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GHOST
STORIES |
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GHOST
STORIES |
Source: http://www.digitalcity.com/
ALASKA
ALABAMA
ARIZONA
CALIFORNIA
COLORADO
CONNECTICUT
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
~~~~~
ALASKA
...at least one spirit finds the hospitality so inviting as
to stay on through eternity...
Legend of the Lodge
About 245
miles south of Fairbanks, the Gakona Lodge and Trading Post has
been a mainstay of south central Alaska since 1904; it's the
oldest continuously open roadhouse in Alaska and is listed on the
National Register of Historic Places. The Lodge has a colorful
past -- as colorful as the characters that came through here:
prospectors, hunters, geologists, adventurers, Cold War agents.
While no one can recall a significant incident or tragic event to
anchor a ghost to the Lodge, at least one restless but benign
spirit finds the hospitality so inviting as to stay on through
eternity.
The playful ghost jumps on freshly made beds, gently pulls hair,
opens shut doors, shuts open doors and fiddles with stereo
equipment. The naughty ghost also has a bad habit -- he (or she?)
smokes, often leaving the odor of cigarettes in its wake.
- Lisa Galloway
Sources: Blackman, W. Haden 'The Field Guide to North American
Hauntings.' Three Rivers Press, 1998; www.phantomfinders.com
~~~
Mary is said to haunt Room 23...
Hotel Hauntings
The Golden
North Hotel, at 3rd and Broadway in Skagway, is the oldest
operating hotel in Alaska. It was built in the 1890s to serve a
clientele of gold miners, entrepreneurs and adventurers. The digs
were lush and the clientele rough, many returning wealthy from
the gold fields having set out as impoverished miners. The Gold
North has her very own ghost - the rather cranky 'Mary' -- she's
been around since the turn of the century.
Mary died of pneumonia in an upstairs room -- she had been a
guest at the hotel for some time, waiting for her
gold-prospecting fiancé to return from his mining expedition.
She passed away before he made it back and is, by all accounts,
still a bit miffed with him. Mary is said to haunt Room 23,
appearing in the finery of her day to the shock of unsuspecting
guests... or not appearing at all, but waiting until the middle
of the night to sit on the chests of guests, choking them in a
manner reminiscent of the discomfort one might experience while
suffering from pneumonia.
- Lisa Galloway
Sources: The Golden North Hotel, www.goldennorthhotel.com; www.phantomfinders.com
~~~
...he took a fatal bullet in the heart ...
The Sordid Story of Soapy Smith
Soapy Smith
was mad, bad and dangerous to know. The turn of the century rogue
was a colorful fella, to be sure. He was an original frontier
gangster, and as criminal as criminal could be, with a reputation
for killing miners and stealing their gold. The law finally
caught up with Soapy (no one's too sure why he was called 'Soapy'
-- the few photos that have survived don't show a particularly
clean-looking man) on a summer's day in 1898. Caught in a shoot
out with an ex-lawman by the name of Frank Reid, Smith took a
deadly bullet in the heart -- but not before he fatally wounded
Reid in the groin. Ironically, today Skagway annually celebrates
'Soapy Smith Days' with much fanfare... do-gooder Frank Reid is
only remembered as a footnote to Soapy's story.
Soapy was a troublemaker in life, so it's no surprise that he's
not the nicest ghost. He haunts a local hotel (rumored to be the
Gold North, also home to the ghost of 'Mary' the abandoned
would-be bride), breaking chandeliers and attacking guests from
behind.
- Lisa Galloway
Source: Alaska Department of Education, www.library.state.ak.us/goldrush
~~~~~~~~~~
ALABAMA
...phantom lights started appearing in the house, emanating
from the center tower.
Phantom Lights of Drish Mansion
Dr. John
Drish built this plantation in Tuscaloosa, with his wife Sarah,
in 1830. They lived here happily, and at the death of Dr. Drish,
Sarah honored him by lighting dozens of candles and letting them
burn while he lay in state. After the funeral, she asked her
friends and family that the same candles be used when she died.
