HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena, as catalogued
Black Raven Paranormal's Walking Ghost Tours Through Downtown Staunton, Running Since 2008
35 South New St, Staunton, VA 24401
Research updated September 2026
Age
Varies by tour, ages 6 and up to 13 and up; several tours discuss Civil War hospital deaths and a suspected suicide, which may not suit young children.
Cost
$$
October prices: Railroad Haunts $12. Victorian Haunts at the Spotts-Coffman House is $16 (October) or $18 on Halloween ($28 with the paranormal investigation add-on). Historic Haunts and Haunts from the Darkside are $16 each on Halloween night; their regular-season prices were not published. Private tours are available for groups of five or more.
Access
Wheelchair OK
A walking tour of downtown Staunton's historic district; Historic Haunts meets at the corner of Johnson and New Streets by the stoplight, across from Mill Street Grill. Tour length and accessibility vary by product: Railroad Haunts and Historic Haunts are about an hour to 90 minutes and wheelchair accessible; Haunts from the Darkside and Victorian Haunts are not wheelchair accessible.
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 2008 · Downtown Staunton Historic District · American Hotel, Civil War hospital history · Staunton's historic Wharf District train depot
Black Raven Paranormal, founded and led by Marty Siebel, has run walking ghost tours of downtown Staunton under the Ghosts of Staunton brand since 2008, making it one of the longer-running independent tour operators in the Shenandoah Valley. The organization describes itself as focused on research and documentation of paranormal activity with an emphasis on the history behind reported hauntings, and it has been profiled by James Madison University's student newspaper, The Breeze, and by regional TV station WHSV. Black Raven Paranormal also produces an Amazon Prime video series, The Black Raven Chronicles, documenting its investigations at sites including the Clock Tower Building and Montgomery Hall Plantation.
Historic Haunts meets at the corner of Johnson and New Streets in downtown Staunton, by the stoplight across from Mill Street Grill; tour length varies by product (about an hour to 90 minutes), and groups are capped with additional tours added on nights the first sells out. Current tours include Railroad Haunts (the historic train depot in Staunton's Wharf district), Historic Haunts (the American Hotel's Civil War hospital history and other downtown sites), Haunts from the Darkside, and Victorian Haunts at the Spotts-Coffman House; US Ghost Adventures separately runs its own, unaffiliated 'Staunton Ghosts' walking tour in the city, distinct from this operator.
Sources
The operator's route material describes Civil War-era soldiers treated in downtown hospitals, including the American Hotel, and reported hauntings tied to a woman who fell from a building, a haunted bank, and a Staunton depot that is the subject of the operator's dedicated October Railroad Haunts tour. The operator also references Mary Baldwin University's namesake, Mary Julia Baldwin, as a reported presence on campus.
All of this is the tour operator's own marketing and narrative material, not documented history independently verified for this listing; it is included here as a description of what the tours cover, not as an endorsement of any specific claim.
Media Appearances
A 90-minute walking tour of downtown Staunton's history and reported hauntings, with stops including Mary Baldwin University, the Clocktower, and the American Hotel. Wheelchair accessible; ages 6 and up.
A 90-minute tour of Staunton's darker side, from local crime lore to UFO reports. Not wheelchair accessible; ages 8 and up.
A tour focused on the American Hotel and its use as a Civil War hospital for soldiers from both sides. Runs Saturdays at 7pm and 8pm.
A tour centered on downtown Staunton buildings pressed into service as Civil War hospitals. Runs Sundays at 6pm and 7:30pm.
A one-hour walking tour of the haunted grounds around Staunton's historic depot station. Wheelchair accessible; ages 6 and up.
A one-hour tour inside the Spotts-Coffman House, considered Staunton's most haunted residence, with first-hand accounts from the current homeowners. Not wheelchair accessible; ages 13 and up. October tickets are $16; Halloween tickets are $18, or $28 with the paranormal investigation add-on.
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Named stop within the Historic Haunts tour; the operator ties the building to its use as a Civil War hospital for soldiers from both sides.
Named stop and dedicated Railroad Haunts tour location, described by the operator as the train station in the historic Wharf district.
Named downtown stop referenced in the operator's route material.
Named stop referenced in the operator's route material.
Named stop; the operator ties reported activity to founder Mary Julia Baldwin.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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