The Haunted Centre Hill Museum

Posted: 01.16.2025 | Updated: 01.16.2025

Richmond, Virginia. For those of you who have not had the pleasure of visiting, you’ll find it a pleasant mid-sized city that the James River runs along. It has a little something for everyone, from its world-class ad agencies, thriving music scene, and many historical museums and landmarks. 

However, it also has more than its fair share of ghosts. From the Powhatan tribe that first inhabited the area to the bloody battles of the Civil War to the dynamic 20th century, Richmond has witnessed many historical events that, rumor has it, have left some ghostly remnants in the area. 

One such remnant is rumored to be in the Centre Hill Museum, a lovely little spot about 20 miles south of Virginia’s capital. Keep reading to find out what the rumors about the Centre Hill Museum are. If you’re interested in learning more, be sure to take our in-person ghost tour with Richmond Ghosts for a more in-depth experience! 

Who Haunts the Centre Hill Museum?

Who, indeed? It’s an interesting question requiring some knowledge of the area’s history before answering it. However, analyzing the historical significance of the Centre Hill Museum may help one understand who the museum’s most mysterious ghost—the Spectral Mistress—really is. 

History of the Museum

The history of the Centre Hill Museum can be traced back to Colonel Robert Bolling IV. Born in the 1700s, Bolling earned his military rank by distinguishing himself in the Revolutionary War. 

A war hero and tobacco merchant by trade, Bolling quickly made his fortune and prepared for his early retirement by purchasing five acres in Petersburg near the Appomattox River. The property he would develop on this land was quite the local attraction, but despite the luxury he surrounded himself with, he never quite achieved peace in his retirement home. 

You see, Bolling was a widower. In fact, three out of his four wives had died before him, leaving him despondent. Although his seven children and eventual grandchildren filled his heart with love and pride, he never quite got over the tragedy of previous marriages. 

His home was completed in 1823 and was, by all accounts, the talk of the town. However, its central location and grandeur would work against the Bolling family, as Centre Hill – the mansion’s name – found itself in the crosshairs of the Union Army. 

During the Civil War, Petersburg became a military target for the Union cause due to the railroad that ran through it and its proximity to Richmond, the Confederate capital. Centre Hill served as a Confederate command post during the Siege of Petersburg. Although the Confederate Army held off Union forces for much of the war, Northern troops eventually seized control of Petersburg – and, by extension, Centre Hill – right before the war ended. 

Curiously enough, while Petersburg threw in with the Confederate cause, Centre Hill’s most famous visitor was none other than Abraham Lincoln. During a postwar visit to Virginia, Lincoln visited Centre Hill eleven days before he was assassinated in Ford’s Theater. 

Hauntings At Centre Hill Museum

Earlier, we referred to the Spectral Mistress as Centre Hill’s premier ghost and that’s because she is, by far and away, the most commonly spotted apparition around here. Sightings have spread across decades with various hazy recollections and questionably reliable witnesses. However, despite all of this, some key details keep emerging. 

The first is that the Spectral Mistress is always dressed in white. She is often seen on the staircases or gazing out of the window, and she is fiercely protective of her home. Many witnesses have reported her being extra vigilant (some may even say aggressive) about keeping order in Centre Hill. 

She’ll come up behind people to slam doors that they carelessly left open, giving them quite a fright. She’s also known for rigorously enforcing the hierarchy of rooms. In her eyes, some rooms are for sleeping, and some just aren’t. 

This unflinching rigidity came to a head when the former owner of the house insisted on sleeping in the back bedroom on the second floor. That room traditionally had been used for servants’ quarters, not the owner’s. 

The owner was repeatedly pulled out of bed and dragged to the middle of the proper bedroom until he finally understood and switched rooms. To this day, many people report feeling an uneasy sensation of being watched, as though the Spectral Mistress were keeping watch. 

Of course, such actions are consistent with a former owner of the house, herself, and, indeed, that is who most believe the Spectral Mistress is – the original mistress of Centre Hill herself. 

A Ghost March and Other Hauntings 

Yet, despite her prevalence and high activity levels, the Spectral Mistress is not alone in the Centre Hill Museum. Over the years, more than a few curious incidents have been observed, and not all of them can be directly attributed to her.

The first case that should be discussed is the chandelier. As Centre Hill Museum began to garner a reputation for being haunted, it naturally attracted its fair share of ghost hunters and paranormal investigators over the years. One investigator reported seeing a chandelier twirling in one of the upstairs bedrooms without a breeze or mechanism to do so. Indeed, it was moving on its own accord, like something had taken possession of it. 

Another ghost tour group reported that the window shutters would fly open and slam shut as though they’d been possessed by someone or something. Perhaps this is the Spectral Mistress at work, although pranks don’t seem up her alley, given her grim demeanor. 

There have also been reports of a child ghost haunting Centre Hill. Most sightings involve people reporting little hands grasping at them in the dark, although a few others have sworn that they heard a child’s voice say “Maybe” repeatedly in one of the house’s tunnels. 

And, lastly, there’s the marches. Due to its status as a Civil War battleground, Centre Hill has quite the number – maybe a whole battalion’s worth – of soldier ghosts. They remain disciplined after death, and many people have seen them march up and down on the grounds.

Their sighting is a local attraction. Every January, hundreds gather at Ghost Watch, an event where ghost stories are exchanged, and people try to get a glimpse of the spectral soldiers. 

Haunted Richmond

So, that concludes the tale of the Spectral Mistress and the hauntings that might be present in the Centre Hill Museum. If you’re still interested in learning more, there are plenty of ways to explore further. 

We’re very active on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, so you can always follow us there to get more up-to-date information about other hauntings across America.

If you want to get a more up-close-and-personal look at haunted Richmond, be sure to take our in-person ghost tour with Richmond Ghosts. These tours provide an unforgettable real-world experience that cannot be duplicated by reading an online article or blog post.

If you do take one of the in-person tours, be sure to watch out for any mysterious women in white that you may encounter! And, as always, keep reading our blog for more real Virginia hauntings.

Sources:

1. https://www.virginia.org/listing/centre-hill-museum/4953/
2. http://www.historicpetersburg.org/centre-hill-mansion/
3. https://hauntedhouses.com/virginia/centre-hill-museum/
4. https://www.militarynews.com/fort-lee-traveller/features/presidents-ghosts-are-centre-hill-visitors/article_7d8f698a-3a3d-595b-ab02-474e678693fe.html