Given both our geographical and historical location, no one can argue that we don’t have a lot of stories to tell here in Northern Virginia. Given also that this is the month for dark stories, it seems fitting to share one or two about Occoquan – a very small town on the Potomac, not far from Woodbridge, with an extraordinary number of reported hauntings.
Occoquan was settled by the Dogue Indians who gave the region its name. The earliest mention of the town appears in a record from 1734 in which the Virginia General Assembly directed that a tobacco warehouse be built here. It has always been a small settlement – even today there are fewer than 1000 residents.
The Occoquan Inn, built in 1810 on the site of what had been the community’s tavern, has a spicy ghost story to tell. As the town grew, the Dogue natives were pushed further and further westward, that is, all but one young man who was enamored by the innkeeper’s young wife. One late evening as the innkeeper climbed the stairs to retire, he came face to face with the young man who was on his way back down after a visit. The startled innkeeper shot his challenger dead before he could reach the last step. Years later, guests at the Inn began seeing a tall man with long black hair and dignified face at different spots throughout the building. He seems to favor a certain mirror upstairs in the ladies’ room, yet he disappears when viewers turn quickly to see him face-to-face.
There are a number of other unearthly sightings throughout the town. The Golden Goose at 302 Mill Street, originally Leary’s Lumber and Hardware, hosts a poltergeist who tends an old sales counter near the front window after hours. Further down the street at 307 Mill Street, Brambles boasts a female spirit who roams the shop with a candle in the early morning hours. The Confederacy is also well represented by a soldier who haunts the Rockledge Mansion.
Northern Virginia is rich in American history, so why not make it a part of your history, too? Whatever your property goals may be, residential or commercial, I’m here to help you meet them. Give me a call on 703-442-0007, ext 1, or send me an email at conor@jcadvantage.com. If you prefer, drop by the office at 8245 Boone Blvd, Suite 410 in Vienna, and let’s get started on your own Northern Virginia story.
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