The next time you take a stroll through Dix Park, pay close attention. You may be walking over the unmarked graves of lost, unnamed people who were once enslaved on the plantation that once stood there. And if legends are true, the souls resting there may be unhappy.
History of Raleigh’s Haunted Spring Hill Plantation
Beginning in the late 1700’s, Dix Park was home to one of Wake County’s largest plantations—a 5,000 acre farm known as Spring Hill. The antique plantation home still stands on a quiet road near a dark patch of woods. Behind it, the 221 year old grave of Colonel Theophilus Hunter sits weathering away in the shadows of gnarled, ancient oaks—the oldest grave in Wake County. But according to security and students who work inside the house, which is now part of Centennial Campus, Theophilus may not be resting peacefully in his centuries old casket.
According to several reports, some evenings—late after everyone has left the park—the motion sensors inside the house set off alarms. Security guards have verified the motion sensors are detecting someone walking down the stairs and out the back door — as if Theophilus is walking back to his grave.
The Grave of Theophilus Hunter
According to the N&O, NCSU has released a statement of intention to move Hunter’s grave. The ramifications of moving the oldest grave in Wake County impact Hunter’s family, history itself, and possibly the soul of Theophilus.
NCSU also hopes to “disinterred, removed, and reinterred” the 17 unmarked graves thought to belong to the enslaved persons on the property.
Given that intention, the restless spiritual energy within the Spring Hill House could be Theophilus, but it could also be any unhappy spirit who once lived there.
Paranormal Investigations
Paranormal investigators have visited to determine if there is any truth to the legend. Photos show several orbs of light hovering the Hunter gravesite, and security guards confess to have responded to several alarms of the motion sensors going off. One guard also claimed to see lights in the windows after 3am, long after everyone has gone home.
The old oak sitting in front of the house has a human-sized bulge growing like a tumor out the side, calling to mind old legends about trees growing gnarls and lumps after pulling souls from the earth. Walking near the old plantation house at dusk evokes a chill having nothing to do with the crisp Autumn air — it’s the chill of knowing you are walking over unmarked, unnamed graves on a land that once enslaved hundreds of humans. Add in the unmarked plots where forgotten orphans were buried and the nameless Jane Doe’s left behind at Dorothea Dix Hospital, and it seems an area ripe for ghostly legends and haunted tales.
Join a Real Paranormal Investigation
If you love history and ghost stories, check out our new Haunted History: Paranormal Investigation! We’ll visit Raleigh’s spookiest historic places and learn Raleigh’s haunted legends. Guests get to use real ghost hunting gear and get off the trolley to see one haunted place up-close for a real paranormal investigation!
If you prefer a more light-hearted tour, with lots of beer, jokes, and scary stories, check out our Laugh Yourself to Death Tour!
