Grace Sherwood was bound, thrown into a river in what is now Virginia Beach, and watched by a crowd waiting to see if she would drown. The year was 1706. She floated. That was enough to convict her of witchcraft.
If you grew up in Hampton Roads, you know her name. If you just moved here, you are about to understand why October feels different in this part of Virginia. Hampton Roads haunted places and local legends are not just campfire fodder. They are woven into the actual geography of the region, tied to real roads, real courthouses, and real history that locals debate at backyard cookouts every fall.
I have lived here my whole life. I have driven Elbow Road at night on a dare. I have heard the Grace Sherwood story from a schoolteacher, a tour guide, and a client who refused to make an offer on a house near Witchduck Road because of it. These stories have staying power for a reason.
The Witch of Pungo and the Legend That Refuses to Die
Grace Sherwood lived in the Pungo area of Virginia Beach, and her neighbors did not like her much. They accused her of killing livestock, ruining crops, and appearing in their bedrooms at night. In July 1706, Lynnhaven Parish held a water trial at what is now known as Witchduck Point. She floated. She was jailed.
What happened to her after that is murky. Records suggest she was eventually released and lived out her days on her farm. Virginia officially pardoned her in 2006, exactly 300 years after her trial, when then-Governor Tim Kaine signed the pardon. You can find a bronze statue of Grace Sherwood in the Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital area near Independence Boulevard. Pungo Road still carries echoes of her name in local lore, and Witchduck Road is one of the most-asked-about street names by people relocating to the area.
For more on the documented history of the Sherwood case, the Library of Virginia holds colonial records that trace the original court proceedings.
Elbow Road and Crawford Road: Chesapeake's Favorite Scary Drives
If you ask a teenager in Chesapeake where to go on Halloween, there is a good chance they say Elbow Road or Crawford Road.
Elbow Road, which runs through a heavily wooded stretch of Chesapeake near the Great Dismal Swamp corridor, has accumulated decades of legend. People report seeing figures in the tree line, hearing sounds from the swamp, and noticing lights that have no obvious source. The road itself is isolated enough at night that your imagination does most of the work, but locals have been telling stories about it long enough that the legend feels earned.
Crawford Road, also in Chesapeake, carries its own reputation. The most repeated version involves a young woman who died near the road and whose figure allegedly appears near a specific bridge. Whether you believe it or not, the location is genuinely remote, and the atmosphere does not discourage the stories. Both roads get their share of Halloween visitors every year, and Chesapeake residents have mixed feelings about the traffic that brings.
The Great Dismal Swamp itself, which borders both Virginia and North Carolina, has a much older and more documented history of mystery. It was a refuge for escaped enslaved people for more than two centuries, a fact that is both a serious piece of regional history and a source of the genuine unease the swamp carries. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge today.
Fort Monroe: Where History and Haunting Overlap
Fort Monroe in Hampton sits at the tip of the Virginia Peninsula and carries more documented history per square foot than almost anywhere in the region. It is where Contraband slaves sought freedom during the Civil War. It is where Jefferson Davis was imprisoned after the Confederacy fell. It is one of the oldest continuously occupied military posts in American history.
It is also widely considered one of the most haunted places in Hampton Roads.
The ghost stories attached to Fort Monroe include Abraham Lincoln, who reportedly visited the fort during the war and whose presence some claim still lingers in the Casemate Museum area. Soldiers report encounters in the old tunnels and casemates. The sheer age of the structure, combined with everything that happened within its walls, gives the legends a weight that is hard to dismiss entirely.
Fort Monroe became a National Monument in 2011, and the site is open to visitors. The Casemate Museum there offers a grounded look at the actual history if you want context alongside the ghost stories.
Why These Stories Still Matter in Hampton Roads
People who move here from other parts of the country sometimes underestimate how old this region is. Jamestown is a short drive. Colonial Williamsburg is up the road. The land under half the neighborhoods in Virginia Beach and Chesapeake has been inhabited for centuries. That kind of depth produces folklore.
Hampton Roads haunted places and local legends are part of what makes this area feel like a real community rather than a collection of subdivisions. Newcomers who discover the Witch of Pungo story, or who take their first night drive down Elbow Road, are picking up a thread that connects them to everyone else who grew up here. That matters.
If you are new to the area and want to learn more about the communities that make up Hampton Roads, start with the Virginia Beach community page or browse the Chesapeake community page for neighborhood context beyond the ghost stories.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the Witch of Pungo located in Virginia Beach?
The Witch of Pungo refers to Grace Sherwood, who lived in the Pungo area of Virginia Beach in the early 1700s. Her water trial took place at Witchduck Point near what is now the Lynnhaven area, and a bronze statue honoring her stands near Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital on Independence Boulevard.
Are Elbow Road and Crawford Road actually haunted?
Neither location has documented paranormal evidence, but both roads in Chesapeake have carried local ghost legends for decades. The isolated, wooded setting and proximity to the Great Dismal Swamp make them atmospheric enough that the stories have stuck around through multiple generations of Hampton Roads residents.
Can you visit Fort Monroe to see its haunted history?
Fort Monroe in Hampton is open to the public and has been a National Monument since 2011. The Casemate Museum on site covers the fort's documented Civil War history, including the Jefferson Davis imprisonment. Ghost tours and Halloween events are sometimes offered seasonally through local tour operators.
Sources
• Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)
• Fort Monroe National Monument
• Casemate Museum at Fort Monroe
Related reading
• Historic Landmarks Worth Knowing in Norfolk
• The Story of L&J Gardens: A Virginia Beach Neighborhood Built on Black Excellence