own copy, which she had brought from Ceelys, to take home and study. George studied it carefully, and when they met again they acted out portions of the drama, with Sally being Marcia and he, Juba. Often and throughout his life, in person and in letter, George would refer to Sally as “Marcia.”

A great friendship sprang up between Sally and Washington. The Fairfax men, Sally soon realized, were eager for the young stepbrother of their neighbor to improve his mind and achieve a career for himself. Unlike his two brothers, George had not had a formal education; his father had died before he could send him to England for schooling. While Lawrence wished that George would follow his own career at sea, George’s mother put an end to that idea. And so now his education would be up to his brother and the Fairfaxes, including Sally.

Sally took her task to heart. She instilled in him a desire to make something of himself. She read to him about famous leaders throughout history, urged him to enter the military and to achieve, achieve, achieve. She helped him with his writing and spelling, and with his manners in social and political situations. In addition to all this, the Fairfax men introduced him to influential military and political leaders. When the Fairfax cousin, Lord Thomas Fairfax, owner of almost all of Northern Virginia and land farther to the west, came to stay at Belvoir for a year, he at once took a liking to young George and wrote to George’s mother, “Young George has what my friend, Mr. Addison, was pleased to call the intellectual conscience. The Lord deliver him from the nets of those spiders, called women, who will cast for his ruin. I wish I could say that he governs his temper for he is subject to attacks of anger on provocation, and sometimes without just cause. But, time will cure him.”

The letter summed up the elderly lord’s opinion of women, for he had never recovered from being jilted on the eve of his own wedding by an Englishwoman. His attitude toward them, however, did not sway young George, who, as everyone knew, had had many youthful crushes on girls. Despite the difference in attitudes, the two men became good friends, and when Lord Thomas asked George to survey his lands to the west, he accepted at once.

This surveying trip, made with Sally’s husband, George William, gave Washington a boost of confidence. He was now earning his own money and gaining a knowledge of terrain he had not visited before. He matured rapidly.

Meanwhile, Sally busied herself with hostess duties. When foreign vessels docked at Alexandria, the ships’ officers were invited to Belvoir for evenings of dinner, dancing and entertainment. Sally, in her finery, the latest fashions from Philadelphia and New York, was at her best. To offer a good table was a point of honor of every hostess, and Sally had been well schooled by her mother. Breads and cakes were baked daily, the woods around Belvoir were full of game and the river with fish, and from farther downstream came oysters and crabs. There were vegetables, grown in the Belvoir garden, as well as wines: Madeira, claret and port were served along with beer made from the native persimmon.

One evening as she danced with George Washington, Sally mentioned that she was surprised at his expertise with the dance. He replied that his mother was an expert dancer and had taught him herself. Sally saw that he knew all the country dances as well as the Virginia reel and needed only a little more teaching about the minuet, which she was happy to provide. If her husband, an undemonstrative man, noticed their closeness, he was tolerant and never voiced an objection.

Not so his younger brother, Bryan. He scolded Sally about her flirtation with George. This annoyed Sally, who told her husband of Bryan’s remarks, and the subsequent rift between the two brothers lasted for quite a time. Sally never really forgave Bryan for what she felt was his intrusion into her life.

By now, George had begun a military career and was being talked about. He was showing great promise as a leader. He would write Sally from various camps where he was on duty, and in one such letter he writes, “I should think our time more agreeably spent, believe me, in playing a part in Cato with myself doubly happy in being the Juba to a Marcia as you must make.” He then quotes from the play: “And in the shock of charging hosts remember what glorious deeds should grace the man who hopes for Marcia’s love.”

When George’s fascination for Sally turned to love, it is not known. But his letters grew warmer as he matured, and when Sally suspected that they were becoming amorous, she suggested that he continue to write but to direct them in care of a friend and she would get them.

When George visited home, he found that Sally was usually busy with her friends. In 1755, he writes her, apparently frustrated: “I have hitherto found it impracticable to engage one moment of your attention. If these are fearful apprehensions only, how easy to remove my suspicions, enliven my spirits and make me happier than the day is long by honoring me with a correspondence which you did partly promise to do.”

Sally, not wanting him to stop writing or visiting, continued to receive his letters and visits. Each time she inspired him to climb higher, telling him he was destined for greatness. And each time his passion for her grew—though he held these emotions under a rigid control, for now was not the time to express his feelings. Yet, years later, he would speak to Martha Washington’s granddaughter and say, “In the human being there is a good deal of inflammable matter, however dormant it may be for a time, but when the torch is put to it, that which is within you may burst into flame.”

And that is what eventually happened to the young soldier. His friends, including Sally, felt it was time for him to marry. Realizing that things were getting too heated in their relationship, Sally decided to make a visit home to Ceelys, but not before she received another letter from George. It read, “I beg to know when you set out for Hampton and when you expect to return to Belvoir. I shall thereby hope for your return before I get down, for the disappointment of not seeing your family would give me much concern.”

At Ceelys, Sally returned to the life of carefree youth, with parties, dinners and no responsibility, if only for a little while. Then her life began to unravel: After only several days of illness, her father-in-law died and was buried on Belvoir land. (A monument stands at the gravesite today in his memory.) Shortly after his death and Sally’s return to Belvoir, George William left for a stay in England, worried that there was a conspiracy to rob him of his Yorkshire lands. Sally, devastated by the death of Sir William and lonely at Belvoir after her husband’s departure, wrote in the Fairfax family book, “Misfortune seldom comes alone. We do not ever appreciate something until we have lost it.”

These forlorn days gave Sally much time for introspection and improving her garden. But her eyes would turn toward Mt. Vernon. In her grief, her heart reached out to Washington, but her mind told her that relationship could never be. She was now a Fairfax, and a Fairfax she must remain. Sally decided what she must do: Encourage her young lover to find a wife. For in the near future, she realized, her life would most likely be in England with her husband. In America, there was also increasing talk of independence.

George Washington, meanwhile, struggled with his own emotions. He reached the conclusion that no matter how he felt about Sally, there was no future for them. The wife of his best friend, the future Lady Fairfax, what could he offer her? They would be ostracized by society if their relationship went any further. The last time he had visited Sally, she told him that he must transmute his feelings into his career. He would do that, but not before expressing his true feelings for her. He would allow, this one time, his emotions to have free rein, and then go on with his life.

On November 25, 1758, George Washington fought for the last time under the British colors when he planted the flag on the ruins of Fort Duquesne. He returned to Mt. Vernon and wrote his famous letter to Sally Fairfax, one she would forever treasure. He then married a sweet young widow, Martha Custis, whom he had met and spent some time with. By making her his wife, on January 6, 1759, Washington added to his fortune at least $100,000. The new Martha Washington, with her two small children, would provide him with a home life such as he had never known. He, in turn, was becoming nationally recognized, was an excellent business manager and would always respect her as his lady and wife.

His letter to Sally Fairfax apparently was in answer to her own to him congratulating him on his forthcoming marriage:

...Tis true I profess myself a votary to love. I acknowledge that a Lady is in the case: and, further, I confess that this Lady is known to you. Yes, Madam, as well as she is to one who is too sensible of her Charms to deny the Power whose influence he feels and must ever submit to. I feel the force of her amiable beauties in the recollection of a thousand tender passages that I could wish to obliterate till I am bid to revive them; but Experience alas alas! sadly reminds me how impossible this is, and evinces an Opinion, which I have long entertained, that there is a Destiny which has the sovereign control of our actions, not to be resisted by the strongest efforts of Human Nature.

You have drawn me, my dear Madam, or rather have I drawn myself, into an honest confession of a Simple fact. Misconstrue not my meaning, ‘tis obvious; doubt it not, nor expose it. The world has no business to know the object of my love, declared in this manner to you, when I want to conceal it. One thing, above all things, in this World I wish to know and only one person of your acquaintance can solve me that, or guess my meaning—but adieu to this till happier times, if ever I shall see them. …

Sally, ever conscious of the troubles any new letters could create, pretended not to understand his confession—his allusions to her. This indifference prompted another letter from Washington: “Do we still misunderstand the true meaning of each other’s letters? I think it must appear so, tho I would feign hope the contrary, as I cannot speak plainer without—but I’ll say no more and leave you to guess the rest.”

After Washington brought his bride back to Mt. Vernon, Sally and Martha became friends and spent many evenings at both George’s home and at Belvoir. The women were both secure in their life stations; Sally, with wealth and future title, was a respectable married woman who was also secretly sure of Washington’s passionate love. Martha, now Mrs. George Washington, was equally sure of Washington’s devotion, for she had not only provided him with a fortune but an already made family, and he adored her children. So the two women were content in their friendship.

George William, meanwhile, grew increasingly nervous about his English landholdings. He insisted that he and Sally go to England. He hoped to return to America at a later date. He placed the renting of Belvoir in the hands of his friend, Washington, and Sally and he sailed for England in 1773. First they went to London for a short time, then on to Yorkshire, where he renovated the house and purchased his “coach and six.” Still, he was the object of great antipathy, and soon George William wrote to Washington, saying they were obliged to leave Yorkshire, to sell his “coach and six” and to get out of the way of his relatives there, who gladly would have turned him over to the authorities and usurped his lands. He admitted that at any time he expected to be seized by the authorities and had only recently been saved from persecution by a relative with influence with the court.

While Washington’s star ascended, and he became famous and wealthy, Sally’s star plummeted. The Fairfaxes relocated to Bath, England, and a greatly reduced lifestyle. She was unhappy with her servants who “carry themselves very high and are insolent above all description.” British women snubbed her, and she had few friends. Sally, the proud daughter of Col. Cary—Sally, the Williamsburg belle and mistress of Belvoir, the love of George Washington—was saddened and humbled, and further devastated when her husband died in 1787. And then her own health began to decline. Lonely, she wrote to her sister-in-law in Virginia: “Weeping has robbed me of sight. There was a time of my life when I should not have been well pleased to hear of the union between a daughter of yours and Mr. – but, thank God, I have outlived those prejudices of education and know now that the worthy man is to be preferred to the high born who has not merit to recommend him.”

Sally’s dreams had crumbled. She never became Lady Fairfax. That honor would pass to her sister, Elizabeth, who married Sally’s brother-in-law Bryan, who received the family title.

Alone now in a foreign land, Sally’s auburn hair turned to silver. Her fingers became stiff with arthritis, and her feet suffered with gout. She still had the proud bearing of an aristocrat, however, and welcomed the visits of what few friends she had. She knew that Belvoir had burned, in 1783, and any hopes of returning there were gone. She wrote to her sister-in-law in Virginia that she longed to return, but her health “would not permit” her to cross the Atlantic again. She also knew that if she could return, she would have to live on the generosity of her family, for she had few funds of her own.

George Washington died in 1799. Martha Washington died in 1802. Sally Fairfax died at her home in England in 1811. No friends or family were with her at the time, and only her servants attended her. Her coffin was carried down to the quaint, small church at Writhington, in Somerset, and her body laid to rest next to that of her husband.

Perhaps one thought had sustained her into old age: that she, in her own way, a way she would never divulge to anyone, had taken a bright country youth under her wing while living at Belvoir. She had taught him manners, how to dress, how to write and spell correctly, how to dance formally, and especially how to choose and to read the classics. Even more, she’d taught him how to set goals for himself and aim high in life, which would enhance his career. And it was she who had taught him how to act around gentlewomen, how to court a lady. She had taught him the art of love, until she knew he was ready to make a good marriage and treat a wife properly.

And Washington? As with all things, he had faced his personal life with both honesty and courage. So the question remains: Had he not loved Sally so passionately, could he have loved Martha so well?
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Back in the 1950's my relatives had their house torn down because it was so badly haunted. They could no longer handle living there and couldn't sell it because it had gained a reputation. It's now a restaurant.

