Haunted Richmond, Virginia

by Pamela K. Kinney

Richmond is chock-full of ghosts and haunted places. This city names Edgar Allan Poe as its native son, and it is rich in ghostly lore, legends, and tales. Join this tour - Learn why Virginia's governor shares his mansion with ghosts; - Dine with ghosts at Ruth's Chris Steak House and Crab Louie's Seafood Tavern; - Discover that the Byrd Theatre has more than movies to offer customers; - Visit the prison in Powhatan (it might not be safe, even for those working there); - Call on the Lady in Red who roams the corridors at Wrexham Hall. These and other interesting and scary stories will transport you beyond, to a Richmond that most mortals never see!

Genres: Ghosts, Paranormal, Nonfiction, History

128 pages, Paperback

First published June 15, 2007

About the author

Author Pamela K. Kinney gave up long ago trying not to listen to the voices in her head and has written award-winning, bestselling horror, fantasy. science fiction, poetry, along with nonfiction ghost books ever since. Three of her nonfiction ghost books garnered Library of Virginia nominations. Her third ghost book, Virginia’s Haunted Historic Triangle: Williamsburg, Yorktown, Jamestown, and Other Haunted Locations, reached a second printing and is now a 2nd edition with extra new stories and ten new ghostly images added. Her horror short story, “Bottled Spirits,” was runner-up for the 2013 WSFA Small Press Award and is considered one of the seven best genre short fiction for that year. She has horror, fantasy, and science fiction stories published in various anthologies and magazines, plus an urban fantasy novel, a science fiction novella published too. Her horror poem, “Dementia,” that was published in HWA Poetry Showcase Vol VII in 2020, got her name mentioned as one of five whose poems the editor liked in Best Horror of the Year, Volume 13 released in 2021. She has six nonfiction ghost books, five published by Schiffer Publishing, and the sixth by Anubis Press, and has a nonfiction book, Werewolves, Dogmen, and Other Shapeshifters Stalking America that released April 26, 2022, from Dreampunk Press, plus a short story to be included in Dreampunk Press’ Halloween horror anthology, Blame It on the Pumpkin, coming October 2022. She had a horror short story in latest issue of Sirens Call Ezine and has an article included in Horror Addicts Guide to Life 2 just released end of April 2022.

Pamela and her husband live with one crazy black cat (who thinks she should take precedence over her mistress’s writing most days). Along with writing, Pamela has acted on stage and film and investigates the paranormal for episodes of Paranormal World Seekers for AVA Productions. She is a member of both Virginia Writers Club and Horror Writers Association. You can learn more about her at http://www.PamelaKKinney.com.

Reviews

[Kelly Moran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Haunted Richmond, by Pamela Kinney is a tour guide through Richmond, Virginia. It relays stories, legends, myths, and historical facts that dispatch supposed haunting or ghostly lore in the area.
Pamela Kinney is a published author of fiction, horror, fantasy, paranormal romance, and science fiction- under the pen name Sapphire Phelan. She resides in Chesterfield, Virginia with her husband, Bill and pet cat and dog.
I didn’t find anything that would make this book stand apart from others in its genre. That’s not to say it wasn’t interesting, it was. However, it followed the path of others of its kind. It gave supposed accounts, tales, and sightings, along with pictures.
At times the wring could be a bit understated. It tended to jump around a bit, as well. If giving the history and then moving on to the myths or stories, I feel it best to stick to that format and not go from one to the other and back again. Some of the pictures left something to be desired, such as: The Haunts of Richmond Tour, The State Capitol, and the Coulters Theatre Seat. There were a few comma errors and typos throughout the book.
The book had some very strong elements to it. The pictures of: The Vampire Crypt, Confederate Granite Pyramid, The Dooley Mansion, and the Castle Thunder Prison were outstanding. The stories: Byrd Theatre, The Terrible Fire, The Catastrophe at the State Capitol, and Hollywood Cemetery were particularly interesting and well written. At times, the humor added was a delight, like in the story of the Berkley Plantation. I think the most interesting aspects to me were the historical facts that the author credits. This made the book stronger in a way that even if you do not believe in the paranormal, the tragedies and history behind some of the locations are fascinating to read about. She also gives specific addresses and websites in case you want to visit them. If you are going to be in the Richmond, Virginia area, I’d recommend taking this book along with you.

Kelly Moran,
Author and Reviewer

[Seth Julius · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was a kid, my father would drive around Richmond with my brother and me in the backseat telling stories about the ghosts who came off of the old battlefields. This book is great because it gives the reader insight into the city and its past.

