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Staunton River Battlefield     

Randolph Va http://www.stauntonriverbattlefield.org/  

Confederate Prison Located In Danville VA  Oct 30, 2004

We did not take this trip to be ghost hunting as much as it was for a history lesson. The whole team are huge history buffs. The trip turned out to be very eventful.Things always have a way of finding us even if we don't go looking. We visited Danville Confederate prison #6 first but was unable to tour inside. There is a machine shop that owns the place now and it was closed. If there is ghost any where it would be there. When it was a civil war prison they had over 500 men to die with the small pox...not to mention the other deaths. It was a tobacco warehouse back then and was turned into a civil war prison along with 5 other buildings. This one is the last one standing. It has not changed much since then.

This is a odd pic that I got looking away from the old prison with my digital camera...

Staunton River Battlefield

At the battlefield, the weather could not have been any better. It was rather warm, about 80 degrees. There was also a beautiful blue sky with a light breeze! We toured the museum and checked out all the war relics there. Then we headed on out to the earthworks and trenches.  The soldiers had dug them to defend the Staunton River railroad bridge from the north.The battle is known as "The Battle Of The Old Men And Young Boys". History has it that QUOTE "grey haired men and boys of fifteen" joined the confederates to defend the bridge. I rambled amongst the trenches with my voice recorder, recording notes on what I saw. I was in tranced with the surroundings and the feel of it all. I swear I could actually put my self there during the Civil War and see the sights and the sounds of that time and place then. I let my thoughts be carried away like the hundreds of gold, red, orange leaves that was falling around me in the warm fall breeze. I walked on and I could see the Staunton river Bridge. It was enormous and very majestic. The bridge there today is not the same bridge that was there back then. The new bridge was built in the early 1900's but it made use of the old columns and such. It is 4 ft higher than the original bridge. I left my vr the whole time I was walking. I spotted my brother on the opposite side of the bridge and I made my way to him. The whole time I had a feeling that I was not alone.

The earthworks

Inside the center of the earthworks...what they call the "breast"

The bridge

"The Mighty Staunton River"

When I got to where Mike is, he was standing there looking troubled and in deep thought. I asked him what was wrong he exclaimed "DID YOU HEAR THAT?" I said "what"? He said I heard a woman scream! I did not hear anything but we did make a mental note of where Mike and I was standing. There was a noticeable temp change and it was cool. I just shrugged it off due to the fact we were standing over the water. Mike was clearly uneasy and bothered by what he heard.

We walked on out the long trail toward the train depot. On both sides of the trail were beautiful open green fields as far as you can see. It was serene considering the death and stuff that had taken place there many years ago. We made our way back to get the car and drive to the train depot on the other side of the park. When we got there the old train depot is actually a museum. They had many Indian artifacts that were dug up on the park. They had discovered a tribe of Indians that lived there 800 years ago. I was absorbed in the contents of the place. I took many pictures of the relic's there. 

A drawing of what the remains looked like that was dug up. They were unearthed at the  "WADE SITE".

I spoke to the ranger and asked her about the haunted hay ride that I had noticed a flyer posted for.  She then volunteers the info that there have been sighting of a lady walking the bridge that jumped from the bridge when her love was killed in battle. I just looked at Mike and shook my head and smiled. He must have picked up on what had happened there on that bridge. He is rather sensitive. The ranger then tells us of a ghost that haunts the Mulberry Plantation House there on the Park. She has been seen in the parlor of the enchanting mansion. My brother then says to me "WELL YOU MIGHT AS WELL TELL HER WHAT WE DO" he was referring to our ghost hunting research. The lady ranger told me she believed in ghosts. I thought that was pretty cool.

A drawing of what the Mulberry Hill Plantation looked like then

The house today.....JUST AS BEAUTIFUL!

Staunton River Bridge  Evp