Supernatural and Occult – The UncommonWealth

The Legend of Chessie

While the Loch Ness Monster lives in Scotland, the Chesapeake Bay has its own legendary creature: Chessie. The story can be followed through the Rappahannock…

Casey ClaubergNovember 26, 2025

Manuscripts & Special Collections

The Tale of Wizard Clip

In the late 18th century, Adam Livingston and his family were bedeviled by invisible shears. Crescent-moon-shaped holes appeared in their clothing and shoes and saddles;…

Kelly DaltonOctober 31, 2025

Public Libraries

I Ain’t Afraid of No Ghosts: Ghost Hunting Kits Now Available at Franklin County Public Library

If you’ve ever felt a mysterious chill in the air, heard footsteps in an empty hallway, or wondered if that creaky noise was more than…

Guest ContributorOctober 13, 2025

Commonwealth v. Witch

I I stumbled across a newspaper article in the September 18th issue of the Virginian Herald, dated September 13, 1822. Its title?I was confused. The…

Courtney ThompsonOctober 7, 2024

Good Witch or a Bad Witch?: The Grace Sherwood Trial and Pardon

Fall is in the air and Pumpkin Spice is everywhere (that includes my coffee). It’s October, the month of Halloween! I loved Halloween as a…

Amanda MorrellOctober 2, 2023

Manuscripts & Special Collections Virginia Authors

Werewolves, Witches, and Vampires – Oh My!

In celebration of the approaching All Hallows’ Eve, here are a few titles from the Library’s collections that merit special mention:An interesting exploration of the…

Lisa WehrmannOctober 3, 2022

Archives Virginia Authors

The Mysterious Dr. Howard and the Gunston Hall Scandal of 1894

Nineteenth-century newspapers were often filled with tales of fraud. Stories of credit scams, dubious identities, duplicitous lovers, and a myriad of other reported confidence schemes…

Kevin ShupeDecember 15, 2021

Newspapers

There Be Great Witches Among Them: Witchcraft and the Devil in Colonial Virginia

Salem witch trials are among the most well-known instances of witchcraft in colonial America, but belief in witches was not limited to New England. The colonists…

Olin JohnsonOctober 26, 2017

If The Dead Could Talk: A Patrick County Estate Dispute

In 1999, the horror film The Sixth Sense introduced the iconic phrase, “I see dead people,” into pop culture. The film followed the progression from a young…

Sherri BagleyOctober 14, 2015