The Abijah Thomas House is an historic octagon house

Octagon house

Octagon houses were a unique house style briefly popular in the 1850s in the United States and Canada. They are characterised by an octagonal plan, and often feature a flat roof and a veranda all round...

 located southwest of Marion

Marion, Virginia

Marion is a town in Smyth County, Virginia, United States. The population was 5,968 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Smyth County. The town is named for American Revolutionary War officer Francis Marion.-Tourism:...

, Virginia

Virginia

The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...

 on VA 657. Built in 1856, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places

National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

on November 28, 1980.

History

The ownership of the house has changed hands several times and is currently owned by a Marion local, Derek Orr. When the house was purchased, there was talk of restoration funded by grant monies however, this never came to pass. Lack of funds prevented the restoration of the Octagon House. This house has been a local attraction for years. Thought to be haunted, the house has attracted a great number of local teenagers even though it has been condemned for years. Although unsubstantiated by any source, urban legend says that Abijah Thomas was very cruel to the slaves he kept. Treatment ranged from brutal beatings to murders. While the fact that he kept slaves prior to the abolition of slavery is factual information, there is no official evidence that would indicate that he was cruel. In fact, it is documented that more than one of his slaves remained working for him after the abolition of slavery. Individuals have described the following paranormal activities taking place at the property - blood running down walls, demonic spirits being present that make blood curdling sounds, chains rattling, moaning and a light that can be seen moving from the nearby cemetery where Abijah and Priscilla Thomas are buried to the house on December 1. (anniversary of Abijah's death) There are also some interesting tales associated with the room in the center of the 2nd floor simply known as "The Dark Room". Factually speaking, this room is located in the center of the 2nd floor and has no source for outside light (ie: windows) Evidence shows that there was apparently no lighting fixture mounted to the ceilings at any point during the history of the house. Apparently this room was used as a storage room for canned goods. Stains can still be seen on the floor of this room however, it is thought within reason to be the stains from broken canned goods that were spilled on the wood floor long ago. According to urban legend, this room along with the cellar that doesn't exist was the location for the brutal beatings that are supposedly responsible for the paranormal activity at the house. Supposedly it is the tortured souls of the slaves owned and abused by Abijah Thomas that haunt the property.

The last time anyone lived in this house was in the 1940s. A photograph taken in 1932 shows the house is reasonable disrepair.

Further reading

• Sturgill, Mack Howard (1990); Abijah Thomas & His Octagonal House, Published by M.H. Sturgill, 249 pages (available at Smyth Bland Regional Library)