by Kala Ambrose
Some reports say that when his ship arrived near Beaufort, the captain boarded a rowboat with some of his crew to head up to the Hammock House to meet up with his fiancée Samantha and attend the engagement party being thrown for them there. As the rowboat neared the bank beside the Hammock House, the Mad captain saw Samantha chatting with another man. This mystery man drew Samantha into his arms and kissed her on the cheek. Outraged by this sight, Mad hit the shore with his sword drawn and challenged the mystery man to a fight. The man had no idea who Mad was and drew his sword to defend himself. The fight was fierce and moved from the backyard into the Hammock House, with the two men slashing away at each other.
The Old Burying Grounds Cemetery is the final resting place of soldiers from the War of 1812, the Revolutionary War, and the Civil War. Locals report frequent sightings of soldiers walking the grounds at nightfall.
Others claim that the legend began as Captain Madison’s ship docked in port. As the captain and his crew entered the town of Beaufort, they went for a drink at a local pub before heading over to the captain’s engagement party at the Hammock House. While in town at a tavern, the captain overheard idle gossip from the locals wondering who the young man was who had been running all over town the past few days with Madison’s fiancée. The locals also went on to tell the captain that this young man was staying at the Hammock House with his fiancée. This news drove an already drunken Mad into a jealous rage.
Regardless of which way it began, Mad approached the party in the backyard and immediately picked a fight with the man speaking to Samantha. He walked up to his fiancée and yelled, “Betrayed!” And then the fight began. She protested and begged him to listen to her, as did several other people at the party who tried to stop the captain, but his crewmen held them back, saying the fight was a matter of honor.
The captain and the guest fought in the backyard, and the fight then moved into the Hammock House. Inside the house, the mystery man slipped on the stairs, and Mad took this opportunity to use his knife to stab the man deep in the chest, killing him. The captain never even asked the man a single question.
Mad and his crew jumped back in the rowboats at this point and took off to sea in their ship, never to be heard from again. A brokenhearted Samantha was left behind to handle the funeral for the deceased man, as well as to explain to arriving guests that there would be no engagement party or wedding. Who was the man who died so horribly? It was Samantha’s brother, Lt. Caruthers Ashby. He had traveled to be at his sister’s wedding, and he and Captain Mad had not yet met. It is said that there is a bloodstain where he died in the Hammock House that still appears in the home.
Other reports state that Mad later discovered through news that traveled from port to port that he had murdered Samantha’s brother, an innocent man—an innocent man who remains to haunt Hammock House to this day. I would imagine that Captain Mad was haunted by this news as well, as he lost his fiancée and his good name to his jealous rage.
One of the most popular haunted stories surrounding the Hammock House ended up providing physical proof of the ghosts that haunt the home. During the Civil War, three Union soldiers were ordered to take control of the Hammock House when Federal forces captured Beaufort. The house was vacant at the time, since many people had left the area before the advancing Union troops. The three officers entered the house, and they were never seen nor heard from again. Almost 60 years later, when renovations were being conducted near the back porch, workman uncovered the skeletal remains of the three soldiers. Many locals claim to see the ghosts of these soldiers walking around the Hammock House still searching the grounds.
With so much death surrounding the house, the likelihood of seeing orbs or ghosts in the windows of the house or on the grounds is high.
The Hammock House has reportedly had more than 31 owners and is now private property. Trespassing is not permitted. There is a local ghost tour in Beaufort, though, that will take you past the home and tell you the full story during the tour. I drove past the home and have to say psychically I felt more residual anger from the neighbors who perhaps are weary of ghosthunters wandering around their neighborhood.
One of my destinations in Beaufort was the Old Burying Ground Cemetery. It has been preserved and taken care of by the town and the Beaufort Historic Association. The cemetery has a genteel beauty to it, and the grounds are peaceful looking, with ancient oak trees and vines growing all around. It also has an active history of ghostly appearances. This cemetery has some of the most unusual gravesites I have ever seen—and I’ve seen plenty.
Some of the earliest graves were simply covered with slabs of cypress, others with seashells. A man identified as Captain Burns is buried here with a cannon from his ship on top of his gravestone, and a soldier is reportedly buried here standing straight up so that he could salute his king, even in death, while others disagree and claim that this gravesite is the final resting place of Lt. Caruthers Ashby, Samantha’s brother who died in the Hammock House.
One unusual grave is that of a little girl who was buried in a rum keg. She died at sea, and the captain placed her small body in a rum keg until the ship could land in Beaufort to give her a proper burial. Local children and adults visit her gravesite in the cemetery often and cover her grave with toys and flowers.
My experience tells me that the cemetery is haunted, it’s active, and if you want to experience seeing a ghost or sensing paranormal activity, this is a good place to do it. If you are psychic or sensitive at all, you will sense the presence of spirits as you near the area. Having said that, I also want to add that it is one of the most well cared for cemeteries that I have ever seen, so if you decide to take a trip and visit the Old Burying Grounds, please be kind, considerate, and respectful. Tread lightly and have respect for the people who are buried there, as this area has been their resting place for hundreds of years. As well, respect the local people who have worked diligently over the years to care for, protect, and preserve this state treasure.
