Halloween Edition - Haunted House - The Simon Foscue Story

The Foscue family derives from the Anglo-Saxon Fortesque family who settled in the Devon, England region in the 12th century. The Fortesques were proper English lords complete with a castle named Fallapit. In the 1600s it was customary for the the oldest son to inherit the land and titles as long as he produced a male heir the land and titles would remain in his line. 

Younger sons often joined the military or headed to the colonies. Symon Foscue, a younger non-inhering son, came to the Virginia colony in 1625 - five years after the Mayflower. He settled in the North Carolina colony where his son Simon, Sr. and his grandson Simon, Jr. flourished. 

By the 1820s Simon, Jr. owned over 2,500 acres. He built a plantation home, the first brick home in Jones County, North Carolina.  It was three stories tall with a basement.  It was quite grand for the time.  

In the 1830 Federal Census, Simon, Jr. had 8 free white members of his household and 19 slaves. Simon's son, John Edward, continued to live in the brick house after the death of his father and he accumulated even more land and slaves. At the height the Foscue plantation was 10,000 acres and at least 40 slaves. Household papers show that in addition to using slaves as labor for the plantation, the Foscues would apprenctice slaves with local tradesmen such as carpenters and blacksmiths to train the slaves in the trade. 

The plantation remains in the Foscue family and is currently maintained as a museum of antebellum life. Most of the homes in the area were burned by the Union army during the Civil War.  The Foscue house was spared because it was used by the Union army as a field hospital.  

The plantation is frequently on haunted North Carolina tours. There are three stories about ghosts and the Foscue House. The first story is that since the house was used as a field hospital the spirits of fallen soldiers can be seen wandering the grounds. The second story is that two slaves were killed in a fight on the main stairway in the house and their spirits can been seen and felt on the stairway along with bloody handprints appearing on the stairway.

The third story is by far the worst. 

The Story: As one of the largest slave owners in Craven county, Foscue would keep his slaves chained up in the attic. Rumors say up to 90 slaves over a 30 year period were kept in his attic. Visitors reportedly hear cries and moaning every evening and the servant staircase is constantly stained in bright red blood. The blood has been painted over numerous times and it continues to come right through the paint.

Is it true? I don't know but I do know I would not be visiting the house at night.