The EOD building at Ft. Belvoir is haunted, everyone that I know who was stationed there says the place is freaky and a few techs that I know saw a mist floating around - these techs I wouldn't hesitate in a second to go downrange with and were not bullshit artists.

I work in a hospital, and in a place where death is common, I kind of learned how to just shrug things off and move on. This is different, and kind of both creeps me out, and brings tears to my eyes.

A cardiologist at our hospital died a couple of weeks ago. His house caught on fire. His wife, along with their 2 children also died during the accident. All four of them were found in the bedroom hugging each other.

There’s this kid, 7 years old, his doctor was a pediatrician at our hospital, been there a lot actually. The pediatrician was at a loss to with what to do with the kid. He was brought there by his mother, because the kid insisted he has been talking to his father a lot. His father died a couple years ago, and I’m not sure how or why. The pediatrician found nothing wrong with the kid.

A couple of days ago. the kid insisted on seeing his pediatric doctor, he didn’t say why, but was persistent. He kept bugging his mom to bring him to the doctor immediately. End of the day, she brings his kid to the hospital. Upon entering, the kid just stopped. In the lobby there was a photo of the deceased cardiologist, with flowers and well wishes. The kid sees it and tugs at his mom, “That’s the guy who talked to me a couple of days ago, he told me to tell [pediatric doctor] not to cry anymore, he said they’re all ok and happy.” So the mom takes the kid to his doctor, and the pediatric doctor is just, shocked and overwhelmed at the same time. The pediatric doctor was close friends with the cardiologist, and have been in a sad state these past couple of days.

The part that freaks me out is that the cardiologist never met the kid patient ever. I do believe that science can explain most things, but maybe not everything. If there was an “I see dead people kid” in real life, I’d bet that’s the kid.

I stayed at an Inn by Marriott Manassas Battlefield Park. I checked in the room, put my suit case down, and met friends for dinner. When I returned the bottom drawer where the TV sat was pulled out. Nothing was missing in the room. I called the front desk and requested a room change. The room was changed to the third floor. On the nightstand near the bed I placed phone to charge, my glasses, a bottle of water, and my purse. I went to sleep and woke up to go to bathroom. Purse on nightstand went missing. I looked around the room and then saw a lump in the bed. My purse was in the bed with the covers over it. It was really strange. When I went to sleep, the purse was on the night stand. Understand that Manassas Battlefield Park is 1.2 miles away.

Wow great site! Loved reading all the stories and have one of my own....Over thirty years ago before my first husband and I were married I lived with my soon to be ex-sister-in-law for about a month in Fredericksburg VA. Her and her husband built their house over at Twin Lakes which during the war between the states was a battle medical area and weapons storage. At least, that was what I was told. One night when the family went to the beach only me and two nephews were staying at the house. I was sleeping in my sister-in-law's daughter's room. In the middle of the night I was awaken for no apparent reason. I rolled over to my side to face a large picture window with closed curtains. It must have been a full moon because I can see the brightness of the moon through the curtains. Then suddenly I saw a shadow of what looked like a man crouching down with a rifle walking across the window outside wearing a flat type of cap that later I recognized as a confederate or union cap. I was frozen in my bed and very scared, but I rolled back over. I put the covers over my head and went back to sleep knowing that if he tried to get in the security alarm would be activated. Ironically, after that time I told my husband's family, and they told me about seeing shadows, hearing footsteps coming up the stairs from the basement and coming down the hall. Many years later when my son from that marriage grew to manhood he told me that he would hear footsteps and weird things happen at aunt Pat's house.

Massanutten Military Academy Wrote:
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> Some years ago when I was a cadet at the
> Massanutten military Academy and I saw some ghost
> sightings on the fourth floor of benchoff hall and
> Harrison hall. Also I heard voices and saw stuff
> in the basement of Sperry hall (under the former
> quartermaster) I believe they are more like evil
> spirits than ghosts because when they are sighted
> it feels ice cold and you feel like your soul is
> being dragged out of your body.

I was at Massanutten Military Academy as a cadet for summer school on the fourth floor of Benchoff, when at 3 am in the morning a ghost child crawled in my window (on the fourth floor) and crawled out my door. I was absolutely horrified.

When I was a young girl I lived in this little house on TC Walker in Gloucester Va. It was me, my mom, and now step dad. Well every night around midnight I would wake up screaming and running to my mom's room complaining about a man being in my room. Cops were called, and they said there was no sign of any break in or man. Every night for months this happened. I would wake up to my toys being played with and the old man wanting to play. My mom was getting frustrated and wanted to see for herself. She stayed the night in my room with me, and yet again around midnight she woke up to me talking to somebody telling them I did not want to play and that I wanted to go to sleep. She then saw my toys going off.

Well after that we moved. We then got a phone call from the people that moved in after us asking if any of the family saw an old man. My mom explained the situation and sure enough the people were experiencing it too. Well, mom called the realtor and sure enough an old man died in my room around midnight. He was really sick and could never have children although he absolutely adored children. His room was turned into a hospital room (almost. ) My mom eventually found a newspaper clipping of the man and studied it with my dad and hid it. Well they asked me what he had looked like, and I was able to describe him to a t at the age of 8.

My sister and brother-in-law lived just down the road from the Manassas battle field and hospital. I just thought it was so wonderful and so much history when I grew up in PA. I vacationed in a place called Shenandoah Acres in Stuarts Draft, VA. My wife and I were helping them to move after twenty years. We were there for a few days. It is a two-story home with a large basement which was all redone with a wine room and a pool table and big sofa, where I had slept one night. That night I was awakened by a severe cramp in the end of my toe next to my big toe on my right foot that was on the arm of the sofa uncovered. I then fell asleep to be a woken up again. I wiggled it around, and I fell asleep to the same pain again covering it up thinking it was just cold. I fell asleep. Then awoke to my water bottle made a pop sound which I heard before at other times, but I heard it again a few minutes later. I was so tired that I dosed off and was awoken again by the same type of noise. I then took a drink and also blew air into it. Then I went to the restroom straight ahead on the left about ten feet away.

I also left the fan on and the door cracked a little, a humming noise helped me to sleep sometimes. I swear I could hear other loud noises coming from the room to my left with the door closed and to my right where the only light on coming from the television and the night light coming through the two windows from behind me. Time had gone by dosing to the clack of a pool table ball, I thought. I had gotten up to shut off the fan to the restroom, just sat on the couch covering up with the blanket, and heard a clack again then noises like someone was up stairs walking around. I then got up and turned the lights on yelling and realizing that there was a entity or two or maybe three with me. Everything was in boxes thirty or so to the right behind a closed door and many boxes to the left and behind me under the pool table. I looked around and did not see anything but got the hell out of there.

Now sitting on the couch up in the family room very quiet thinking about what just happened, I saw a limb on a tree move up and down erratic. I had gotten up to look. I saw no wind, no bird, or squirrel. About that time my father-in-law had gotten up. Now it's five o'clock; he had come downstairs to read his bible in the other room. Then I guess I fell asleep till eight o'clock. The same morning I had confronted my sister and brother-in-law about what happened to me, and they looked at each other and said they thought the house was still settling. They had strange things break on them at night especially in the basement. They never saw anything at all, but they were glad to move out of there.

I found this video on youtube and it has a ghost on the tape while they were filming out at Manassas battlefield.......

My family and I were on vacation in DC and we went to the Manassas battlefield. We video taped there, and later that day we were watching the tape and we noticed the woman dressed in white walking along the fenceline. There were no reenactments going on that day, and we didn't see her there. If you look to the left of the house, you will see a small black fence with a marker that encloses the graves of Mrs. Henry, her daughter, and her son. The ghost is walking away from the graves to just an open field. We are convinced that this was a paranormal experience.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G27tgEiUE2o

I have heard that the Manassas Mall is haunted. A few people who have worked at one of the stores there (won't mention company since I'm currently employed with them) they only hear boxes and stuff being slammed on the ground in the stock room.

Also the World Market in Dulles, VA is severely haunted. I used to work there years ago. I did a few overnights there and have seen shadows walking through the aisles. There was the sound of shopping carts being slammed into the walls. Footsteps were heard every now and then, especially on the roof.

Something odd goes on in this house in chesapeake va. I lived there in 2004 for a few months only. It was odd and creepy from day one. Mirrors had delays in this house the kitchen and living room were always colder then the rest of house no matter what the A/C and/or temp outside was.

I often walked into kitchen to find fridge door and cabinets wide open. More than a few times my two large labs would not come into the kitchen and would hide down hallway if called for dinner or to go outside they would stand at end of hallway and growl into living area of house.

The Family Dollar in Manassas off the main drag from 66, is haunted. I was there yesterday, when my two year old son and I were walking around. At one of the endcaps there was a display that had several medium sized balls that my son wanted, but we wouldn't allow him to have (He has several already). As we were walking away, I saw one of the balls (blue ball that my son liked) slip thru the side on its own, drop to the floor, and roll about 15 feet towards the front of the store towards my son. As I was putting the ball back, another ball, this time a red one, did the same thing. We got out of there real quick. FREAKY!

I have had several encounters with spirits, but I am sensitive to them. I tend to see, hear, and sense them all the time. I was living on Smartts Lane for a few years in one of the townhomes and had a spirit in the house there. I was calling my dog one of the times, and she looked scared. She looked up at the spirit then looked over at me like she couldn't get by it because the spirit was standing in her way. She kept doing it as I kept calling her, so she finally slowly creeped around the figure in the hall and darted towards me after she passed it. I couldn't see the spirit, but I knew it was there. I have a K2 meter as well and had used that in my old houses and had several responses on it.

I had things happen in the neighborhood of Tavistock as well, which is weird because it used to be a farm there before the neighborhood was ever built. That was when I was living with my mother. I was lying in bed one night with 3 dogs on my bed, wasn't asleep yet. Then I heard this woman singing outside my door. She was singing for about a minute then I heard her scream, and it stopped, but it still echoed in my head. I looked down at the dogs, and all their ears were up, so I knew it wasn't just me. I have had the TV turn on by itself often. I had received phone calls on the home phone FROM the home phone which was very weird. That happened for a whole week and stopped the day someone I knew passed away. I have had one of our past dogs come to my room. I heard the sniffing at the door and the jingle from the collar, and I just ignored it. Then I heard as if a dog was chewing on a water bottle. I looked under the bed, and I saw the bottle. I still heard it, but nothing was biting it. I turned on my lights, and it was still going on; it never stopped, so I put on music to drown out the sound of the spirit of the dog.

I was in the basement another time and ended up falling asleep. When I woke up and looked up I saw a tall skinny man in a blue uniform with a hat that was flat on the top with gold buckles down his shirt. He was standing there in front of me just staring at me. After my second blink of an eye he was gone. Toys went off by themselves as well, but of course this could be debunked as faulty toys by all means.

In downtown, that store next to the restaurant that moved, the new age one, I've felt the presence of spirits inside that place before several times. Also in the antique shop across the street, downstairs has spirits as well there. Balls Bluff I have felt the presence of spirits and when videotaping there I have caught black figures go across my camera and my k2 meter went off there as well.

Getting phone calls from your own number is not paranormal - it's a dirty trick that telemarketers use to get you to pick up the phone. I don't know why, because there is never anybody at the other end. But that's who it is...Google it.

GHOST SIGHTING ON RT 29 TONIGHT! Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> My wife just saw a ghost dressed as a Civil War
> soldier walking along Route 29, tonight at around
> 8pm. She said he was semi-transparent with naval
> blue pants walking away from the the battlefield
> in the direction of the intersection of Rt. 29 and
> Heathcote.

This happened again just before midnight on Wednesday 8/27 when she was coming home. This always seems to happen when she's by herself, and it really worries me as to what could happen if she or anyone else ever decided to stop.

