The Moses Myers House

Posted: 04.17.2025 | Updated: 04.17.2025

The Moses Myers House has been an important landmark in Norfolk for over 230 years. Five generations of the Myers family lived in the home from when it was first built in the late 1700s to the early 1930s, and it seems that some of them have chosen to remain there long after their death.  

Virginia is home to some of the most haunted locations in the entire United States. This is rooted in the state’s rich history that dates back to the earliest moments of our country. 

The Virginia Beach area alone is home to tales of shadowy shipwreck victims, phantom children’s laughter, and the spirit of a woman convicted of being a witch. To learn more about these stories and see the spooky sites with your own eyes, book a ghost tour with Neptune Ghosts tonight.

Who haunts the Moses Myers House?

Many people believe that multiple members of the Myers family continue to reside within the Moses Myers House, despite dying more than 200 years ago. 

Of the family members said to still roam the halls of the great house, there are a few that are heard or seen more often than others: 

• Moses Myers himself
• Adeline Myers, Moses’s eldest daughter
• Eliza Myers, Moses’s wife

However, outside the Myers family, there is another man whose spirit is said to be forever linked to the large home. Why? Because Moses Myers’s son killed him in cold blood. 

The History of the Moses Myers House 

Moses Myers was a highly respected shipping merchant in colonial America. He established business across the world, including Europe, the West Indies, and South America, and his clients included the likes of John Quincy Adams and Thomas Jefferson. 

After marrying his wife, Eliza, in 1787, the pair left New York to sail to their new home of Norfolk. Looking to build their own home in this growing town, the Myers commissioned a grand house, which was finished around 1796. Once completed, the home acted as the first permanent Jewish residence in Norfolk.

Moses and Eliza went on to have 12 children together, nine of whom survived to adulthood. Moses’s business had its ups and downs, and he filed for bankruptcy twice. 

However, throughout any financial difficulties, the Myers family refused to give up their beloved home. They passed it down to their children, who continued this tradition of keeping the house in the family until the 1930s. 

By the time the Myers family moved out, the house would have borne witness to success, tragedy, and bloodshed.

Who Haunts the Moses Myers House? 

Many strange occurrences have been seen within the historic home. Guests have spotted a strange white vapor, almost cloudlike, in the corners of bedrooms. Glowing orbs have been seen in photographs when nothing can be seen with the naked eye. 

Lights will go on and off randomly, while doors have been known to open and close on their own. 

Much of this activity is attributed to the Myers family members, but there is another man who is said to be forever tied to the home — Bowden’s business partner, Thomas Bowden. 

The Killing of Thomas Bowden

Bowden was Moses’s business partner back in the late 18th century. One day, the two were having an argument over their debt (likely during the down period of their business). Bowden punched Moses so hard in the face that Moses was incapacitated. 

Moses was taken home to rest, which is where his son, Samuel, found him. His father was likely passed out cold, as Samuel took one look at him and thought his father was dead. 

Demanding to know who did such a thing, he was told Bowden’s name. Samuel grabbed a pistol, marched over to Bowden’s house, and shot him point-blank.

Bowden died; Moses did not. While you may think Samuel would face consequences for this killing in broad daylight, he was never tried. Perhaps an argument of self-defense was made? Or everyone in town just really didn’t like Bowden?

Regardless, Bowden’s spirit is often seen pacing around the yard of the Moses Myers House. He wears a top hat and dark cloak, keeping his head down and his hands held behind his back. 

It’s believed he’s only seen in the yard because he is forbidden from entering the home by the Myers family. 

The Haunted Second Floor

Many people who witness otherworldly events are on the second floor of the Moses Myers House. This section of the home is said to be most haunted because of the four separate Myers family members who died here. 

Adeline Myers

Adeline was an intelligent young woman when she was betrothed to Solomon Nones, a local grocer, in 1819. Just days before their wedding, Nones passed away, leaving Adeline heartbroken. She never found love again, instead filling her time by acting as her father’s household manager until her death in 1832. 

As her whole life revolved around the family manor, Adeline is believed to still remain in the house. A blond-haired little girl ghost, who is seen running around the house wearing a summer dress, is thought to perhaps be a younger version of Adeline, in the days before her heartache. 

Eliza Myers

The Myers family experienced their own tragedy from 1821 to 1822. One of the younger sons, Abram, went on a trip to Baltimore and fell violently ill upon returning. 

He died shortly after. His younger brother, Henry, died from yellow fever just a few months later while he was on a ship, just a few days out from Norfolk, where he would have been able to receive assistance for his condition. 

The quick succession of the loss of two of her sons drove Eliza to travel to Montreal to spend time grieving with her family. Sadly, her own health took a turn, and she died there on her visit in 1823. People believe her soul returned to her home, so she could be closer to her children once more. 

Moses Myers

After the death of two of his sons and his wife in a few years’ span, Moses was said to throw himself into his work, focusing his free time on his remaining children.

The patriarch himself is also thought to have stayed in his beloved home, where he died in 1835. Many attribute the pockets of cold air and the feeling of being watched to the house’s former master.

Haunted Virginia Beach 

The Moses Myers House is one of many historic homes around the Virginia Beach area. Several of these homes have dark pasts and histories that don’t cast the original owners in the best light. Perhaps this is why some owners have been tied to their estates — unable to leave as penance for what they did in their lifetimes. 

However, some of the spookiest tales in Virginia Beach are close to the downtown area, away from the glitz of the decadent manors. From a haunted coast guard station to a cursed statue, there are several locations around town that will cause a shiver to run down your spine. To see the most haunted spots in Virginia Beach for yourself, book a ghost tour with Neptune Ghosts. 

If you want to learn about other phantom-filled manors from other cities around the U.S., follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. For more articles about Virginia’s haunted sites, check out our blog. 

Sources:

• https://www.pilotonline.com/2008/10/31/ghost-hunting-at-the-myers-place-2/
• https://neptuneghosts.com/
• https://chrysler.org/historic-houses/the-moses-myers-house/
• https://www.visitnorfolk.com/blog/haunted-norfolk/