The moonless night is perfect for the lanky, swaying figure emerging from its hillside retreat in Hollywood Cemetery. Hiding under the cover of darkness, it pursues destinations unknown only to return before the sun awakens.
For a century, the Richmond vampire legend has obsessively haunted the minds of locals; but while a macabre tale, it’s also sorrowful — one that originates at the horrific Church Hill Tunnel collapse.
“There are people who don’t know the legend of the vampire wound up rising from [the Church Hill] tragedy,” says Chris Houlihan, vice president of Haunts of Richmond. “The idea that Richmond has a vampire and a train tunnel for that matter blows people’s minds.”
The story begins Oct. 2, 1925 below the Church Hill district near Jefferson Park. While railroad workers were completing maintenance tasks in the tunnel, 190 feet of the structure suddenly collapsed entombing a steam locomotive and countless workers.
“Folks going to the tunnel to help see this dark figure looming in the entryway,” says Steve Dills, director of Transcend Paranormal, a Richmond-based paranormal investigation team. “It’s got no shirt on, jagged teeth, bald, looks gangly and whatnot.” As they approach, the bloody figure runs off and is chased to W.W. Pool’s mausoleum in Hollywood Cemetery which it then disappears into.
“All these urban legends have truth behind them, and when we share this story we always like to point out the truth,” says Dills. “It’s more horrifying than the story itself really.”
The truth is that there was a staggering figure that surfaced from the disaster — railroad firefighter Benjamin F. Mosby.
Mosby was shoveling coal into the train’s firebox when the boiler erupted from the crash releasing extraordinary amounts of heat. Shirtless at the time, the impact tore away and melted the skin on his upper half and scorched his scalp. He miraculously dug his way out, but cracked his teeth while doing so, emerging as a bloody, grotesque figure — hence the appearance of a “vampire” coming out of the tunnel. Mosby later died at Grace Hospital.
But some believe the figure is the mausoleum owner, local bookkeeper William Wortham Pool, who died in 1922. Reports go that when the pursuers chased the mysterious figure into the cemetery it fled into his mausoleum. As they approached, a coffin lid was thought to be seen quickly closing. Others claim that Pool’s unique mausoleum design, a mixture of Masonic and Egyptian architecture, depicts something sinister, and that his engraved name at the top (W.W. Pool) symbolizes vampire fangs.
As with many urban legends, facts get embellished and twisted. Some claimed Pool was actually a cursed vampire ousted from England eventually finding his way to Richmond. But Pool was actually born in Mississippi before moving to the city in the 1860s and was considered to be a distinguished citizen. The cemetery is also about an hour’s walk away from the tunnel’s western portal — a bit of a distance for a fleeing figure to quickly trek.
Over the years, the Richmond vampire story continues to fascinate, including to the point of disgraceful destruction. People have tried to break in to summon the vampire themselves or explore its resting quarters. Things got so bad at one point that the cemetery ended up having to rebury Pool and his wife.
“Hollywood Cemetery felt it needed to make sure, if nothing else, the Pools rested in peace,” says Houlihan. “They took them out of the beautiful crypt they made for themselves to an unmarked section to keep people from breaking into the crypt.”
Want to (respectfully) view the legendary vampire’s supposed hideout? Pool’s mausoleum is situated along Westvale Avenue in the cemetery; a short walk toward Clark Springs Circle you’ll also find Mosby’s gravesite.
The Church Hill Tunnel is also worth checking out to better understand the legend, especially for those curious about the city’s haunted history and the paranormal. The western portion (which is sealed) can be seen near Jefferson Park under Cedar Street.
Dills has investigated there with friends and has experienced some rather otherworldly phenomena. One night years ago, a lantern was seen bobbing down the remnant tracks with an illuminated group of people following behind. After disappearing behind a large nearby bush, they quickly went to look – but there was no trace anyone was ever there.
Haunts of Richmond also hosts a Church Hill Chillers walking ghost tour. The 90-minute outing takes participants around the historic neighborhood further exploring topics like the Church Hill Tunnel collapse and the Richmond vampire.
“It’s such a complex tale that weaves together so many parts of Richmond history and landmarks, namely the train tunnel… and Hollywood Cemetery, arguably one of the most famous cemeteries in the country,” says Houlihan. “To have this legend of a vampire associated with [Hollywood Cemetery] draws so many people. It just really captures the imagination for a lot of people.”
