Not Roswell, Rosewell – The Haunted Historical Mansion

Gloucester, Virginia is no stranger to history.  Every fiber of this city seems to be infused with an intensity that so many historical places are destined to contain.  And so it’s no surprise that one of the oldest buildings – now ruins after a tragic fire – would be haunted by its history and more than a few ghosts as well.  Though the name looks like Roswell, the only alien you will find here is the alien preternatural feeling of mystery that fills the air.

It all began in the 1725 when a wealthy landowner decided to build the mansion that would see several generations for over a century.  When the building burned down, it was seen as a tragedy for the local and regional history, but some would say it was a matter of national history as well as the Page family who had been responsible for its being built had been one of the first families in the United States.  But there was more to it than just that.  Somewhere along the course of that long history, tragedy would strike the family several times.  And its long echoing halls, now simply burned remnants standing like a tombstone against the backdrop of the York River, are said to now contain the remnants of those tragedies – in the form of ghosts.

But there was another time – when the family would host extravagant parties and balls for the wealthy elites in the region.  Indeed several history makers would pass through the now moss covered front gates on their way to a social occasion that could not be missed.  But if you hear echoing laughter or whispering now it is coming from curiosity seekers or possibly a source impossible to identify.

And though the walls of the building have long since been gutted by fires, a graveyard nearby still stands as yet another remnant to a time long before and those who occupied the Page Family Mansion.  But visitors to the area have reported feeling various paranormal effects including a sudden drop in temperature which has been recorded as being as extreme in some areas as fifteen degrees Fahrenheit.  The same can be felt on occasion inside the burned ruins as well.

But perhaps the most disturbing element comes with one of the most troubling aspects of the mansion’s history as well.  The sounds of slave songs have been heard by visitors wafting over the fields up to the house reminding those who stop there of the tragic and painful aspects of the time.  And there is one other thing – perhaps the most dramatic apparition to come to the Page Family Mansion who allegedly can be seen most nights around midnight.  According to the legend, a young woman can be seen every night walking down the steps of the house’s remains – walking down the steps as if to leave, and yet never being able to.