Virginia's Most Documented Private Haunting — 1745 Georgian Farmhouse
Amelia, VA 23002
Research updated May 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
Private working farm and private residence — no public access. Drive-by only from public roads.
Access
Limited Access
Rural Amelia County roads; no formal public access
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1745 · National Register of Historic Places · Virginia Colonial History · Georgian Architecture · Virginia Plantation Heritage
Haw Branch Plantation takes its name from a creek — a haw branch — running through the property in Amelia County, Virginia. Colonel Thomas Tabb, a wealthy merchant who relocated from Gloucester County in the mid-1730s, was taxed on a mansion house at this location by 1745, placing the construction of the Georgian main house firmly in the colonial period.
The plantation operated over the following two centuries through the standard arc of Tidewater Virginia agricultural history: colonial prosperity, Revolutionary-era disruption, antebellum agricultural expansion, Civil War dislocation, and the long decline of the plantation economy thereafter. By the mid-20th century, the property had passed through multiple owners.
In 1965, a descendant of the original Tabb family purchased the house and undertook its restoration. That restoration brought the family back into close contact with the house's long history — and, by their account, with something that had been there all along. Haw Branch was officially listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973, recognized for its architectural and historical significance to Amelia County and the Virginia Tidewater region.
Sources
The paranormal record at Haw Branch Plantation is notable for its specificity and its documented witnesses. Unlike many haunted houses where the accounts are anonymous and undated, Haw Branch has a documented family record — the McConnaughey family, who restored the property — and specific dated incidents.
In 1967, Gibson McConnaughey observed what he described as a slim, luminous female figure floating through the front hall. The figure disappeared after a few seconds, leaving behind a strong scent of orange blossoms. The orange blossom detail appears in accounts independently from the description of the figure — both the scent and the vision have been reported separately across different years and witnesses.
The parlor presents a recurring pattern: voices, laughter, and the sounds of conversation audible from outside the door, stopping the instant the door opens to reveal an empty room. Footsteps on the staircase follow a similar pattern — audible movement that belongs to no visible person.
On certain nights, a woman's screams are heard from outside the house. The screaming does not correspond to any visible figure and does not persist long enough to trace to a source.
The portrait in the house is reported to blush — the painted face appearing to change color when observed directly. Whether this is a property of the pigment, the lighting, or something else has not been resolved.
Additional figures in the legend include a man walking from the barn carrying a lantern, a man in riding boots calling for help, and the apparition of great-grandmother Harriet Mason. The plantation's record is one of the more extensively documented residential hauntings in Virginia.
Notable Entities
Haw Branch Plantation is an active private residence and working farm in Amelia County. Do not enter the property. The house is not open to the public. The property was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 and remains privately owned by descendants of the original colonial family.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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