#TBT: Antebellum apparitions at Poplar Grove

HAMPSTEAD, NC (WWAY) — As we continue this month’s Halloween-themed “Throw Back Thursday,” we head to Pender County to uncover Poplar Grove’s supernatural stories.

Joseph and Mary Ann Foy built the original house that now stands at Poplar Grove. They lived there with their six children in Antebellum Pender County. Director of Tourism Felicia Greene said Joseph, an avid Unionist, died just before the war broke out, and the Foy’s spirits are said to still walk the halls of the home.

“In this room people feel like someone’s watching them,” Greene said. “Certainly if you’re cleaning or if you go to touch something that you’re not supposed to especially on the 3rd floor. People say that Mary Ann is following them around. The family Christening gown is upstairs and they’ll say she doesn’t want anyone near the Christening gown.”

One theory is the Foy family was so proud of their home at Poplar Grove, they never wanted to leave it — even in death.