[J.M. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had hoped to enjoy this book more, particularly since I live in Richmond. I didn't think it was particularly well-written, and most of the ghost stories revolved around things others had seen happen at the landmarks mentioned in the book. I wanted more detail as to why the ghosts lingered and their stories before death, not so much the bumps and frights they provided in the afterlife. Many times I felt that things were touched on just briefly when I would've liked more to the story than that.

One I recall in particular is the story of Patrick Henry's home. His wife was mentioned as a spirit still residing there, and one potential reason was brought up that maybe she still remained because while in life she lived confined to the lower rooms of the house due to madness. I wanted to know more about her life ~ why was she kept prisoner in her own home? what form of madness did she have? ~ but instead I got a few ghost stories that visitors and employees working at the home shared with the author.

While this would interest fans of the paranormal, it barely scratches the surface of legend and lore surrounding Richmond. If you want detailed histories behind the ghosts and not just stories told in passing, you'll want another book.

[Elaina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh… some of this book was neat and I DID learn a little history, but it mostly was kinda dull. So much of the information is glossed over in summary and there is SO much left out. Also, words like “obviously” are thrown around too often when it’s still ambiguous. I also don’t get why random stories by random people from random houses were included? In fact, there are a lot of places included that I don’t think of as “Richmond”. And so much of Richmond proper is left out… Also, by 2023, I think a lot of these “landmarks” are under new names.

[Deena Scintilla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting, quick read. Wish I'd known all of the cool places to visit when I lived in VA!

[Michelle Keene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love reading about my hometown. Some of these stories ive heard.. And as for Wrexham Hall, my sister and i have a story of it ourselves

[Terra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Haunted Richmond by Pamela K. Kinney is a delightful historic paranormal non fiction. This is the perfect book to have before going to Richmond so that you can plan out your ghostly tour. It's even good to buy and have as a keepsake of your trip to bring back the wonderful memories of what makes Richmond so popular.

I found this book to be quite entertaining and educational but wish it had just a bit more history with each story. The stories are short and to the point giving you a bit of background as to why the places on the Haunts of Richmond Ghost Tour are considered haunted. It's almost like watching some of the ghost shows on the Travel Channel, the Discovery Channel or even the History Channel. Either way the stories were wonderful to watch on television and this book is even more wonderful to read.

I just have to say a few of my favorite stories here were:

1. A Prophecy and a Terrible Fire
2. Hollywood Cemetery (for some reason I just can't pass up cemetery stories)
3. Berkeley Plantation
4. The Haunted Prison
5. Scary Spectors in Goochland.

Our author here has given us a nice rendition of folk tales, urban legends, ghost stories and history all in one book. Nicely written without fluffy filler or advertisements but you do get quite a few website listings that are usually included with each story they pertain to. I found this to be a big plus in my book as I can check out the websites and get more information if I choose to.

With more than two dozen ghostly stories I'm sure you will find some favorites that you would like to find out more about. You really can't go wrong with a book such as this one as it is a delicious treat for the paranormal reader.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a born-and-raised Richmonder, I am already familiar with many of the ghostly myths and legends surrounding my hometown, but it is always a pleasure to read more about the well-loved landmarks of my childhood. Pam Kinney has included brief but interesting histories of many of the haunted sites in her book, as well as some nice architectural details. I would have enjoyed more photographs! Particularly photos of ghostly phenomena. Reading this book (and also Ms. Kinney's Haunted Virginia: Legends, Myths, and True Tales) makes me want to take some road trips to check out some of the places I haven't been to before, or places I haven't visited in a while. One tends to forget the historical interest of one's home state--thanks to Ms. Kinney for reminding me!--and the added frisson of possible hauntings is the icing on the cake.

[Shelly♥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read another ghostie book by the author on the Historic Triangle area of VA and loved it. In that book, she gets very specific on the history and visits the locations herself, taking pictures and sharing her own experiences and feelings. This book is a little more subjective with other peoples stories, sometimes heard through the grapevine. While some of the locations are compelling, much of it just did not interest me. And Richmond has got to be crawling with hot spots for this stuff. I know she's written a second Richmond book, so maybe it will be a little more exciting.



Recommend for: People who like real ghost stories.

[Jeannie and Louis Rigod · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novella was a quick reading overview of popular 'ghost' haunts in Richmond, Virginia. The chapter headings give you a quick reference of locations and various famous, or not so famous, sites and personages that Richmond is known for.

There are the usual Civil War haunts, but, to me, I enjoyed the tales of restaurants, trains, parkways, and other locations.

The author tried to give web sites and locations/phone numbers in case you have a chance to 'ghost hunt' for yourself.

[Chariss Walker]

Young adult, non-fiction, ghosts

[Jenifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a horribly written book, but the few little tidbits about Richmond history were interesting.

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is packed with short tales of hauntings in the Richmond area. This was a fun, quick read that made me want to visit the area!