This story takes place shortly after the Civil War in the late 1860s near South Henry Street in Colonial Williamsburg’s Merchants Square. Along Henry Street was a small white house that belonged to the Moore family. Young Thomas Moore, a handsome man in his 20s sporting a thick mustache, inherited the home from his older brother who was killed in the Civil War. Thomas had a reputation in town as a ladies man, or a womanizer. One day, he met a beautiful woman named Constance Hall. Constance and Thomas spent nearly every day together. They were seen walking together in town, and Thomas’s neighbors would often spot the girl entering into the Moore house in broad daylight. The couple made no attempt to conceal their relationship and affections. This continued for three months until something happened… Can you guess what happened? Her husband found out!
Mr. Hall, believed to have been away during these three months, found out upon his return to Williamsburg. He was furious. He stormed into the Moore Home, killed Thomas, and left. The neighbors then saw him return to the home with Constance, whom he had threatened and forced to help him hide the body. The couple hid Thomas’s body in the basement and were seen exiting the front of the home. Neighbors knew something was wrong when they had not seen Thomas Moore for several days. The police entered and searched for Thomas in his home. They eventually found his body in the basement. The Hall couple were the immediate suspects and placed under arrest.
Mr. Hall confessed to the murder in exchange for setting his wife Constance free. Mr. Hall spent the rest of his life behind bars. Constance, ostracized and whose reputation was tarnished, immediately fled Williamsburg and was never heard from or seen again. As for Thomas Moore, he spends the rest of his afterlife roaming the streets and stores in Merchants Square. Some say he’s looking for Constance, still deep in love with her. Others say he’s simply looking for another female companion. His tall ghostly figure and pale face roams the darkened streets of Williamsburg and in its shops. One of Thomas’ appearances occurred in a bookstore. The store manager was working on receipts after all the other employees had gone home for the night.
She said, “I was in my office in the back, when I heard a noise coming from the front area. I was sure I was the only person left inside, because I checked the store thoroughly before I locked up. I peeked around the corner and saw a man standing by one of the registers. I had no idea how he could have gotten in. He was dressed in black from head to toe, and his skin was a pale shade of white. I ducked back into my office to call 911. When the police arrived, I told them all the doors were locked, so the intruder still had to be inside. They searched the store, but couldn’t find him.”
An employee of a local jewelry store was also frightened by the spirit of the murdered man. “That evening, I stayed late to do inventory. I was sitting in the middle of the floor counting stock, when I heard a light tapping sound. As I stood up I saw a man with a dark mustache, peering in through the window. I noticed he was incredibly pale. He scanned the room as if he was looking for something in particular. As I watched him, he faded away before my eyes!” Other occurrences have been spotted in Merchants Square Colonial Williamsburg. At the Tea and Spice Exchange, the mortar and pestle and other heavier objects on a table have been known to levitate and then thrown off the table on more than one occasion. The Kimball Theater is also known to be haunted by the ghosts of two Civil War soldiers, brothers who fought on opposing sides. In addition, the graves of those who died of the Spanish Flu outbreak in 1919 were buried in the Merchant’s Square area.
Source of interviews and quotes may be purchased at: http://www.amazon.com/The-Hauntings-Williamsburg-Yorktown-Jamestown/dp/0895872102
