Standing below the hay loft, Julie Bukovich listened to the heavy grunts and creaks of the old barn as the sun set outside and the evening grew colder. The lanky, blue-eyed teenager strode through the barn, past rows of hanging tools and between stacks of horse feed. He held a bundle of smoldering sage above his head like an Olympic torch and left a trail of scented smoke.
Ghost hunter William Abbitt, 18, took a deep breath, pulled out a bottle of holy water that had been blessed by a Catholic priest in Virginia Beach, and stepped into the darkness. He often suspects a haunting has more to do with faulty wiring, chemical-induced hallucinations or anxiety. He walked into the dim hallway that led to a storage area, sprinkled the holy water on the far door and recited a Catholic prayer.
Abbitt started investigating suspected paranormal activities as a sophomore at Grassfield High School in Chesapeake. He has led WTCW Paranormal on 35 investigations into local lore and claims of the supernatural in Hampton Roads, at historical sites, businesses and homes.
Which is why he got into the whole ghost thing in the first place. When Abbitt was around 7, he, his mom and his two big sisters moved into a Virginia Beach house where doors opened and closed inexplicably and it felt like he was living with an angry spirit. After the family moved to Chesapeake, he wanted to disbelieve what he remembered. In high school, he started by reading the Bible and the Torah.
Too many people, he thought, took the subject too lightly. Plus, he was having fun. Abbitt is the only founder remaining. Two left the group to pursue other interests and one died this year. The four of them spent part of the night at the Ferry Plantation House, which dates back to about and is said to have multiple spirits.
