Williamsburg Ghost Tour

12. Peyton Randolph House

Williamsburg, VA

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You are looking at the Peyton Randolph house, the 2nd most haunted place on the East Coast. Many Different spirits are rumored to be in the Peyton Randolph House. Hauntings are believed to number in the twenties, and the house is known for its many suicides and tragic stories. The first account is of Eve, the personal slave of Betty Randolph, wife of Peyton Randolph. Betty was accustomed to getting her way, and was known for her short and fearsome temper when things didn't go her way. Betty's slaves suffered the brunt of her anger, and none suffered more than her personal slave, Eve. Betty's constant fits of rage made Eve's life constantly miserable. In 1775, Eve left her son and escaped, joining eight other Randolph slaves in running away after the Governor's proclamation of freedom for slaves escaping patriot families in exchange for serving the British Army. Eve returned to the Randolph house five years later, although no one knows if she was captured or returned voluntarily to be with her son. Eve was beaten and whipped as punishment for running away, and was treated so harshly that she ran away a second time. Eve was captured within a year and was beaten badly after her second return. But the worst punishment that Betty left for Eve was in her will. When Betty died in late 1782, her will stated "Whereas Eve's bad behavior has laid me under the necessity of selling her. I order and direct the money she sold for may be laid out in purchasing two Negroes in lieu of Eve." Selling Eve tore her away from her family and likely meant that she would be sold into even worse conditions. When the new owners came to claim Eve, she resisted, screaming and crying as the new owner tore her from her son. The new owner put Eve on his horse face down, with her wrists tied to her ankles under the horse's belly. Then, Eve issued a promise. Eve vowed vengeance on all who inhabited the Randolph house, and tragedy has followed subsequent generations of the house, as many people committed suicide or died suddenly. In a stay at the house in 1824, the French Revolutionary war hero Marquis de Lafayette wrote of his haunting experience. "I considered myself fortunate to lodge in the home of a great man, Peyton Randolph. Upon my arrival, as I entered through the foyer, I felt a hand on my shoulder. It nudged me as if intending to keep me from entering. I quickly turned, but found no one there. The nights were not restful as the sounds of voices kept me awake for most of my stay." The building was a lodging house in the 1960s and 1970s. One guests stormed out in the middle of the night. He remarked, "I was resting comfortable when awakened by the peculiar feeling that someone was tugging on my arm. Naturally, I assumed I was dreaming, so I rolled over and went back to sleep. A short while later, I was being shaken violently! As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I could see that I was completely alone. I darted out of bed and ran as fast as I could. I didn't even go back to collect the things I'd left behind." One haunting is of a young ex-Confederate soldier who lived at the Randolph house. He survived the Civil War, and put down his arms to resume his life and studies at the college at William and Mary. When life looked promising, the young man fell suddenly and violently ill. The Peachy family did all they could to save the young man, but to no avail. It is believed that the spirit of the young man still lingers in the house. Many have said that they have seen the apparition of a male and have heard heavy footsteps. Others hear what sounds like steps of boots with spurs. Perhaps they are those of the young soldier, a restless soul whose life was cut short. The ghost may be one of the Peachy family?s sons that died after falling from the tree he was climbing in the backyard (tree crack, thump). One reported apparition is a friendly, older woman dressed in a white, flowing gown. Others have seen a young girl with golden curls pacing at the top of the stairs, the same child that also fell to her death on those very stairs. Sounds of breaking mirrors or windows are also heard. One night in 2004, a security guard on patrol responded to an open cellar door that he found in the house late at night. He went in to investigate, and found no one inside. But before he could leave, the doors slammed shut above him. He was startled and tried to exit, but the doors were locked. His radio did not work and he could not call for help. (Door slam). Trapped, in the dark with a flashlight, the man waited for help to arrive, as he stood surrounded by cold, eerie darkness and an invisible presence that had trapped him in the basement. The Peyton Randolph House is one of the oldest structures in all of Colonial Williamsburg, and it has seen its fair share of tormented souls. Sources: Penguin Press, Jackie Eileen Behrend The Hauntings of Williamsburg, Yorktown, and Jamestown: http://www.amazon.com/The-Hauntings-Williamsburg-Yorktown-Jamestown/dp/0895872102 and http://www.hauntedhouses.com/states/va/williamsburg_colonial.htm and http://www.williamsburgcc.com/civilwar/stories/ghosts/