With all the craziness happening these days in Washington, D.C., some have asked if the people there have gone mad.
Well, have they?
Looking over the city’s long and colorful history of slavery, political intrigue and international dealings, it would make sense if the disgruntled, upset and betrayed individuals were rising up and demanding justice for unsettled scores and crimes.
The White House
The White House is home to several ghosts, the most famous of which is Abraham Lincoln himself. No less than President Harry S Truman himself told several accounts of seeing the 16th president on multiple occasions, pacing up and down the halls.
Dolley Madison also makes her presence known here, but she shows up in many houses throughout the city, as busy in the afterlife as she was while she was alive.
US Capitol Building
The US Capitol Building likely houses the most disembodied spirits, including one demon cat that appears before national tragedies and right before the presidential inauguration, which occurs on the steps of the Capitol. Rumor has it the cat was seen late on the night of September 10, 2001.
Other spirits include slaves who constructed the building, soldiers who died there when it was an army hospital during the Civil War, and even John Quincy Adams, who suffered a heart attack and died in the building.
Federal Aviation Administration Headquarters
Perhaps the most surprising and saddest haunted site in the city is the Federal Aviation Administration office building, which is now a boring government site. However, it was once the site of two large covered slave pens, which were used to hold slaves awaiting sale or transfer during the horrific slave trade in the 1700s and 1800s.
The pens were disguised by a plain yellow house, but those who were once chained to the wall, suffered hunger and pain, and separated from their families forever still haunt this place.
The Octagon House
The Octagon House is purported to be the most haunted residence in the city.
Built by Colonel John Tayloe III, it is likely that slaves were sold in the back yard, and it did house several generations of slaves in the early 1800s.
President James Madison and his wife Dolley resided here while the White House underwent repairs after the War of 1812. Dolley, of course, is spotted regularly on the front porch.
A daughter of Colonel Tayloe died in 1812; she and her father fought over a man she loved, and she ran down the stairs in anger. She tripped and fell to her death. Five years later, her sister also fought with her father, also over a love interest, and tripped while running down the stairs. Both sisters haunt areas of the house related to their suspicious deaths.
The Old Stone House
Giving the Octagon House a run for its money, the Old Stone House in the Georgetown neighborhood has a litany of ghosts, including children, women and a hostile man nicknamed “George”who has been known to strangle visitors. While the specters haven’t been definitively linked to individuals from the house’s history, the descriptions are consistent, leaving little doubt that this three hundred year old home has many otherworldly residents with unfinished scores to settle.
Today, visitors can tour the site, as it is part of the National Park Service.
Around every corner in the Capital it seems there is a ghost haunting their death place, looking for loved ones, seeking revenge, or just enjoying the social atmosphere, so be prepared to interact with both the living and the dead if you ever happen to find yourself in Washington, D.C.