Closer to her own death, she repeated this wish many times to
friends. Her relatives were too busy to look for the candles when
she died, however, and she was buried without the ritual. It
wasn't long afterwards that phantom lights started appearing in
the house, emanating from the center tower. The lights were cause
for dozens of false alarms, but the room was shuttered and not a
trace of a flame was discovered. Sarah's ghost made it clear to
the residents of the home who was responsible for the
candlelight, however, by materializing in the downstairs parlor.
- Ann Volkwein
Source: Hauck, Dennis William. 'Haunted Places: The National
Directory.' Penguin Books, 2002.
~~~
Listen closely...you may hear the plaintive voice of Charles
Boyington.
Mobile's Boyington Oak
Near a wall
of the Church Street Graveyard stands an oak marking the grave of
a man hanged for murder February 20, 1835. Charles Boyington was
accused of stabbing his best friend, Nathaniel Frost, in that
very graveyard, a place where they'd spent hours talking
together. His guilt was assumed when Frost's body was found
there, stabbed to death. Boyington maintained his innocence, and
on the gallows proclaimed that a great oak tree would spring from
his gravesite as a symbol of his innocence. The potter's field
has since been turned into a playground, but the tree stands tall
to this day. Listen closely when the breeze passes through its
leaves, you may hear the plaintive voice of Charles Boyington.
- Ann Volkwein
Source: Hauck, Dennis William. 'Haunted Places: The National
Directory.' Penguin Books, 2002.
~~~
Sketoe haunted all of the men after he died, and one by one
they came to violent ends.
Lynching of Newton
On December 3, 1864, by the Choctawhatchee River Bridge, Bill
Sketoe was hanged as a traitor to the Confederacy. Sketoe had
been the pastor of the Methodist Church, and was completely
innocent of the accusations. The six vigilantes who took it upon
themselves to hang him encountered some difficulty in the
process. The branch of the oak tree that they chose bent so far
as to allow Sketoe's toes to touch the ground. As the men dug a
hole underneath his feet, he died a slow, strangling death.
Sketoe haunted all of the men after he died, and one by one they
came to violent ends. What remains today, next to the new
concrete bridge, is the very hole the men had dug. Locals claim
that if you fill the shallow depression, it will be dug out the
next morning. It seems the ghost of Bill Sketoe does not rest in
peace.
- Ann Volkwein
Source: Hauck, Dennis William. 'Haunted Places: The National
Directory.' Penguin Books, 2002.
~~~~~~~~~~
ARKANSAS
Her corpse had been cut into seven pieces ...
The Ghost of Crooked Creek
One
November 21, 1912 Ella Barham went out riding. By sundown her
horse returned home -- but Ella had not. That night hunters would
find Ella's body near an old mine shaft. Her corpse had been cut
into seven pieces and hidden under a tumbled pile of rocks. Soon
the law was chasing Odus Davidson, a young man Ella had spurned.
Davidson peppered his socks to throw bloodhounds off of his scent
and ran into the woods with the posse in hot pursuit. When caught
he denied the crime, admitting that he'd been cutting wood near
the spot Ella had been last sighted, and he even offered up that
she had ridden through his yard. For all his protestations of
innocence he was still found guilty and hanged -- Odus Davidson
was the last man to die by the rope before Arkansas switched over
to the electric chair.
On autumn nights folks who venture near Crooked Creek report
seeing flickering lights and hearing the ring of an axe through
the woods. Upon venturing near the old mine, a ghostly figure in
a pale dress is seen wandering about... in one piece.
- Lisa Galloway
Sources: Haunted Missouri, www.waterjanie.com; Central Arkansas Society for Paranormal
Research, www.casprquest.com
~~~
..."Petit
Jean" wasn't a boy at all, but a petite young woman.
Legend of Petit Jean
Arkansas'
first state park -- and one of its prettiest -- is home to
breathtaking Cedar Falls and the appropriately named Petit Jean
Mountain. "Petit Jean" -- rambled off as
"Petty-John" by the locals -- was apparently a real
person... and is a real ghost haunting the park in Morrilton.
