The Haunted History of Tuckahoe Plantation

by Fayeruz Regan 10.2024

When an estate has a tree-lined driveway, it makes for a dramatic entrance. When the tree-lined driveway is a mile-long plantation road, you are being pulled into a different century. 

Sitting on the porch of Tuckahoe Plantation was our host and ghost tour guide, Holt. Holt was petite, with wide set eyes the color of sea foam green. Like many employees at Tuckahoe Plantation, she once lived on-site in one of the small cabins. Years ago, she fell in love with a coworker, and they married. They now have two sons.  

When they still lived in one of the plantation cabins, Holt recalled that her son often laughed at something in the stairwell over their heads as she changed his diapers. It made the dogs bark. The noises upstairs were constant, but she never saw anything. As her family grew and eventually moved elsewhere, new employees moved into the same cabin. They witnessed children’s legs swinging between the railings. Holt’s son might have been reacting to the ghost of a playful child. The new tenants thought it best to leave the second floor untouched.  

Tuckahoe Plantation sits on the James River seven miles west of Richmond, just across the Goochland County line. Its claim to fame is that Thomas Jefferson lived there for several years. But it’s long been recognized as one of the finest and most well-preserved examples of early to mid-18th-century domestic architecture from the colonial period. The home has boasted guests such as George Washington, James Monroe, and the Marquis De Lafayette.

Sensational websites will drudge up tales of “headless” brides, but reality rarely reflects horror films. Most people who have witnessed apparitions here report that they are benign, vapor-like, and oblivious to the world around them. 

Upon entering Tuckahoe, you are ensconced in a dramatically dark foyer, made of walnut and handsomely crafted. It’s mind-blowing how intact everything is, from a colonial era spinning shoe-holder to the original slave cabins on the grounds. The most famous ghost on campus is referred to as “the grey lady,” an unhappy bride washed out in grey. Visitors and residents alike have seen her wandering the grounds or even walking through walls on the estate – her features a blur but her manner unmistakably sad. 

Holt offers two theories as to who she could be. It’s widely believed that she’s one of the Mary Randolphs, (there were at least two, and this was a Randolph family home). Mary was a young girl who fell in love with a man below her station. They eloped and moved to New England, only to be chased down by her ever-powerful family, dragged back to Virginia, and forced to marry a member of the clergy. The marriage was unhappy, and she went mad. 

The less-likely candidate is Judith Randolph – someone who would have known Thomas Jefferson when he lived at Tuckahoe. Though Judith was born and buried at Tuckahoe, her tragic story doesn’t tie her to the land. While researching the Randoph family for this piece, I went down the rabbit hole when reading about her scandal at “Bizarre” plantation, which certainly earned its name. It’s worth reading up on.  

The grey lady can be seen on the “ghost walk” - a beautiful garden path that leads from the house to the gardens and family cemetery. A child has also been seen on the path, and there could be multiple children. The ghost walk regularly emits sounds of children laughing, even when no children are on the property.  Sometimes, you will hear a child cry.

When Pierce Brosnan was at Tuckahoe shooting the film The Broken Chain, members of the Lakota tribe stopped short at the door’s threshold, refusing to enter until a medicine man came in to “smudge” the house of its spirits. The ritual caused the chandelier in the dining room to spiral on its own. The film crew was gobsmacked. 

I had the privilege of meeting one of Tuckahoe’s residents, Sue Thompson. In 1977 when she and her husband Tad first moved in, she awoke in the middle of the night to the sound of music, clinking glasses, and people chatting. Though the house was empty, it sounded like a full-fledged party downstairs. She turned to her husband. “Do you hear that?” she asked. “Yes, I do.” As they approached the stairs, the sound stopped. The main room was empty. 

Tuckahoe Plantation is having both a family-friendly fall festival and an evening paranormal investigation on October 25 and 26. Don’t miss it. Details: www.visithistorictuckahoe.com