The Urban Legend of the Tomb

When my mother was a teenager, there was an urban legend about a brick tomb that was built on a church property on Laniers Mill Road to memorialize a murdered family.

According to the legend, there was a house nearby the church in which a family lived. One day, the husband locked his family inside and set the house on fire, killing everyone, including the dogs. The wife's mother had this tomb built as a memorial to her daughter and grandchildren.

The legend said that if you went to the tomb and sat on it, around midnight you would hear the dogs barking first, then the kids screaming, then you would smell the smoke. If you stayed long enough, the man would come to get you too.

My mother went to the tomb once with her friends. She said right around midnight, they heard dogs barking, and that's all they needed to run back to their car and leave. They were in such a hurry that they accidentally kicked a brick out of the tomb.

Today, the entrances to the church parking lot are always roped off so random cars may not enter the parking lot. However, the tomb is still accessible by foot if brave souls want to try their luck at getting scared.

Residence in Pittsylvania County

In a house off of Vandola Road, a family of three experienced several different paranormal happenings.

One of the family members saw an apparition of an old man twice while home alone.

While in the basement apartment, they could hear footsteps and things moving around, even when no one was upstairs. Doors would also open and close by themselves.

Previous owners of the property also reported witnessing the same activities.

Residence in North Danville

Note: No pictures or house numbers for residences will be used to respect the privacy of the homeowners.

Former residents of a home in North Danville reported strange experiences for the entire time they rented the house. 

At the time, the young couple were living together before their marriage. They rented the house that the man's great-grandmother used to live in.

One closet door in the house always opened by itself, even though the door closed completely and there was no problem with the latch. After the couple got married, the door stopped opening by itself. They joked that it was the husband's great-grandmother, who was expressing her dismay about the couple living together before marriage. 

After the couple had their first child, a girl, the baby would stare at the same closet door when put in the baby swing. This made the couple uneasy, so they turned the swing so that the back would face the closet door. However, the baby would turn herself around in the swing to stare at the closet door. 


The wife would often come home at night and open the door to hear people talking. The first time this happened, she thought she had left the TV on when she left, but the TV was off. This happened so often that when she came home and heard people talking, she would go back to her car, baby in tow, and wait at her mother's house until her husband got off of work. 

The couple never felt threatened but were relieved when they moved. 

Lanier House

The Lanier House was built in 1830 and is the oldest documented residence in Danville.

The house was built by the city's first mayor James Lanier.

Since then, the building has been a private residence and a pediatricians office. Today, it is home to law offices.

There have been reports of apparitions, voices, and footsteps through the building.

Satan's Bridge

On Berry Hill Road, there's a bridge covered in graffiti that is referred to as "Satan's Bridge."

It has been said that this bridge was once a meeting site for a satanic group. The group would sacrifice animals and hang them on the bridge. The bridge was also covered in pentagrams.

There are even reports of hooded figures being seen in the woods near Satan's Bridge.

Today, it is just a place for teenagers and thrill seekers to go visit. However, the whole area is said to be overall creepy to this day.

Residence on North Main Street

Note: No pictures or house numbers for residences will be used to respect the privacy of the homeowners.

On North Main Street, a house has been reportedly haunted by the ghost of the original owner. 

Previous owners report blinds opening after being shut, items being moved around, and figures in pictures taken. 

In addition, visitors also report lights turning on and off by themselves, sound on the television going up and down by itself, and an overall feeling that someone is watching them.

One visitor witnessed an item flying out of a closet and hitting the wall at the other side of the room in a bedroom. 

Residence in Forest Hills

Note: No pictures or house numbers for residences will be used to respect the privacy of the homeowners.

Owners of a home in the Forest Hills neighborhood are sure their house is haunted after experiencing prolonged paranormal activity. 

A family of four, a couple and their two daughters, did not realize that everyone had witnessed strange occurrences until they talked about it years after moving in. 

A few members of the family have seen a man in a blue shirt pass a window that looks into the backyard. Sitters that cared for an elderly family member would ask if anyone had come home during the day because they would hear footsteps and movement upstairs. 

One resident woke up in the middle of the night to a chair turned toward her bed like someone was watching her sleep, with her dog barking and growling at the chair. 

The family believes the house may be haunted by the man who built it. The parents also think that their daughter's use of an ouija board was the cause of increased paranormal activity.