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Visitors looking for the 'Lady in White' cast ghostly shadows on the front of Chatham.
Volunteer Alan Zirkle leads a group hoping to see the 'Lady in White' inside Chatham Thursday. |
BY RACHANA DIXIT
Whether you believe in her or not, she sure knows how to attract a crowd.
More than 100 people gathered at Chatham manor Thursday night when a girl known only as the "Lady in White" was supposed to appear.
Since her death in 1790, she reportedly returns to the estate in southern Stafford County every seven years, on June 21.
Chatham volunteer Sara Fartro, who leads Chatham tours, said: "Some people came at noon. It's amazing how many people know about it."
This year, flashlight-toting ghost hunters braved an intense thunderstorm in hope of seeing the lady at the mansion that sits on a high ridge above the Rappahannock River.
Legend holds that the apparition is an English girl who fell in love with a man who dealt in dry and salted foods in England.
He followed her to Virginia. While she was staying at Chatham, the girl attempted to elope with the drysalter when she was caught trying to escape her room using a rope ladder. The suitor was apprehended by a regular Chatham visitor--George Washington--and the girl was taken back to England to marry a man of her father's choosing.
On her deathbed, she announced that she would walk the Chatham terrace every seventh anniversary of her death--June 21, 1790--to search for her lost love. The path is now known as the "Ghost Walk."
Lorna Cotner, a ghost-tour guide in Stafford, said, "We tell this story over and over, so we decided to come see her tonight."
Cotner, who wore a period dress and hat, claims to have encountered the ghost on two occasions, once in November and again on Thursday night.
She said she smelled her in November, when a strong flowery scent was present despite the lack of any blooms or foliage.
"You could smell lilies of the valley," she said.
And Thursday night, Cotner said she saw white smoke appear in absolute darkness on the grounds.
Chatham, a Georgian-style house, was built between 1768 and 1771 by Englishman William Fitzhugh. Many notable Americans, including Washington, Robert E. Lee, Clara Barton and Walt Whitman, visited the estate.
Today, Chatham serves as the National Park Service's headquarters for Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park.
Thursday night's visitors seemed to sense that the grounds, which are not very well lit, had an aura of spookiness about them.
"People feel a presence, that's what they tell us," Fartro said.
Stafford resident Caroline Rice seemed to think so. Rice, who said she is slightly superstitious, was snapping photos on the grounds with her new digital camera.
"I think it's real," she said of the Lady.
Tina Jenkins had been at Chatham during the day to take pictures as well. Since the ghost is supposed to appear only once every seven years, she said her curiosity was piqued.
"I'm hoping to catch something tonight," she said.
Fartro said she doesn't believe in ghosts, but she likes seeing all the activity the legend brings to Chatham. She said she has met people from as far away as Australia who have come to visit.
Despite her disbelief in the Lady, she added, "I'm not saying I want to be in the house by myself."
Rachana Dixit: 540/374-5000