When French explorer Chavet decided to leave his native land and
explore America, he was affianced to a lovely young Parisienne
named Adrienne. She begged to go with him, but Chavet pronounced
his trip too treacherous for a woman, and vowed to marry her upon
his return. Chavet set sail with a newly hired crew, including a
hardworking young cabin boy called "Petit Jean" by the
rest of the men. Once in the New World, Chavet and his men
explored their way to what is now Arkansas, in the Ozark
Mountains, and settled in for the cold winter. Petit Jean became
very ill that season. Native Americans helping to tend the boy
discovered that "Petit Jean" wasn't a boy at all, but a
petite young woman. Chavet's fiancée, Adrienne, had disguised
herself to accompany her fiancé -- so cleverly that no one had
suspected a thing. She died in Chavet's arms, and was buried at
the top of a nearby peak... now called "Petit Jean
Mountain."
Her grave can still be seen, a low mound on the edge of a cliff;
folks who live in the valley below report a bright light coming
from that sport at night. It's said to be the ghost if Petit
Jean, gazing longingly eastward toward her native France.
- Lisa Galloway
Sources: Petit Jean State Park, www.petitjeanstatepark.com. Central Arkansas Society for
Paranormal Research, www.casprquest.com.
~~~
...he
turns to wish her well, but she's gone...
Haunted Hitchhiker of Little Rock
Every
community has a version of the Haunted Hitchhiker story –
and certainly at least one of them must be true...
On Highway 365 just outside of Little Rock (usually near
Woodson), a pretty young girl in a pale party dress is known to
flag down drivers and ask for help. She's bruised and a little
bit bloody; she says she's been in an accident and begs a ride
home. She's hard to resist, and drivers soon find themselves
driving the girl into town. The chitchat is light, she's been at
a dance and her boyfriend sped off after the accident leaving her
to find her way home. When the driver pulls up to her house, he
turns to wish her well but she's gone -- although she did leave
her coat. When the driver rings the doorbell the careworn woman
who answers the door dissolves into tears: that was her
daughter's coat, who died in a horrible accident on the way home
from the prom... a decade ago.
- Lisa Galloway
Sources: Whitechapel Press & American Ghost Society, www.prairieghosts.com
~~~~~~~~~~
ARIZONA
These little gnome-like beings were greenish in color and
grumpy.
Tommyknockers
Miners deep
in the copper mines of Arizona dreaded the knocking. They knew
that when the ''tommyknockers'' started their banging, death was
not far away. Hundreds of miners who survived mine collapses
reported the ominous knocking that preceded disaster. Many
claimed, particularly those of Welsh descent, that the
tommyknockers had been trying to warn them. These little
gnome-like beings were greenish in color and grumpy -- many a
miner trying to get a closer look received a sharp smack for
their trouble. As the mines played out, the tommyknockers found
work in the homes surrounding the mineshafts. Many a family death
and disaster was announced by a knocking in the house. The next
time you think that it's just the hot water pipes banging,
perhaps you should think again.
- Lisa Galloway
Source: Local oral history
~~~
...its alleged location is within the Superstition
Mountains...
Chasing After Gold
One of the
most elusive treasures in American lore is the Lost Dutchman Gold
Mine, a huge underground cavern seemingly made up of nuggets of
pure gold. Its alleged location is within the Superstition
Mountains -- and if that name doesn't raise a red flag for you,
then perhaps the spirits of lost explorers might. Countless
goldrushers have lost their lives in search of this glittering
cavern, from Enrico Peralta (whose group was attacked by Apaches)
to Dr. Abraham Thorne (who had originally worked with the Apaches
to find the cavern, only to get killed by them after trying to
seek out the mine without their permission). The Apaches covered
the mine's entrance in the late 19th century, but that did not
stop people from attempting to find the mine -- and paying with
their lives. The spirits of these lost explorers roam the ground
around the Superstition Mountains; cheated, lost, and cursed by
their frustrated quest for riches and luxury, they add to the air
of dread and misery that, it's said, resulted in their deaths
originally.
