Built around 1838 by William M. Burwell and his wife Frances Steptoe, the historic home eventually, in 1985, was purchased by the Avenel Foundation, a non-profit organization known to restore and preserve historic Avenel. A ghostly Lady in White has been seen walking on the grounds and in the halls, and also has been seen from the outside through the windows. Other ghosts, including a phantom cat, are said to reside here; the cat has been heard meowing as well as seen. The phantom smell of tobacco also has been reported by witnesses.
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Geographic Information
- Address:
- 413 Avenel Ave
Bedford, VA 24523
United States
Get Directions » - GPS:
- 37.338447, -79.52454699999998
- County:
- Bedford County, Virginia
- Nearest Towns:
- Bedford, VA (0.3 mi.)
Montvale, VA (11.8 mi.)
Forest, VA (13.0 mi.)
Timberlake, VA (14.7 mi.)
Buchanan, VA (15.6 mi.)
Blue Ridge, VA (15.8 mi.)
Big Island, VA (16.2 mi.)
Westlake Corner, VA (17.7 mi.)
Laymantown, VA (18.4 mi.)
North Shore, VA (19.2 mi.)
Contact Information
- Web:
- http://www.historicavenel.com/
Please note: It is your responsibility to acquire appropriate permissions before investigating any location listed on this site. Private property should be respected at all times, as should all posted signs concerning trespassing, hours of operation and other local regulations. Many "ghost hunters" have been arrested because they failed to contact property owners and/or local authorities ahead of time.
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Comments (7)
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Disclaimer: The stories posted here are user-submitted and are, in the nature of "ghost stories," largely unverifiable. HauntedPlaces.org makes no claims that any of the statements posted here are factually accurate. The vast majority of information provided on this web site is anecdotal, and as such, should be viewed in the same light as local folklore and urban legends.
I have spent numerous evenings at Avenel during fundraising events and have twice smelled a very strong perfume in one of the upstairs bedrooms and once seen the dining room chandelier begin to sway as we were finishing our cleanup.
In.i I recently went to see this house and snapped pictures and actually caught a spirit of a little boy in the window
Do you have the photo?
Years ago I went with a group from Roanoke and when we went to the attic, I noticed the distinct smell of lilacs. Our guide informed us that lilacs were one of the lady of the house’s favorite flowers. It was a strange experience!
I just need to find a place to make a album in
we’re a deathcore metal band and it would be delightful to go to a scary haunted place to make the album
I went there for a Civil War wedding in 2003 or 2004. The reen-actor for Robert E. Lee was renewing his vows with his wife. During a CW reenactment weekend. I went inside the house to walk through it. I was in awe of its beauty and excited to be there. As I went up the second half of the steps something grabbed my right ankle and sprained it! I couldn’t put any weight on it and was in tremendous pain. I guarantee you, the sprain was not caused from my tripping or losing my balance. It definitely made the rest of the afternoon miserable for me.
After I got home I looked up this haunted site and read there were other people, like me, who went home with a mysterious sprained ankle. And they believe the sprains may have been caused by the female ghost reported to be seen there at the house. In any case, it was a spirit with much strength that grabbed my ankle and sprained it!
Unfortunately I haven’t been able to find those comments. Maybe someone can look back at the archives to find them.