THE STORY
Reported Haunting
A ghostly humanlike figure is said to glide silently across the water of Virginia Tech's Duck Pond. Local ghost lore has suggested that the apparition may be connected to the violent events at Draper's Meadow in 1755, when several settlers were killed and others, including Mary Draper Ingles, were taken captive. Historical research places the Draper's Meadow settlement and attack somewhere in the vicinity of the modern Virginia Tech campus and Duck Pond, although the identity of the reported apparition—and any connection to those events—remains purely legendary.
The Virginia Tech Duck Pond is a scenic campus landmark along Stroubles Creek on the university's Blacksburg campus. The present pond is man-made and was created during development of the area in the 1930s. The surrounding landscape, however, is historically associated with the colonial-era Draper's Meadow settlement.