- Mary Jones
Source: Blackman, W. Haden. ''The Field Guide to North American
Hauntings.'' Three Rivers Press, New York. 1998.
~~~
...visions of a giant glowing woman rising from the depths of
the canyon...
Cold Coal Canyon
Sometimes,
it's best not to walk toward the light. That's what visitors to
Coal Canyon have learned the hard way. Visitors to the gorge
report visions of a giant glowing woman rising from the depths of
the canyon, enrapturing visitors so fiercely that they are
compelled to walk to the canyon's edge. From there, they often
plunge to their deaths. This alluring spirit, who glows fiercely
against the night sky, is known as the Eagle Woman of Black Mesa.
Native Americans believe that this woman, who has had hundreds of
encounters with people, was a Hopi widow who committed suicide by
leaping to her death in a manner almost identical to that of her
victims.
- Mary Jones
Source: Blackman, W. Haden. ''The Field Guide to North American
Hauntings.'' Three Rivers Press, New York. 1998.
~~~
...an elegantly decorated urn, filled with the ashes of a war
veteran...
Finders Keepers?
A long-gone Goodwill in West Plaza was often plagued with strange
noises throughout its large warehouse structure. One day, a
worker at the store was playing around with a donated Polaroid
camera and took a picture, only to see an odd image within the
photograph. It was a greenish-yellow reflection in an empty
room's window. A few weeks after this photographic spotting took
place, the same worker discovered a heavy wooden box underneath
the store's register. Inside the box was an elegantly decorated
urn, filled with the ashes of a war veteran. The ghostly
happenings in the store went away when the urn was picked up by
Pentagon officials, who brought the ashes to their rightful
resting place.
- Mary Jones
Source: Local lore
~~~~~~~~~~
CALIFORNIA
...more than a few ghoulish inhabitants from her dark
past.
Alcatraz, "Devil’s Island"
Often called "The Rock" or "Devil’s
Island," early Native Americans considered this place evil
-- there’s even evidence that it was used as a place of
exile for those who violated tribal taboos. Much later, Alcatraz
(a twisting of the Spanish term for "pelican") served
the US Military as a jail and fort and, in 1934, became a federal
maximum-security prison. The 30-year regime of harsh conditions
and brutal treatment is well documented, and the prison closed in
1963. Today Devil’s Island hosts a steady stream of curious
visitors and so it seems, more than a few ghoulish inhabitants
from her dark past. Rangers report inexplicable loud crashes,
cell doors that close by themselves, blood-curdling screams and
that creepy feeling of someone "watching." Popular
spots of the spectral inmates are the warden’s house, the
hospital, the hole and the cell block ‘C’ utility door
-- where three inmates died in hail of bullets during an escape
attempt in 1946.
- Lisa Galloway
Source: www.prairieghosts.com/gpalcatraz
~~~
...the city called a seance to find its origin...
Spirits of City Hall
City Hall in 1924 was a lively place -- of the spirit-filled
variety. A "ghost, spook or eerie presence of some
sort" made its presence known in the chambers of the Board
of Public Works. The rapping on the chamber's walls caused such a
stir that the city called a seance to find its origin. It was
determined that the tapping had come from an "ectoplasmic
rod" that would stop by the Public Works' chambers every day
at noon. After approxmiately a week (and an increase in lunchtime
audiences to almost 250), the rapping stopped -- and was
subsequently traced to a cracked steam pipe lurking beneath the
walls of the "haunted" room.
- Mary Jones
Source: San Francisco Examiner, 1924.
~~~
...San Francisco's most famous ghost...
