Friends of Historic Woolsey

Legend has it that Thomas Bolling Gay (1797 -1864) buried his treasure of gold and silver deep in the woods near his home, the Gay-Woolsey-Bell House. When the moon is full, some locals claim to see a ghostly figure holding a greenish-yellow lantern wandering these woods. This spectral presence, described as a “thin man with a light,” is believed to be Gay himself, eternally searching for or guarding his lost fortune. 

Visitors in the past have also reported encounters with an apparition that appears “as real as any living person” at the Gay-Woolsey-Bell House. This ghostly figure, dressed in impeccable attire from a past century, is distinguished by a striking bloodstone ring—a detail confirmed by Gay's descendants who say he was buried with such a ring. He was known to wander the halls of the old house.

But Thomas B. Gay isn't the only ghost said to haunt the Gay-Woolsey-Bell House. Another legend speaks of a woman in white who moves silently from room to room.

The next time you find yourself in Woolsey at night, keep an eye out for the ethereal light in the woods or a fleeting figure in white—because in Woolsey, the past is very much alive. 


Sources:
Hulings, Lorraine N. "Ghost of Woolsey Past Still Haunts the Woods." Southside and Fayette Sun, October 21, 1993.

Jackson, Ann Woolsey. From Whence They Came - A Family Profile. Rome: 2011.