Haunted Hotels in Fredericksburg, Virginia

The Richard Johnston Inn

711 Caroline St, Fredericksburg, VA 22401, United States

The Richard Johnston Inn's paranormal reputation is firmly confirmed and is directly rooted in its traumatic, multi-layered history. Built in 1770, the building was an active participant in the city's turmoil. Its documented past includes serving as a Civil War hospital for wounded soldiers, and its structure still bears the physical mark of a fire from that era. Furthermore, specific rooms in the inn were originally slave quarters and the separate kitchen where slaves worked, adding another layer of profound historical trauma to the site. This combination of war, death, and bondage provides a strong foundation for the specific spectral claims. The inn's most prominent haunting is that of a young Confederate soldier, a story commercially validated by its inclusion in the "Ghosts of Fredericksburg" walking tour. According to the lore, the soldier was treated for his wounds in the building when it was a hospital and died there; his spirit is said to still reside in the inn's attic. While some guest accounts have given him the name "Private Ron," a sharpshooter who died in an upper bedroom, the inn's own blog mentions sightings of a ghost named "David". Another commonly reported entity is that of a small child, a 4-to-5-year-old girl who reportedly died in the inn after her mother brought her for unsuccessful medical treatment. Her presence is most often manifested as the sound of "lively footsteps scampering" or "prancing" through the upper floors when no one is present. A third specific entity, "Toby," is also part of the inn's folklore. He is said to be the spirit of a slave who was hung for stealing a side of bacon and who now "playfully" moves the silverware on the dining room table. Beyond these apparitions, the haunting is supported by a range of phenomena. Contractors working in the empty inn have reported a "figure" watching and following them, as well as random "cold spots". One guest provided a detailed account of waking to the "faint smell of smoke"—correlating with the building's Civil War-era fire—and perceiving a "strongly felt bed-sharing companion" that caused "tingling goose bumps" before vanishing. The inn's owners acknowledge the "ghost/spirit talk," noting that two separate mediums have confirmed that "friendly" spirits do occupy the inn.