Flora
A teenager from a wealthy family at the turn of the century,
Flora was trying to be forced into a marriage to someone she did
not love. She ran away from home, and for 50 years was a missing
person. A mystery corpse was found in another city and eventually
identified as Flora's body. Since her return, her spirit has been
spotted walking up and down California Street. Brief visions of
her, wearing white, perfectly serene, not talking, crying or
noticing anyone who travels within her path -- have been
notorious throughout the city, giving her the title of San
Francisco's most famous ghost.
- Mary Jones
Source: http://www.expage.com/sfghosts/
~~~
...Mary's
gotten revenge on them by dropping objects on their heads or
knocking them over...
Mary, Mary
Mary Ellen
Pleasant was born into slavery, but lived in San Francisco as a
free woman. It was rumored that her mother taught her the art of
voodoo when she was a child, and when she moved into San
Francisco her knack for "rescuing" failing businesses
was notorious throughout the city. Today, the corner where Mary's
house used to stand is reported to be inhabited by her spirit.
Those who slander her name while standing near her corner have
reported that Mary's gotten revenge on them by dropping objects
on their heads or knocking them over! It's also said that if you
make a wish while standing on this enchanted corner, whatever you
dream for will come true.
- Mary Jones
Source: http://www.expage.com/sfghosts/
~~~~~~~~~~
COLORADO
...mysterious odors permeate the house, disembodied footsteps
echo, chandeliers sway...
Raise High the Ceiling Beam, Ethyl
One of Denver's most famous hauntings, the Bradmar House, is said
to be inhabited by its original owner's ghost. As she lay dying,
Ethyl Work asked that her corpse be laid out before the
fireplace; she predicted that she would split the ceiling beam
above it when she laid there. True to her word, Ethyl cracked the
beam post-mortem, and has continued to thrive in the house ever
since. Starting in the '60s, residents have reported strange
paranormal events throughout the premises: objects rise and float
across the room, mysterious odors permeate the house, disembodied
footsteps echo, chandeliers sway and lights go on and off of
their own accord. It's anyone's guess as to why Ethyl continues
to disturb her home. Some say she is trapped in there with her
first husband's ghost, locked in marital discord for all
eternity. Others wonder why she wanted to be laid out before the
fireplace. Looks like another case for the crew at Unsolved
Mysteries.
- Laura Picard
Source: Norman, Michael & Scott, Beth. 'Haunted America.' Tor
Books, 1994
~~~
...a low moaning can be heard late at night...
Cheesman Park
The Denver Civic Center's Cheesman Park used to be the City
Cemetery, before that it was known as Boot Hill, and before that
the Mount Prospect Graveyard. Lots of bodies were buried here,
many of them criminals, epidemic victims and the indigent. In
1893 town fathers advised the City Cemetery that they had 90 days
to move all graves to Riverside Cemetery. An undertaking company
was hired for the task; 1X3-foot pine boxes were used, remains
were broken and shoveled into these tiny receptacles with
horrific results. Eyewitnesses recall that 'remains littered the
ground, the workers looted the graves...' -- such was the chaos
left behind by the undertaker and his henchman that the city
eventually had to plow over the area, miscellaneous remains and
grave items included. Grass and trees were planted over the
desecrated ground creating what is today's modern Cheesman Park.
One would be surprised if the place wasn't haunted.
Park neighbors report confused ghosts popping up in mirrors and
strolling the nearby streets, while sensitive folks claim an
atmosphere of sad confusion and deep loss throughout the park. A
low moaning can be heard late at night, while misty figures are
often glimpsed flitting from spot to spot as if searching for the
specific location of a grave.
- Lisa Galloway
Source: www.prairieghosts.com
~~~
...an invisible helping hand ties loose shoelaces...
The Molly Brown House
Margaret
Tobin Brown is one of Denver's best-loved citizens -- the plucky
dame came from modest Missouri beginnings: after a rudimentary
education she worked in a Tobacco factory before packing herself
up and seeking her fortune in Colorado. There she met and wed
J.J. Brown, a lowly miner who would make his fortune upon
devising an innovative method of retrieving gold from the bottom
of the Little Jonny Mine. Soon after the Brown family's fortunes
were made, the outspoken Margaret (no one ever really called her
Molly) was the toast of Denver society. An active proponent of
women's rights and social reform, her most famous moments came
aboard the doomed Titanic. She was returning from Egypt to be by
the side of her sick grandson when the ill-fated ship went down.
