Ghosts of Haw Branch Plantation
Haunted Virginia Manor House Has More than One Paranormal Resident
History
The Haw Branch Plantation originally sat on over 15,000 acres. The manor house had a moat and numerous out structures on the land. The estate dwindled. The mansion was in disrepair and the grounds, overgrown with weeds. In 1964,
Cary and Gibson McConnaughey bought the house and property. Gibson McConnaughey’s grandmother had lived in the home many years ago and Gibson visited her as a child
In August 1969, the manor was completely restored. The McConnaugheys moved in. A cousin gave Gibson a large portrait of a distant relative, Florence Wright. She was young and died suddenly just before the colored pastel artwork was finished.
Eerie Phenomena
When the McConnaugheys un-boxed the portrait and cleaned the glass, they were shocked to see the portrait was in charcoal. They hung the portrait over the fireplace in the library. Several days later, Gibson was in the basement when she heard women’s voices coming from the library. She thought friends were visiting, said would be right there and went upstairs to meet them. Gibson walked towards the library. She could still hear the voices. As she was about to enter, the voices ceased. When she opened the library’s door, the room was empty. No one else was in the home!
Several months later, Cary was sitting in the library reading a newspaper when he looked at the pastel of Florence. A rose in the portrait was turning pink. He got out of his chair for a closer look. Florence’s hair was lightening, her gray skin was taking on the hue of flesh and color was eerily seeping into every gray and black shade in the pastel.
As the days went by, the colors grew brighter and brighter. Women’s voices could be heard coming from the library, but no one was in the room! In a few months, the painting was transformed! Florence had blue eyes and red hair. She posed on a green chair. The rose was pink and the vase, jade green.
When the portrait’s conversion was complete, the McConnaugheys no longer heard women’s voices from the library.
Other ghosts who had or worked there also made their appearance. The McConnaugheys were wakened by loud shrieks of a woman from the floor of a room above them. They ran upstairs to investigate and found their children standing at the bottom of the steps to the attic from where the scream emanated. The family dogs were terrified. They would not go near the attic stairs. As usual, no one was there!
Months later, the McConnaugheys heard the same terrifying shrieks, but couldn’t find any source. This happened a number of times more
A specter of a slim young woman in a floor-length dress of the era when the mansion was built was seen. There was bad accident which killed her.
One of the McConnaughey’s daughters was kept awake by the ceaseless dogs barking on the porch. So she went downstairs to let them in the house. They rushed into the drawing room where a former housekeeper’s ghost was floating about. When the parents entered the room, she vanished.
There were inexplicable noises heard emanating from the moat and one of the outbuildings. A deceased farmhand was seen carrying a lantern, but would disappear then he was approached. The ghost of a caretaker has also been seen.
Sources:
Haunted Houses, Richard Winer and Nancy Osborn, (Bantam Books, 1979)
Historic Haunted America, Michael Norman & Beth Scott (Tor, 1995)
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