THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 27, 1996 TAG: 9610250221
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 08 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: OLDE TOWNE JOURNAL
SOURCE: Alan Flanders
LENGTH: 94 lines
My grandfather, Guy Weddle Sr., loved it when Halloween season came around in Port Norfolk so he could tell me ghost stories that would keep me up many a night listening for the least sound in the house.
It was a special time for him as he embellished on scary stories that no doubt had been passed down from generation to generation.
I always think of him around this time of year when he created ghosts and spirits that seemed to grow into reality in the swirl of tobacco pipe smoke that rose above him and filled the room as his voice made those ``hants,'' as he called his favorite ghosts, all too real.
When the lights were on, the stories were fascinating, even funny, but once the lights were out, it was another matter. I laugh now when I remember his ghost stories, but I also think about the question I always asked him at the end, ``Is there such a thing as ghosts?'' He never bothered to answer that one.
No doubt, for hundreds of years, children have asked the same question. Even though people have tried to rationally explain that ghosts are all make-believe, ghost stories do seem to hang on through the centuries - particularly in our area.
There is good reason why the subject of spirits are so popular in Portsmouth. When you look into local history, it is literally filled with stories about apparitions from another world. Consider one of the all-time colonial favorites appropriately called, ``The Ghost of the Glebe.''
The story was first documented in the family letters and anecdotes of Louisa Emmerson, who carefully kept the history of one of Portsmouth's most prominent families from 1819 to 1917. According to Emmerson, ``The Ghost of the Glebe'' begins in September 1761 when Port Norfolk was purchased from city founder Col. William Crawford by the local Episcopal Parish to be used as a ``glebe'' or church property. Designated for development as a school site, the tract also contained the home of the first minister of Portsmouth Parish, the Rev. Charles Smith.
The Rev. Smith's parish home is said to have stood ``facing the river on what is now the southeast corner of Mount Vernon Avenue and Boulevard.'' According to church records, the house was surrounded by immense shade trees and pomegranate trees, whose descendants survive to this day. With its busy thoroughfares and modern West Norfolk Bridge, it is difficult to imagine the thick forest that once covered the area, but according to Emmerson, it had ``dense foliage'' with ``long, drooping moss.''
Apparently there were some strange happenings in the early days of the Glebe House as described in ``A History of Trinity Church'' by former Rector C. Charles Vache. Describing its first occupant, Vache wrote, ``The only information which has come to light concerning the first minister of Portsmouth Parish is that which is taken from his tombstone, which for many years was at the Glebe where he lived and was buried.''
According to the tombstone, the Rev. Charles Smith died Jan. 11, 1773, at the age of 61. But, Vache wrote, ``This slab, along with that of his daughter, who died in 1787, was moved to Trinity Churchyard, and though the graves were opened, none of the remains were found therein.''
Folklore about the area continued to grow, according to Emmerson, as she noted that, ``It was in these woods that the Indians of the past, who followed market wagons to town, would stop to rest and make ready their bows and arrows, before entering town to earn pennies they would set up as marks for them to shoot down.''
Adding to the Glebe's mysterious flavor, Emmerson noted that in the old days,``Gypsies have been fond of encamping and receiving visits from the credulous who came to have their fortunes told - ... Here, from time immemorial, a ghost has been said to wander ...'' And now, as Emmerson wrote, ``We come to the point of the story.''
``This old Colonial parson and his wife were living at the Glebe,'' she wrote. ``One lovely morning, as the parson was taking his stroll through the farm, he is said to have encountered a ghost, who told him that one certain day he would pass to the world beyond - the day named happening to be the parson's birthday!
``This troubled him and he brooded over the warning, until his wife became greatly disturbed. After thinking the matter over, she decided to have a big dinner on the date, thinking that having a group of friends for entertainment would so divert her husband that the day might pass without a thought to the doleful warning.
``Everything went as planned, until in the midst of the dinner the parson arose and asked his guests to excuse him for a few minutes. He remained away from the table long enough to cause his wife anxiety, and she followed him to find the reason for such an unusual procedure.
``On reaching his room, she found to her horror that the old parson had quietly gone on his last journey.''
The prediction of the ``Ghost of the Glebe'' had been fulfilled. Through the years other sightings of the ghost have been made, and this story retold way beyond the original. However, the final resting place of the Rev. Smith and his daughter remain a mystery - and for the parson who could not escape death on his birthday - what was the cause of his untimely demise?
At Halloween, the only correct answer would be - only the ``Ghost of the Glebe'' knows for sure. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Rev. Smith by CNB