In honor of spooky season Norfolk Barge Company presents a shared tradition.

For many generations Bill Colonna would tell of a man named Nicodemus who would ferry travelers across the Elizabeth River in his row boat . But , Nicodemus was greedy and wanted all the money his passengers carried. He would rob them, KILL them and dump their bodies in the river .  As Nicodemus aged he worried about going to hell. He thought if he was buried in a church he might gain entrance to heaven. So, he bribed Oaklette Methodist Church to be able to be buried there. Although the parishioners wanted the donation many did not agree that a man with unscrupulous chararcter should have the honor of being buried in their church. The decision was made that Nicodemus would be buried half out of the church and half in the church. His confused , wavering soul haunts the property to this day.

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Bill Colonna's strong baritone slowly spinning the tale , setting the perfect spooky mood. He would tell children he doesn't run he floats. He floats just fast enough to lay his icy cold hand on your shoulder or reach to clutch your hair.

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Generations of children listen for Nicodemus at night, they ran to their destination on the property continuously checking over their shoulder for the floating man.