Williamsburg Ghost Tour

8. DoG Street

Williamsburg, VA

Book Now

The Duke of Glouster Street is the main street of Colonial Williamsburg. The street carried tobacco, slaves, wheat, and prisoners. Some have reported seeing visions of two young children playing on the street, or on the palace green. It is believed to be the ghost of a young boy, named Matthew Whaley, and his friend. Matthew was the son of wealthy English colonists, but was not well-liked by the other colonist children, and this was a source of great worry and sadness for his mother, Mary Page Whaley. During a garden party at the Whaley residence, Mary Page heard her son's laughter, accompanied by another, unfamiliar little boy's voice coming from the other side of the house. She followed the voices, and much to her delight, found Matthew playing in the dirt with a new friend. Several other women guests had followed her to the front of the house, and upon seeing the two boys they exclaimed angrily, 'Get away from here! You can't play with him!' Matthew's new friend was a slave. But Mary Page quickly hushed them; she was overjoyed that her son had made a friend. And from that day on, little Matthew and the slave boy were the best of friends. Mary Page encouraged the two to play together, and even taught the slave boy to read in secret, she was so grateful to him for befriending Matthew. Then, without warning, Matthew contracted a terrible fever that claimed his life. The slave boy was distraught, and quickly showed signs of the same illness. He died soon after. Matthew Whaley Elementary School was named after the Mary Page's son, and it stands in Williamsburg today, though it has been moved to a new location. However, sightings of two little boys playing have often been reported near the palace green in front of the governor's palace. Children most often report the apparitions. They point out the odd clothing of the boys to their parents, but when the parents look, the boys vanish. You may per chance see the pair laughing and playing; their friendship bridged different worlds in life; and some say it holds them together even in death. Source: http://hubpages.com/hub/Top-Ten-Haunted-Schools-in-America and http://articles.dailypress.com/1997-05-21/news/9705210038_1_ghost-attic-matthew-whaley-elementary-school