When planning a trip to Beaufort for ghosthunting, you’ll find a wonderful variety of places to explore. It’s also close to Fort Macon, which I’ve discussed earlier in the book, so you can easily see both on the same weekend, if desired.
CHAPTER 10
The Spirited Revival of Bellamy Mansion
WILMINGTON
The Bellamy Mansion is an example of antebellum architecture in North Carolina.
“The more enlightened our houses are, the more their walls ooze ghosts.”
—Italo Calvino
DR. JOHN BELLAMY was a man of fortitude, and the mansion he built is a spectacular example of North Carolina architecture. Located in downtown Wilmington, the 22-room mansion is a stunning example of Greek Revival style. The mansion gives the impression of being a most inviting place; the formal gardens draw you in with their delightful colors and scents, and the towering columns give the sense of strength and stability. It’s easy to imagine a carefree life spent here by Dr. Bellamy, his wife, Eliza, and their ten children. Dr. Bellamy was a prominent and highly regarded physician and businessman in the area. Along with his medical practice, he owned a turpentine distillery, served as a director of the Cape Fear Bank, and was a stockholder of the Wilmington Railroad. While walking through each room, romantic images of tea parties, elaborate dinners, and mint juleps on the veranda come to mind.
The Bellamy family moved into their new home in March 1861. The life of Dr. Bellamy and his family was not without strife, though. Two months after the family moved in, the state of North Carolina seceded from the Union to enter the Civil War on the side of the Confederacy.
Dr. Bellamy was the owner of several plantations, and his slaves had taken part in some of the construction of the Bellamy Mansion. One of the most well known slaves was William Gould, who escaped from the mansion’s slave quarters in a rowboat, which he navigated down the Cape Fear River until he encountered a Union ship. His diary reports that he boarded the ship and immediately joined the Union navy
.
As the war began, the Bellamy family continued to reside in their home until an epidemic of yellow fever struck the area. The disease, coupled with nearby Fort Fisher falling to Union troops, led the family to retreat to their country home, Grovely Plantation.
The Union army captured Wilmington, and Gen. Joseph Hawley claimed the Bellamy Mansion as his headquarters and home. He refused to allow Dr. Bellamy to enter the mansion and went so far as to deny him entrance to the city of Wilmington. The Union government seized control of southern land, business property, and homes during this time, and it took years for Dr. Bellamy to recover his home. Almost four years later, in 1865, Dr. Bellamy traveled to Washington, D.C., to receive a presidential pardon in order to have his home returned to him.
After the war, the family began to restore the home. Mrs. Bellamy decided to build a black wrought iron fence around the home where she would create a formal garden. This garden is still lovingly tended to this day and can be enjoyed on the tour along with the rest of the mansion.
The black wrought iron fence caught my attention. There are supernatural teachings that state that wrought iron is reputed to hold spirits inside the area where the fence is built. Ghosts need energy to manifest, and iron, as a conductor of electricity, will ground the ghost when it comes into contact with the iron. Wrought iron fences around cemeteries were used in this capacity: they worked as a barrier to keep unwanted spirits beyond the fence and also to contain spirits that reside inside the fenced area. Iron horseshoes were also hung above front doors in the old days, as they were said to bring good luck by keeping a house free from unwanted spirits.
Unknowingly, when Mrs. Bellamy had the wrought iron fence constructed around the mansion, she may have created a barrier that holds ghosts inside the Bellamy Mansion today.
The Bellamy children grew up to be successful in their own rights, including John Jr., who became a U.S. Congressman. I found it intriguing, though, that out of the four daughters, only one married (Belle). One of the girls, Kate, died in infancy. The other two daughters, Eliza and Ellen, lived out the remainder of their lives together in the Bellamy Mansion. Eliza passed away in 1927, and Ellen died in 1946.
The house stood quiet until 1972, when the nonprofit Bellamy Mansion Corporation began restoration of the home in order to preserve the mansion. A few weeks after restoration began, a fire broke out in the home, destroying a large portion of the interior. The house was stabilized after the fire, and interior restoration resumed in 1992.
A woman in an elegant ball gown has been seen near the front door and porch area by a wide variety of local witnesses and visitors to the home. Many believe it to be the ghost of Ellen, the daughter who never married and the last of the original family to live in Bellamy Mansion.
In 1994, the fully restored Bellamy Mansion opened as a museum offering tours of the house and gardens. As I visited the Bellamy Mansion, I kept myself open to receiving any energetic disturbances that I might receive while inside the home, as well as keeping on the lookout for ghostly activity. The northeast corner of the land is where the original slave quarters were located, and it can’t help but be a somber area. Beyond this section, what I felt most around Bellamy Mansion was peaceful and restful. I felt a strong feminine presence in several parts of the mansion. While a spirit did not appear during my time at Bellamy Mansion, I could feel her energy. My feeling was that it was one of the sisters who lived most of her life in the home and simply never left.
