HAMPTON ROADS, Va. (WAVY) — 10 On Your Side is spotlighting spooky places that give you the chills, where things go bump in the night and objects move with no one around. One such place is the Virginia Beach Surf and Rescue Museum, where they say the spirits of those who risked their lives saving people in the water never left the seaside themselves.
At first glance, it’s a quaint little lookout post, surveying the happy beachgoers. But is there more lurking inside than meets the eye?
“Dana, the director’s cousin, said that she felt something up in the attic touch the back of her neck and it freaked her out,” said Surf and Rescue Museum Curator Deena Sasser.
Built in 1903, Seatack Lifesaving Station #2 replaced an earlier 1878 structure. It housed surfmen who would rush out to save crew members after a shipwreck. Their techniques were very intricate, and they trained in the building constantly.
“They were the only line of defense at that point if something happened to a ship out in the water,” Sasser said.
One wreck in particular was the Norwegian ship, Dictator, in 1891. Nine were saved, but Captain Jorgenson’s wife and young son died. Their bodies later washed ashore.
“They did not find the boy right away,”Sasser said. “Someone else found him, didn’t know who he was, buried them in their churchyard, but then, they started hearing cries of a little boy looking for his mother.”
News of the shipwreck spread, they realized who the boy was, and his body was later reunited with his mother, Johanna, buried in Elmwood Cemetery.
“Once they were reunited, the crying stopped,” Sasser said.
The attic, the coldest spot in the building, is said to be full of activity, and Sasser says the police got tired of it.
“We used to get reports that the lights were on when we were closed, and they could see people up in the tower,” Sasser said. “But there was no one there. And no one had been here, and the lights weren’t on. The police department asked us to please keep our lights on, so they didn’t have to keep answering these calls.”
Some believe it’s the spirit of John Sparrow, a surfman from 1883, who still keeps watch from the tower.
People often report feeling things in the stairwell. And so did I. Walking up to the attic, I felt something hit my ankle, but nothing was there.
Orbs can be seen on surveillance video, like one Sasser showed 10 On Your Side. A foggy white dot can be seen floating around the bottom of the stairs — and by the blue shirts in the gift shop. And there are other things not caught on surveillance.
“The chair was sitting here, there was a backpack on it,” Sasser said. “And a volunteer and a gal who used to work here were over here behind the register. And the chair basically went up and then back down. And they looked at each other and said ‘Did you see that?’”
There are also reports of the heavy bolts that hold the barn doors closed being found unlatched without anyone touching them. While Deena’s not entirely sold on spirits inhabiting the building …
“I welcome any kind of [them], as long as it’s non-malicious,” she said. “No malicious intent, I’m OK with that.”
You can visit the museum and see for yourself. They do offer tours, and if you want to visit the attic, you’ll need to sign a waiver because the stairs are narrow. They’re open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.