We are here helping my sister in law move after twenty years.I was sleeping in the basement on large couch when I a woken by a sharp pain in the end of my toe next to my big toe. I fell asleep it happens again.I fell asleep awoken again wiggling it around pain went away and I also covered my feet with the blanket this time thinking it was just cold. Then my water bottle started crinkling,once I thought it nothing because I had heard it before but two times after that with in a period of a few minutes. I had used the restroom and l and left on the noise fan in there. I then sat on the couch hearing these god awful pounding and loud nnoises so I got up turned off the bathroom fan. I laid down,I was so tired and sleepy.then awoken by I thought was pool table ball in the pocket make a clack sat up to noise in the closed room to the left if me and noise to right like rusting around I thought someone was upstairs. Then I heard another ball clack at the pool table. I got my blanket and pillows and went up stairs just to find the door closed. I then sat on the couch and started seeing one limb only moving up and down.I had looked to see if it was squirrel or a bird or something and no wind either. Creepy (I remembered the Manassas battle fields and house just down the road.)

I live near Route 7 in Vienna. There's a bike path a few doors down from me and it is all wooded. I am sensitive to spirits and can always sense something there and whatever is there scares my daughter as well. On top of that we had someone pass away in our house before and I hear every now and then a man sneezing loudly. Thinking my dad is here (since he sneezes loud too) I go search the house to find nobody, nobody outside either. I also have heard footsteps often and a cat on the steps. Also my daughters toys will go off on their own occasionally.

Has anyone else had problems/experiences like this in Vienna?

Saw a young girl with an old timey long gown on about three o'clock in the am. At the trinity church driveway on Plank Road waiving for help. As I slowed way down she disappeared in a poof.

not stopping again Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Saw a young girl with an old timey long gown on
> about three o'clock in the am. At the trinity
> church driveway on Plank Road waiving for help. As
> I slowed way down she disappeared in a poof.

those poofs get all the stuff

Long Time Fairfaxian Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Sleepy Hollow Elementary is haunted by the ghost
> of a workman who was buried alive back when the
> school was being constructed back in the Fifties.
>
> When I was a student there, some of the kids there
> would tell stories about hearing what sounded like
> labored breathing or gasping or sometimes even a
> muffled voice from under the ground. A few talked
> about "The Dirty Man" they'd seen around the
> school, dressed in old fashioned and extremely
> dirty work clothing.
>
> My own experience with the dirty man, however,
> still haunts me to this day. I was walking home
> from school and I saw the dirty man I'd heard
> about. Just like I'd heard, he was dressed in
> old-fashioned clothing and was covered in dirt,
> like he'd just crawled out of a hole.
>
> He looked lost or confused, but even back then
> we'd gotten lessons about "Stranger Danger", so I
> just froze and didn't say anything to him.
>
> Then, it was like a fog lifted, and he gave me a
> weird, faraway look.
>
> And he spoke to me.
>
> He said, "Sonny? Sonny? Can you help me out,
> Sonny? It's awful dark down here."
>
> That was all I needed to see or hear. I was jolted
> out of my fear-induced paralysis and ran all the
> way home.
>
> I don't know if kids in that neighborhood still
> talk about "The Dirty Man", but I avoid Sleepy
> Hollow Road even now, almost forty years later.

The workman killed was 51-year-old laborer Jack Yates, who died when an unshored portion of the trench he was working in collapsed.

I live in Chantilly Highlands, and my house is haunted for sure. I have had two paranormal teams come through with very high tech equipment. They believe that I have a spirit of a man that is a bully and a spirit of a boy. I also know that there's a woman here because I've heard her speak out loud and say ''What?'' Believe me, I don't want to live here at all, but my husband thinks that we can find someone that can cleanse the house. He thinks that it will be too expensive to move. I have had spirits come to me in my sleep and cause harm to me, and I hear them walk around my room at night. It is so loud and so scary! I hate living like that!

Supposedly the kid lives in my son's closet, and my son's attitude has become very aggressive! I am constantly touched, and my bed gets jumped on throughout the night while I am trying to sleep. I can hear doorknobs being played with, and we have constant electrical problems. Anyway, we're afraid that if we move into another house in the same area, we'll just end up in another haunted house. What do we do? We've already cleansed it once, and I constantly sage it. We've lived here one year, and the amount of things that have broken is crazy! Our A/C has broken three times! Our water heater flooded the basement among many other things.

When my husband and I purchased a house on Washington Avenue in Front Royal our plan was to fix it up and rent it. My two girls were little at the time and both refused to go in this house. It scared them.

I was in there one day cleaning upstairs and had a tremendous sense of someone wanting to push me down the steep stairs. I turned around and said aloud don't even think about it. I found out later a man had hanged himself upstairs in the attic.

I can say with great certainty that my former residence in Falls Church was haunted by a malicious spirit. When I first moved in I noticed a man's name had been carved onto one of the bedroom walls. At the beginning I didn't think much of it and figured it meant nothing, but as time went on, I started to think otherwise. I happened to occupy the aforementioned bedroom and heard strange noises late at night. I was sure, for example, that I heard the name of the man being called out by a woman's voice. Needless to say, it was very frightening. I hoped the noises would be the end of it, but I couldn't have been more wrong.

After only a month of living there the whole place began to fall apart on me, and under very odd circumstances no less. I remember waking up one morning to find that all the doors were broken and would not shut properly. Also the washing machine and A/C unit stopped working in a single day. It was as if someone or something wanted me to leave, and they were being very persistent about it. The one thing I picked up on was that the noises always preceded one of these spooky events. Thus, I was convinced the carving of the man's name and all the supernatural phenomena were connected. Still, I felt helpless, and the noises weren't going away.

I finally gave up all hope when I found a dead rat outside the front door. Looking at its bloody and mangled body I couldn't help but feel it was an evil omen. That day I packed up all my things and moved back in with my mother. I still don't know how to properly explain all the horrors I experienced living there, but I have something of a theory. It's possible that a married couple used to live at the residence, and the husband murdered his wife. I say this because the woman's voice I heard always sounded so scared. I heard: ''I'm sorry!'' ''Please stop!'' and ''Don't hurt me!'' I think the husband must have been psychotic or something. All I know is that the carving is some kind of curse.

Robbie Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I can say with great certainty that my former
> residence in Falls Church was haunted by a
> malicious spirit. When I first moved in I noticed
> a man's name had been carved onto one of the
> bedroom walls. At the beginning I didn't think
> much of it and figured it meant nothing, but as
> time went on, I started to think otherwise. I
> happened to occupy the aforementioned bedroom and
> heard strange noises late at night. I was sure,
> for example, that I heard the name of the man
> being called out by a woman's voice. Needless to
> say, it was very frightening. I hoped the noises
> would be the end of it, but I couldn't have been
> more wrong.
>
> After only a month of living there the whole place
> began to fall apart on me, and under very odd
> circumstances no less. I remember waking up one
> morning to find that all the doors were broken and
> would not shut properly. Also the washing machine
> and A/C unit stopped working in a single day. It
> was as if someone or something wanted me to leave,
> and they were being very persistent about it. The
> one thing I picked up on was that the noises
> always preceded one of these spooky events. Thus,
> I was convinced the carving of the man's name and
> all the supernatural phenomena were connected.
> Still, I felt helpless, and the noises weren't
> going away.
>
> I finally gave up all hope when I found a dead rat
> outside the front door. Looking at its bloody and
> mangled body I couldn't help but feel it was an
> evil omen. That day I packed up all my things and
> moved back in with my mother. I still don't know
> how to properly explain all the horrors I
> experienced living there, but I have something of
> a theory. It's possible that a married couple used
> to live at the residence, and the husband murdered
> his wife. I say this because the woman's voice I
> heard always sounded so scared. I heard: ''I'm
> sorry!'' ''Please stop!'' and ''Don't hurt me!'' I
> think the husband must have been psychotic or
> something. All I know is that the carving is some
> kind of curse.

Small world Robbie, I was living on Sherrow Ave. off of Broad Street in Falls Church. I came home from work one day and looked down the hall and saw a figure standing there looking at me then walked into my bedroom. It had longish hair and a long light colored robe on. I dismissed it as just my tiredness showing from the day. That evening at dinner I mentioned it to my husband and son. My son looked at me and said ''yeah the eyes!! '' I was completely stunned. He said his friend had seen it also when he was spending the night.

I have never forgotten it and although I am skeptical of ghost sightings I know I saw one myself. Only once. I often wondered if anyone else living in that house has seen the same.

Round Tree Park is located in Annandale, Virginia and is well-known by the residents of the city. However, come nightfall this park turns into a totally different place. Many people who find themselves at Round Tree Park are witnesses to the apparition of a lady with her baby. Many have reported this ghost to torment those who dare to even glance at her. Legend has it that she only appears in the park at night when it’s foggy out.

Has anyone ever seen her or know the background on this?
Attachments:

Mount Gilead in Centreville.

http://centrevilleindependent.com/spooky-stories-abound-at-centrevilles-historic-haunts/

I think Joe's Diner on PW PKWY is haunted.'' Check it out... Oh yea, the food is awesome.

Phantoms of Old House Woods Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Phantoms of Old House Woods near Mathews, Virginia
>
>
> On the eastern U.S. Coast along the shores of
> Virginia just outside of the village of Diggs,
> there lies a stretch of woods that has been the
> center of many paranormal experiences since the
> late 18th century. Legend has it that there are
> several different treasures that were buried here
> and then subsequently abandoned, unable to be
> retrieved by their owners. Over the past two
> centuries there have been reports of phantoms of
> various sorts roaming these woods and waters.
>
> The road through Old House Woods near Mathews,
> Virginia
>
> First of all the name, Old House Woods may seem a
> bit strange, however for years in the middle of
> these woods off of Haven Beach Road, there was an
> old dilapidated house that stood for over a
> century and was subject of many ghostly
> encounters. As early as 1798 there have been eye
> witness accounts of strange happenings in and near
> this stretch of woods. Travelers on horseback
> have claimed that their horses were spooked and
> very fearful as they passed through these woods.
> Many say that some who entered the house seeking
> treasure or otherwise, were never seen again.
> Folks living near the woods would report that
> their children would return from playing there all
> day telling tales of seeing many strange things
> such as ghostly Revolutionary War soldiers,
> skeleton pirates wielding swords and strange
> glowing balls of light. Some of the tales
> prompted local residents to forbid their children
> from entering those woods, especially at night.
> The old house burned to the foundation long ago,
> but the eerie stories continue to this day.
>
> A Favorite Hiding Place for Treasure
>
> The first treasure that was lost according to
> legend, was that of pirates who were attracted by
> the allure of the marshy expanse of woodland off
> of Whites Creek, decided that it would be an
> excellent place to bury some of their treasure.
> So they tied up along the banks of the creek and
> buried their booty there in the woods. It is said
> that unfortunately for the pirates, they perished
> at sea in a terrible storm and was never able to
> retrieve their treasure. However, they return on
> occasion searching for their lost loot as you will
> see.
>
> In 1651 after the Battle of Worcester in England,
> Charles II fled Europe and headed for Jamestown in
> the new found territories in America to hide.
> After a fierce storm, his treasure ship mistakenly
> ended up in the Whites Creek. Deciding to hide
> Charles' treasures there for safe keeping in that
> remote stretch of forest, they began unloading the
> chests from the ship when suddenly they were
> ambushed and robbed. The perpetrators buried both
> the chests and the bodies of some of the crew in
> the woods. However, they were captured and put to
> death. It is said that the treasure chests of
> Charles II are still buried somewhere in the woods
> to this day, guarded by the phantom crew that was
> buried with it. Many claim that sometimes at
> night the lanterns and sounds of the phantom
> robbers who returned for their plunder can be seen
> and heard in the night digging away in the
> darkness.
>
> In 1781 during the Revolutionary War when General
> Cornwallis was fleeing the Patriot advance, it is
> said that they deposited a large stash of gold and
> silver coins and other plunder taken from
> civilians in the Old House Woods. They were never
> allowed to return to the area after they
> surrendered and it is believed that the British
> plunder is still hidden there today. Hence, the
> sightings of Revolutionary soldiers marching
> through the Old House Woods.
>
>
> Ghostly Ships
>
> Long ago during the time when steam ships were
> taking over in the late 19th century, a fisherman
> reported that he was fishing just off of the
> entrance of Whites Creek when a full masted
> sailing ship appeared coming in from the
> Chesapeake Bay. Making no sound at all, it moved
> into the creek. The mysterious ship passed by him
> and sailed right up onto the beach... and across
> the shore road into the Old House Woods and it
> appeared to be floating above the ground!
>
> There have also been reports of a phantom Spanish
> galleon in full sail floating partially above the
> trees tops as if they were water. Apparently, the
> phantom vessel rises out of the White River and
> sails into the trees. The ship would stop and
> ghostly pirates would pour over the side of the
> ship and down onto the ground. The phantom
> pirates have been seen roaming around as if
> searching for something and some have been spotted
> digging in certain spots in the Old House Woods.
> Many believe these are the pirates who died at sea
> returning to claim their hidden treasure.


