The Fort Magruder Hotel
Williamsburg is famous for history, particularly the Unites States’ beginnings. It is in the same James County as Jamestown (the first permanent English settlement on the East Coast). It is also home to many haunted locations and hotels, including the Fort Magruder Hotel and Conference Center!
Williamsburg is considered to be one of the more haunted spots in Virginia. Most people assume it is due to the Colonists and the Revolutionary War, but a battle of the War Between the States happened there too—the Battle of Williamsburg. Out of all of the Williamsburg hotels, Fort Magruder might be one of, if not the the most haunted.
Before we dive into the frightening follies of the historically haunted Fort Magruder Hotel, book a tour with Colonial Ghosts!
Why Is The Fort Magruder Hotel Haunted?
Most of the phantoms behind the hauntings at Fort Magruder are the Confederates and Union soldiers who were killed in action during the Battle of Williamsburg.
One story involves the head of Sales remarking that something kept shifting the arcade games on the first floor to a crooked position. A man who was sent to check them over each month would find them like that and with help, set them straight. It is believed that the ghosts in Fort Magruder move the machines.
There are many other instances like this involving spirits moving things around – sets of keys go missing and furniture shifts on its own. Plenty of poltergeists call this place home and because of the location’s history, it’s no wonder they stick around.
The Battle of Williamsburg
The Battle of Williamsburg was fought on May 5, 1862. Also known as the Battle of Fort Magruder, it took place as part of the Peninsula Campaign. Casualties that included the cavalry skirmishing on May 4 were 1,682 Confederates and 2, 283 Union of the nearly 41,000 Federals and 32,000 Confederates. A steady downpour of rain in the thick woods did not help much for either side. Ten hours of combat raged on. One wounded Union soldier managed to get three Rebel officers to a local prison. Townspeople under cover of umbrellas watched the battle.
When the Rebels retreated, they got caught up with civilians. Then civilians panicked and retreated. By nightfall, the Union won and General Joseph Johnston led the Confederates out of town to Richmond. Major General George McClellan telegraphed to Washington, “The victory is complete.”
Wounded Confederate soldiers still found by the third day, the dead half buried in mud or piled up high. Fire blazed on the third day in the woods, and those still alive died terribly.
The Fort Magruder Hotel and Conference Center
A hotel on Pocahontas Trail that tourists stay at while visiting Williamsburg, Fort Magruder Hotel and Conference Center, is the center of some of the most intense combat during the Battle of Williamsburg. It is also referred to as “The Bloody Ravine.”
During construction to add more parking spaces at the left side of the hotel, construction workers stumbled upon skulls, bones, and artifacts from the battle. As what was common after most Civil War battles, there were mass burial pits dug for the fallen soldiers. However, the soldiers still remain to haunt the grounds and hotel and neighboring area.
Once a year, a science fiction, fantasy and horror convention, Mars Con is held at the Fort Magruder hotel, due to its reputation as a paranormal hotspot. Apparently, the event causes a sharp uptick in paranormal phenomena at the hotel for weeks following its conclusion.
Frightening Tales From Fort Magruder Hotel
The hotel has its typical and normal hauntings, like key sets vanishing from staff’s possession. Maids staying in the hotel rooms at Fort Magruder would report apparitions and furniture moving on their own.
One maid returned to the room where she lost her keys and asked the ghost to kindly return the keys. The ghost was believed to be a gentleman who had died from a heart attack on the toilet in the room. She then found the keys lying on the floor behind the toilet. But she had just searched there minutes before, and they weren’t there.
Other stories provided by those working in the hotel involved tourists who awaken in the middle of the night to gaze upon a Civil War soldier standing in their room or sitting on their bed. One woman saw a red-headed Confederate officer in her hotel room one evening who vanished before her eyes.
An employee who used to work nights told of an encounter she witnessed. A Civil War soldier entered the lobby, walked across the room, and walked through a glass window. She was relieved when she was finally transferred to the day shift.
One room on the second floor is haunted by a spirit of a 12-year-old girl who died from an asthma attack. Sometimes when the maids prepare her room, they would enter it the next morning to find it completely rearranged. Ghost hunts have picked up voices believed to be Civil War soldiers, the man who died on the toilet, and an unknown woman.
One manager reported that he’d seen a woman dressed in a while gown from the Civil War era. Or perhaps it could have been a woman who was recently found dead on a bench in the lobby?
Haunted Williamsburg
Fascinated by the haunted Fort Magruder Hotel? There are plenty more spooky stories waiting for you! These historical spots are rich in eerie legends, ghost sightings, mysterious occurrences, and restless spirits. There are even more haunted Williamsburg Hotels for you to check out… or check in!
Want to dive deeper? Check out our blog for more ghostly tales and book your next Colonial ghost tour today! Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok for more spine-chilling content!
Book a Williamsburg Tour and see for yourself
Our tour will take you on a leisurely stroll along the tree-lined cobbled streets of this beautiful and historic city. In around three-quarters of a mile on our standard tour, our entertaining and knowledgeable guide will regale you with stories of characterful spots in the Historic District of Williamsburg.
For those with an appetite for the terrifying, our extended tour will take in an additional haunted locations.
Get more information and reserve a tour today!
Sources:
- https://www.battlefields.org/learn/civil-war/battles/williamsburg
- https://www.fortmagruderhotel.com/history
- http://www.fortmagruderhotel.com/
- https://www.purewow.com/travel/haunted-hotels