Ghostly Happenings in Delaware

Haunted Rooms and Strange Phenomenon

In Bethany Beach, visit the beautiful Addy Sea, a Victorian-style bed and breakfast with amazing sea views. The house was built in 1902 and named after John M. Addy. Guests frequently report sightings of an elderly gentleman in Victorian clothing, believed to be John M. Addy himself, particularly near the ocean-facing windows.

Among the haunted rooms is Room Number 1, where the copper bathtub violently shakes on occasion. Room Number 11, is haunted by Paul Delaney, a man who once worked at the Addy Sea. In this room, things move about on their own.

For ghostly entertainment mysterious music floats through the building; perhaps there are spirits who want to dance. A ghostly spirit has been seen running through the hallways in the evening, and the air is filled with the scent of perfume.

Headless British Soldier

About 4000 British and Hessian soldiers marched from Maryland into Delaware on September 3, 1777. These soldiers had no idea that about 800 militia and Continental Army soldiers were ready to ambush them. Severe fighting took place at Cooche’s Bridge, a property along the Christina River. When the Americans ran out of ammunition, they retreated, and the British took Philadelphia on September 26, 1777. Many of the Delawareans who fought at Cooch’s Bridge wintered with General George Washington at Valley Forge.

On foggy, moonless nights, a headless British soldier is said to wander along the road near the haunted battle site, looking for the head a cannonball struck from his shoulders.

Today, the Pencader Heritage Museum’s collection includes the painting The Ghost of Cooch’s Bridge. Visit the facility to learn more about the only Revolutionary War battle on Delaware soil. (pictured above)

The Ghostly Spirit of Sandy

If you love blue crabs, then head for Delaware City and enjoy them at Dolly Spanker’s with a waterfront view. In 2005, John Buchheit and Dale Slotter purchased the old Delaware City Hotel. Buckheit slept in one room and dreamed a chambermaid told him to leave. A year later, Nancy Myer of Court TV’s Psychic Detectives channeled a spirit who said a former maid named Sandy was haunting the building. Supposedly she died at the hotel and now likes to flick lights on and off and keep people from the fourth floor. You can enjoy spending the night at the Delaware City Hotel as long as you don’t mind sharing space with a ghostly maid.

The Ghostly Cat Man

Be brave and visit the Long Cemetery in Frankford. Here you’ll encounter the Cat Man. He was a gravekeeper who spent a lot of time chasing troublemakers out of the cemetery. This man looked feline, and now that he has become a ghostly spirit, those feline features have become more prominent, and the ghost appears to be a part cat, part man-like creature. If you knock on his tomb and disturb him when he is at rest, he will mess with your car so that you have trouble leaving the cemetery, and I would not want to find out what he would do at that time.

High-Pitched Screams and Ghostly Spirits of a Miller and His Son

A popular place in Bear is Lum’s Pond State Park. Lum’s Pond is a favorite destination for hikers, bikers, picnickers, paddlers, and campers. Unfortunately, the area is also haunted by a runaway girl who met her demise in the 1870s at the hands of a murderer. Now near the Swamp Forest Hiking Trail, you can hear high-pitched screams and muffled shouts.

Its namesake is John Lum, who ran a mill house along the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal. Visitors have reported seeing the miller and his son roaming the grounds and hearing the phantom sounds of a water wheel.

Strange Sounds and Unexplained Phenomenon

In Dover, Poplar Hall was the former home of John Dickson. He was a key figure in the American Revolution, often referred to as the "Penman of the Revolution." Today the house is considered one of the most haunted in Delaware. It is a museum with guided tours. Visitors have heard strange sounds coming from Dickson’s study, such as a quill pen scratching on parchment paper. Strange orbs have been seen, cold spots felt, and unexplained sounds heard in the hallways.

Mary and the Shadow Man

Located in Wilmington, the Rockwood Mansion was built between 1851 and 1854. At one time this was the retirement home of a merchant banker named Joseph Shipley, who destined the house to look like an English country estate.

Over the years, staff have seen the spirit of a man in a red smoking jacket and the ghostly spirit of Shipley’s great-niece Mary Bringhurst. She died in the home in 1965 at the age of 100. At times when she is present, there is the scent of lilacs, which was her favorite perfume. Her old bedroom has cold spots.

Would you like to know what is in the basement? There is the ghostly spirit of the Shadowman as well as the ghost of a dog. Floating orbs are seen, and the sound of footsteps on the stairs. The house was featured on the TV show “Ghost Hunters” in 2015. Today it’s a museum that holds ghost tours during Halloween.

The Woodburn Ghost

If you're interested in the paranormal, head for Dover and meet the Woodburn ghost. This ghostly spirit is so well-known that the Delaware government devoted an entire page to him. The origin of the ghost dates back to Charles Hillyard III, who built the Georgian Woodburn Mansion in 1789, and son-in-law Dr. Martin W. and daughter Mary Hillyard Bates purchased the home from his estate. In 1815, while the Bateses were entertaining a Methodist preacher at breakfast, the hostess asked him to lead them in prayer. The preacher suggested they wait for the other guest. He was informed that there was no other guest, but he had passed by a man in a powdered wig, knee breeches, and a ruffled shirt—in other words, Charles Hillyard III in spirit.

Soon he became known as the Woodburn ghost, as others have seen him as well. The master of the house enjoys wine, and if a glass of wine is left for him at night, it will be gone by morning.