The Colonial Parkway is a scenic drive that goes from Yorktown, Va through Williamsburg and all the way up to Jamestown Island. Its a beautiful drive and full of history itself. There are several pull offs that you can stop and take a walk to the waterfront of the James River and there are even areas that are no longer open to the public unless you park 5 miles down and walk into. (I will be doing that this summer when it's warm so we'll see what I get then). There are also several little swamps and ponds along the way. I took this picture at a pond that boasts a little bit of haunted history.
This is Brackens Pond and the photo was shot looking through some branches on the bank. (I think it kinda adds to the spookyness of the shot) It was then edited with a Daguerreotype finish to give it that deep black and white tone.
The Story:
A long time ago in the Colonial days when people used horse and carriage to get from place to place, this area used to be a well traveled path. Some say it was a dirt road while others say it was cobblestone that got replaced when they made the Parkway. Well, a group of people were traveling down this road one night and as they neared the pond, something spooked the horse. The horse bolted to the side of the road, lost its footing and fell into Brackens Pond taking the whole carriage along with the people into the pond. It was said that the people passing by couldn't get to them fast enough and when they finally was able to get to them, no one, not even the horse survived.
Now, if you drive by this pond, there is a pull off on the other side of the road where you can park your car and get out. If you come out at night and sit and listen, you can still hear the sound of the horses hooves on the road today. When they get to the side of the pond, they vanish...
*********************************DISCLAIMER****************************************
I am stating the obvious here... I am only retelling ONE of the NUMEROUS stories about this particular ghost story. This is in no way to be taken in any other way except for entertainment.
I love this picture! The spookiness is awesome!
very eery photo. i love the edges!
Beautiful photo!
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I just came back from a trip to Brackens Pond. As we drove down the road towards Willamsburg I had an overwhelming feeling of panick. It's hard to describe. As soon as I drove by the feeling lifted. My male friend had the a strange thing happen on the battlefield. Although he had read nothing of the battle beforehand when he stood on the battlefield he knew exactly what happened. The guide confirmed he was right about every event. We've been together for 5 years. We are in our late 50'd. The first year we were together we planted a garden. That night I dreamed the weirdest thing. In the dream I was in a store that had horse drawn farm equipment in front of it. Although I had the realization that the equipment was antique I was bewildered by the fact that it was all brand new. The store had hardware inside...all very old/yet new. I was bewildered because the shop owner called me by a different name. In the store I was purchasing seeds. My now partner was there much younger in a greyish/blue uniform.
I had no knowledge of the battle but when I saw the uniforms at Williamsburg I recognized it to be the same. I feel like the dream was a snapshot into a past life. It was very odd. Although I live in Canada everyone who spoke to me in the dream had the southern accent. I wonder if anyone knows if this was a meeting place after battle. Would I have been going down that road to see if he had survived? Would that account for the panicked feeling? It was the same type of feeling you get when you can't find your child in a store. It was intense. I'm not a past life nut but the series of strange events leaves me puzzled.
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