A Haunting in a Strip Mall

by Fayeruz Regan 10.2026

Abandoned asylums, battlefields, historic homes – these kinds of places were built for ghost stories. It’s hard to imagine goosebumps over a haunted strip mall – especially if the ghosts are said to wander inside of a chain restaurant.

But what if the chain restaurant was once the manor house of a historic plantation, and the strip mall was built up around it much later? Ruth’s Chris Steak House in Midlothian is notorious for its ghost sightings and dark history.

A few years ago, I attended a Christmas party at the restaurant. Upon entering, I was surprised to see a colonial style living room with a rifle hung over the fireplace. I found out the venue was once the manor house on Bellgrade Plantation, built in 1732. In addition to the horrors of slavery, a series of highly-charged incidents took place in the home, which many people believe fuels the paranormal experiences to this day.

In 1840, a French bachelor named Anthony Robiou (for which Robious Road is named) married 14-year-old Emily Wormley from nearby Old Gun Road. But just weeks into their union, Robiou caught his bride in a compromising position with her former lover, a 19-year-old named John Reid. Robiou was livid, and cast Emily out of the home. The ensuing divorce was a local scandal. Emily’s father John Wormley, who was wealthy and well-connected, became enraged over the negative attention. His false pride convinced him to seek revenge. 

Conspiring with Reid, the men planned to ambush Emily’s husband. Soon after, the jilted groom was shot dead on his front steps. The murder trial sent shockwaves through Virginia. Reid was acquitted because authorities felt that he was being manipulated by Wormley. For Wormley’s part, he plied the jury with whiskey in order to curry favor and end the proceedings in a mistrial. However, there was a retrial and Wormley was found guilty. He was hanged before 4,000 people. 

It only gets worse from there. The newly widowed Emily married John Reid after his acquittal. But weeks after their nuptials, she took a fatal fall down the manor’s grand staircase. Stories vary about the incident; some say she fell upon a sewing basket, with a pair of scissors piercing her heart. Others report her neck snapping on the way down. Either way, her body landed just feet away from where her former husband bled out.

It’s on this very staircase that former server Elizabeth Lasch witnessed an apparition. The grand staircase of Bellgrade Manor is now located beside the hostess stand at the restaurant’s front entrance. Late one night, after the premises were locked and the host stand stood empty, Elizabeth noticed a figure on the stairs. “She was walking up the stairs, wearing clothing from the 1800s. She wasn’t see-through and she wasn’t colorful. The apparition was technically white, but almost dirty and sepia-toned.”  Elizabeth told a seasoned coworker, who casually mentioned the place is “haunted as hell.”

Employees have seen figures and apparitions throughout the restaurant, from a tall, dark shadow figure to a slip of a woman wandering the boxwood gardens. “The creepiest spot is the storage space. People hate going down there,” said Elizabeth.

In the basement storage, staff have reported unexplained cold spots, an intense feeling that they are being watched, and a sudden urge to scurry back up the stairs. Another hot spot is at the top of the grand staircase, where employees leave their purses and other belongings in the former bedrooms. These living quarters are original to the manor, and employees try to avoid being in this area late at night. There have been reports of heavy footsteps though no one else is present, and doors locking and unlocking on their own. 

Diners have experienced ghosts as well. They claim to see spectral figures outside the dining room windows. Some hear faint whispering, while others feel a passing of ice-old air that comes from nowhere, blowing right past their tables. 

Many believe that the souls of Emily Wormley and Anthony Robiou are bound by tragedy and betrayal, and left to haunt Bellgrade for eternity. This is proof positive that you can have an otherworldly experience at a chain restaurant. In a strip mall. If you’d like a porterhouse with a side of paranormal, head to Ruth’s Chris in Midlothian. 

Happy Halloween!