Local stories suggest that daughter Ellen, who passed in 1946, still haunts the home. There are reports of hearing her wheelchair moving around various parts of the home. People have reported seeing a woman in a ball gown near the front door and on the front porch. Smudged handprints also appear overnight on the wall in Ellen’s bedroom and are found by staff the next day.
There are also a few reports of a Union soldier seen walking through the home, but most likely, this is an energy imprint–type of haunting, which is a time loop of captured energy that replays itself on a frequent basis. With an energetic imprint haunting, the ghost does not interact with the living, nor are they aware of the current time. The energy imprint just plays and replays the action, which was charged with the emotional intensity of such a strong nature that it has left behind an energetic recording.
Bellamy Mansion may be haunted, but the energy of the mansion is warm and welcoming, and Miss Ellen seems to enjoy opening her home to guests. The Bellamy Mansion hosts weddings and other special events throughout the year, and the caretakers of the home, both living and in spirit, appear to be pleased with the results.
CENTRAL CAROLINA
THE PIEDMONT, THE TRIANGLE, AND THE TRIAD
Cary
The Page-Walker Hotel
Chapel Hill
The Horace Williams House
The Carolina Inn
Durham
Stagville Plantation
Four Oaks
Bentonville Battlefield
Kernersville
Korner’s Folly
Raleigh
Mordecai Plantation
The State Capitol Building
Star
The Star Hotel
CHAPTER 11
Miss Deborah Still Looks After You at the Star Hotel
STAR
The Star Hotel is located in the geographical center of the state. (Photo by Gary Spivey)
“Life is a train of moods like a string of beads; and as we pass through them they prove to be many colored lenses, which paint the world their own hue, and each shows us only what lies in its own focus.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson
STAR IS KNOWN as the geographic center of North Carolina and once served as the junction where the East/West railway met the North/South railway. In 1866, gold was discovered in the area, and by 1874 gold mining was in full operation. According to the last reported census information, the town of Star consists of 1.2 miles and has fewer than 1,000 residents.
In 1896, Star was growing as a town, shipping lumber, turpentine, and bricks on the railroads. Traffic was increasing in Star, and a large wooden hotel known as the Star Hotel Bed & Breakfast was built to accommodate passengers traveling through the area. Passengers disembarked from the trains and stayed at the Star Hotel before catching another train the next morning.
A lot has changed in the town over the years. Currently, Star is known for its proximity to the town of Seagrove, where the state’s most talented artisans create pottery and art. Over the years, the Star Hotel fell upon hard times, and its future looked so bleak that people thought the hotel might not stand much longer. This would have been the case had it not been for Gary Spivey. You may know Gary for his wild white hair and his work as one of America’s most popular psychics. I was able to sit down and chat with him about his hometown of Star and to ask him about the haunted activity of the Star Hotel. It’s quite a story.
In 2004, Gary was visiting Star. He had spent time in the company of family and friends and was heading back out of town when he passed the dilapidated Star Hotel. As he drove by, he heard a voice tell him to buy the hotel. Gary, a world-renowned psychic who performs in Las Vegas and around the world, is used to hearing the voices from his spirit guides and angels prompting him when to take action in certain situations.
Gary was on a tight schedule and didn’t have time to stop and look at the hotel, so he argued with his guides, telling them that he must have misunderstood; what would he do with a hotel in Star, North Carolina? They persisted that he needed to purchase the property, so he picked up his phone and called his sister, who lives in Star, and asked her to go tour the property. She checked out the place and said it was in poor shape but that the bones were good and it was a beautiful historic place. Gary made an offer and bought the hotel without ever stepping foot on the premises.
Once he purchased the hotel, Gary and one of his business partners went to check out the property. They stayed in the hotel overnight. Gary describes it as feeling creepy
inside, and both men had a restless night’s sleep, each reporting from their rooms a feeling of someone watching them as they tried to sleep.
Gary began reconstruction on the hotel, and strange reports began to trickle in from construction workers on the site. Some would hear a baby crying in one of the rooms, and another saw a ghost of a man who reportedly fell off the roof and died when the hotel was originally being constructed. At night, while Gary slept in the hotel, a lady began to appear to him in the room. She had long black hair and was dressed conservatively from an older time. One night as she visited him, she said, “I’m really happy with what you are doing with my hotel.” She never identified herself to Gary, so he was unsure of her identity, even as she continued to visit.
One day, Gary discovered photos of the hotel from its earliest days. While looking through the photos, Gary recognized the woman who visited him in the evenings. It was Deborah Leach, the wife of Angus Leach. The Leaches were the original owners of the Star Hotel and ran the hotel during its heyday, when the railroad brought passengers through the area each day.
As construction progressed on the hotel, Deborah began to appear on a regular basis. Today, Deborah often makes her presence known to the staff and guests throughout the hotel. When she appears, she is busy working in the bedrooms, in the kitchen, and in the dining room. Everyone who reports seeing her ghost finds her to be welcoming, and she appears to be happy with the hotel in operation again.
