Williamsburg Ghost Tour

16. Palmer House

Williamsburg, VA

Book Now

In the late 1740s, John Palmer, a wealthy lawyer and a bursar for the College of William and Mary, moved into the home occupying the lot closest to the Capital Building. One night in 1754, the Palmers awoke to an unimaginable fright:Â? their fine home was in flames! After the fire, Mr.Palmer replaced his burned-out dwelling with the spacious structure that stands on the property today. By the 1860s, the Palmer descendants had long since moved on. The house was owned by Mr.Vest, a local merchant who happened to be the richest man in town. Mr.Vest was deeply troubled by the events of the Civil War, and knowing that Williamsburg was vulnerable to attack, the Vests abandoned their property. After its abandonment, the home became headquarters for Confederate generals who later abandoned the home before the Battle of Williamsburg. The Palmer House served numerous Federal provost marshals assigned to watch over the city. Some were liked, some weren't. One night, when a well liked Union Officer, Lt. Dissoway, rushed out of the house to stop the harassment of several local women by drunken soldiers, he reprimanded the men for their behavior and ordered them to spend the rest of the night inside their tents. Angered by the orders, one of his own men drew a pistol and shot the young lieutenant where he stood. The locals, respecting the man and his act of courage, took him back to the house and laid his seemingly lifeless body out in the parlor of his home. Dr. Robert Major Garret came to lend aid, but he could do nothing to save the young soldier. Lieutenant Disosway died within two hours of the shooting. Ironically, the Civil War ended shortly thereafter in the spring of 1865. They say that Dissoway liked the house and the people so much that he considered it his home and never left, even after his body perished. Today many say his spirit remains to protect those traveling late at night, as well as those living in the estate he once occupied. Near the turn of the century, a family named Tucker lived in the residence. Mrs. Tucker wrote in a journal entry dated June 23, 1896: "We have become aware of a ghostly presence lurking within our home. Late last evening, I was having trouble sleeping, so I went for some water. As I rounded the corner of the parlor, I saw the transparent figure of a man sitting in a chair! He had a pipe in his mouth, and appeared to be dressed in dark clothing with gold trim. He sat crossed legged reading a book. My fear overcame me and I fell to the floor. When I awoke the next morning, I ran to my neighbor, Harriet, to tell her of my experience. She suggested that I research the house to learn of its past. She believes a spirit has made himself comfortable in our home." "In the archives of The College of William and Mary, I found the story and picture of a man who passed away years earlier in the house. I was shocked to find the man in the picture and the ghost in my parlor, to be one in the same! I learned his name to be Disosway. I am hoping his spirit will pass on soon. We are frightened by him and fear what he might do." Source: Penguin Press, Jackie Eileen Behrend The Hauntings of Williamsburg, Yorktown, and Jamestown: http://www.amazon.com/The-Hauntings-Williamsburg-Yorktown-Jamestown/dp/0895872102