There are ghosts across the Potomac River region! Here’s where you can find them
/These local haunts are otherworldly
Photo by Chesapeake Bay Program. Licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0
The Potomac River region is no stranger to paranormal activity. Its rich history and diverse natural environments work well together to produce a sense of otherworldliness.
Co-writer of the quintessential found footage horror film The Blair Witch Project and Montgomery County native Eduardo Sanchez certainly found inspiration in his hometown’s local scenery, as many of the movie’s scenes were filmed in Seneca Creek State Park.
But spooky backdrops aren’t the only chilling feature the region’s parks have to offer; creepy-crawlies can be found all over the Potomac, and many people have witnessed firsthand unnatural sounds and ghostly apparitions creeping just out of view when they turn their heads.
As nighttime falls more quickly and the weather turns a bit chillier, gather round a fire with your friends and settle in to hear some of the most spine-tingling ghost stories from around the Potomac River region.
Point Lookout State Park
Photo by Chesapeake Bay Program. Licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0
Sitting between the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay on the southernmost peninsula of Maryland, Point Lookout State Park is one of the most prolific ghost haunts in the state.
Home to one of the largest prison camps in the civil war, more than 52,000 Confederate prisoners were held there throughout the war, and up to 8,000 men died.
Causes of death were plentiful: men were housed in shabby tents that offered little protection against the cold, and overcrowding led to poor hygiene and contaminated well water, causing disease to spread like wildfire.
Today, both park rangers and visitors have reported seeing ghostly apparitions of these soldiers. In one account, a former park ranger regularly witnessed a man cross a road in the park that was once a path to the old smallpox hospital set up in the camp. The mysterious man never left footsteps or any other evidence of a human walking through. Prisoners sometimes persuaded their captors they were ill so they’d be taken to the hospital and attempt to escape from there; perhaps the man was an old captive trying to make that same journey.
Some of these eerie visitors may have lived even before the land became a prison. For 200 years before the war, the land was a summer resort boasting cottages, a wharf, and a lighthouse.
While collecting some water data, the same park ranger saw an old woman by the Potomac River shore. When he approached her to see if she needed help, she asked him about the graveyard that used to be around that area. The ranger wasn’t aware of any gravesites. Feeling unwelcome, he left the woman to continue his work a few hundred feet away. After some moments, he looked back at shore—the woman was nowhere to be seen.
When the ranger asked his supervisor about the grave, he learned that members of the influential Taylor family, who once owned a portion of the land, were buried somewhere near the lighthouse, but the burial site had never been found.
The most prominent feature of the park is a nearly 200-year-old abandoned lighthouse. While it has not been used since 1965, the lighthouse remained tenanted until 1981. Former residents report hearing strange sounds and voices throughout their time living there, though the spirits never seemed malignant.
One of the most chilling tales comes from former resident Laura Berg. One night, a bright light woke Laura up. She saw nothing but darkness when she looked out of her upstairs window, but she smelled smoke. She ran downstairs and discovered her space heater had caught on fire; she put out the fire and all was well. If she had waited much longer, the whole house would have burned down. Maybe she had a friendly spirit look out for her that night.
These tales only scratch the surface of what’s been seen and heard at Point Lookout State Park. Head on over yourself and you might encounter one of these ghosts personally!
Edward’s Ferry
Photo by Eric Fidler. Licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0
Eager for more ghostly action? Look no further than Edwards Ferry. Once known as “Haunted House Bend,” this stretch of the C&O Canal was historically used as an optimal crossing point for the Potomac River.
The prime location was the setting of the 1861 Battle of Ball's Bluff, where Confederates drove Union soldiers across the Potomac. Some soldiers who died were inevitably left to float down the river.
After the war, various travelers reported that their mules began acting restless and spooked when passing through the area, sensing the men that died in the bloody battle.
Many believe their spirits are still there today—passersby sometimes report screams with no apparent source and visions of a red-bearded man and African American woman.
If you’re feeling brave, you can try to witness the specters yourself at the Turtle Run Campsite or the Lockhouse 25 Canal Quarters site, where you can spend a night in a historic lockhouse on the canal.
Harpers Ferry
Photo by OakleyOriginals. Licensed under CC BY 2.0
In 1859, abolitionist John Brown led a deadly raid to revolt against slavery in Harpers Ferry. The raid was not successful and ended in the deaths of 23 people, including Brown himself. Many people have claimed to see him wandering the town after his death.
One of the more gruesome deaths from the raid was that of Dangerfield Newby, one of Brown’s crew who was brutally shot in the throat. According to the locals, Newby’s ghost, recognizable by a large scar across his throat and baggy clothes, roams the streets.
Other apparitions that haunt the town include marching soldiers and a woman running down the nearby train tracks. A friendly ghost of a woman dressed in white frequents a local candy store, according to the shop’s owner.
If you’re interested in hearing more of these ghost stories, skeptic or not, consider going on one of Harpers Ferry ghost tours. You might experience one of these close encounters for yourself.
Fort Monroe National Monument
Photo courtesy of Poodella via Wikimedia Commons. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
Ghosts also frequent Fort Monroe National Monument in Virginia. Visitors have seen visions of soldiers strolling around the grounds, and the spirits communicate via lights, unusual noises and sudden drops in temperatures throughout the buildings.
Despite these unsettling occurrences, those who have seen ghosts or paranormal activity seem convinced these spirits are friendly.
Among the more famed ghosts said to haunt the fort are Jefferson Davis, who was imprisoned at the fort after being falsely accused of plotting Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, and Lincoln himself. The president stayed at Fort Monroe in May 1862, where he planned the Union attack on Norfolk, Virginia.
Edgar Allan Poe, who was at Fort Monroe for a brief military stint in the 1820s, is said to appear at the top of the hotel on the grounds wearing a top hat.
If you’d like to catch a glimpse of the iconic literary figure yourself, you can tour Fort Monroe and see what other ghastly visitors haunt the area.
