Exploring the Haunted Cemeteries of Virginia: A Journey Through History, Folklore, and Ghost Stories
By Sharon Pajka
Not all ghosts are meant to scare us. Some are simply trying to share a story.
In my upcoming book, Haunted Virginia Cemeteries, releasing August 5, 2025, from The History Press, I take readers on a journey through more than fifty cemeteries across the Commonwealth of Virginia—places where the line between past and present feels especially thin. What started as a curiosity grew into a mission: to explore the history, folklore, and ghost stories that continue to haunt Virginia’s burial grounds.
My fascination with cemeteries goes back to my childhood, but I’ve come to see these spaces as more than final resting places. They are historical archives, sacred landscapes, and sometimes, home to lingering spirits with stories to tell.
I was inspired by the words of Reverend Dr. W.A.R. Goodwin—credited with the preservation of Colonial Williamsburg—who once wrote to a child:
“Shut your eyes and see the gladsome ghosts who once made these places their home. You can learn to call them back.… You can train yourself to hear what they have to say.”
Goodwin didn’t see ghosts as frightening; he saw them as voices from history. That idea resonated deeply with me. As historian Alena R. Pirok has written, Virginians have long used ghost stories to connect with the past, to interpret history in a personal and meaningful way. That perspective helped shape how I approached this book.
I began by compiling a list of nearly 100 cemeteries across Virginia that were rumored to be haunted or connected to ghost stories. Since Virginia covers over 42,000 square miles, I divided the state into regions and began my research on the road. I visited cemeteries large and small, well-known and hidden, and slowly narrowed my list to the most compelling stories from over fifty locations.
Some of these tales are rooted in tragedy. In Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, for example, the ghost of a grieving fiancée is said to linger after the 1870 Virginia State Capitol collapse. At Mount Hebron Cemetery, I heard stories about Civil War soldiers who still march beneath the trees. And at Arlington National Cemetery, witnesses have reported the appearance of a mysterious woman in red walking among the tombs.
But not all stories were solemn. I came across humorous newspaper clippings—like the 1902 account of a man who took a shortcut through Elmwood Cemetery and had an unforgettable encounter he couldn’t quite explain. Others were simply strange, like the haunted pet cemetery of a former president or a monument in Tidewater that’s been struck by lightning three times, leaving behind a ghostly face scorched into stone.
Some of my favorite tales come directly from historical newspapers. In fact, several chapters include “Eerie Extras” and “Spooky Specials” that expand on sensational or lesser-known articles I uncovered during my research. These stories were often forgotten, tucked away in archives—until now.
What I didn’t expect was how personal this journey would become. I stayed in haunted inns, stood in cemeteries at sunset, and learned to push past my own fears. In the process, I reconnected with my roots and gained a deeper appreciation for Virginia’s complex, often haunted, past.
Whether you’re intrigued by the paranormal, fascinated by folklore, or just love a good story, Haunted Virginia Cemeteries offers more than ghost tales—it’s a way to explore history through a very human lens. Ghostlore connects us to each other and the places we inhabit. It preserves local stories and reminds us that the past is never really gone.
Throughout the book, I move region by region, starting in Central Virginia, where readers will meet at least one ghost (I promise!), and then traveling to Northern Virginia, Tidewater and Coastal Virginia, the Blue Ridge and Southwest, and finally, the Shenandoah Valley. Along the way, I visit presidential burial sites, share stories from Appalachian cemeteries, and recount encounters with both famous and infamous spirits, including the three sisters in black at Sunset Cemetery and the ghostly legacy of the 1909 bathtub murder.
Many people have asked me whether I truly believe in ghosts. My answer? Some ghost stories are meant to be taken literally. Others work best as metaphors. Either way, they help us understand the lives and the deaths of those who came before us.
I invite you to pick up Haunted Virginia Cemeteries and come along for the ride. Leave the ghost-hunting gadgets at home and bring your curiosity. You may not walk away believing in every ghost, but I hope you’ll finish the book with a deeper appreciation for the stories that still echo across Virginia’s hallowed ground.
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Haunted Virginia Cemeteries
Author Sharon Pajka guides readers a spine-tingling journey through the Old Dominion’s haunted cemeteries. An eerie din provides the soundtrack at Arlington Cemetery, while the gauzy visage of a lady in red flits among heroes’ gravestones. Civil War soldiers meet in perpetual conflict at Mount Hebron Cemetery, and Thomas Jefferson’s restive spirit makes itself known at Monticello. From the ghost that haunted Hollywood Cemetery for months after the Capitol disaster in 1870 to multiple presidential tombs throughout the state where visitors routinely catch a chill, souls find eternal rest to be a fleeting notion in Virginia. Join author Sharon Pajka on a spine-tingling journey of haunted cemeteries throughout the Old Dominion.
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Category: Contemporary Women Writers
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