3 Tales of Ghostly Heartache

If you’re looking for chilling ghostly tales of love and heartache this Valentine’s season then look no further. From forbidden love to untimely death, here are three tales of heartbroken ghosts who still haunt the grounds where they lost the love of their lives.

Residing in Fredericksburg, Virginia, Chatham Manor was built in 1771 by slaves and craftsmen. It was financed by William Fitzhugh who often threw parties at the manor and was visited by such guests as Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, and George Washington.

When a young woman fell in love with a drysalter her furious father sent her away from England to live at Chatham Manor. However, the young drysalter would not let his low social status get in the way of his love for the wealthy lady. After some time and planning he made his way to America and found the young woman at the manor. They planned to elope.

It is rumored that a servant overheard their romantic plans and told them to General George Washington. On the evening of their scheme, the young woman climbed down a rope ladder only to meet Washington himself. Her father sent her back to England, where she had no idea what happened to her betrothed.

On her deathbed, she vowed to find out what happened to her lover. She passed away on June 21, 1790, the same day her spectral figure was first seen on the property. Now she appears every seven years in a white colonial-style dress and is seen walking by the river, where it is thought she was to meet the low status drysalter she was so coldly kept from. It is believed that she appears every seven years because that was the usual period of indentured servitude at the time.

Located near the heart of the French Quarter in New Orleans, the Dauphine Orleans Hotel has a rich history. Part of its history included a brothel known as a “sporting house” at the time. May Baily’s sporting house opened in 1857. Her younger sister, Millie Baily, wanted nothing to do with the prostitution enterprise May had built. In 1861 Millie met a confederate soldier. They fell deeply in love and he soon proposed to young Millie Baily. Ecstatic, Millie had a beautiful wedding gown made for the occasion.

On the day of the wedding her solider was shot and killed, allegedly over a gambling dispute. Never able to marry in the exquisite wedding gown in life, the spectral figure of Millie Baily is often seen donning her dress by guests of the hotel. She wears a forlorn expression, forever waiting to marry her soulmate.

An interesting detail of this story is the spectral figure of a confederate soldier often seen pacing in the courtyard. He has been given the name of “The Worried General” by ghost hunters and staff. Is he the man Millie had meant to marry? Are they unable to be together, forever waiting and searching, even in death?

In Stowe, Vermont there is a covered bridge not unlike others in New England. The official name of the single lane bridge is the Gold Brook Covered Bridge, but unlike others in the region it is better known by the name of its resident vengeful spirit, Emily.

Like so many of these stories go, Emily fell in love and was to meet her lover at the bridge and elope. He never showed. Rather than continue her life, Emily hung herself from the rafters and died by suicide.

Today, witnesses have reported seeing a spectral figure of a girl at the bridge. Some have heard an unnatural voice and others have been scratched. Even cars have been reported to be gouged by the spectral claws of Emily when passing under her bridge.

What is it about love that brings so much pain and tragedy to our lives? What is it about love that keeps ghosts locked in time, unable to move on? Maybe one day we will have the answers. For now, let us read the tales of ghostly heartache rather than become the victims ourselves.

Have a Spooky Valentines!

Shannon

**For anyone struggling with depression, please utilize the resources at hand. In the United States you can call or text 988 at anytime of day or night. You are worth the fight.**