America's most reliably haunted house
© Eibhlin MacIntosh
Oh, nearly everyone has heard about President Abraham Lincoln's regular ghostly appearances at the Rose and Lincoln Bedrooms, scaring everyone from Margaret Truman, to Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, to Gerald Ford's daughter, Susan.
However, Lincoln is just one of the many ghosts in the White House. And, as a ghost hunter, you have an opportunity to meet a ghost in this famous landmark. The most haunted areas can be visited during the daily public tours of the White House.
The oldest ghost in the White House is probably David Burns, the 18th-century owner of the property. His voice has been heard in the attic above the Oval Office. However, he's not alone in that attic; the ghost of William Henry Harrison has been heard and seen there. Apparently, he's looking for something, as he searches through the attic rooms.
Abigail Adams is another ghost from the earliest White House years. John Adams was the second President of the United States.
When the Adams family moved into the unfinished Washington residence, Abigail had no place for her laundry. As a result, she hung her wet clothing in what is now the East Room. Today, visitors to the East Room often smell soap and damp clothing, and she is seen floating through walls and closed doors.
Most recently, Abigail has been seen floating on the second floor, particularly through the hallways. Her son, John Quincy Adams, the sixth President, haunts the Capitol Building, returning to his old seat in the House of Representatives.
Dolley Madison, wife of the fourth President of the United States, haunts the Rose Garden. Her most dramatic appearance was during the Presidency of Woodrow Wilson (1913-21) when the gardeners attempted to dig up the roses that Dolley had planted a hundred years earlier. According to legend, she blocked their work, and since that time, no one has tried to change the garden.
However, Dolley also haunts her home in Lafayette Square, the Octagon Building (now the American Institute of Architects Museum), and several other locations. In every report, she is a very visible, almost solid-looking form. Gentlemen leaving the Washington Club, near the Madison home, used to tip their hats to her as they passed her ghost.
Although the ghost of President Lincoln has had several famous encounters with guests in the Rose Bedroom, an earlier apparition claims his bed in the room: Andrew Jackson, who was this country's seventh President. One of his most notable appearances was in 1964, when one of President Lyndon Johnson's aides heard President Jackson shouting and cursing in the bedroom.
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