bedroom in 1851
while giving birth.
Many visitors to
the home feel her
strong presence. On
the fireplace in the
bedroom there’s a
mark that looks very
much like a woman
holding a baby.
Some have reported
seeing Virginia lying
on the bed in what is now called “The Ghost Room.”
Some claim to have heard a baby crying. Milledgeville
may be the most haunted town in the Lake Country.
The capital of Georgia for over six decades saw the
construction of the state’s largest mental health facility
in 1842, and weathered the Civil War in 1864. But
the most popular ghost, Joe Walker, resides downtown
on N. Jefferson. He was a student in 1873, when
he returned home from school due to a meningitis
outbreak. Whether he fell down the stairs of the Tate
House or was pushed by his abusive father is unknown.
His stepmother and aunt died of the disease in the
same week, and the Tate House has not been at peace
since.
As long as there is a spirit side to people, there will
be an interest in the paranormal. While ghost stories
can bring us a bit of a scare, they can also entertain and
inspire us, just like reading a mystery novel on a lazy
afternoon.
Chip R. Bell is a best-selling author and serves of
the board of the Georgia Writers Museum. Melissa
Swindell is the executive director of the Georgia Writers
Museum.
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