Margaret helped others into lifeboats until forced to abandon
ship herself, then helped commandeer Lifeboat number 6 until
rescue came. Later in life she would receive the French Legion of
Honor for her bravery on the Titanic as well as her volunteer
work during the First World War.
Now a museum, the Brown home on Capital Hill is cheerfully
haunted by the spirit of Molly. Visitors report an invisible
helping hand helping them up the stairs, doors being 'held' for
them by invisible forces, an ethereal Molly disappearing around
corners and even the spooky yet very helpful tying of loose
shoelaces. Cigar smoke can often be detected in the basement and
attic (the museum is a non-smoking facility)... evidently J.J.,
Molly's hubby, had been fond of lighting up in both these places.
- Lisa Galloway
Sources: http://www.haunteddenver.com; www.prairieghosts.com
~~~
...Native
Americans roam the bed and banks of Sandy Creek....
The Sandy Creek Massacre
The mere mention of US Colonel John Chivington is enough to send
chills up the spine. The man was the Hero of Glorietta Creek, a
bona fide Civil War champion... but it is his horrific actions as
the Butcher of Sandy Creek for which the man is best remembered.
On November 29, 1864 over 200 Native Americans -- women and
children mostly and led by 'Black Kettle,' a chief known as
peaceful and cooperative (and indeed was flying both the American
flag and a white flag over his lodge) -- were attacked by
Chivington and his men at Sandy Creek. The massacre lasted for
hours. The Army forces scalped and mutilated many of the bodies,
later displaying these gruesome trophies to cheering crowds in
Denver.
Legal technicalities prevented Chivington from facing charges --
he would go unpunished. A military tribunal found, however, that
the massacre at Sandy Creek was 'a cowardly and cold-blooded
slaughter, sufficient to cover its perpetrators with indelible
infamy, and the face of every American with shame and
indignation.'
Deep in the night on the anniversary of the massacre, campers
report numerous sightings of Native American women, children and
even warriors roaming the bed and banks of Sandy Creek. Most
appear only momentarily, and then seem to 'dissolve' into the
creeks sandy soil. They are markedly quiet, suffering in silence.
- Lisa Galloway
Sources: www.nps.gov/sand/; www.prairieghosts.com; www.shadowlands.com
~~~~~~~~~~
CONNECTICUT
...a
faceless apparition floating toward her in a blue dress...
Huguenot House
This 1761
structure in East Hartford rested easily for over two centuries,
but its restoration in the early '80s seems to have awakened its
long-dormant spirits as inexplicable events began to surface.
Construction workers couldn't explain what caused several
mysterious on-site crashes and bangs. Astonished witnesses were
at a loss to explain how they all heard sounds of heavy hammering
ringing throughout the house when no one was inside the premises.
And finally, no one dares to posit how shortly after the house's
restoration, a faceless apparition in a blue dress floated toward
a young girl playing nearby. When the soon-to-be hysterical girl
looked up to see who approached, she realized the hovering dress
held no occupant.
- Laura Picard
Source: Riccio, Dolores & Bingham, John. 'Haunted Houses
USA.' Pocket Books, 1989.
~~~
...he beckoned the spirits of the house to make themselves
seen.
The Empty House
At an
abandoned home near the New Britain reservoir, unbelievers become
quick converts. Long ago, a terrible fire swept though a small
brick house, burning to death the man and woman who lived there.
Not too soon thereafter, they say a curious young man came upon
the abandoned house. After taking a long, inquisitive look at a
strange panel of dials and gauges encased in a metal box, the man
beckoned the spirits of the house to make themselves seen,
taunting and teasing them. Then, though on stable ground, he
fell, but managed to escape a believer. Since then, anyone who
visits the house experiences a strange mixture of sadness,
anxiety and paranoia.
