From ghostly wineries to famous haunted monuments.
The nation ’s capital is not only know for its many internal landmarks , repository , and museums , but also for its more supernatural attractions . That ’s correct , DC is one hell of a place to search out specters , and it ’s no wonder given the veritable hoarded wealth trove of diachronic events that have ask place in the urban center . As such , you are n’t alone if you discover muted yells at Bull Run or chance phantom along the Mount Vernon Trail . Hauntings in DC and the surrounding country be given to be some of the most entertaining and , yes , educational in the country , and we ’ve rounded up some of the most haunted places in townsfolk should you be interested in a little fright this spooky season .
Bull Run
Centreville , VirginiaIf your idea of a good fear is come with by a good drink , head up over to Bull Run , whereThe Winery at Bull Runoffers a lantern - conduce outdoor walking duty tour of the historic and hallowed grounds of one of the most famous ( and preoccupied ) Civil War site . You may just encounter some ghostly soldier or hear the remainder of battle cries from century past .
The Martha Washington Inn & Spa
Abingdon , VirginiaThis beautiful hotel was ab initio gestate as the retreat rest home for General Robert Preston following his success in the War of 1812 . Built in 1832 as a individual residency for the general , his married woman , and their nine youngster , the building changed owners several time over the next few decades before finally opening as a hotel in 1935 . Perhaps these many telephone exchange go to its now - famous spectral hauntings ; harmonize to staff members , shadow appear throughout the elegant lodge . The primary traditional knowledge goes that during the Civil War , when the construction was used as a infirmary for hurt soldier , a young nursing bookman named Beth care for one of the wound Confederate soldiers . draw close last , the soldier enquire her to fiddle the violin , and as she play , he quietly fall on . Heartbroken , Beth die just a few week later , and it is order that the way where the soldier died has harbored her spirit ever since .
Wok and Roll
ChinatownThat ’s rightfield : DC ’s favored karaoke stamping ground is actually haunted . Before President Abraham Lincoln was assassinate in Ford ’s Theatre , conspirators had begin group meeting at Mary Surratt ’s boarding home on H Street NE , between 6th and 7th Streets NW , which now sustain Formosan restaurant and karaoke marijuana cigarette , Wok and Roll . The chemical group plotted to wipe out multiple leaders , but , of course , John Wilkes Booth ’s assassination of Lincoln is the most infamous of the group ’s program . Surratt later became the first woman executed by the Union political science — and her shade now allegedly roams the manse of her former home , where occupants have claimed to hear mumblings , whispers , footsteps , muffled sobs , and creaking floorboards .
First Street NE
Capitol HillU.S. Army Judge Advocate General Joseph Holt famously preside over the trials of many of Lincoln ’s conspirators and handed out several death conviction , include one to Surratt . He became a recluse postdate the test , and local occupier have claimed to see his spectre pacing back and forth on First Street NE , where his family once stood , towards the courthouse on cold , autumn night .
The White House
DowntownMany former President have allegedly been visualise or hear around the building , let in Thomas Jefferson , who has been get it on to bring his fiddle in the Yellow Room ; Andrew Jackson , who can sometimes be heard laughing in the Rose Room ; and both John Tyler and Frances Cleveland , First Lady to Grover Cleveland , who have appeared in the Blue Room .
Lincoln ’s presence has been felt by former occupants as well , include several first ladies and president . Non - resident who have seem around the White House let in : David Burns , who possess the earth that the White House was ramp up on and sold it to the Union government , who can occasionally be celebrate in the Oval Office ; a British soldier , dressed in attire from the War of 1812 , who has been observed stockpile a torch throughout the construction ; and the girl of Surratt , rumored to have pled for her mother ’s life , who can be heard banging on the front room access .
Lafayette Square
DowntownThe spirits of many people frequent the square outside the White House , and for good intellect : It was once the site of a slave market , and on dark nights , some say you’re able to discover the clanking of chains and the screams of multitude . Richard Key , the boy of Francis Scott Key , was also shoot by Daniel Sickles in the square toes ; he give-up the ghost later that Nox but can sometimes be see wander near the pip where he was shot .
The Octagon House
DowntownThis building has served many purpose over the year . It was the habitation of presidents and frailty Presidents ( after the White House was burn down , James and Dolley Madison stayed here while the downtown quarter was rebuilt ) ; serve as a tenement following the absence of well - to - do owners ; and was once a shoal for young girl after a cloister of nun took over . It was neglected , but not completely derelict , before it was purchased by theAmerican Institute of Architectsin the former 20th C .
Through all that account , it is rumor to still be haunted by its original inhabitants : Colonel John Tayloe , the patriarch of a noted Virginia family that made their money as planters , and two of his girl . Both of the girls died just before or after eloping with men their father disapprove of by engulf down the menage ’s remarkable stairwell . Staff and visitor to the business firm now say they can discover a cleaning woman ’s shriek toward nightfall , and later residents , as well as some visitors of the Madisons , reported seeing a woman ’s body , crumpled at the foot of the stairs .
The Old Post Chapel
Arlington , VirginiaThis military chapel service , conterminous to Arlington National Cemetery , is where the legal age of funerals that take space in the memorial park begin . Considering that more than 400,000 soldier have been buried here , there is a significant presence from families who have experienced departure and lay to rest loved one , and the place has continuous grandness as hallowed ground .
