Virginia’s Old House Woods, Part l

Town of Mathews

One of Virginia’s most haunted places is in Mathews County. Old House Woods is a 50-acre pine forest with marshlands, located in the Tidewater area of Chesapeake Bay.

Old House Woods got its name from an old house that once stood in the center of this forest—it has since burned to the ground.

This area was an active port before and during the Revolutionary War. There are many stories and legends connected to this area, including lost treasure, and an unusual phantom ship.

This forest lends itself to these kinds of tales because it is densely wooded, which does not allow much light at night. The trees are so tall the moon and stars can not be seen.

Old House Woods

For over 200 years tales of pirate and British lost treasures have been told.

Pirate's Loot

One early legend is about a band of pirates who buried their treasure on the banks of Whites Creek intending to return. But when they left to acquire more loot, their ship was lost in a storm.

This legend is connected to the phantom ship that is seen around Whites Creek, which is in Part ll of this post.

Another legend about buried treasure involves England’s King Charles ll. It is said he sent chests of treasure to Jamestown following the battle of Worcester in 1651.

He wanted a treasure in safekeeping in case he had to flee the country and go into exile.

Unfortunately, the crew in charge of this treasure encountered a storm, and they headed up the wrong creek—they ended up at Whites Creek. As they unloaded this treasure, bandits attacked them.

These robbers got away with some of the treasure, and the rest was buried in the woods. 

These besieged men intended to return to retrieve the buried treasure, but their ship capsized in a storm.

When they returned to England to give the King the news of what happened, they were put to death.

Yet another treasure story told about Old House Woods happened in 1781. It is said a large amount of gold and silver coins and jewelry were buried in large canons near a graveyard near Willow Creek.

This treasure was said to be patriot plunder left by soldiers, under the command of General Cornwallis, they were eventually captured and not allowed to return to the area.

In Part ll of Virginia’s Old House Woods, a popular tale about a phantom ship seen above this forest is told. 

Cannock Chase’s Black-Eyed Demon Child

Cannock Chase Forest

Cannock Chase is a 26-mile forest in southern Staffordshire, England. Over the years, many sightings of strange creatures have been reported in this forest.

Many of these sightings revolve around a demon girl child that is similar to reports today involving so-called Black-eyed Children.

I talk about sightings of Black-eyed Children in the United States, here.

In England’s Cannock Chase these unusual sightings have been reported since the early 1980s.

In July of last year, a mother and daughter were walking through the Birches Valley when the two heard the screams of a young child. They broke into a run heading toward the sounds of distress.

They searched but didn’t find a child. They turned to leave and there behind them was a young female child no older than ten.

This odd child covered her eyes with her hands. The mother asked, “Are you the one who was screaming?”

The child removed her hands and opened her eyes. The mother horrified grabbed her daughter and started to run. The child appeared to have no eyes--just dark empty sockets.

When the mother looked back the child was gone.

Not a Child but a Demon

Witnesses that have seen this strange girl feel strongly that she is not what she first appears--they feel she has an evil intent. For this reason she is referred to as a demon.

Most reports state that this young girl lures the witnesses into potentially dangerous situations. There have been eight documented * encounters reported over the last two years--they are all eerily similar.

These witnesses all felt that this child was “dangerous.” They have trouble voicing why they got this feeling but they all agree that something sinister was occurring.

Black-eyed demon child.

An early report in 1983 reflects these concerns.

A teenager was walking in Cannock Chase when she heard a young child shouting for help. She followed the sound and landed on a dirt path. A young girl--6 to 8 years old--was running down this path in the opposite direction.

The young girl was yelling, “help mommy help.”

It was getting dark and the undergrowth was becoming too dense to pass through. Once the child reached a group of trees she stopped and looked at the teen.

Startled the teen noticed the child looked “dead in the eyes.” The young girl turned and ran further into the woodland. The teenager feeling she was some how in danger, wisely turned back.

A Recent Sighting

Two weeks ago on September 13^th a couple was walking through Cannock Chase near Stile Cop with their dog.

Once they entered the woodland the road they followed was no longer visible. They heard a child giggling.

To their amazement they saw a child no taller than 3 feet on the path in front of them. She appeared to be alone.

They stopped dead in their tracks when they noticed her eyes had no color. They were dark and empty. The child’s head was titled at an odd angle to the side--as if she had been hanged.

She stopped and stared at them for five minutes before running toward a dense stand of trees.

The wife wanted to follow her but her husband listening to his gut feeling insisted they turn back.

* Lee Brickley, an English author actively investigates these sightings. The story above about the teenage witness--is his aunt. Here is his web site.