The Avenel House in Bedford has become a "right of passage" for Virginia based Ghost Hunting groups. The plantation has become the most investigated and well known paranormal hotspot in the entire New River Valley.
The House has a rich history of hosting Civil War Heroes and the social elite. The official site (linked at the bottom) goes into further detail.
The original plantation known as Avenel was built circa 1838 by William M. Burwell and his wife, Frances Steptoe Burwell. Located in the heart of the city of Bedford. Avenel has been the centerpiece of social, cultural, and political life for over 150 years. Avenel is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and the Virginia Landmarks Register.In 1906, Avenel was purchased from the Burwell family by J.W. Ballard. The home remained in the Ballard family until 1985 when it was purchased by the Avenel Foundation.
The foundation is a non-profit organization formed by a group of local businessmen and women whose mission was to rescue, restore, preserve and protect historic Avenel, a Bedford legacy and to make this unique landmark available for educational, social, business and other appropriate community uses. Almost 200 years have and the vision has remained. Avenel is one of Bedford's crown jewels that continues to make history each and every day.
There have been numerous counts of paranormal activity that is reported yearly by regional paranormal investigators. The most told story about this lovely plantation is about the "Lady in White." This ghostly apparition is said to pace around the property as if it were a sunny afternoon in the 1800's. However, others have reported that the "Lady in white" also walks down the main hall of the home and can be seen through the upstairs window when nobody else is in the house.
Also, there have been reports that their are a few other apparitions that appear inside the home. Nobody knows definitively who these apparitions represent but during a tour of the home, one of the investigators at Seven Hills Paranormal Society (the blog is linked below) saw a girl standing in the window above with her "hair up in a bun and high collared dress peering down at (us)."
There is also a phantom cat that roams the property. On certain nights, investigators have heard rustling sounds and faint "meowing" coming from a few of the rooms in the house.
The rest of the activity is chalked up through the forms of voices and smells. Often the smell of Tobacco can be smelt at random times then slowly disappear.
Take a minute to read some the links I have provided at the bottom and check out some of the stories these paranormal teams have about their nights inside the Avenel House.
Address
413 Avenel Avenue
Bedford, VA 24523
(540) 586-1814
Links
Official Site: http://www.historicavenel.com/
Seven Hills Paranormal Society Blog: SVPS: Blog
Ghostec Investigation 1 at Avenel: http://www.ghostec.us/documents/investigation002.html
Ghostec Investigation 2 at Avenel: http://www.ghostec.us/documents/investigation003.html
Ghostec Investigation 3 at Avenel: http://www.ghostec.us/documents/investigation005.html
VPA Avenel Investigation: http://www.virginiaparanormalsociety.com/avenel.htm
Haunted Places near Roanoke article: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2072793/haunted_places_in_the_roanoke_virginia.html?cat=8
Roanoke Times Article on Avenel: http://www.roanoke.com/theedge/stories/wb/136085
Lynchburg News Article on Avenel: http://www2.newsadvance.com/lna/news/local/article/hunting_for_haunts_in_bedford_city/9582/
Bedford Paranormal Investigation at Avenel: http://www.bedfordparanormal.com/Avenel_Investigation.html
2 comments:
We were surprised to read that Bedford is one of the most haunted places in the UK, at least regarding its pubs. We have more detail here: http://www.ghostpubs.com/haunted_pub/east/bedfordshire/bedford/detail.html
This is Bedford, Virginia in the United States.
Post a Comment