Martha Washington Inn & Spa

The Martha Washington Inn was originally constructed in 1832 as a grand private residence for General Francis Preston, a prominent veteran of the War of 1812, and his wife Sarah Buchanan Campbell Preston. Built at a cost of $15,000, the brick mansion served as a center of social and political life in Southwest Virginia for over two decades.

In 1858, the property was purchased by the Martha Washington College for Young Women. When the American Civil War broke out in 1861, the college suffered severe enrollment declines, and the building was commandeered by local forces to serve as a military hospital designated as Hospital No. 1. Young female students who remained at the school volunteered as nurses, tending to hundreds of severely wounded soldiers brought from nearby skirmishes, including the Battles of Saltville.

Following the Civil War, the college reopened and operated until 1884, when economic hardship forced its closure. In 1935, a syndicate of local businessmen renovated and converted the grand building into a hotel to accommodate theatergoers visiting the famous Barter Theatre located directly across Main Street. Over the decades, the Martha Washington Inn hosted distinguished guests, including Eleanor Roosevelt, President Harry S. Truman, President Jimmy Carter, and numerous celebrities, while preserving its rich antebellum architecture and civil war legacy.

The most famous ghost story associated with the Martha Washington Inn revolves around a young student nurse named Beth and a wounded Union officer, Captain John Stoves. During the Civil War, Captain Stoves was severely injured during a local skirmish and brought to the improvised hospital inside the college. Beth devotedly nursed him in Room 217, playing soft violin melodies to soothe his intense pain. Despite her care, Captain Stoves succumbed to his wounds. Overcome with grief, Beth died shortly thereafter from typhoid fever.

According to local lore, the spectral sound of Beth's violin still echoes softly through the hallways surrounding Room 217 late at night. Guests sleeping in Room 217 report waking to find a young woman in Victorian dress standing quietly by the bedside, gazing tenderly at the bed before fading away. Furthermore, staff members have reported a dark stain on the floorboards where Captain Stoves passed away; despite multiple attempts to sand, stain, and refinish the wooden floorboards over the decades, the mysterious outline continually re-appears.

Another prominent legend involves the 'Phantom Horse.' During a skirmish on Main Street, a Confederate officer was shot while riding his horse outside the mansion. The rider managed to maneuver the horse up the front steps and into the grand hallway before collapsing. The horse was subsequently shot and killed on the front porch. Guests and passersby frequently report seeing the ghostly silhouette of a horse galloping across the front lawn at night or hearing phantom hooves clattering up the front steps.

Guests, hotel staff, and visiting paranormal investigators have documented a wide range of ghost sightings and inexplicable occurrences throughout the Martha Washington Inn. In addition to the haunting violin melodies in Room 217, visitors frequently report seeing apparitions of Confederate and Union soldiers walking through the basement hallways and main parlors.

Staff members working the night shift report seeing the figure of a Confederate soldier standing guard near the grand staircase. When approached, the soldier turns, gazes directly at the employee, and vanishes into thin air. Housekeeping staff report objects moving on their own in guest rooms, doors locking from the inside without keys, and electronic appliances turning on and off independently without any electrical cause.

In the hotel's lower level, near the spa and former basement morgue area, guests report sudden drops in temperature, cold breezes in sealed hallways, and disembodied voices whispering soldier names in the dark late at night.

The Martha Washington Inn is a classic example of Greek Revival architecture, built primarily of handmade red brick with white trim, ornate dentil cornices, and imposing porticos. The front facade features a grand two-story covered porch supported by heavy white columns, overlooking landscaped lawns and historic brick walkways.

The interior features expansive formal parlors adorned with 19th-century antiques, crystal chandeliers, marble fireplaces, and tall sash windows. The property has been expanded over the years to include luxurious guest suites, a full-service spa, dining rooms, and an indoor heated pool, while carefully preserving original hardwood floors, plaster mouldings, and grand staircases.

The Martha Washington Inn & Spa is located at 150 West Main Street in the historic heart of Abingdon, Virginia, situated in Washington County near Interstate 81. The hotel is directly across the street from the world-famous Barter Theatre, the State Theatre of Virginia.

The inn operates as a full-service luxury hotel offering fine dining at Sisters American Grill, a full spa, and overnight accommodations. Non-overnight visitors can visit the public parlors, stroll the landscaped grounds, and enjoy meals or drinks in the restaurant. Ghost walks and historical tours of Abingdon frequently highlight the inn's rich Civil War hauntings and spectral legends.

The Martha Washington Inn maintains a legendary status among haunted hotels in the American South due to its direct role as a Civil War hospital where scores of soldiers perished. The romantic, tragic stories of Beth and the Phantom Horse, coupled with consistent guest reports across nearly a century of hotel operation, solidify its standing as a premier haunted destination.