SELMA MANSION The Selma Mansion located on Selma Boulevard in Staunton is a magnificent greek revival mansion that was built in 1850. Much of the paranormal history of the mansion centers around the American Civil War. The house was purchased by Colonel Hierome L. Opie in 1856. Opie would fight for the confederacy during the war. In 1862 Colonel Opie was severely wounded in battle and would lose his leg as a result of that wound. He would eventually die from his wound at the Selma Mansion. Later during the final days of the war, union soldiers would often appear in town to apprehend any confederate soldiers still in the area, raid and secure any food, supplies that may be available and generally just cause havoc. During one of these sprees in town, a union solider spotted a young rebel soldier on the property of the Selma Mansion. The young rebel along with his mother had been staying at the Selma Mansion as guests. The union soldier would chase the young reb into the house, shooting him in the back just in front of the fireplace. The young rebel soldier would die of his wound in an upstairs bedroom a short time later. It is said that the young man's blood stained the floor just in front of the fireplace. A stain that still remains. In the years after the war, house servants mentioned seeing of a young confederate soldier in the mansion. Sightings of this soldier occurred on the staircase, sometimes in the dining room, sometimes by the fireplace downstairs and other reports of him in the bedroom upstairs. The bedroom that the young reb soldier died in. The young soldier was described as clear, and many servants believed him to be a guest of the family. One servant asked if she should set a place at the table for the gentleman. "What gentleman?" asked a family member. “Why, the soldier gentleman,” replied the servant. Over the years, the appearance of the young soldier in the mansion would increase. Described as quiet, polite, attentive and often as though he were listening to the conversation of the family. He was often mistaken for a living individual. Servants accepted the soldier as a real, living guest. Reports of the young soldier in the upstairs bedroom began to scare guests as you can imagine. Those reports did become less frequent and eventually quite rare. In later years, the Selma Mansion would serve as an apartment complex but still sightings of the young rebel soldier did occur here and there. Odd sounds and reports of household objects that moved on their own accord had tentants frightened. The young soldier apparently moved throughout the mansion just the same as he had been doing after his death. Finally in 1982, a medium from Charlottesville was brought into the mansion to perform a release ceremony in an effort to convince the young soldier to cross over to the afterlife. The medium discovered the young soldier in the attic of the mansion and described him as a misty, disarray of blotches hanging in mid air. The soldier was not the clear image that so many had witnessed before. The medium described the soldier as confused and frightened. He did not want to leave Selma Mansion. Finally, the medium convinced the young soldier to move towards the light and the misty, disarray of blotches disappeared. Reportedly, there have been no further sightings of the confederate soldier since the release ceremony. However, there are still reports of unusual activity in the mansion to this very day. The sounds of boots walking up and down the staircase when no one can be seen, shadow figures seen out of the corner of an eye, disembodied voices have been reported. It was reported at one time years ago that there was a strong belief that Colonel Opie haunted the Selma Mansion. There was a story of Opie's ghost wandering the house searching for his missing leg. It was said that he moved mirrors and picture frames on the walls from time to time. To date, we know of no further release ceremonies performed in the house. Unfortunately the Selma House is not a stop on any of our walking routes of ghost tours downtown. The house is about 2 miles from the downtown area of Staunton. The beautiful mansion is a must see though and easy to drive by to view. Please be respectful and do not trespass on the property though. Again, the mansion currently serves as an apartment complex. Locally, historian and author Charles Culbertson published a few articles in Staunton's Daily News Leader detailing the Selma Mansion. The Mansion has also appeared in one of L. B. Taylor's books from his series "The Ghosts of Virginia.