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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Martha Washington Inn ranks #3 among Virginia's most haunted places

A new index ranks places by published accounts, not legend

September 30, 2026

With Halloween approaching, Martha Washington Inn in Abingdon ranks #3 among Virginia's most haunted places in HauntBound's 2026 index. The index ranks 163 Virginia sites by separate published accounts and how far back they go, not by fame or search popularity.

Martha Washington Inn ranks #3. General Francis Preston built the mansion in 1832; it became Martha Washington College in 1858, and during the Civil War it served as a field hospital for Union and Confederate wounded, with schoolgirls serving as nurses. Two separate published accounts describe activity there. According to a 1995 newspaper account, a student named Beth played violin as a wounded officer died on the third floor and herself died of typhoid weeks later; guests report her violin on the third floor on nights of a full moon. The same account describes a Confederate scout shot in the building's entryway, whose story is tied to a floor stain said to reappear despite repeated renovation, and a Union soldier who died of his wounds in 1864, whose riderless horse is reported on the south lawn on moonless nights.

Statewide, St Albans Sanatorium in Radford ranks #1.

"We rank by evidence, not legend: independent published accounts, documented history, and how far back the reports go. We don't claim ghosts are real, or that they aren't. We document where the reports concentrate, and we show our work," said Ben Fineman, editor of HauntBound. The ranking shows each site's documented record.

Visiting:Martha Washington Inn, 150 W. Main St., Abingdon, is a working hotel with an on-site restaurant, Sisters American Grill; rooms are for overnight guests.

For media:The full ranking: https://hauntbound.com/most-haunted/virginia/The fact sheet, with cleared images: https://hauntbound.com/press/fact-sheets/virginia/Venue contact: themartha.comA short version follows.

HauntBound (hauntbound.com) is a family-friendly field guide to more than 6,000 documented haunted and historic places across the United States, ranked by published evidence rather than legend. No venue pays to be listed or ranked.

Media contact: Ben Fineman, Editor, HauntBound, editor@hauntbound.com

Short version

SHORT VERSION

Martha Washington Inn ranks #3 among Virginia's most haunted places

Martha Washington Inn in Abingdon ranks #3 among Virginia's most haunted places in HauntBound's 2026 index, which ranks sites by separate published accounts rather than fame. General Francis Preston built the mansion in 1832; it became Martha Washington College in 1858 and later a Civil War hospital. A 1995 newspaper account describes a student named Beth, who played violin for a dying officer and died of typhoid weeks later; guests report her violin on nights of a full moon. The same account describes a Confederate scout shot in the entryway and a soldier's riderless horse on the south lawn.

Full ranking: https://hauntbound.com/most-haunted/virginia/