Me and a few friends heard some stories about Old House Road and the nearby shoreline. We drove down a gravel road that turns off just before the main section of Old House Road itself due to trespassing signs. We parked and walked down the gravel path and after making a couple turns on the road, we saw a light, similar to a lamp in the distance. The problem with that is there were absolutely no lights there when we drove past. After stopping and watching for maybe ten second, the light had covered a distance enough that we could tell it was approaching. As we watched, one of my friends tapped my shoulder and said ''shark tactics''. Shark tactics is the way we refer to when something uses movement in front of you as a distraction to attack from other angles and flank. Once he said it we immediately turned around to see a hooded figure dashing into the tall weeds off the side of the trail. We high tailed it out without further investigation.

Not me Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The woods on Braddock road near union mill.
> Haunted for many years. Even the homeless will not
> camp in them.

This is probably why...

HISTORY OF HICKORY FARMS – Civil War – Mosby
Bob Cosgriff
(First published in 1994)
http://hickoryfarms.org/History%20of%20Hickory%20Farms%20-%20Civil%20War%20-%20Mosby.htm

One of the most famous incidents of the Civil War took place just little over one mile from Hickory Farms. To set the stage, we must pick up the narrative following the Battle of Antietam in mid-September 1862. Lee returned to Winchester following the failed invasion of the North. The Union army did not immediately pursue its foe, but finally crossed the Potomac and slowly began to push south into Virginia. The upshot of all the subsequent maneuvering was the Battle of Fredericksburg (December 1862), which was a disaster for the North. The two armies went into winter quarters in January, 1863, separated by the Rappahannock. Farther north, the Federal forces defending the approaches to Washington, D.C., were deployed in a long arc from Dranesville through Centreville to the southern reaches of Fairfax County. Because of its strategic location, Fairfax Court House became a headquarters town once again.



While this was going on, an obscure young Confederate officer named John Singleton Mosby (originally from Nelson County, VA) was given command of a unique independent force, operating under the authority of the famed cavalry leader, General J.E.B. Stuart. The mission of this small band of horsemen was to operate unconventionally, to probe and harass the Union outposts, slip through the lines to capture men and materiel and gather intelligence. In time, this unit would be mustered as the 43rd Battalion of Partisan Rangers. This official designation was very important, since it gave legitimate military status to its members. Otherwise, if captured, they would have been treated under the laws of war as guerrillas, and subject to summary execution. In fact, the Union considered them to be irregulars, although they were always officially a part of the Confederate States Army.



Mosby launched a series of annoying raids, which elicited a predictable response. He and his troops became wanted men. Union officers boastfully predicted they would soon capture these hit-and-run soldiers. A British soldier of fortune, Sir Percy Wyndham, made some particularly strong public statements about Mosby the horse thief. As recounted by the well-known Northern Virginia historian, Virgil Carrington (Pat) Jones, this prompted Mosby, who had been a lawyer before enlisting in the Confederate Army, to comment that the only horses he had stolen had riders armed with a saber and two pistols. Mosby decided to stage a daring raid to capture Wyndham.



On the cold drizzly night of 8 March, 1863, he set out with 29 men from Aldie, some twenty five miles northwest of Fairfax Court House on the Little River Turnpike (modern Route 50). Already familiar with the area, Mosby had skillfully scouted it in preparation for this raid. In his intelligence gathering, he was aided by a young woman, Antonia Ford, who enjoyed easy access to the staff officers gathered around Colonel Wyndham and also Brigadier General Edwin H. Stoughton. Mosby also had the services of a Union deserter, dubbed "Big Yank Ames," who knew the locations of the Union outposts. Guided by Ames, the force slipped through the lines between Centreville and Chantilly, then became separated before joining up along the Warrenton Pike (modern Route 29). According to Mosby's memoirs, they then swung south and proceeded into town "from the direction of the railroad station." This refers to Fairfax Station; his actual path was on or parallel to Fairfax Station Road and Ox Road (modern Route 123). It is possible that he came close to Hickory Farms on this approach, since his goal was to come from a direction where the Union pickets would not suspect an attack.



Mosby obtained complete surprise, although did not capture Wyndham, who had gone into Washington that evening. However, he did capture two of his staff officers, his horses and his uniform. Learning that Brigadier General Stoughton was residing in a house (still standing) next to the Truro Church, Mosby decided to bag him instead of Wyndham. Mosby recounted the event by noting that he pulled back the blankets and slapped the dozing and somewhat hung-over Stoughton on the backside and announced that he was a prisoner The surprised General angrily asked: "What is this?! Do you know who I am?!” Mosby then asked if he knew Mosby, to which the general said "Yes." The Pat Jones version goes on to state that Stoughton asked, "Have you captured him?" to which Mosby replied, "No, but he has captured you!"



Mosby and his men were able to lead all their captives (34) and horses (58) away back toward Fairfax Station and then through the lines to safety in Loudoun County. The news scandalized the North and prompted Lincoln to say, when informed of the capture, "Well, I'm sorry for that. I can make new brigadier generals, but I can't make horses!"



As for the local color associated with this event, Stoughton's headquarters still stands on the grounds of Truro Church and is marked by a plaque just opposite Vinnie’s Seafood and Steaks. Antonia Ford, the attractive spy, lived in the Joshua Gunnell House (which once housed the Bailiwick Inn), on the corner of Sager and Chain Bridge Road (Rt. 123), opposite the original court house. Two streets off Burke Station Road remind us of this event: Mosby Road, the dead-end street just north of Laurel, and Stoughton Road, just at the top of the Burke Station Road hill. Although I did not find any proof that it is named after the disgraced general, it seems like too much of a coincidence not to be. Mosby is also recalled by the Mosby Woods subdivision in the City of Fairfax, while his commander, the famed cavalier “Jeb" Stuart is the eponym for a high school near Seven Corners. There is also a Mosby Heights subdivision in Herndon (with a Mosby Court and Mosby Hollow Road) and a Mosby Ridge subdivision in the City of Manassas Park. On New Braddock Road, between Union Mill Road and Route 28, there are the following streets: Singleton’s Drive, William Mosby Drive (John's brother), Montiero Drive (named after one of Mosby's officers), Antonia Ford Court, Hoskins Hollow Lane and Big Yankee Lane. “Big Yank” Ames was killed in an ambush in 1864 on U.S. 17 between Delaplane and Paris (near Sky Meadow State Park) in Fauquier County.



The main area of Mosby's guerrilla operations included Loudoun, Fauquier, Culpeper and parts of Prince William and Fairfax Counties and occasionally the Shenandoah Valley. Route 50 (Lee-Jackson Memorial Highway in Fairfax County) becomes the John S. Mosby Highway at the Loudoun County line and runs through the heart of this area, which was dubbed “Mosby's Confederacy” during the Civil War and is now an official Virginia Heritage Area. There is a Gray Ghost vineyard on Route 211 in Amissville (Rappahannock County) and, according to the vineyard website, it sits on one of the routes used by Mosby and his men, as well as being in the heart of the area that furnished many of his recruits. As for the Fairfax Court House raid, it was the subject of a dramatic painting by the well-known Civil War artist Mort Kunstler. Another highly-regarded artist, Don Troiani, painted an equally dramatic picture of Mosby and his men somewhere in the Piedmont. You can find view these pictures on the Internet (or at my house!)



Colonel Mosby had one of the most successful and well-known commands of U.S. military history. His Rangers did help in diverting substantial Northern forces from other operations, such as the siege of Petersburg in 1864-65, but were not strong enough to prevent the ultimate Union victory. After the war, Mosby received parole, became a friend of General (and subsequently President) Ulysses S. Grant and served as envoy to Hong Kong. Mosby is buried in the Warrenton Cemetery, not far from Captain John Quincy Marr, killed at Fairfax Court House on 1 June, 1861 (see another article in this series).



From the number of roads and places named after him, it is clear that Colonel John Singleton Mosby still exerts a sense of fascination and respect after nearly a century-and-a-half after his exploits. As you drive around Fairfax and the outer counties of Mosby’s Confederacy, see what traces you can find of the famous “Gray Ghost.”





Sources: Russell, Charles Wells, ed., Gray Ghost: The Memoirs of Colonel John S. Mosby. New York: Bantam Books, 1992. This book contains Mosby's very straight-forward account of his Civil War exploits. Jones, Virgil Carrington, Ranger Mosby. McLean, VA: EPM Publications 1993 (originally published in 1944 by the University of North Carolina Press). Very readable, with a touch of hero-worship, considered by many to be a classic. I was fortunate enough to have my copy autographed by Mr. Jones (now deceased) at the Fairfax Museum in 1994. Wert, Jeffrey, Mosby's Rangers. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1991. Wert has added considerable new scholarship to the Mosby saga and is more objective than Jones. Fairfax County Office of Comprehensive Planning, Fairfax County in the Civil War. Fairfax, VA: 1987 reprint. The account in this booklet is by Pat Jones. As for the local color associated with this event: Stoughton's headquarters still stands on the grounds of Truro Church and is marked by a plaque just opposite Vinnie’s Seafood and Steaks. Antonia Ford, the attractive spy, lived in the house which was once the Bailiwick Inn, on the corner of Sager and Chain Bridge Road (Rt. 123), opposite the court house. Two streets off Burke Station Road remind us of this event: Mosby Road, the dead-end street just north of Laurel (site of the three new custom houses) and, just at the top of the hill, Stoughton Road. Although I did not find any proof that it is named after the disgraced general, it seems like too much of a coincidence not to be. Mosby is also recalled by the Mosby Woods subdivision in the City of Fairfax, while his commander, the famed cavalier 'Jeb" Stuart is the eponym for a high school near Seven Corners. On New Braddock Road, between Union Mill Road and Route 28, there are the following streets: Singletons Drive, William Mosby (John's brother) and Montiero (one of Mosby's officers). The main area of Mosby's guerrilla operations included Loudoun, Fauquier, Culpeper and parts of Prince William and Fairfax Counties and occasionally the Shenandoah Valley. This area was dubbed 'Mosby's Confederacy.' Mosby had one of the most successful and well-known commands of U.S. military history. His Rangers did help in diverting substantial Northern forces, but were not enough to prevent the Union victory. After the war, Mosby received parole, became a friend of U.S. Grant and served as envoy to Hong Kong. Mosby is buried in the Warrenton Cemetery, not far from Captain John Quincy Marr, killed at Fairfax Court House on 1 June, 1861 (see another article in this series).



