THE STORY
Reported Haunting
The Exchange Hotel Civil War Museum served as a receiving hospital during the Civil War and is regarded as one of Virginia's most haunted historic sites. Visitors have reported apparitions of soldiers and nurses, disembodied voices, phantom footsteps, and unexplained cold spots throughout the building. Paranormal investigators have documented numerous reports of unusual activity connected to the hospital's tragic past.
The Civil War Museum at the Exchange Hotel is rumored to house some residents who died over a century ago. The hotel became a hospital in 1862, and was considered America’s first triage hospital. One of the ghosts here is believed to be a Union corporal who was the last patient to leave when the hospital closed in 1865. Strange sounds, cold spots, and closing doors have been witnessed, and another ghost, an African-American cook named Anna, has been known to speak. When she was asked what she was cooking, she said, “I cook fried chicken.” Other apparitions here also have spoken to guests, tricking them into thinking they were historic re-enactors or employees. Ghosts that have been seen here include nurses, children, and the surly Major Quartermaster Richards.