- Daniel Rivkin
Source: The Shadowlands: Ghosts and Hauntings, http://www.theshadowlands.net
~~~
...one could hear the faint screams of a patient undergoing
painful treatment.
Undercliff Hauntings
In the
years when the Undercliff Institution in Meriden was a mental
hospital, it wouldn't be terribly uncommon to see the a patient
darting around hallways to escape the grasp of an orderly or to
hear the faint screams of a patient undergoing painful treatment.
Undercliff has been abandoned since the mid-1960s, but locals
swear they can experience those sights and sounds. Some say one
man, who was murdered by fellow patients with plastic forks and
knives swiped from the cafeteria, still roams the courtyard of
the now-abandoned complex.
- Daniel Rivkin
Source: The Shadowlands: Ghosts and Hauntings, http://www.theshadowlands.net
~~~~~~~~~~
DISTRICT OF
COLUMBIA
Most of these wraiths seem benign, but there is an ominous
and ghostly black cat...
The White House
The White
House has a whole host of ghostly inhabitants from our nation's
past. Abigail Adams is seen wandering about and folding spectral
laundry, William Henry Harrison haunts the attic (he was the
first President to die in office) and Andrew Jackson liked his
bed in the Rose Bedroom so much that he still sleeps there. The
most well-known dearly departed denizen, Honest Abe, appears
often to the staff and guests wandering in and about the Lincoln
Bedroom. Most of these wraiths seem benign, but there is an
ominous and ghostly black cat that is said to appear in the
basement on the eve of national tragedies -- such as the fall of
the stock market and the assassination of JFK.
One of the most curious ghost stories to come from 1600
Pennsylvania Avenue involves, believe it or not, landscaping.
First Lady Ellen Louise Axson Wilson, during her husband Woodrow
Wilson's term, had wanted to tear down the famous rose garden,
home to many press conferences today. Dolley Madison, the wife of
James, had planted the garden, and workmen sent in to take their
hoes to the ground were stopped in the middle of their tracks by
her enraged ghost. The workers' tales of this hair-raising
experience have preserved the rose garden better than spring
rain. So many spectres -- surely this warrants an independent
counsel!
- Lisa Galloway
Sources: http://theshadowlands.net/places/dc; Blackman, W. Haden. 'The Field
Guide to North American Hauntings.' Three Rivers, 1998.
~~~
...he
did not die; he instead spent the remainder of his days in an
asylum...
Eternal Guilt
Located
near Lafayette Square, 8 Jackson Place was built at the same time
as the White House. Maj. Henry Rathbone, who lived there, was
sitting next to Abraham Lincoln on the ill-fated night he died;
John Wilkes Booth stabbed Rathbone in the head and neck while
making his getaway. Rathbone survived the attack, but he never
fully regained his mental faculties. Eighteen years after the
attack, he killed his wife and then tried to kill himself in what
was apparently supposed to be a murder-suicide. But he did not
die; he instead spent the remainder of his days in an asylum.
From time to time, people have reported his cries coming in the
house, no doubt coming from a longing to return to the happy
years before the attack by Booth.
- Mary Jones
Source: Rule, Leslie. 'Coast to Coast Ghosts: True Stories of
Hauntings Across America.' Andrews McMeel, 2001.
~~~
...the
ghost still causes a stir on opening nights...
Opening Night Jitters?
It's said
that the National Theater is haunted by one of the men who graced
its stage -- and he's even got a fan following him around. John
McCullough was a popular actor during the late 19th century,
often winning plum roles over other area thespians. One night, a
backstage argument between McCullough and a less-renowned actor
over his being cast in the lead role of a play turned violent. A
gun was drawn, and McCullough was shot and killed. His ghost is
said to be friendly, but it still causes a stir on opening
nights. In an odd twist, another ghost haunting the theatre named
Eddie is there precisely because of his admiration of McCullough.
- Mary Jones
Source: http://www.nationaltheatre.org/location/ghost.htm
~~~~~