Bob, who lives on Cotton Farm Road, is a past President of our community.

We lived in a house that was used as a hospital for soldiers near Appomattox VA. The house still stands today with a cemetery across the road. We definitely knew when the ghosts were walking and some moaned.

We could hear them walking down the steps. The hair on your neck would stand up and it would get very cold in the house.

I work in Herndon on Spring St and we have a ghost in the building. I was told by my co-worker when I started but I didn't believe it until the night something happened. I was work nights and every night at 8 pm I would hear heavy breathing or snoring. Then one night it smacked the window blinds and scared the daylights out of me. After this one of the cleaning ladies was on the 2nd floor and she saw the ghost. After this the lady refuses to work on the 2nd floor.

If anybody knows anything about this area or about this ghost I would like more information.

please help me Wrote:
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> I work in Herndon on Spring St and we have a ghost
> in the building. I was told by my co-worker when I
> started but I didn't believe it until the night
> something happened. I was work nights and every
> night at 8 pm I would hear heavy breathing or
> snoring. Then one night it smacked the window
> blinds and scared the daylights out of me. After
> this one of the cleaning ladies was on the 2nd
> floor and she saw the ghost. After this the lady
> refuses to work on the 2nd floor.
>
> If anybody knows anything about this area or about
> this ghost I would like more information.

We have a ghost that haunts our office building at night in Herndon also. This is in the Fairbrook Drive building in Herndon.

What's to story about the Silas Burke Mansion being haunted? I've never heard that before.

karen Wrote:
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> What's to story about the Silas Burke Mansion
> being haunted? I've never heard that before.

Here's some history on the house, but other than it being mentioned earlier in this thread from 2010, there's nothing about the ghost.

Silas Burke House
http://www.burkehistoricalsociety.org/whats-what/silas-burke-house/

This historic home was built in 1824 and was the residence of Lieutenant Colonel Silas Burke, his wife Hannah Coffer Burke, and two children, John Thomas and Ann Virginia. John T. Burke would go on to gain his own fame as Captain of the Fairfax Rifles, 17th Virginia Co. D Infantry, losing his life at the Battle of Antietam in 1862.

Silas Burke had the house built close to the time of their marriage. Burke’s many accomplishments include being a successful farmer, inn keeper and owner of a store, grist and lumber mills, a blacksmith shop, and a brick yard. He held many county offices including chief justice of the Fairfax County court, presiding justice and county sheriff, lieutenant colonel in the county militia, commissioner of public buildings and schools, trustee, guardian and appraiser, road surveyor and President of the Fairfax Agricultural Society. Burke donated the land for Burke Station, on the Orange & Alexandria Railroad, which was named after Burke who served as a director of the railroad and the Fairfax Turnpike Company. At the time of his death in September 1854, he was one of the most successful entrepreneurs in Fairfax County’s history.

This home was also once the home of the Henry Copperthite family, who owned the local race track in the early 1900s. In 1925, William and Nellie Simpson purchased the Silas Burke House. While Colonel Burke called his estate “Woodbury,” the Fowler family, Simpson descendants, call it “Top O’ The Hill.”

In Oakton, Virginia back in 1975, I was visiting friends at the old mill house on Stuart Mill Road. Late at night as Johnny Carson began his opening monologue, I saw something I still can't explain.

I was sitting in the music room, with the black and white TV sitting on a corner of the hearth of the stone fireplace. The room was cold. It was always the coldest room in the house, no matter what month of the year. There was a doorway into the room on each side of the fireplace I was facing. The left doorway was aligned with the bottom of the staircase to the second floor bedrooms. As Johnny began his jokes, my attention was distracted and I glanced through that doorway to the bottom of the staircase. There was nothing there, so I looked back at the TV screen.

Know how on a dark night you can look directly at something, but not see it? If you look away from it; however, you can often make it out relying on your peripheral vision. That's what the Navy has taught its lookouts assigned to night visual searches for many years. Army training emphasizes the sensitivity of nighttime peripheral vision too.

There was something at the bottom of the staircase. I glanced back to look at it directly several more times, but each time I did that I saw nothing. When I looked off to the side back at the TV screen though, I could make out a light at the bottom of the darkened staircase every time. I thought about it while I sat there. There were no street lights within sight of the house. There still aren't. Stuart Mill Road crosses Difficult Run near the front of the property. Maybe it was car headlights flashing into the house as they crossed the bridge. No cars at all passed by on Stuart Mill Road, while the light persisted.

About the light. It wasn't a shining light, but a glow. It was taller than it was wide, and on the left side of the staircase near one of the bottom steps. It was a pretty bright sapphire blue in the center with the color shading to white around the edges. I puzzled over it, but it was pretty. Over the course of ten or fifteen minutes, whenever I looked directly at it, I saw nothing. Whenever I glanced back towards Carson, it was still there. I wasn't watching Carson during that time, just glancing that way to use my peripheral vision.

Towards the end of that time, I did actually get distracted by Carson. Then when I remembered and glanced back and forth to check the glow, it was gone.

I was mildly disappointed and still a little puzzled. The only light on in the house was a dim light in the kitchen. My eyesight at that time was better than flawless. Navy testing a few years later amazed corpsmen running the tests, who discussed my results with the doctor supervising them. I still don't know what I saw, but I saw something.

I don't know much about the history of that house, though we all believed it was built before the Civil War. I never checked the chain of title to learn who lived there over the years or looked into what events took place there. The millstones were still on the creek down by the bridge then, and the house is still there.

I was having a dream where I would be walking, and a little girl in a white dress would approach me. I blew it off. I had the dream a couple more times, but I still thought it wasn't anything to worry about. One day I was standing at my kitchen sink, and I saw the girl! She was almost see-through. It was a little unsettling. A few hours later while doing my homework it got really cold. I went to my closet to pull out a blanket. I heard a large thud, and when I turned around my text book was on the floor. I was a little spooked, but I still brushed it off.

The next morning I went to take a shower, and I kept hearing someone scratch on my door. I thought it was my brother, so I went out to yell at him. I asked my stepdad where he was, and he said that we were the only ones home. It wasn't him because he was outside in the garden. I was really freaked out. I went back to my shower, and the room was full of steam, but it was freezing. When I got out of the shower I could have sworn someone tripped me. I hit my head on the floor and was out cold. While I was asleep, I had the dream again.

I live on Leehigh Drive in Fairfax VA. Has anyone else heard of stuff like this going on in this area?

karen Wrote:
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> What's to story about the Silas Burke Mansion
> being haunted? I've never heard that before.

Probably the ghost of Annie Copperthite, who died there on May 30, 1901, aged 16. She was one of the children of Henry Copperthite, who later built the horse racing track near the house.

fracturedfairfax Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> karen Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > What's to story about the Silas Burke Mansion
> > being haunted? I've never heard that before.
>
> Probably the ghost of Annie Copperthite, who died
> there on May 30, 1901, aged 16. She was one of the
> children of Henry Copperthite, who later built the
> horse racing track near the house.

How did she die Chuck?

xkyCx Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> fracturedfairfax Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > karen Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > What's to story about the Silas Burke Mansion
> > > being haunted? I've never heard that before.
> >
> > Probably the ghost of Annie Copperthite, who
> died
> > there on May 30, 1901, aged 16. She was one of
> the
> > children of Henry Copperthite, who later built
> the
> > horse racing track near the house.
>
> How did she die Chuck?


Looks like she had been sick for two weeks. Check out the article from "The Evening Times" (Washington DC)...

Born in 1885 and died in 1901.
http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84024441/1901-05-31/ed-1/seq-5/
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This couple that I didn't know very well asked me to babysit. I went over, and the mom gave me all the emergency phone numbers and instructions for the children. When they left, everything was normal. I made dinner; I cleaned up, and I put the kids to bed. I sat on the couch waiting for the parents get home when I heard a scream coming from upstairs. The little boy (3 years old) was crying and freaking out saying that Julia touched him. I just thought ''oh it's an imaginary friend or just a bad dream. '' To calm him down, I took him downstairs with me, so he could sleep on the couch. About an hour after that, I heard a voice coming from the baby monitor. I thought the baby woke up, so I went to check the monitor. The baby wasn't there!

The camera focused right on the baby's crib, and there weren't any pillows or blankets in there with her, so she couldn't have been hidden by anything. Keep in mind that she was 6 months at the time, so she couldn't get out of the crib by herself. I ran upstairs and everything seemed like it was fine. The baby was there, but I was so confused. I went back downstairs to sit with the boy. Toys including trucks, dolls, cars, books, etc. Any game or toy you could think of was scattered all over the room. The kid was fast asleep, and even if he wasn't asleep I was only gone for a minute. For the rest of the night I just sat there terrified. When the parents came home I asked them if they had any weird experiences with the house. They quickly looked at each other and then practically shoved me out of their house.

This picture was taken 10 / 31/09 at around 10:45 pm in Leesburg, VA. The church I was attempting to capture was the St. James' Episcopal Church. I tried twice to get a decent picture of the church, but was unable to get anything that clearly showed the beauty of this church.

Upon uploading the pictures to my computer I noticed that the two photos I managed to take of the church had a ghostly image in the bottom right hand corner of the picture. Bear in mind that I used my cell phone for the pictures I took that night, but these two were the only ones to show this human shaped mist in the picture.

There were no people near me at the time these pictures were taken.
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So in annandel there is a hunted park that peploel and police claim that they seen this little girl inthe park crying and luaghing and swing on the swings it all started when this mother at dawn took her duaghter to the patk and killed her in the park and the mom killed her sellfe to sobthey would not put her in jail so now the little girl spirt is still in the park

Jennifer Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> So in annandel there is a hunted park that peploel
> and police claim that they seen this little girl
> inthe park crying and luaghing and swing on the
> swings it all started when this mother at dawn
> took her duaghter to the patk and killed her in
> the park and the mom killed her sellfe to sobthey
> would not put her in jail so now the little girl
> spirt is still in the park


Are you retarded?

When I lived in here my son would always talk to someone or something, and things would get knocked off or moved. My son tried to crawl down the stairs after something. When I grabbed him he screamed and fought me, biting and pinching. I had a dog that attacked something every time my son was around it. My husband thought it was attacking my son, so he made me get rid of it, but it jumped at something above my son and landed on him. It jumped off and stood over him barking then grabbed him by the pants' leg and tried to pull him away.

The floors always creaked as if someone was walking on them or running around. Every night before I fell asleep it sounded like there was someone scratching on the windows at first. I thought it was just a tree limb, but when I remembered to check there were none near the master bedroom. Cabinets slammed, and doors closed. For the 1 year we lived there I always felt uneasy being there.

amanda Wrote:
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> When I was a young girl I lived in this little
> house on TC Walker in Gloucester Va. It was me, my
> mom, and now step dad. Well every night around
> midnight I would wake up screaming and running to
> my mom's room complaining about a man being in my
> room. Cops were called, and they said there was no
> sign of any break in or man. Every night for
> months this happened. I would wake up to my toys
> being played with and the old man wanting to play.
> My mom was getting frustrated and wanted to see
> for herself. She stayed the night in my room with
> me, and yet again around midnight she woke up to
> me talking to somebody telling them I did not want
> to play and that I wanted to go to sleep. She then
> saw my toys going off.
>
> Well after that we moved. We then got a phone call
> from the people that moved in after us asking if
> any of the family saw an old man. My mom explained
> the situation and sure enough the people were
> experiencing it too. Well, mom called the realtor
> and sure enough an old man died in my room around
> midnight. He was really sick and could never have
> children although he absolutely adored children.
> His room was turned into a hospital room (almost.
> ) My mom eventually found a newspaper clipping of
> the man and studied it with my dad and hid it.
> Well they asked me what he had looked like, and I
> was able to describe him to a t at the age of 8.

amanda I live on t c walker for last 8 months what was the house number strange things have happened here?

