When you think of Haunted Houses and Ghost Stories, the 1st thing to come in mind is Halloween. However, Halloween isn’t the only time when ghost shows up. In DC, there are plenty of ghost stories in this town. These ghosts roam freely when the lights are out, and the last person left the building. So, where are the most haunted places in DC? Some may or may not surprise you.
The White House: Many presidents have a strong connection to the presidents of the past. One of them is Abe Lincoln. After his untimely death in 1865, his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln tried to contact him from the grave. Lincoln’s ghost has appeared most often in the vicinities of the Lincoln Bedroom the second floor corridors. Lincoln isn’t the only ghosts to walk in the White house. There have been stories about Dolly Madison’s ghost walking around the White House Gardens, and she gets mad if the garden is changed in any way.
The U.S. Capitol Building: The capitol building had it share of ghosts stories. One of the most talked about ghost stories involves the Demon Cat. Versions of this story includes the animal either living in the basement of the building, known as the crypt. When it’s seen, a disaster occurs shortly after it. Others ghost stories involving the Capitol building are the tale of the dancing statutes. When it gets dark in the National Statuary Hall, the statues come to life and dance the halls.
The Decatur House Museum: Just a few blocks from the White House and Lafayette Park, The Stephen Decatur House is one of DC’s most haunted buildings, and it had its share of unexplained sightings and events. Those who were inside talked the ghost of Stephen Decatur, A naval hero was killed after suffering injuries from duel he lost in 1819-1820, moving around. It has also been a hot spot for ghost hunters in the regions to fins whether or not those claims are real or not.
The Hay Adams Hotel: Built in 1927, this elegant DC hotel had several strange and recurring incidences involving the ghost of Marian Hooper Adams. The wife of president descendant and Harvard professor Henry Adams, Marian was a clever and outspoken. However, she also had battles with depression until her death by suicide in December 1885. Many ghost tales talk about her visiting the hotel every December. Employees and guests of the hotel have reported someone unseen calling their names and the sensation of invisible arms around them. In addition, Locked doors fling themselves open, and the scent of Mimosa mysteriously fills the air on certain floors at night.
The Ghost Suite at the Omni Shoreham Hotel: A few blocks from the Woodley Park/National Zoo Metro Station, the Omni Shoreham has one of the spookiest spots guests have ever stayed in. The origins of this ghost story took in 1930 when Mr. Henry Doherty, who was a minority shareholder of the hotel, took a luxurious suite of rooms, where he stayed with his wife, a daughter named Helen and the executive housekeeper, Juliette Brown. During the Doherty’s 43 year stay in the hotel, their housekeeper and daughter died in the suite. After the couple left the Omni Shoreham Hotel in 1973, weird things began to happen. Hotel guests reported strange occurrences including television and lights moving, back to back nights of disturbing noises and breezes like those you feel when someone runs by you. Employees suspect Helen and Juliette as the ghosts haunting place. Although the rooms are renovated, the suites are nicknamed the Ghost Suites due to the past haunting.
