Ghosts of the 1700s: Are They STILL in Colonial Williamsburg? Part One | The Grave Talks
Real Ghost Stories Online
Real Ghost Stories Online | Paranormal, Supernatural & Horror Radio
4.2 • 3.6K Ratings
🗓️ 1 December 2025
⏱️ 29 minutes
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Summary
Few places in the United States hold as much history — or as many lingering echoes — as Williamsburg, Virginia. Founded in 1632 as Middle Plantation and later renamed in 1699, the city grew into one of the most important colonies in early America. Today, Colonial Williamsburg spans more than 300 acres of preserved 18th- and 19th-century streets, homes, taverns, and original buildings. By day, it’s a living museum of American history. By night… some say the past walks freely.
In this episode, we’re joined by Dr. Kelly M. Brennan — historian, researcher, and former creative lead for “Haunted Williamsburg.” Her work dives deep into the topics most people avoid: sex, death, magic, “insanity,” crime, punishment… and the ghosts believed to linger among the historic structures.
Dr. Brennan doesn’t just study the supernatural folklore of Colonial Williamsburg — she teaches it. As a professor at the College of William and Mary, she explores how America has commodified the paranormal, and why certain stories survive for centuries while others refuse to die.
You can get more information at colonialwilliamsburg.org.
#colonialwilliamsburg #hauntedwilliamsburg #ghoststories #paranormal #historyandhauntings #realghoststories #historicghosts #virginiaparanormal #ghosttour #hauntedamerica #supernaturalhistory
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Today on The Grave Talks, a conversation about Colonial Williamsburg, the history and the |
| 0:07.2 | hauntings, with the historian of Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Kelly Brennan. |
| 0:15.2 | Williamsburg, Virginia has a long history. Before it was Williamsburg, it was known as Middle Plantation, an unincorporated |
| 0:23.7 | town founded in 1632. In 1699, it changed its name to Williamsburg. In 1932, colonial Williamsburg |
| 0:34.6 | opened its first public exhibition building. This site spans over 300 |
| 0:40.1 | acres and includes 89 original buildings dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries. It is also home |
| 0:48.3 | to some residents you can't see. Ghosts. It said that some of them date back to the 1700s. I'm Carol Hughes, and on this |
| 0:57.8 | episode of The Grave Talks, a conversation about the history and hauntings of Colonial Williamsburg |
| 1:03.2 | with Kelly Brennan, historian of Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, where her research fields of |
| 1:09.5 | expertise include sex, death, magic, ghosts, mental health, and crime and punishment. |
| 1:17.0 | Kelly, I think with that resume, I could probably talk to you all day long. |
| 1:22.8 | And when we talk about that with your fields of expertise, that really is historical. |
| 1:29.8 | Mm-hmm. |
| 1:30.7 | It's the history of sex, death, ghost. |
| 1:34.0 | And so there's like 100 episodes right there and all of that. |
| 1:39.3 | But let's start with Williamsburg today in the history of this city. |
| 1:43.1 | I find it so interesting. I live in Kansas. |
| 1:45.9 | We didn't even become a state until 1861. My city wasn't even a town until 1890. |
| 1:52.5 | So when we talk about a town that was basically founded and incorporated in 1632 and became |
| 2:00.0 | Williamsburg in 1699. |
| 2:02.2 | That's a city with some history. |
| 2:04.4 | Yeah. |
... |
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