A good start for getting great help is contacting 333amparanormal.org or com and Krystal is the Lead investigator. They are on Facebook and on the internet. Also another great paranormal team that helped me is Northern Virgina Paranormal Investigators and they are on facebook as well. Janie in the owner of the company. Another wonderful team is Reston Paranormal Investigators. This team is right out of Reston. They are also a wonderful team! They have all helped me. I do have they're numbers if you do in fact need them because you can't find them. Just let me know. Thanks.. and I hope this helps...

When did they finally tear down that abandoned house on Frying Pan Road? That place was pretty creepy.

Funny! Not retarded but a ghost of the poster, her great-grandmother who was known to have poor spelling.



496 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Jennifer Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > So in annandel there is a hunted park that
> peploel
> > and police claim that they seen this little
> girl
> > inthe park crying and luaghing and swing on the
> > swings it all started when this mother at dawn
> > took her duaghter to the patk and killed her in
> > the park and the mom killed her sellfe to
> sobthey
> > would not put her in jail so now the little
> girl
> > spirt is still in the park
>
>
> Are you retarded?

I was born and raised in No. Va. but recently moved and married. We are 45 minutes outside of Memphis and my husband's first wife died in the house 6 days after leaving hospice. She passed away overnight and He found her the next morning. That night He was awakened with pressure on His cheek, which He swears was a kiss from her.

Knowing the history, it had been occupied for only 2 years out of the 7 since her passing. So when I first visited I took pictures. The ones of Him in the bedroom had orbs all OVER the place, and specifically a big one right over His heart. Yes, it'd been empty, visited once a month or so for the weekend, BUT we have Robo, the vacuum cleaner, which runs daily. So, could it have still been dust?

In April when I officially moved here I did Ghost Radar (Joke, I know, but hear me out.). When I was clearing out the kitchen, there is a a train and Noah's Ark cookie jar that belonged to His 1st wife. A friend's son is into trains so I asked my husband if I could give it to him, keeping in mind I am very respectful of her. A few hours later I turned on Ghost Radar and I get the word, 'bucket.' I asked out loud, "What? You mean the cookie jars?" It replied, 'cookie.' I've NEVER gotten a direct answer from a question before.

After our marriage this Christmas I put up two pics of our wedding on a wall shelf with the other hanging on the wall; underneath the one on the shelf was a house number plaque we received for Christmas. Sitting here one night, TV on and laptops both in our laps, I see something move from my left peripheal. The pic on the shelf had fallen 6 feet from the wall, knocking down the house number plaque with it. Folks, the only way it would have fallen is to knock the plaque down is to the RIGHT, not just DOWN. I put it back up and nothing has happened since, but now I'm paranoid about it. lol Also, I have verbally expressed my desire to keep a pic of husband and her on the wall, again out of respect.

Our two dogs and cat have never reacted to anything, but occassionally I'll turn on Ghost Radar and gotten curious words.

So, the question remains: Is this place really haunted??

On a side note: We visited Boliver, TN, known for its Civil War history, on Halloween night. An historic mansion we visited--when we were in one room that an elderly resident pretty much spent her entire days in. Ghost Radar said, "me" when our guide was talking about her. Many blips on it while we were there, yet as soon as we left for the rest of the tour it was entirely quite.

A funny story: An historic cemetery we visited during the bus tour, we got out. There are stories of hearing a cat whining late at night (I know, I know.) Well, my husband and I were standing by the fence with another couple to the left of us. I remembered I saved a cat's screech on my phone so I played that. Immediately the woman turned toward us with her eyes wide open, like, "Did you hear that?!" lol I couldn't help but bust out laughing and showed her my phone. I don't think she got the joke.

Some freaky shit happened. Here is some background. I am a student at VCU studying biology. I'm currently taking an ornithology class about birds and I have to take pictures of them every week and post it on a website. I'm currently in Northern VA for spring break. Sorry if my story is long, but lets begin. (This JUST happened and IS 100% true.)

So, I get to Roundtree park in Fairfax County today around 3:30pm, Sunday, March 13, 2016 To take pictures of birds. I see that the trail is closed off due to a broken bridge that goes over a stream and go on a newly made detour, so I decided to say fuck it and go around the closure, and continue on the main trail. A little walk down the trail and I find stepping stones. They are about 10 across and are there for when it floods. I thought to myself kinda cool and stepped across them. I then decide to venture off and follow the stream. The water is super high since it is raining. Since streams lead to bigger bodies of water I followed it hoping to find some stupid ass ducks or some shit type of bird. After about a 25-minute follow, this stream led to a massive reservoir, I'm guessing it was around 5 feet deep. You could definitely swim in it on a hot day and it has a beach area to chill on. I am now beginning to feel a really fucking eerie feeling. Like something is watching me. I look to my right, see nothing then, I look up to my left and I see a birdhouse. This isn’t a small shitty small birdhouse, but a real experimental birdhouse placed there by someone doing scientific research. I move closer to the birdhouse slowly and see that it obviously been pried open on the bottom. These birdhouses are normally super fucking sturdy and it takes fucking strength to open the bottom. I am guessing a bear or something strong as fuck tried to open that shit, cause you can see claw marks on it. This doesn't really scare me. As I look straight after examining the birdhouse I see a staircase. (A metal fucking staircase in the middle of the woods with nothing around it.) I’m guessing it was used as a Hunting stand or some shit, but its missing the top of part of the staircase. I know my creepy pastas, and fuck that shit I did NOT go close to it, I continued to go left parallel to the reservoir and keeping my distance from the staircase. As I continue parallel to the left down the stream, and past the staircase, I spot a couple ducks, so I whip out my I-phone and take pictures of them. At least point a REALLY strong breeze flows through the forest and I see a womanly figure about 40 yards ahead of me, walking ungodly fast through the brush. It was like her feet were walking, but she was gliding across the ground. I can’t see her face. She was wearing a black trench jacket and walking as fast as some people sprint. At this point I’m a little scared, but more drawn back at the fact that there is another person a mile or a mile and a half in the forest. Since I don’t want any problems I stayed quiet, crouched, and tried to use my phone. BUT NOPE shit is dead. I fully charged it BEFORE I went out today and am dumbfounded. As the persons figure starts to slowly fade away, I try again to turn on my phone, and it turns on, with 82% battery. I just don’t understand this. I never had battery problems before but TODAY my phone is being a bitch. I continue to go left parallel to the stream find a path and a hill about 200 feet tall. I decide to snap a picture of it. It looked beautifully creepy. The hill casted a shadow even there was no sun out today. I look at the picture under the gallery then I look at my I-phones battery and it says 78%. I start to follow the trail up the hill. As I'm walking up the hill, the forest is gets darker, every step I am taking it seems that less and less light is coming through the clouds. The sounds of the raindrops hitting the leaves are slowly fading. I can breathe, but I cannot hear my own breathes being taken in, and the sound of my heartbeat is getting louder and louder.
I reach the top of the hill, and my heartbeat is now the only thing I can hear. All the sounds of the forest are drowned, and it seems like its 8:30pm at night. I am deaf. I try clapping, and no sound is made. As soon as I realize that I am deaf I know my adrenaline kicks in and I'm in shock at this point. I pull my phone to try to play music to see if I'm deaf and my phone is dead again. I tried to turn it on three fucking times and the piece of shit does not turn on. I put it back in my pocket, I look forward and I see three shed like houses in a horizontal linear formation about 20 yards ahead of me on this hill, and I smell a rotten fowl smell. It smelt of dogs shit, rotten chicken, with a very putrid sour aroma. The only senses I have at this time are my smell and my sight. I look at the middle shed, and the woman walks from behind it. Her hood is covering her eyes and noes, and all I see is a slight grin with her teeth showing. At this point bros, I am about to shit my pants and I quickly run down the trail back to the bottom of this hill. As I am running, the forest gets brighter, the sounds of raindrops hitting leaves are back, I can hear my own breathes and I can hear birds. I look back at the hill to see if this bitch is following me but she is nowhere to be seen. I continue to sprint through the brush tripping and falling for about 10 minutes following the stream back, I start laughing because every 8th or 9th step I’m falling so I felt safe so walked the rest of it back to closure of the trail. Can someone please explain to me what the fuck happened? I even turned my phone on back on when I got into my car. It was at 68% but no photo of the hill. My phone has been working fine this afternoon. I don’t know what I saw. I don’t know if It was a homeless person or an apparition but I’m spooked the fuck out. I’ll put the pictures I have up now.

I can say with great certainty that my former residence in Falls Church was haunted by a malicious spirit. When I first moved in I noticed a man's name had been carved onto one of the bedroom walls. At the beginning I didn't think much of it and figured it meant nothing, but as time went on, I started to think otherwise. I happened to occupy the aforementioned bedroom and heard strange noises late at night. I was sure, for example, that I heard the name of the man being called out by a woman's voice. Needless to say, it was very frightening. I hoped the noises would be the end of it, but I couldn't have been more wrong.

After only a month of living there the whole place began to fall apart on me, and under very odd circumstances no less. I remember waking up one morning to find that all the doors were broken and would not shut properly. Also the washing machine and A/C unit stopped working in a single day. It was as if someone or something wanted me to leave, and they were being very persistent about it. The one thing I picked up on was that the noises always preceded one of these spooky events. Thus, I was convinced the carving of the man's name and all the supernatural phenomena were connected. Still, I felt helpless, and the noises weren't going away.

I finally gave up all hope when I found a dead rat outside the front door. Looking at its bloody and mangled body I couldn't help but feel it was an evil omen. That day I packed up all my things and moved back in with my mother. I still don't know how to properly explain all the horrors I experienced living there, but I have something of a theory. It's possible that a married couple used to live at the residence, and the husband murdered his wife. I say this because the woman's voice I heard always sounded so scared. I heard: ''I'm sorry!'' ''Please stop!'' and ''Don't hurt me!'' I think the husband must have been psychotic or something. All I know is that the carving is some kind of curse.

We moved into a house on barlow road December 2014. I always had a feeling someone is watching me, especially in the upstairs bedroom . Last weekend I woke up and saw this image that appeared to be a male, older , white hair , on the wall. I tried to take a picture but did not work. Then I tried to take a video and it was clearly visible! But I don't feel scared so I don't think it's anything negative.

I knew someone who lived there, we were all invited to a New Years party. When I got in my truck, I quickly started it and turned the lights on. A low hanging branch from a tree in front of my vehicle moved like someone walked in front of the vehicle and pushed the branch out of the way. I did not have any alcohol because I had to drive myself home. I knew these folks since my early twenties, they were always talking about the place being haunted. Hearing children laugh and play, and seeing civil war soldiers. I thought they were trying to scare me. I sat and looked at that little tree, checked to see if it had snow or ice on it, NOTHING. Ice doesn't make branches move like someone grabbed a hold of the end of it and pulled it back. As I walked to my truck, I was thinking I should have had someone walk me to my vehicle. Apparently someone got the message…Lol. I totally believe you.

The pond at the corner of Lake Braddock Drive and Burke Road, didn't someone drown there years back?

Actually, I think that it was a murder. I think there is a memorial plaque right next to the pond.

I used to work at the Fair Oaks Mall and had numerous strange experiences, including seeing items fall off the shelves of my store with no obvious reason, strange noises, and thinking I saw people come in the store, only to discover when I went to say hello that no one was there.

Might be worth seeing how a psychic responds to the place.

I have a friend who is an EOD tech and has had similar experiences who would love to get in contact with you.

