Williamsburg’s cobblestone streets are seeped with revolution, resistance, and restlessness. While the ancient buildings tell a story of the budding birth of a nation, they also tell a story of ghosts, spirits, and specters. 

Haunted Colonial Williamsburg - Copyright US Ghost Adventures

Colonial Williamsburg is awash with haunted legends and chilling tales. Today, we’ll be exploring the spookiest legends of Williamsburg, so hold on tight and take a brief walk with us down memory lane.

The Public Hospital

The Public Hospital – Copyright US Ghost Adventures

The Public Hospital is one of the most chilling structures in Williamsburg. The first hospital in the US to focus on treating mental illnesses, its medical procedures were brutal, horrific, and barbaric. 

At the time, not much was understood about mental illness, and patients were confined, chained to walls, forced into restraint chairs where they were unable to move their heads, and even held captive in small coffin-like boxes as a punishment. 

Many a tortured soul died here or committed suicide after being “treated” here. Their mistreated souls continue to haunt the place, and if you listen closely, you may hear them cry out in pain hundreds of years later. 

The Ludwell House

The Ludwell House belonged to Lucy Ludwell, who inherited the house from her father, Colonel Phillip Ludwell III. Lucy, however, lived in London with her husband, John Paradise. John was a noted linguist and scholar, and while they lived in London, he supported her fully, allowing her to live a comfortable lifestyle. 

Unfortunately, John died, leaving Lucy destitute. Unable to afford rent and forced to return to Williamsburg, she regretfully headed back to the New World. It was the last place she wanted to be – in her mind, she was a London socialite, almost royalty, and that’s exactly the way she conducted herself back in Williamsburg. 

Lost in her own little fantasy world, she would greet people from her balcony as if she were a noblewoman, taking multiple baths a day and doing little carriage tours around her house. 

The Williamsburg townsfolk initially tolerated her shenanigans, but not for long. As her behavior grew ever more bizarre and eccentric, they committed her to the Public Hospital. After two years of being confined there, she committed suicide. Legend has it that her ghost continues to haunt the Ludwell House, taking baths when nobody is home. 

Merchants Square

Merchants Square – Copyright US Ghost Adventures

Williamsburg’s Merchants Square is a great place to enjoy a beautiful day out on the town. With dozens of specialty stores and restaurants, it offers amazing food options and plenty of window shopping opportunities. 

It’s also a hotspot for paranormal activity. Its haunted story begins shortly after the Civil War when a certain Thomas Moore lived in a small white house on the square, which he inherited from his older brother, a soldier who died in battle. 

Thomas had a girlfriend, Constance Hall. He was constantly seen strolling with her around town, and especially around the area that is now Merchants Square. 

Their cute little fling came to an abrupt end, though, when Constance’s husband returned to town after having been away on business for several months. It didn’t take long until he heard the rumors of what had been going on in his absence. Furious, he burst into Thomas’s house and, in an act of passion and rage, killed him on the spot. 

Left to deal with the aftermath, he forced his wife, Constance, to help him clean up the mess. They buried the body in the basement. Witnesses saw them leaving the house but didn’t think much of it until a few days later when people started wondering why Thomas hadn’t been seen or heard from for a while, which was very unlike his flamboyant self. 

Suspicious, they conducted a search of the home, eventually finding his body buried in the basement. 

Once in a while, Thomas is still seen wandering about Merchants Square, looking for his love, Candace, whom he had never given up hope on. 

The Kimball House

Located in Merchant’s Square, the Kimball Theatre, which opened in 1933, is one of Williamsburg’s prized possessions. Fun fact: This unassuming theater was built with a small lobby. This was done by design to make it look like the lobby was crowded and the theater was more popular than it looked. 

Although the theater was opened in 1933, the building in which it is housed has been around long before that. During the Civil War, it was owned by a kindhearted lady named Ms. Ware. During the Battle of Gettysburg, she took in a wounded Confederate soldier and tried to nurse him back to life. Unfortunately, the soldier died within the walls. 

Later, she informed a group of Union soldiers who had arrived to commandeer the building as a makeshift hospital that she already had a dead Confederate soldier inside the house. The commanding officer inspected the body, only to be shocked at what he saw – it was his long-lost brother, who had fought for the other side. The heartbroken officer died in battle later that day. 

From time to time, the two brothers can be seen strolling around the Kimball Theater. If you come across a Confederate and a Union soldier walking around in the vicinity, you will know who they are. 

There are many other legendary haunted spots in Williamsburg, such as the Wythe House, the Peyton Randolph House, and the Bruton Parish Church. To truly explore Williamsburg’s mysterious side, take a Williamsburg ghost tour on a chilly night.