The Haunted Commonwealth

For the first time on this site, I am going to break away from ghostly claims and talk about something Josh Gates and his Destination Truth team would be interested in.  Old House Woods is roughly a 50-acre section in Matthews County that is home to some of the most unworldly claims in the state of Virginia.  Only a few investigation groups have been brave enough to wonder off into these woods at night, most of whom reported back with some unique and intriguing stories.

There are numerous stories about the woods so the easiest way to break them down is one at a time.  The first story involves a group of Pirates who washed ashore, seeking to hide their stolen plunder.  It is reported that the Pirates hid their gold in the woods then sailed off to acquire more gold.  However, their ship was damaged in a storm and the pirates eventually drowned. 

The next story is very similar to the first but involves the British instead.  In 1651, Charles II was going to move to Virginia so he sent some of his belongings (some of it was money) to Jamestown in preparation of his arrival.  However, his luggage never made it to Jamestown, instead the men who were hired to guard it, wound up in Matthews County and was stripped of their belongings by robbers.  The robbers made out with a good portion of the money and buried it in the woods.  They then left on their ship, hiding out on the water until things blew over on land.  However, their ship capsized, which cost the men their life.  Their treasure has never been found.

The rest of the claims are truly outlandish.  People have reported a hovering ghost ship above the trees on stormy nights, a man is reported to have seen a Spanish soldier in armor walking alongside of the road that now runs through the forest, and British soldiers who died long ago are still known to roam around between the trees at night.  Balls of light floating about waist-high have been reported, a women with long flowing hair has been seen walking around, and finally there have been reports of unsolved missing persons cases that have never been solved involving people walking into the woods and never returning.

The Old House Woods have some of the strangest reported paranormal occurrences that I've seen so far and if even a few of them have actually happened, it's still enough to make this the most haunted place in the Commonwealth. 

Links
Gettysburg Ghosts Investigation Report: http://www.gettysburgghosts.net/oldhousewoods.htm
StrangeUSA Info on Old House Woods: http://www.strangeusa.com/ViewLocation.aspx?locationid=10335
Midnight Society Blog Post on Old House Woods: http://midnightsociety.blogspot.com/2008/03/old-house-woods.html
Travel Stories: http://www.igougo.com/story-s1208256-Virginia-Old_House_Woods.html
Paranormal Universes Investigation (includes captured EVP): http://www.freewebs.com/paranormal-universe/investigations.htm