Is a Man Buried Sitting Up in Montgomery County, Virginia?

Colonel George Hancock lorded over Fotheringay Plantation in Montgomery County, southwest of Roanoke, Virginia for many years. Hancock, who served as a colonel in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War and later as a U.S. Congressman, was a tall, imposing man. It is said that he was present when Casimir Pulaski fell mortally wounded during the Second Battle of Savannah in 1779. He died in 1820. According to a widely-known legend, Hancock was entombed on his plantation sitting upright either so he could look out over his land or keep an eye on his slaves. The tomb is set into a wooded hillside and made of granite blocks like a step-pyramid. Many people have broken into the tomb over the years, trying to see if the story is true. Fotheringay owners Robert and Sarah Nutt once called it "rubbish." They report Col. Hancock's remains are in a niche in the wall alongside the other burials. This hasn’t stopped curious trespassers’ macabre pilgrimage. #virginia #haunted #paranormal #ghoststories #hauntedplaces #supernatural #spooky #creepy