Pamela Kinney, author of Haunted Richmond, discusses Richmond's eerie history

June 22, 3:25 AMRichmond Books ExaminerKatrina Robinson

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Mysterious forms shuffling through Shockoe Bottom. Ominous sounds disturbing the peace in a famous cemetery. There are numerous claims of strange occurrences in Richmond. Pamela Kinney knows all about these claims, and their origins. Her nonfiction book, Haunted Richmond, Virginia delves into the history behind Richmond’s paranormal activity. Her latest nonfiction book, Haunted Virginia: Legends, Myths and True Tales, broadens the scope of her research and covers tales from across the state. During an e-mail interview, she shared opinions, insight and material from her books. Here is Part One of the interview:

Richmond Books Examiner: In your opinion, how haunted is the city of Richmond?

Pamela Kinney: Very haunted. I read long ago in a book that New Orleans may be the most haunted city. Virginia is the most haunted state (I feel California is also equally haunted). Richmond adds to these hauntings a lot.

RBE: According to your research what area of Richmond is the most haunted?

Kinney: Shockoe Bottom. Because it is the oldest part of the city and I believe if we could dig into every area's past, we’d somehow find hauntings. And now if the baseball fields are built, that would mean more buildings torn down and redone, well, this brings our hauntings and I suspect will continue to.

RBE: Would you like to share a story from your book, Haunted Richmond, Virginia?

Kinney:
An excerpt from the Hollywood Cemetery chapter:

Though they say that you won’t find ghosts in cemeteries, there are ghostly legends abounding in this one. One is about the ninety-foot granite pyramid, built as a monument to the 18,000 enlisted Confederate soldiers buried near it. 11,000 are unknown; many of them were brought in from Gettysburg, and interred en masse in Hollywood. There have been those who swore they heard soft moans from these graves on nights when the moon is full. Maybe these restless spirits call out, wanting only to go home.

Another story involves the statue of a cast iron dog. It stands almost in the shadow of the pyramid. It came originally from the front of a store on Broad Street in the 19th century. A little girl would always come by and pet it, talking to it and showing her love for it as if it were a real dog. But one day she never came back. She had perished in an epidemic in 1892 and was buried in Hollywood Cemetery. Because of her affection for the cast iron dog though, it was placed at her grave site. Eerily, it stands there to this very day, as if guarding her. There have been those who say that it moves occasionally, that they would pass it pointing in one direction and come back, to find it staring the opposite way.

RBE: What do you want readers to know about your nonfiction books?

Kinney: Not only can adults read these books, but from third grade on up, children and teenagers can too. The whole family can enjoy, then check out the places.

Come back for Part Two of this interview where Pamela Kinney shares personal experiences, interesting facts uncovered during research and insight from her latest book, Haunted Virginia: Legends, Myths and True Tales.
 

For More Information:  Pamela Kinney's books can be purchased at Barnes and Noble and Amazon.  Please visit her My Space page to learn more about her nonfiction books.