Boydville's Otherworldly Inhabitants

Boydville Manor in Martinsburg, WV has a history going back to 1812, when General Elisha Boyd bought the property from Adam Stephen for $290 and built his Georgian style mansion.  Elisha lived in the home until his death in 1841, and willed the estate to his daughter, Mary.  Mary married into the Charles Faulkner family, another prominent family in the Martinsburg area, and over the years, hosted many notable historical personalities in the home.

Mary is also credited with saving the home during the Civil War when Captain F.O. Martindale arrived to burn the estate in retaliation for the Confederate burning of Governor Bradley’s home in Maryland.  Mary and her daughters were given one hour to leave the home, with only their clothing, but somehow they got a message to President Lincoln, who ordered the house be spared.

The home stayed in the Faulkner family until 1958 when Roderick and May Cheeseman purchased the property.  During their tenure, the home was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  In 1987, the Cheesemans turned the property over to LaRue Frye.

Until just recently, it seems that the home operated as a bed and breakfast, known as Boydville, The Inn at Martinsburg, but there is no indication on the home’s website or elsewhere that the it is currently being used at such.  Still, the home is being enjoyed in the community as a historic destination where many historic events take place throughout the year.

All of these history-themed events at the home may be enough to make the resident ghosts feel right at home…and there are no less than four such beings that are believed to roam the estate.  The first ghost is heard, rather than seen.  Visitors to the home often hear a woman humming or singing what sounds like a lullabye in the former nursery.

The second ghost is the protective spirit of a former slave named Henry.  Henry is most often seen in the hallway, and he shows up quite often–around once a month.  Another ghost that is seen is that of a doctor who was said to have visited the home in order to treat his own grandson.  The grandson unfortunately could not be saved, and passed away in one of the bedrooms.  Filled with grief over not being able to save his young grandson, the grandfather also passed away in the same room, just a few weeks later.

One last ghost is said to be that of a Civil War soldier.  At various times during the Civil War, both Union and Confederate troops camped nearby, and several buildings on the property were used as medical facilities to treat the injured and ill soldiers.  The apparition of the soldier is seen walking the grounds at night out in front of the manor house, carrying a lantern. Perhaps he is one of the soldiers who died on the property in one of the makeshift medical facilities?

*Theresa’s Note:  The information on the resident ghosts of Boydville came from the book, Haunted Inns of America, by Terry L. Smith and Mark Jean. In addition to these ghost stories, the entry for Boydville notes that the home was also famous for Belle Boyd, Confederate spy, shooting a Union soldier on the stairs.  The book also states that Belle was the daughter of Elisha Boyd.  In reality, Belle Boyd was born 4 years after Elisha died, and her father was Ben Reed Boyd, who at one point, DID work for Gen. Elisha Boyd.  The home where Belle killed a Union soldier was located along Race Street.*

More info on Boydville:
Homepage
National Register Application

Photo from Wikipedia