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| True Delaware Ghost Stories
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Fort Delaware
Delaware City, Delaware
Fort Delaware was built on Pea Patch Island in Delaware, to defend the cities of Philadelphia and New York based on the recommendation from Pierre L'Enfant. Construction on the fort was completed in 1859, two years before the Civil War. The fortress was constructed in the shape of a pentagon and covered 6 acres of land. The walls surrounding the fort are thirty two feet high, seven to thirty feet thick and made of granite and brick. Wooden barracks were built on the perimeter to house the Confederate prisoners of war however, after the Battle of Gettysburg in July 1863, the amount of prisoners swelled to almost 13,000, leading to horrible conditions. Water became putrefied and food scarce. Many of the prisoners were starving. Prison guards would clean and fry rats and throw them into the barracks for the prisoners to eat. The prisoners were afflicted with smallpox, measles, diarrhea, dysentery and scurvy as well as louse. The first prisoners were casualties from the Battle of Kernstown in 1862, and in 1863 most of the prisoners from Gettysburg were brought here. A total of 32,000 prisoners passed through Fort Delaware. Most of the 2,700 prisoners who died here are buried at nearby Finn's Point National Cemetery, across the Delaware River in New Jersey. General Albin F. Schoepf was commandant of Fort Delaware and was dreaded by the Confederates. He was known by the soldiers as "General Terror". With all the suffering that took place in Fort Delaware, there is bound to be a ghost or two. Well, there is. Many employees and guests alike have seen ghostly beings on a number of occasions. On one such occasion, visitors reported seeing a confederate soldier watching their every move from the upper ramparts. Many people have also complained about cold spots throughout the fort, strange and eerie noises and some have even reported smelling the odour of gun powder in the air.
Woodburn
Dover, Delaware
In 1784, the Governor’s Mansion, know as “Woodburn” was built by Charles Hillyard III. The home is one of the finest Middle Period Georgian homes in Delaware. It is a well proportioned structure with three floors, an attic and a basement. Over the years Woodburn has had many different owners, starting with the Hillyard family in 1784 to the current day resident and governor of Delaware, Ruth Ann Minner. It also was once station of the Underground Railroad during the 1840s and 1850s. Allegedly, a tunnel ran from a secret room in the basement and traveled beneath the rear grounds of the property out to the St. Jones River. Here, slaves escaping the south, would sneak into waiting boats, and from the St. Jones River, they were transported north along the Delaware River to Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Woodburn also has many ghosts and possibly unwanted residents. In 1815 while entertaining a guest, Dr. and Mrs. Martin Bates were surprised when their guest, a Methodist preacher, described a man he met on the stairs. The man he described was Mrs. Bates’ father, and builder of the house, Charles Hillyard III, who had died. Other people have reported seeing the ghost of Mr. Hillyard over the years, usually on the staircase. If a glass of wine is left out overnight, Mr. Hillyard will empty the glass. It is also believed that a small girl in a gingham dress and bonnet haunts the mansion. She can be seen carrying a candle and walking around the reflecting pool. She is believed to be a twentieth century apparition due to the fact that the reflecting pool was only added during the ownership of Senator Daniel Hastings from 1912 until 1918. There is also a story of a tree that was removed in 1998. This tree had a hollowed trunk and was used as a hiding place for a slave trying to escape his pursuers. The slave was caught and killed. His screams are still heard in the area where the tree once stood. There have also been many reports of a ghost that rattles chains in the basement, strange lights all over the house and the feeling of someone tugging on your clothes.
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