My friend who is an EOD tech has had plenty of the same experiences and would love to contact you. Please let me know.

Odd sounds and old bricks speak from this well!
Attachments:

I am currently a resident at Skyline Plaza. The things I have read are pretty similar to what I’ve experieced. I do have to say, the two most frightening things have not happened to me, but to my friends who have stayed the night here. One of my good friends was watching TV while I was in the shower. About 10 minutes passed by and she came into the bathroom looking very scared. She asked me was I alone in the shower, I laughed and said of course I am. When I opened the shower curtain to see if she was okay her eyes were as big as saucers. She said she heard the most evil voice, and said that the entire room felt heavy as if being crushed or boxed in. I told her I didn’t see or hear anything, but we left soon after, she refused to come back to my place. The second was a friend sleeping over while their condo was being renovated. Around 3am she woke me up saying someone was in the kitchen staring at her. I turned on the lights etc, and never saw anything. To this day she swears someone was just standing in the kitchen glaring at her. I have also “seen” out of the corner of my eyes quick moving black shadows etc in the parking garage and in the hallway, as well, I have had knocks at my door and when I answer it, no one is there. I think what scares me more is that whatever it is in MY place OR in the building itself doesn’t seem to bother me, so either I have grown used to being surrounded by evilness OE, they don’t see me as a threat to them etc. Because trust and believe me, I’m not brave at all when it comes to the paranormal, if I legit saw or witnessed something, I would be out quick as fuck!!

They should never have built it on top of that ancient Native American burial sight.

If only they had watched Poltergeist first!

Skyline Plaza Resident Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I am currently a resident at Skyline Plaza.
> To this day she swears someone was just standing
> in the kitchen glaring at her.

Management has spare keys to all the units.

You saw me.

Everyone in Clifton is a rapist, occultist and a baby killer so bunny man fits right in.

Every freakin month I dream about the house I grew up in. Was not a happy place. I feel like I'm haunting this house in my dreams, or it's haunting me. Biggest fear is when I die, I'll be stuck forever in that place. I don't even live in the same state as that horrible house anymore -- but it still haunts me.

Do a camp out near the Balls Bluff cemetery, best time is around the anniversary date that the Battle of Balls bluff was taking place. It is in Leesburg in Loudoun Co but that is not far upriver from Fairfax County. I have have experiences there with the dogs freaking out during daylight hours when they perceived things I could not see, so I bet you would not be able to make it through an entire night there without plenty of supernatural action. Many of the
the houses around there are haunted because so many dead were buried around that hillside.

scary bump in the night

The grounds and hotel at Lansdowne Resort are definetly haunted. Have experienced it personally working there in the 90's and fellow coworkers have had similar encounters.

Civil war site at Lansdowne Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The grounds and hotel at Lansdowne Resort are
> definetly haunted. Have experienced it personally
> working there in the 90's and fellow coworkers
> have had similar encounters.

What sorts of things? I used to work at the golf course there but never saw anything.

Mikey Myers Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Civil war site at Lansdowne Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > The grounds and hotel at Lansdowne Resort are
> > definetly haunted. Have experienced it
> personally
> > working there in the 90's and fellow coworkers
> > have had similar encounters.
>
> What sorts of things? I used to work at the golf
> course there but never saw anything.

No shit? I was there from '93 to '95. We did our firefighter training in the golf maintenance building. Filled that thing with artificial smoke and had to go in and find and rescue dummies. Glow in the dark golf on the driving range. Going up on the roof of the main resort to watch the airplanes take off and land at Dulles. Good times. But the ghost stories...one day the PBX operator kept getting phone calls from one of the rooms on the third floor. Called us to see if we were fucking with her because there was nobody checked into that room. We went up to the room and the bathroom light was on and the closet door was open. Checked the room, nobody there. Turned off the light and closed the closet door. A couple of hours later we get a call from the front desk saying someone was calling from the room again. We went back up. Same thing...light on door open. We took phone off the hook, turned off light, closed door. Couple of hours later it happens all over again. We unplug the phone from the wall and put it in a drawer. Yep, it happend again. Same room was found to be infested with lady bugs when a guest checked into it. Literally hundereds of lady bugs. Many instances of seeing figures in guest room hallways and on the golf course when we would patrol the cart paths at night. When I worked there there was nothing else out there. It was just the resort and the Xerox Training Center. I doozy of a story about a figure one of the other Security guys saw one night. I will write it up another time as it is a long story. He refused to go back up onto the guest floors after that!

Civil war site at Lansdowne Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Mikey Myers Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Civil war site at Lansdowne Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > The grounds and hotel at Lansdowne Resort are
> > > definetly haunted. Have experienced it
> > personally
> > > working there in the 90's and fellow
> coworkers
> > > have had similar encounters.
> >
> > What sorts of things? I used to work at the
> golf
> > course there but never saw anything.
>
> No shit? I was there from '93 to '95. We did our
> firefighter training in the golf maintenance
> building. Filled that thing with artificial smoke
> and had to go in and find and rescue dummies. Glow
> in the dark golf on the driving range. Going up on
> the roof of the main resort to watch the airplanes
> take off and land at Dulles. Good times. But the
> ghost stories...one day the PBX operator kept
> getting phone calls from one of the rooms on the
> third floor. Called us to see if we were fucking
> with her because there was nobody checked into
> that room. We went up to the room and the bathroom
> light was on and the closet door was open. Checked
> the room, nobody there. Turned off the light and
> closed the closet door. A couple of hours later we
> get a call from the front desk saying someone was
> calling from the room again. We went back up. Same
> thing...light on door open. We took phone off the
> hook, turned off light, closed door. Couple of
> hours later it happens all over again. We unplug
> the phone from the wall and put it in a drawer.
> Yep, it happend again. Same room was found to be
> infested with lady bugs when a guest checked into
> it. Literally hundereds of lady bugs. Many
> instances of seeing figures in guest room hallways
> and on the golf course when we would patrol the
> cart paths at night. When I worked there there was
> nothing else out there. It was just the resort and
> the Xerox Training Center. I doozy of a story
> about a figure one of the other Security guys saw
> one night. I will write it up another time as it
> is a long story. He refused to go back up onto the
> guest floors after that!


Wut? 93-95 is when I worked there too, I shit you not. Back when there was only one course. I was a golf cart attendant (cart dawgs, heh heh).

So you worked security then huh? I probably would have seen you around then, small world.....
BTW, we used to divide up all the leftover beer after the tournaments and drive them out to our cars after dark in the golf carts. I doubt you would have cared though, lol.

Anyway, the only creepy times were when it was a slow day (rain or cold) and being out in the cart barn alone and hearing random noises in there. Never really thought anything of it though.

Lansdowne sure has changed since those days.

Mikey Myers Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Civil war site at Lansdowne Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Mikey Myers Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > Civil war site at Lansdowne Wrote:
> > >
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> >
> > > -----
> > > > The grounds and hotel at Lansdowne Resort
> are
> > > > definetly haunted. Have experienced it
> > > personally
> > > > working there in the 90's and fellow
> > coworkers
> > > > have had similar encounters.
> > >
> > > What sorts of things? I used to work at the
> > golf
> > > course there but never saw anything.
> >
> > No shit? I was there from '93 to '95. We did
> our
> > firefighter training in the golf maintenance
> > building. Filled that thing with artificial
> smoke
> > and had to go in and find and rescue dummies.
> Glow
> > in the dark golf on the driving range. Going up
> on
> > the roof of the main resort to watch the
> airplanes
> > take off and land at Dulles. Good times. But
> the
> > ghost stories...one day the PBX operator kept
> > getting phone calls from one of the rooms on
> the
> > third floor. Called us to see if we were
> fucking
> > with her because there was nobody checked into
> > that room. We went up to the room and the
> bathroom
> > light was on and the closet door was open.
> Checked
> > the room, nobody there. Turned off the light
> and
> > closed the closet door. A couple of hours later
> we
> > get a call from the front desk saying someone
> was
> > calling from the room again. We went back up.
> Same
> > thing...light on door open. We took phone off
> the
> > hook, turned off light, closed door. Couple of
> > hours later it happens all over again. We
> unplug
> > the phone from the wall and put it in a drawer.
> > Yep, it happend again. Same room was found to
> be
> > infested with lady bugs when a guest checked
> into
> > it. Literally hundereds of lady bugs. Many
> > instances of seeing figures in guest room
> hallways
> > and on the golf course when we would patrol the
> > cart paths at night. When I worked there there
> was
> > nothing else out there. It was just the resort
> and
> > the Xerox Training Center. I doozy of a story
> > about a figure one of the other Security guys
> saw
> > one night. I will write it up another time as
> it
> > is a long story. He refused to go back up onto
> the
> > guest floors after that!
>
>
> Wut? 93-95 is when I worked there too, I shit you
> not. Back when there was only one course. I was a
> golf cart attendant (cart dawgs, heh heh).
>
> So you worked security then huh? I probably would
> have seen you around then, small world.....
> BTW, we used to divide up all the leftover beer
> after the tournaments and drive them out to our
> cars after dark in the golf carts. I doubt you
> would have cared though, lol.
>
> Anyway, the only creepy times were when it was a
> slow day (rain or cold) and being out in the cart
> barn alone and hearing random noises in there.
> Never really thought anything of it though.
>
> Lansdowne sure has changed since those days.

Yep, I was one of the three security dudes. Troy was the tall good looking one who dated the manager of the Riverside, the older black dude who did not give a fuck about anything, and me. Rob Ward was the evening manager who was pretty much our boss. Do you remember Cheryl V. who was the front desk manager? I dated her for a while. Troy and I used to take that red Chevy S10 pickup that we used for the security vehilce off roading at night down by the ballfields by the river. We would bring that thing back covered in mud! That was a badass truck. Fucking poachers killing and gutting deer on the putting greens out near Rt. 7. Definetly one of the best times of my life.

The Old Brogue in Great Falls is haunted. The place has several spirits of licentious character. Sometimes those spirits possess the patrons, whereupon they do the most outlandish things.

Several years ago our school took a field trip to Sully Plantation. Although this was not the first time we visited the beautiful site, this was the first time something unexplainable happened. As we were touring the bedrooms of the main house, our group of about 10 or so students and chaperones were listening to the docent’s history on the rooms. It was standing room only, so a chaperone and I were standing in the doorway between 2 of the adjoining bedrooms. While we were standing there the parent and I, at exactly the same time, felt like a student was trying to get around us to rejoin our group. We both moved out of the way to let the person get through, but there was absolutely no one there. We both just looked at each other with raised eyebrows. Later I asked her about it and she agreed that she felt like someone was trying to push through to hear the tour.
I’ve asked the Sully staff if they’ve ever had unusual experiences there, but no one has ever said they have.
Although I’ve never seen a ghost myself, I wouldn’t call myself an unbeliever. That day however, we definitely felt something in that room.
Has anyone else ever experienced anything strange at the plantation, particularly in the bedrooms or schoolrooms? Thank you for your information!

My family used to live in Deepwood back in the late 90s/early 00s, one time my grandma mentioned that after I had left for school she said she saw a woman in a white dress standing in our living room, they didn't say anything to each other but after they locked eyes she disappeared

I grew up in Manassas and spent a great deal on (and in) Bull Run creek. There was this one place just on the edge of Sudley where it was confusing and sad to be, I can't explain it any other way. There was a walking trail and I'd ride my bike along it, but there was the crushing feeling of being watched and not welcome. It was strange.My sister had the exact same feeling and knew exactly where I was talking about. A few years ago a came across a map from the first civil war battle that showed our neighborhood in Westgate had been the scene of terrible fighting and had changed hands several times. Anyone who had similar feelings please respond. Thanks.

