Richmond Virginia

Waverly House

A spirit of a former falsely accused owner who lost his property found some peace.

DESCRIPTION

This handsome, red brick home, that has been known by several names, has white window sills and a Grecian front porch, complete with pillars, and was probably built between 1770-1800. In 1813, the Flemish Bond chimneys were added to the structure, as some of the bricks in the house’s west chimney inscribed with the numbers 1813.

The original floor plan gave the home 2 and 1/2 floors, with a central hall, where various rooms were found off this central hall. The home has a brick basement and foundation. Over the years, its owners used it as a private residence adding to and improving the home, such as adding the alternating black-and-white marble hall floor tile in the 1915 renovation.

Much of the lovely, earlier decor is still there, thanks to the appreciative taste of the home’s owners through the years who valued the historic and beautiful details of the craftsmanship found in this home, including the Federal mantels and a handsome “double-run” staircase. The central staircase is also a prize to view, with its sheathing, made with “11-inch-wide flush horizontal beaded boards,” something that I would like to see!

HISTORY

During it’s early years, the home was known as Twin Oaks. Probably after the oaks grew up, the name was changed to Oak Grove. A Mr. Benjamin Green lived in the home until 1841, when he got in some hot water with the law enforcement of the time.

During the Civil War, it is thought that this home was used as a make-shift hospital. After the war, it became a private residence again.

In the early 20th century, when the Waverly family bought Oak Grove, they renamed it, Waverly House. In 1948, Donald B. Wiltshire, Sr. bought the home and lived there for 20 years until he died. It continues as a private residence, probably because all the owners took pride in their home, and kept it up in great condition!

HISTORY OF MANIFESTATIONS

In 1841, Benjamin Green was an older man who had worked as a clerk in a bank for many years, enjoying life at Oak Grove. The story goes, that someone at his bank succumbed to temptation, and pilfered $500,000 from the bank’s coffers. The bank, of course missed the money, and accused him of stealing it, as he had access to the funds in question. His beloved Oak Grove was searched, but no money was found. However, despite not finding the stolen money at his home, his reputation was shattered anyway by this time, as he was found guilty by public opinion, not evidence. Benjamin moved out of town quickly. It has long been town legend that Benjamin had buried the money on his grounds, or hid it somewhere in the home itself.

On this web site, entities who had hidden valuables and money, but were never able to reclaim their cache before they died, have been known to haunt the place where they had buried this treasure.

It is also possible that Benjamin Green was innocent, and falsely accused, causing him to loose his home. Others haunt their former home because for some reason they were forced from it via death, scandal, wrong-doing, false accusations or hardship.

Possible Causes of perhaps unreported hauntings of other entities that may call Oak Grove/Waverly House their home.

Urban legend tells the The story of nineteen bodies of Civil War soldiers who died of their wounds at Oak Grove, during the Civil War when this house was thought to be used as a make-shift hospital. It is thought that these bodies were hastily buried in unmarked graves either in the house’s yard, or in the basement floor. Most basement floors were just dirt at this time.

Homes used as hospitals have the tendency to have spirits of those who have died there. Many private homes were used as make-shift hospitals/operating centers during the Civil War, for the Confederate side.

Issues with Burial of bodies/ashes:

Unless concerned parties made the effort to mark the graves, and/or move the bodies to formal cemeteries, bodies buried in haste by the living in order to escape the on-coming enemy force during conflicts/war time, or the authorities who frown on those civilians who commit murder during peaceful times, some bodies stay hidden and their location is forgotten, which can cause hauntings.

Other bodies/remains are inadvertently left unmarked and not properly buried.

MANIFESTATIONS

The entity of Benjamin Green –

Is perhaps either looking for his lost loot, or still grieving his lost reputation and perhaps still hurting from unjustified accusations.

If he couldn’t have the home he loved while alive, he now can spend his afterlife here.

The stairs leading up to the bedrooms have been reported by one witness to be a favorite spot for this entity.

Though previous owners haven’t shared with the world any paranormal activity, one owner, Donald B. Wiltshire, Sr., shared his encounter with an entity on the stairs. He saw a little old man, with a chin beard, who had the exact likeness of Benjamin Green.

STILL HAUNTED?

Not known for sure, because of the lack of reported eye witness accounts, and hard evidence from paranormal investigators. Oak Groves is a private residence, whose various owners for a long time didn’t want it made public, as they don’t want to be over-run by ghost hunting types. Even if any hard evidence was found, paranormal investigators don’t reveal what the owners don’t want to be made known.

According to the Historical Society of Henrico County, there was research done by students, and it is claimed that there is more evidence that the place has an entity or perhaps even more. Having not seen their findings, I can’t personally say for sure that spirit(s) reside there.

From the web site: henricohistoricalsociety.org

“Haunted in Henrico?”

Information in this article originally appeared in “The Treasure of Whicello, Paradise, and Oak Grove,” published in the 1987 issue of The Henrico County Historical Society Magazine. The article was written and researched by students in the Program for the Talented and Gifted at Tuckahoe Middle School under the direction of Cathy G. Boehling, their teacher.

LOCATION

6321 Monument Avenue,
Richmond, Virginia 23226.

Private Residence: Do not disturb.

Twin Oaks/Oak Grove/Waverly House is a private residence that can be found on Monument Avenue, between the 356 Hwy and Libbie Avenue.

Monument Avenue is a divided road running east and running west (one way streets, each way). Oak Grove/Waverly House is on the part of Monument Avenue that runs east one way from the 356 towards Libbie Avenue If you reach the Orchard intersection, coming from the 356 hwy, you have gone too far.