Virginia Ghosts

     Martha Washington Inn, Abingdon

The Martha Washington Inn in Abingdon, VA is located in a beautiful old three story mansion that was built in 1830. During the civil War the building was Martha Washington College. It is currently a 4 star inn decorated in period furniture and offering traditional Virginia fare in its dining room. One apparition that has been reported is that of a horse which roams on moonless nights. A Union soldier was shot in front of the inn (then college) in 1864 and it is said that his horse still waits for its rider. During the Civil War a young Confederate soldier entered the house and ran up the stairs; one account says to warn of Union troops coming, another says to bid farewell to his sweetheart attending school there. Either way, unfortunately he was killed by enemy soldiers and his blood stained the floor outside the Governor's Room. The blood is still in the floorboards and has been impossible to completely remove. According to a bellhop with a 30 year history at the inn, carpets over that area have invariably developed holes over the spot where the soldier lay dying. Staff have reported feeling cold spots, seeing wispy figures, and seeing doorknobs turn on their own.

The most romantic ghost in Martha Washington Inn is that of the young lady named Beth that haunts Room 403. During the Civil War part of the house was used as a hospital for the wounded soldiers. Beth was a student at the college and was asked to help attend to a man named John Stoves who had been badly shot. She tended to his wounds and would sit by the bed and talk with him to give him comfort. She was a good violin player and when Stoves knew death was near, he asked her to play some music for him. As she played, Stoves passed away. A few weeks later, Beth herself died, most likely of complications of typhoid fever. Room 403 is where Stoves lay wounded, and then died. Staff have seen apparitions of a woman enter the room, or see her sitting near the bed, and have heard faint violin music. The room is said to have a distinctive atmosphere about it. Martha Washington Inn is at 150 West Main St., Abingdon, VA (800)533-1014 or (703)628-3161. It has 61 guest rooms (51 of them have private baths) and 10 suites.