By Alexandra Savage
With Halloween right around the corner, it’s time to explore the sites of some of Washington, D.C.’s most famous ghost stories. While the following stories are only anecdotal (sorry, no proof of ghosts just yet!), these tales are guaranteed to send shivers up your spine.
Credit: National Park Service https://www.nps.gov/rocr/learn/historyculture/old-stone-house-history.htm
1. The Old Stone House
According to the National Park Service, the Old Stone House is the longest-standing house in Washington, D.C. that still has its original foundation. With such a long and storied history, there are bound to be spooky tales about the property. There are several different myths about the house, but the exact details differ based on where you look. According to one blogger from the DC Ghosts website, there is a minimum of 11 spirits in the house. The third floor, hosts the spirit of an old woman in a rocking chair, while a ghost with the nickname “George” is rumored to attack anybody who enters his bedroom. Another source, the Georgetowner, claims that the house is always cold, regardless of the temperature outside. The property is maintained by the National Park Service and open to the public, so anybody can take a look for themselves and see if there really are any ghosts lurking around.
Credit: Architects Foundation https://architectsfoundation.org/octagon-museum/
2. The Octagon House
Located right here in Foggy Bottom, the Octagon House is a well-known haunted location in the city. According to the WETA history website, two daughters of the original owner died when they fell down the large spiral staircase in the house. These deaths occurred several years apart, and allegedly, both incidents occurred after arguments with their father, Colonel John Tayloe III. The story goes that the sisters’ spirits can be sensed at the top and bottom of the stairs. The older sister is represented as a flash of candlelight at the top of the stairs, while the younger sister folds the carpet at the bottom of the staircase to show visitors where she fell. Anybody who tries to fix the carpet will turn around to see it back in its original position, a chilling reminder of her death.
Photo taken from Unsplash user René DeAnda @renedeanda https://unsplash.com/photos/zfKlCKK-Ql0
3. The White House
Popular legend states that Abraham Lincoln’s ghost has haunted the White House ever since his death in 1865. The White House Historical Association writes that Lincoln can be seen in the Yellow Oval Room and the Lincoln Bedroom. According to the Washington Post, Grace, the wife of Calvin Coolidge, once spotted him standing in his old office and looking out the window. Several years later, the Dutch Queen Wilhemina was reported to have fainted after seeing Lincoln’s ghost on a visit to the White House. Finally, Prime Minister Winston Churchill told a story where he found Lincoln standing by the fireplace in the Lincoln Bedroom. Unfortunately, seeing the inside of the White House has become incredibly difficult nowadays. However, if you end up with a job working in the building or scoring a visit, I’d suggest you keep an eye out for Lincoln’s ghost, just in case.
