The Thoroughgood House

Posted: 03.26.2025 | Updated: 03.26.2025

Virginia sits on the edge of US history. As the home of the nation’s first colony, pre-revolutionary talks often focus on the Old Dominion. Spots like the Thoroughgood House, erected long before the colonies fought for independence, tell us about those early years. However, it’s not the structures themselves speaking but the eternal residents within. 

The Thoroughgood House has stood in Virginia Beach since the 17th century. Over that time, it’s absorbed centuries’ worth of memories, some appearing to the living as spectral entities. A pair of spirits firmly grip the historic home, though their identities seem to have been lost to time. Another patrols the grounds, her flowing red hair a distinct feature that’s impossible to miss. 

An unsettled energy is embedded in the foundation of the old abode, manifesting in an unseen force with the strength to move objects. Poltergeists are the direct result of trauma and emotion, suggesting that something dreadful happened within the brick home.

Hear more about other haunted houses in Virginia Beach on a tour from Neptune Ghosts.

Why Is The Thoroughgood House Haunted?

A building’s age doesn’t always correlate to hauntings. However, the Thoroughgood House has a long lineage of residents, which may be exactly why it’s a popular haunted house in Virginia. Whispers of suicides would likely be a cause, though the real catalyst may date to before the home was even erected, to when Native Americans were driven from their land.

Quick Facts:

• Who built the Thoroughgood house is a matter of debate.
• A pair of spirits is most commonly seen inside.
• One of the suspected builders died mid-construction.
• Native American tribes once occupied the land on which the house sits.

Who Built the Thoroughgood House?

Depending on the records you review, the primary name credited with building the Thoroughgood House changes. Per the historical marker outside the home, it was a product of Adam Thoroughgood. In 1621, years before the house was built, Adam traveled to Virginia as an indentured servant from King’s Lynn, England. After approximately 8 years, he worked off his servitude and quickly rose in status. Along with joining the House of Burgesses, Adam also served on the Governor’s Council. 

By 1936, Adam reveled in his societal role. He acquired 7,000 acres in Princess Anne County and built the charming one-and-a-half-story brick home for his wife, Sarah Offley. It was a relatively simple home with a low eave, steep gabled roof, and two prominent chimneys. The Thoroughgood House became Adam’s legacy. Something passed down to his kids, grandkids, and so on before becoming a history museum. Today, it is a nationally recognized historic location.

At least, that’s what was initially believed. Later records suggest that the home is a few years younger and was constructed by a relative of Adam’s after his death.

Who Was Argall Thoroughgood?

Researchers now believe the home was constructed in 1719, almost 80 years after Adam Thoroughgood died. In this version of the home’s history, Argall Thoroughgood, Adam’s great-grandson, is responsible for its existence. But if Argall were behind its construction, he sadly never saw it progress to completion. 

Partway through building a home for himself and his family, Argall died. But his wife, Susannah, was determined to see her husband’s vision through. So, she continued the work. Eventually, she made a life there before it was passed down to her and Argall’s son, John. 

John is said to have added many of the home’s current elements, such as the dramatic staircase thought to be the site of a future suicide. Still, Adam often gets credit for the structure’s existence, and in a way, it’s warranted. Without his sacrifice in coming to North America, the Thoroughgood lineage would have remained in King’s Lynn. 

The Lost History of the Thoroughgood House

With the early history of the Thoroughgood House up for debate, it’s no surprise that much of the home’s detailed past is largely unaccounted for. Through property taxes, census data, and surveys, we can assess that, at least through the 18th century, the home remained part of the Thoroughgood bloodline. 

These documents also note that the Thoroughgoods had several slaves. Whether they lived and worked on the land the Thoroughgood House was built on is unknown, though the presence of slavery and ghosts often goes hand in hand.

By 1890, the home was passed to the Garrison family and then to the Lankfords. As the property kept moving from family to family, there was a common element: Death. With every passing, the likelihood that someone stayed behind, emotionally anchored to the home, increased.

Haunting the Thoroughgood House

The most commonly talked about specters of the Thoroughgood House are a woman holding a candle and a man donning a brown suit. The woman was initially believed to be Sara, Adam’s wife.

However, with new research suggesting neither Sara nor Adam ever stepped foot in the home, it’s more likely that the spirit could be Susannah, Argall’s wife, who helped finish construction. That could make the man Argall. Is he possibly returning to see his vision realized and reunite with his beloved?

Visitors have spoken of a red-haired specter in Colonial garb patrolling the property. She roams as if searching for something long lost. Barring a fruitful encounter with the wandering haunt, determining her identity could be near impossible. 

What she’s looking for is even more of a mystery. Perhaps the red hair is a misidentified headdress or other adornment, and it’s a Native girl searching for a burial ground or where her tribe once lived.

The apparitions are only part of the home’s activity. During museum tours, guests have noticed objects moving on their own. A poltergeist in the Thoroughgood House is possible, though it would more likely be associated with trauma. 

Could this be the ghost of the unnamed man who is said to have killed himself on the staircase? Or possibly an accumulation of the spirits of the Natives buried somewhere on the land?

Exploring Haunted Virginia Beach

History and beachside tourism collide in Virginia Beach, a city where you can lounge on the soft sands of the Chesapeake Bay in the morning and then encounter specters from before the nation’s birth at night. 

For an opportunity to hear about the specters of the Thoroughgood House and even more haunted houses in Virginia, book your Neptune Ghosts tour today. 

To catch up on your Virginia Beach haunted history, be sure to read our blog and follow us on Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram.

Sources:

• https://hauntedhouses.com/virginia/adam-thoroughgood-house/
• https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/explorers/sitec55.htm
• https://vbmuseums.org/museums/thoroughgood-house
• https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/master/pnp/habshaer/va/va0900/va0974/data/va0974data.pdf