However , with all this chronicle , there ’s bind to be a few hauntings . For instance , a madam in Bolshevik can be seen walking through the graveyard , lost , as though she ’s looking for the tomb of someone close to her ; the cartridge clip - clip-clop of horses can occasionally be heard on sunless evening , despite all entombment taking place during the daytime ; and an phantasm can be seen in one of the anterooms , kneel in prayer , probable for a fallen soldier .
The United States Capitol Building
Capitol HillA lot of people have died forge in the U.S. Capitol Building , including representatives like Joseph Cannon , Wilbur Mills , and Champ Clark ; government official like Vice President Wilson , John Quincy Adams , and James Garfield ; and officers who served in the armed violence , like General John Logan and Pierre L’Enfant . Many workers also died during the Capitol ’s arduous and complicated mental synthesis summons , too . If any of these folks have a right to haunt the place , it ’s the latter chemical group — and who ’s to say they ’re not ?
The most kindly U.S. Capitol apparition is said to appear on the roof , then reappear almost immediately below at ground level , mimicking how he fell during construction of the rotunda . Some say another doer , a stonemason who was oppress to death between break up walls , can be seen go by through these same walls while roaming the area .
However , the Capitol Building is perhaps more famously haunted by the representative ghost of a clowder of black cats that exist on Capitol Hill . Prior to the structure of the U.S. Capitol Building , the domain was cleared out by hired script , who were hire in part to kill the cats . Many of them were allegedly wiped out with shovel and pickax to allow for well-situated construction . After this , a single cat phantasma , now dub the Demon Cat of Capitol Hill , can be visualise by those walking the streets of the vicinity late at nighttime . The Demon Cat has been said to often seem to security guard , and legend has it that if you do n’t lead from it like a shot , the cat will swoop at you , transform into a puma , then vanish right before it lands .
The Martha Washington
St. John’s Episcopal Church
Layfayette SquareThis church service ’s bell , weighing a singular half - ton , was purchased from the Revere Company of Boston , institute by the son of Paul Revere . It was install on November 30 , 1822 , and supposedly , when a noted person die and the bell tolls , six ghostly men in lily-white robes look in the president ’s pew at midnight , then quick disappear . It ’s unclear who they may be , but they always bear their esteem at the location also known as Tragedy Square .
The Dolley Madison House
The Embassy of Indonesia
Dupont CircleOnce the most expensive home in the city , The Walsh Mansion was home to Thomas J. Walsh and after , his daughter , Evalyn , and Ned McLean , the heir to the Washington Post lot . The couple lived in the home until Evalyn ’s dying in 1947 when it was sold to the Government of Indonesia . Now as the web site of the res publica ’s embassy , some say you could see Evalyn glide throughout the home , particularly around the cardinal , grand stairway .
The Old Stone House
GeorgetownStanding since 1765 , The Old Stone House is the oldest unchanged home in the District . It has transfer hands many meter and serve as the housing for tailors , clothier , and Andersen railroad car dealers . The federal governance purchase the building in the fifties and has preserved it , but has n’t handle to keep it complimentary from wandering spirits . A number of strange incident have been observe at the home , including the sudden sound of small fry laughing , and phantasm of women cooking in the kitchen . sealed points in the home leave visitant feel an intense shiver throughout their body , even during the height of summertime , and most terrifyingly , a malevolent spirit , dub " George , " assaults visitors , usually choking or pushing them , and leave everyone he meets with an intense feeling of dread . Pass by this old M Street house , and you may notice that strange things start to happen as the sun sets .
The Lee Fendall House Museum and Garden
Alexandria , VirginiaNow a museum , historic space , and venue for wedding , this house was once known as the boyhood house of General Robert E. Lee . The house saw its most riotous fourth dimension during the Civil War , when it was initially leased to a northerly banker and ultimately clutch by the Union army for use of goods and services as an adjoining construction for the Grosvenor infirmary , where hundreds of soliders met their untimely death . Visitors have reported see a female apparition in period dress , and another woman who appears on the back steps with her child . The phone of an antique telephone has also been heard surround .
Gadsby’s Tavern Museum
The Winery at La Grange
Haymarket , VirginiaThe theatre and property at this winery are rich with history and folklore . Many visitors recount the forte-piano in the parlor playing on its own , the ghost of a untested girl who inhabits a room upstairs , as well as the intent of Benoni Harrison who guided the home ’s restoration task in the 1800s . Rumor has it that Benoni still ghost the manor sign of the zodiac to this twenty-four hour period . A glass of red wine-coloured sits on the mantel in the Tasting Room and is replenished each day to ensure the staff does n’t encounter any mysterious phenomena courtesy of Benoni ’s ghost while undecided to the populace .
The Martha Washington Inn & Spa|Flickr/J. Hendron
First Street NE|Flickr/Elvert Barnes
The White House|Yevgeniy Melnik/Shutterstock
Lafayette Square|Adam Parent/Shutterstock
The Octagon House|Flickr/Craig Fildes
The Old Post Chapel|Flickr/Tim Evanson
United States Capitol Building|Songquan Deng/Shutterstock
The Dolley Madison House|Flickr/Wally Gobetz
The Embassy of Indonesia|Flickr/NCinDC
The Old Stone House|Popova Valeriya/Shutterstock
Gadsby’s Tavern Museum|Flickr/Nick Amoscato
