Everyone who knows me knows that I’m not one for scary movies, stories or anything that will terrify me - I’m easily startled. I’m a complete wuss when it comes to folklore and ghost stories. Granted I love it, I’m obsessed with it. But, I end up psyching myself out and I end up having to sleep with the lights on.

With our huge issue of Guide to Loudoun being put together this month, I was put in charge of it by assigning people topics, coming up with story ideas, etc. The entire theme of the issue is the Civil War in Loudoun. One of my brilliant ideas, if I do say so myself, was to write a piece on Civil War ghosts in Loudoun. Considering I grew up in Leesburg, I knew a good idea of what I was going to focus on. I’ve been on the tours, I’ve heard the stories and I’ve even gone out in the middle of the night to “ghost hunt” and experienced paranormal activity.

I won’t give too much away ... I still want people to read the article. But, I focused on two houses in Historic Downtown Leesburg - the Glenfiddich House and the Lynch House. Both extremely haunted. I came to know the Lynch House as the “keys” house due to the fact that the owner’s keys would mysteriously disappear and reappear randomly. As a child, I feared this house. Any type of entity that could hide objects is not okay in my book. I think I feared them hiding my glasses while I was sleeping, and then I’d wake up, not be able to see and have to fumble my way through the house blind.

The Glenfiddich House is haunted by Colonel Erasmus Burt, who died in the home after the Battle of Ball’s Bluff. Some say you can see a stain where he laid in the front parlor room ... a stain of blood! They also heard footsteps walking around the second floor, seen impressions in the bed that is in the room where he took his last breath and the clinking of a wedding ring going up the staircase’s banister.

I wasn’t as frightened by this story as I was with the Lynch House, which has two ghosts - a benevolent one and a poltergeist. Yes, that’s exactly what I want to hear about ... poltergeists. The “nice ghost” is helpful to the owners and has a welcoming presence. But, the poltergeist, which is said to be a man from the Civil War, is maniacal. He’s been said to be heard chuckling in the front room, makes the lights flicker when the topic of the Civil War is brought up and he’s the one hiding keys.

Even placing these stories into print one more time freaks me out. I feel this never ending presence of someone watching over my back. If someone were to grab my shoulder right now, I’d probably jump and let out the most girlish scream known to mankind. As for my other paranormal experiences in Loudoun County, it’s something that I chose not to discuss freely, because I feel as if I’m still carrying around that presence I picked up in the woods outside of Leesburg off a road called Woodburn - which is another entry all on its own.

The same effect was done at the Glenfiddich House, as you can see the tracing of the staircase. Staff Photo/Beverly Denny