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Dateline: The ghosts of government

By JOHN RILEY / The Dallas Morning News

jriley@dallasnews.com

WASHINGTON – The nation's capital is awash with lawmakers, lobbyists and policy wonks. But by night, it's home to a variety of ghosts and demonic spirits, at least according to local folklore.

Built on a swamp, Washington has had a long and bloody history, including being a wartime battleground. Many ghosts from the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812 and the Civil War are said to haunt the city.

Some even believe the White House is haunted, with many former residents and staffers saying they've seen the ghosts of President Abraham Lincoln and former first ladies Abigail Adams and Dolley Madison.

But Washington's spooks aren't confined to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. There are plenty of other strange occurrences attributed to the supernatural. Here are a handful of legends to send chills down your spine, just in time for Halloween.

1. The Octagon Museum. For one of the first homes near the White House, Col. John Tayloe built this six-sided house with eight angled walls in 1799 at 1799 New York Ave. N.W. Brian Thomsen says in his new book, Oval Office Occult, that two of Col. Tayloe's daughters haunt the place – each because of a broken heart.

One daughter, love-struck over a British officer just before the War of 1812, was barred by Col. Tayloe from seeing him. In a rage, she stormed upstairs, but her candle was snuffed out and she tripped and fell down the staircase to her death. Her apparition is seen on the stairs, accompanied by a strong wind that blows out the light illuminating the staircase. Sometimes people say they can hear the girl's screams.

In 1817, Col. Tayloe arranged for his other daughter to marry an older man, but, in defiance, she eloped with another. After returning, she begged for her father's forgiveness, but was met by his cold glare. She backed up, lost her footing on the same staircase, and fell to her death, just like her sister. Her ghost is said to appear as a crumpled heap at the foot of the stairs, leaving a cold spot behind after it disappears.

Carolyn Crouch, founder of Washington Walks, a tour group that gives "ghost tours" around the city, said the spirit of former first lady Dolley Madison is said to haunt the building, which served as the temporary White House during the War of 1812. Some visitors to the museum report smelling lilac perfume, known to be Mrs. Madison's favorite scent, Ms. Crouch said.

2. L'Enfant's ghost. Pierre L'Enfant, the French architect who designed the city's layout, is said to haunt the Capitol. After President George Washington fired Mr. L'Enfant because of his stubbornness and other faults, Congress refused to pay him. He fell into poverty and died, alone and penniless. Throughout the 19th century, many night watchmen claimed to have seen Mr. L'Enfant's ghost. It's said that whenever a street change is proposed, Mr. L'Enfant's apparition can be heard moaning and crying as he moves along the Capitol hallways, says the book Historic Haunted America by Michael Norman and Beth Scott.

3. Old Stone House. Now a public museum in the Georgetown neighborhood, it was once part farmhouse, part inn, with the lower floors rented out to travelers. Built in 1795 by Christopher Layman, it is said to be haunted by 11 ghosts, including that of Mr. Layman. According to ghost-hunting Web sites, its most active and malevolent spirit is "George," who lived in the third-floor bedroom and had a violent hatred of women. Some women who enter that room have reported feeling shoved, poked and choked.

4. The eternal investigator. In 1972, a Pension Building guard ran across a white-suited man limping through the locked building. The guard said the man had no eyes and gave off "the stench of the dead." According to legend, the phantom was Pension Commissioner James Tanner, who lost both feet in the Civil War but visits the building in search of witness statements he recorded after the Lincoln assassination.

5. The demon Capitol cat. During the 1890s, nearly every Capitol police officer claimed to have run across a black cat that grows to the size of a tiger before howling and pouncing, only to disappear completely. After a guard shot at it, it left the Capitol grounds for a while, only to return during World War II and just before the President John F. Kennedy's assassination. It's believed the demon cat appears in the Capitol on the eve of a national tragedy and before every new presidential administration.LISTEN TO WHITE HOUSE STAFFERS tell of their spooky encounters.