The ghost town of Wash Woods is tucked away along the coast in a natural area now designated as False Cape State Park. While this site is a gorgeous natural destination, it wasn’t always so welcoming. As its name implies, False Cape was an area mistaken for another landing point, Cape Charles. The development of Wash Woods happened for exactly this reason. A community of shipwrecked sailors made their home on this unforgiving piece of land and the community has since vanished altogether. All that’s left today are a few structural tokens: a church steeple and a haunting graveyard.
The narrow beach known as Wash Woods is situated between the Atlantic Ocean and Back Bay. Getting there means a trek through Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge or a guided tour.
Virginia State Parks/flickr
In the past 50 years alone, this already-abandoned community has deteriorated even more. All that remains today are structural fragments of a shipwrecked community.
Virginia State Parks/flickr
According to naturalists, the shipwreck took place in the 16th or 17th century, when a ship filled with cypress wood encountered a ghastly storm off the coast.
Virginia State Parks/flickr
Survivors used the cypress wood on board and built several structures that would eventually become the town. By the 1800s, the community included two churches, a school, and a graveyard, which is perhaps the most haunting relic of this ghost town.
Virginia State Parks/flickr
By the 1930s, the town was abandoned completely. Frequent rainstorms washed away the topsoil and eventually eroded away the buildings as well. A visit to Wash Woods today will reveal a scattering of gravesites hidden underneath Spanish moss and live oak.
Virginia State Parks/flick
While the town of Wash Woods is certainly a chilling place to visit, it is undeniably a testament to those who persevered in spite of the most difficult times.
Virginia State Parks/flick
Have you visited Wash Woods? If so, be sure to share your experience there with us! For related content, you’ll enjoy reading about These 7 Ghost Towns In Virginia That Are Hauntingly Beautiful.
Virginia State Parks/flickr
Virginia State Parks/flick
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