Sir Christopher Wren Building
The Wren Building at the College of William & Mary, begun in 1695, is the oldest college building still standing in the United States. It served as a hospital during both the Revolutionary and Civil Wars and survived devastating fires in 1705, 1859, and 1862, the last set deliberately by the 5th Pennsylvania Cavalry. During the Civil War, Union soldiers raided the crypt beneath the chapel, with diaries documenting silver pilfered from Lord Botetourt's coffin. Lore holds that amputated limbs were discarded in the basement during its hospital years. Students and visitors report phantom footsteps and screams echoing through the halls, objects moving on their own, mournful cries, and the apparition of a soldier walking the corridors. The crypt below the chapel still holds the remains of colonial Virginia notables, deepening the building's reputation as the most haunted spot on the historic campus.
📍 111 Jamestown Rd, Williamsburg, VA 23185, Williamsburg, VA · Get directions