On December 1, 1974 a TWA 727 crashed on Mount Weather, Virginia, and I spent a day at the crash site. A few years ago I connected with a guy and he & I emailed back & forth, and here's part of that. A few years ago I went back to the site and found a few pieces that I took home, only to have a near fatal heart attack two months later. Last year I collected everything and took it back to the site and deposited it, and said a prayer.

I grew up in Manassas, and was 9 1/2 years old at the time. My father's best friend Larry, who had some vaporous "official" connections, somehow knew that the wiring harness couplers held male and female pins made of solid 24kt gold. I believe the wires themselves are made from oxygen-free copper but the harnesses are designed to be easily replaced and the pins were made from gold so that they won't corrode. Larry had gotten some official clearance for he and my dad to specifically salvage these connectors and when my dad told me about it I begged him to let me go. He called Larry and on Friday we got the word that I could go along, provided I would actually do some of the work. Larry was this guy who looked and sounded like a total redneck, but he spoke 5 languages and knew all kinds of stuff about everything. He showed us what the connectors looked like, and how you cut the wires on either side, so that the male and female parts stay together. We could extract the gold pins later in the comfort of our nice warm homes.

The next day we set off early with shovels, pick axes, bolt cutters, tin snips, and many pairs of wire cutters. The day was cold, gray, but dry. When we got close to the site there was a roadblock manned by a few military types. Larry had the paperwork required and it turned out we were expected, but it was clear that the officer in charge didn't approve of me being there. He issued a stern warning that although the bodies had been removed, there were a lot of smaller pieces and that it wasn't a good place to bring a child. He then explained that we were only to take parts of the aircraft, that all personal effects were to be left where they were found. He gave me a hard look as he said this; I nodded soberly, like I had done this before.

At the site itself we were all alone. We parked on the west side of the road where we could clearly see the trees sheared off, then, across the road to the rocks where the nose impacted. You could make out the exact spot where the point of impact was, and that remains very vivid. As the men unloaded the tools I walked passed the rocks and got my first view of the site. I was elated as only a male child can be at the sight of such a horrific thing. It was a lot bigger than I had expected. I remember the tail section, and an engine close by, crumpled metal sections of the fuselage. The most vivid thing was the shoes, all the shoes, and I recall thinking that people sure pack a lot of shoes in their luggage when they fly. Larry told me, with a weird half grin, that your shoes come off in a crash. I thought, "really?" like that's just not possible, but after finding several lace-up shoes that were still tied I figured he was right. No body packs laced up shoes in their luggage.

The next impression that stays with me to this day was the peculiar smell of fresh dirt, vegetation, jet fuel, and what I would later learn was oxidized iron from all the blood. The smell was everywhere, and it got into our clothing and hair. As we worked and began filling up hefty bags, there was quite a bit of gore. I can't describe it any other way except it was very gory. There were skull fragments, some with hair, some scoured so perfectly white it was amazing. A lot of bone fragments. I think we'd been there about an hour when my dad got up and walked off into the undamaged woods and started sobbing. It was a shock for me, because I'd never seen him cry before and he always seemed like such a tough guy. Larry had seen combat, and gave me a look that said, "it's okay, let him be." Dad cried for about five minutes and then came back and gave me a hug, something I didn't understand for many years. It seemed like a bulldozer had gone back and forth over the site, the way some sections were buried in mud. I found a lot of plexiglas, almost all of it the standard 5/16th" (?) thickness, but also two pieces of 2" thick cockpit plexiglas, which I thought was so cool. It's funny but I didn't feel much emotionally at the time for the victims. It was all very clinical, and we had a job to do, but I was the least affected by the carnage. There was some pallor humor, understandably, along the lines that they should really consider making airplanes out of tennis shoe material because those seemed to be the only thing undamaged. I found a man's watch, a Bulova I think, that although it was missing it's crystal and both hands, it still ran when I wound it up. I thought about my dad's own watch, on his wrist, and how much I loved him. We joked about "it really, really, really takes a licking and keeps on ticking," then I returned it to the spot where we found it.

After about three hours my hands were too tired from the wire-cutters to continue. The men let me go exploring on my own and I found some very strange things, like a high top boot that still contained the foot, the two bones gleaming white, so clean amid all the greasy, bloody mud. There was a seatbelt buckle that had been ripped in half; it seemed like a personal thing, I put it back after wondering what kind of force it takes to do that. Man, that still boggles my mind when I think about it. Except for the shoes, I didn't find anything that wasn't broken or torn. That's the most horrific realization: that everything was ripped apart probably in the space of a few seconds. It seemed impossible that something so horrific and complete could take place that fast. Like all those shoes coming off. Weird. The only things I kept were six pieces of plexiglas, which my mother threw away once, not knowing what they were.

One weird thing about the site was the silence, specifically the lack of flies that one would expect. There were no flies, birds, or anything living except for the three of us. It was like being in a cave, the feeling that we had. There was almost an active vacuum of sound, that part was unsettling to me at the time. We filled up three big Hefty bags, hundreds of connectors, and headed home in silence. I was tired but in a slight state of shock. For the next week we sat in front of the tv with needle-nose pliers pulling the little pins out and cutting the copper wire off. Years later my father told me we'd made a little more than $2000 on the gold, which I figured was more than ten ounces. It's a strange connection, 'cause that gold went somewhere. (Where is it now?)

While I can't say I have a fear of flying, I do have a distinct fear of crashing. This comes up every once in a while if we have a particularly rough landing, like this year when we flew into Portland, Oregon during a nasty storm with zero visibility. A lot of emotions come right back, and every muscle tightens as the plane jumps around. Once we land and the reverse thrusters slow the plane I quickly relax but the sense of "This is it!" comes back loud and clear. Sometimes out of the blue I think about the victims, their loved ones, and now I'm grateful that Adam Shaw wrote the book. I feel like I've been waiting my whole life to learn about these people.

There's a few things about the crash that bother me still, and I do believe in ghosts now, though it's not a personal thing, not a direct connection.

On December 1, 1974 a TWA 727 crashed on Mount Weather, Virginia, and I spent a day at the crash site. A few years ago I connected with a guy and he & I emailed back & forth, and here's part of that. A few years ago I went back to the site and found a few pieces that I took home, only to have a near fatal heart attack two months later. Last year I collected everything and took it back to the site and deposited it, and said a prayer.

I grew up in Manassas, and was 9 1/2 years old at the time. My father's best friend Larry, who had some vaporous "official" connections, somehow knew that the wiring harness couplers held male and female pins made of solid 24kt gold. I believe the wires themselves are made from oxygen-free copper but the harnesses are designed to be easily replaced and the pins were made from gold so that they won't corrode. Larry had gotten some official clearance for he and my dad to specifically salvage these connectors and when my dad told me about it I begged him to let me go. He called Larry and on Friday we got the word that I could go along, provided I would actually do some of the work. Larry was this guy who looked and sounded like a total redneck, but he spoke 5 languages and knew all kinds of stuff about everything. He showed us what the connectors looked like, and how you cut the wires on either side, so that the male and female parts stay together. We could extract the gold pins later in the comfort of our nice warm homes.

The next day we set off early with shovels, pick axes, bolt cutters, tin snips, and many pairs of wire cutters. The day was cold, gray, but dry. When we got close to the site there was a roadblock manned by a few military types. Larry had the paperwork required and it turned out we were expected, but it was clear that the officer in charge didn't approve of me being there. He issued a stern warning that although the bodies had been removed, there were a lot of smaller pieces and that it wasn't a good place to bring a child. He then explained that we were only to take parts of the aircraft, that all personal effects were to be left where they were found. He gave me a hard look as he said this; I nodded soberly, like I had done this before.

At the site itself we were all alone. We parked on the west side of the road where we could clearly see the trees sheared off, then, across the road to the rocks where the nose impacted. You could make out the exact spot where the point of impact was, and that remains very vivid. As the men unloaded the tools I walked passed the rocks and got my first view of the site. I was elated as only a male child can be at the sight of such a horrific thing. It was a lot bigger than I had expected. I remember the tail section, and an engine close by, crumpled metal sections of the fuselage. The most vivid thing was the shoes, all the shoes, and I recall thinking that people sure pack a lot of shoes in their luggage when they fly. Larry told me, with a weird half grin, that your shoes come off in a crash. I thought, "really?" like that's just not possible, but after finding several lace-up shoes that were still tied I figured he was right. No body packs laced up shoes in their luggage.

The next impression that stays with me to this day was the peculiar smell of fresh dirt, vegetation, jet fuel, and what I would later learn was oxidized iron from all the blood. The smell was everywhere, and it got into our clothing and hair. As we worked and began filling up hefty bags, there was quite a bit of gore. I can't describe it any other way except it was very gory. There were skull fragments, some with hair, some scoured so perfectly white it was amazing. A lot of bone fragments. I think we'd been there about an hour when my dad got up and walked off into the undamaged woods and started sobbing. It was a shock for me, because I'd never seen him cry before and he always seemed like such a tough guy. Larry had seen combat, and gave me a look that said, "it's okay, let him be." Dad cried for about five minutes and then came back and gave me a hug, something I didn't understand for many years. It seemed like a bulldozer had gone back and forth over the site, the way some sections were buried in mud. I found a lot of plexiglas, almost all of it the standard 5/16th" (?) thickness, but also two pieces of 2" thick cockpit plexiglas, which I thought was so cool. It's funny but I didn't feel much emotionally at the time for the victims. It was all very clinical, and we had a job to do, but I was the least affected by the carnage. There was some pallor humor, understandably, along the lines that they should really consider making airplanes out of tennis shoe material because those seemed to be the only thing undamaged. I found a man's watch, a Bulova I think, that although it was missing it's crystal and both hands, it still ran when I wound it up. I thought about my dad's own watch, on his wrist, and how much I loved him. We joked about "it really, really, really takes a licking and keeps on ticking," then I returned it to the spot where we found it.

After about three hours my hands were too tired from the wire-cutters to continue. The men let me go exploring on my own and I found some very strange things, like a high top boot that still contained the foot, the two bones gleaming white, so clean amid all the greasy, bloody mud. There was a seatbelt buckle that had been ripped in half; it seemed like a personal thing, I put it back after wondering what kind of force it takes to do that. Man, that still boggles my mind when I think about it. Except for the shoes, I didn't find anything that wasn't broken or torn. That's the most horrific realization: that everything was ripped apart probably in the space of a few seconds. It seemed impossible that something so horrific and complete could take place that fast. Like all those shoes coming off. Weird. The only things I kept were six pieces of plexiglas, which my mother threw away once, not knowing what they were.

One weird thing about the site was the silence, specifically the lack of flies that one would expect. There were no flies, birds, or anything living except for the three of us. It was like being in a cave, the feeling that we had. There was almost an active vacuum of sound, that part was unsettling to me at the time. We filled up three big Hefty bags, hundreds of connectors, and headed home in silence. I was tired but in a slight state of shock. For the next week we sat in front of the tv with needle-nose pliers pulling the little pins out and cutting the copper wire off. Years later my father told me we'd made a little more than $2000 on the gold, which I figured was more than ten ounces. It's a strange connection, 'cause that gold went somewhere. (Where is it now?)

While I can't say I have a fear of flying, I do have a distinct fear of crashing. This comes up every once in a while if we have a particularly rough landing, like this year when we flew into Portland, Oregon during a nasty storm with zero visibility. A lot of emotions come right back, and every muscle tightens as the plane jumps around. Once we land and the reverse thrusters slow the plane I quickly relax but the sense of "This is it!" comes back loud and clear. Sometimes out of the blue I think about the victims, their loved ones, and now I'm grateful that Adam Shaw wrote the book. I feel like I've been waiting my whole life to learn about these people.

There's a few things about the crash that bother me still, and I do believe in ghosts now, though it's not a personal thing, not a direct connection.