At the time that the ghostly encounter happened, I was working at Petersburg General Hospital,
Petersburg, Va, in the laboratory on the night shift. The encounter took place in the laboratory.
The laboratory that I was working in was under-going renovations at the time the year was
either 1978 or 1979. I had been working the night shift for some 6 years and during those years
occasionally I would hear footsteps, nosies, and voices but since this was a hospital I would
just think that it was just hospital employees either walking through the lab or security checking
the area. You see, I worked by myself in the lab and if I didn't see anybody I would chalk it up
as an over active imagination. Anyway, it was a Sunday night early Monday morning in August
and the lab was HOT as usual so some of the outer doors were open as usual. I was standing in
the Chemistry Department running some tests when I caught a movement out of the corner of my
eye. I thought that someone was in the lab and turned my head to look when I saw this "man"
staring at me. The man had his back to me and was looking at me over his shoulder. He was
dressed in late 19th century garb. I could see him from the waist up and there was like a cloud
or mist swirling around him. I knew immediately that it was not a living person because I could
see the bulletin board behind him. The most remarkable feature about the man was his eyes. He
had the most "piercing" eyes. I was so startled that I closed my eyes and spoke aloud "Who ever
was in the lab with me please leave." When I opened my eyes the ghost was gone. I finished my
tests and left the lab in a hurry. This was my first encounter but it wouldn't be the last. Even
though he never appeared again to me, he made himself known in other ways such as off-key
whistling could be hear occasionally, cold-spots, movement out of the corner of my eye,
shadows, and something stroked the back of my neck once.
I then did some investigative work as to who the person might be. As it turns out, the hospital
has been built on land that was once owned by William Cameron. On the land, a home was built
or rather a "Castle" was built, it was called "Cameron's Folly" ( a plaque is or was in the lobby
of the hospital)
William Cameron made his money in tobacco and he owned the tobacco warehouses in
Petersburg. The "castle" was built during the "seige" of Petersburg during the Civil War. The
castle apparently was very opulent and included "Yew" trees imported from Lebanon. Anyway,
the land eventually was willed to the hospital which at that time was located on Washington St.,
in Petersburg. The only stipulation was that the castle was to remain and be used as a nursing
dorm. The hospital was built and the castle did remain. The castle was torn down when the
hospital expanded. From what I could gather, the expansion was the wing that housed the
laboratory and the only part of the hospital that sits where the castle
had been was the laboratory. My research led me to the Seige Museum in Petersburg. At the
museum is a picture of William Cameron. The picture of William Cameron in the museum is the
man that I saw in the laboratory that night. That was over twenty years ago. I no longer live in
Virgina and the hospital's name has changed.
