Portsmouth-Gaffos House

Posted: 05.27.2025 | Updated: 05.27.2025

While most think of the capital, Richmond, as Virginia’s largest city, this isn’t true. Virginia Beach is actually the most populous city in Virginia, and it may also have the highest population of ghosts.

One of the most haunted spots in Virginia Beach is the Portsmouth-Gaffos House. 

Located in the heart of the beachy metro area, this historic home has served a variety of purposes over the years, most notably as a makeshift hospital. One of the former patients of this hospital is said to have never left the building. Some say her ghost might not be the only one lurking around the building either!

Read on to learn just who these ghosts might be and the sad story that led them to haunt the Portsmouth-Gaffos House. After you’re done, we’re sure you’ll want to learn even more about haunted Virginia. The best way to do that is by booking an in-person ghost tour with us at Neptune Ghosts.

Who Haunts the Portsmouth-Gaffos House?

As mentioned above, the most prominent ghost was a former patient at the Portsmouth-Gaffos House and her story is a tragic one involving absent parents, crippling illnesses, and a love that just wasn’t enough in the end. 

Portsmouth-Gaffos House History

The Gaffos House stands tall on the shores of Virginia Beach. It’s a well-preserved 18th-century building that’s served a variety of roles in its centuries of use. With three and a half stories, it was designed as a private, luxurious home for a wealthy family. 

Before the Civil War, it was pressed into service, like many houses in Virginia were at the time, in order to combat the growing 1855 yellow fever epidemic. Yellow fever, also known as the yellow plague or as “bronze john,” typically comes with flu-like symptoms (and jaundice, which causes the yellow skin associated with the fever), but back in the 1900s, it proved quite deadly. 

Some Virginia homes were repurposed as housing for patients suffering from yellow fever, but the Gaffos House served as a makeshift hospital, surpassing others in terms of standards and care. However, even with its large size and the skill of the doctors operating there, the epidemic was simply too much for Virginia Beach to handle.

Extra space needed to be made for the growing number of patients, so a “wing” was opened up in the attic. The lack of a cure, coupled with the overcrowding and scarce resources, meant that many patients lost their lives while overlooking the shore here in the Gaffos House. 

One such patient was a young girl, the daughter of a widowed sea captain. She was an only child, and with no other children or wife to dote on, the captain turned all his affection towards her instead. Obviously, he did everything he could to try and cure her of her affliction but it was to no avail – she would go on to die in the attic room of the Gaffos House. 

Haunted Happenings

Naturally, the old sea captain never quite recovered from the loss of his one and only daughter. His most beloved child taken from him too soon, he would morosely recall the times she was sick more than when she was bright and happy. He would think of the days when she would be confined to the attic and how many days he spent away from her at sea. 

Of course, he would visit her every time he sailed into port, and she never begrudged him for it. However, his feelings were guilty ones, not logical ones.

However, perhaps he needn’t have despaired so hard because many say that the ghost of his beloved girl never quite left the Gaffos House. Whether she remains behind due to wanting to reunite with her father in the afterlife, or if she had unfinished business, or just because she enjoyed the view, is anybody’s guess. 

However, what we do know is that she’s usually not seen as a full apparition. Instead, sightings of her ghost usually involve mysterious sensations and strange phenomena. 

Some blame her ghost for being behind the many cold drafts the house has. Others swear that they can hear her whispering to them late at night. Others have heard what sounds like a child sighing in the attic, even when it’s supposedly completely empty. 

Although she is not often seen as a full apparition, many visitors to the home describe sensations associated with her presence, including sudden cold drafts, the sound of faint breathing or a child’s sigh, and a soft creaking of floorboards when no one is there. 

Some say they feel watched in the attic. Others have reported seeing the attic light flicker, even when the house is empty.

Running Up The Stairs 

The staircase, in particular, is thought to be a hotbed for sightings of this ghost girl. And, perhaps, this is due to the effect these stairs would have had on the captain’s daughter. 

For one, these were the stairs that her father would practically sprint up every time he came to port. When she was alive, his footsteps, taken two or three at a time, on the steps would have been a source of great comfort for her. 

However, this comfort would also lead to false hope for the young girl. The house was so old that, on windy nights, sometimes the steps would creak with the breeze and lead her to think that her father had come up to visit her. After rousing herself from sleep, she’d be crushed to realize that, no, it was just a cruel trick of the wind. 

However, these stairs still experience activity today. The good captain is said to still visit the Portsmouth-Gaffos House. Perhaps, he’s coming to check in on his daughter’s ghost, or maybe he finds himself drawn to the place that made him so miserable in life. Whatever the reason, his ghost is oftentimes invisible and hard to spot…unless you’re listening carefully. 

For, you see, his ghostly visits are marked by a distinctive sound – the sound of his sailor’s boots clomping up the steps, two at a time, much like he used to do in life when he would visit his daughter. Some people familiar with the legend claim that, on nights when he can’t find his daughter’s ghost, you’ll hear him furiously storm down the steps, followed by the sound of the front door loudly slamming shut. 

Haunted Virginia Beach 

So, if you’re in the area and you hear some creaking footsteps on the stairs, don’t be alarmed! It’s probably just the old sea captain trying to reunite with his beloved daughter again.

If you liked this story and want to learn similar tales, check out our Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. They spotlight other offbeat ghost stories all over the United States. Checking our blog is another good way to stay up-to-date with all the latest ghost stories and haunted spots in Virginia.

If you want to explore Virginia Beach ghosts up close, a ghost tour with Neptune Ghosts is the best way to do that. Our guides are knowledgeable and enthusiastic and can provide even more information on the area. 

Sources:

• https://www.virginiahauntedhouses.com/real-haunt/gaffos-house.html#:~:text=During%20the%20mid%2D19th%20century,eventually%20succumbed%20to%20her%20disease.
• https://hauntedhouses.com/virginia/portsmouth-gaffos-house/
• https://www.hercampus.com/school/cnu/portsmouths-greatest-treasure-olde-towne-ghost-walk/