A Visit to America’s Most Ghoulish Colonial Buildings
America’s colonial past was not only a period of revolution and discovery but one of hardship, intrigue, and untimely deaths. Many of the country’s oldest structures, built during this era, still stand as testaments to the past, their walls filled with the lingering energy of those who came before. But what happens when history refuses to stay silent?
Some of America’s historic colonial buildings contain the ghosts of times past, alive and well within their consecrated walls. Let’s take a virtual tour of some of America’s creepiest colonial buildings.
The Dobbin House Tavern
The Dobbin House Tavern – Copyright US Ghost Adventures
The Dobbin House Tavern is Gettysburg’s oldest structure. Built in 1776, just on the cusp of the end of the colonial era, the former residence of Reverend Alexander Dobbin is now a beloved local watering hole. The tavern captures the 18th-century charm of the colonial period, but it itself seems to be captured by ghosts.
Like many of Gettysburg’s buildings, the Dobbin House Tavern served as a makeshift hospital during the Battle of Gettysburg. The Civil War did a number on Gettysburg, and it’s a popular tourist destination for the echoes of war in this quaint town.
The exact number of soldiers who died within the house is unknown, but some of them continue to possess the place, still traumatized by the agonies of war. From time to time, a lone Union soldier is seen solemnly sitting and downing a bottle of whiskey to numb his pain.
The Wythe House
The Wythe House – Copyright US Ghost Adventures
Colonial Williamsburg features numerous haunted structures from the colonial era. However, the Wythe House stands out among them as one of the spookiest structures in the area.
A tragic suicide took place here when the house was owned by George Wythe, one of the Founding Fathers. His friends, Sir George and Lady Ann Skipwith had come to spend the night, as they often did.
They were at a ball when an argument broke out between Ann and George. Some say it was because George was dancing with other women at the ball, while others say it was because Ann had heard a rumor that Goerge had an affair with her sister. Either story is quite plausible, as Goerge was a well-known womanizer.
Heartbroken, Ann stormed out of the ballroom and back to the Wythe House, where she slammed the door as she entered. It wasn’t the first time she had to deal with George’s extramarital affairs, and she was tired. No longer able to tolerate the shame, embarrassment, betrayal, and hurt, she killed herself in the guest room, wanting to show George just what he was missing.
Her pained soul continues to haunt the house. The clacking of her heels as she climbed the stairs, followed by the slam of the door as she entered, can sometimes be heard.
Other haunted buildings in Williamsburg include the Peyton Randolph House, the Public Hospital, and the Bruton Parish Church. I recommend going on a Williamsburg ghost tour to get an inside look into Williamsburg’s spookiness.
The Pirates’ House – Savannah, Georgia
Another haunted tavern from the colonial era is the Pirates’ House in Savannah, Georgia. Part of the structure was built in 1734 and was formerly called the Herb House, with two sides added in 1794 and 1871, respectively.
It was once a haven for seafaring sailors, who frequented the house for a drink or two and overnight lodging. If the walls could only talk, they would never stop telling the stories overheard here.
Nowadays, the Pirates’ House is one of the most popular attractions in Savannah. Part of that has to do with the anecdotes told of paranormal activity in the bar, including the tinkering of glasses and the sound of heavy footsteps after closing time. Some have reported seeing the ghosts of sailors sitting in the bar after dark.
The Hostess City of the South has many more haunted tales to tell. During your visit, reserve an evening for a Savannah ghost tour and visit its most chilling historical sites.
The Ursuline Convent — New Orleans
The Ursuline Convent – Copyright US Ghost Adventures
The Ursuline Convent, established by the Sisters of Ursula during French colonial times, is at the heart of New Orleans’ ghoulish folklore.
The convent took in young girls sent by the King of France as brides for the Frenchmen who lived there. The sisters housed and nurtured them.
The legend starts when around 50 girls arrived in French Louisiana. This particular group of young ladies showed up extremely pale. Some of the locals who greeted them at the port started whispering that they were vampires. Soon enough, rumors started spreading that several young men had been found dead, with all the blood removed from their bodies, as if they were sucked dry by vampires.
The nuns decided to investigate and found the suitcases the girls traveled with, which had yet to be opened and were completely empty. In a panic, they shut the suitcases in the attic and bolted the windows shut. The windows remain shuttered to this day, and many believe that opening them would unleash a terrible curse of vampires on the city.
The LaLaurie Mansion
The LaLaurie Mansion – Copyright US Ghost Adventures
The LaLaurie Mansion is another one of New Orleans’ most haunted buildings. Although the current structure was rebuilt after a fire, the place has been haunted since colonial times, when Madame Delphine Lalaurie, a French socialate, tortured her slaves here.
After discovering her horrific and brutal treatment of her slaves, a mob burned down her house, and while the Madame fled to France, it is believed that she returned after her death to torture the girls who later studied here when it was repurposed as a girls’ school.