Mathews County Historical Society, in partnership with Mathews Memorial Library, will host a lecture by historian Benjamin H. Trask on “The Haunting of the Hudgins House: An Ever-Evolving Tale,” on Oct. 19, 2023, at 7 p.m. at the library on Main Street in Mathews.

The Hudgins House tale began in the fall of 1882 when lighthouse officials in Baltimore granted Assistant Keeper Augustine F. Hudgins of the Wolf Trap station a leave of absence to tend to an unusual family matter. The issue reportedly was a malicious spirit that was tormenting the lighthouse keeper’s wife and children, who were living in the family home near Garden Creek. Despite the keeper’s best efforts, the family’s ordeal continued.

The Hudgins family’s story received national attention and changed with each reprinting. Some Mathews County residents still remember this eerie tale.

Benn Trask, noted historian, educator, Marine Corps veteran, librarian and museum curator, is the author of numerous books including academic works on the Virginia Civil War regimental histories series and lighthouses of southeastern Virginia. Trask holds Bachelor and Master degrees from Virginia Tech and a Master’s in Library Science from UNC-Chapel Hill. He has 20 years of teaching experience, primarily as a middle school history teacher and worked at The Mariners’ Museum in Newport News as librarian and curator.

The lecture is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served. For more information, call Mathews Memorial Library at 804-725-5747.