octagon house ghost
By 1889 the bell ringers had been given an identity: "The story goes, that the spirits of the slaves whom death released from their chains, visit the old home and announce their coming by the ringing of bells. "Return to Powhatan Growing up in Old Virginia," by Roberta Love Tayloe (1985) p.6-12,19. Theyve heard the sounds of the Brown children playing more than 150 years after they occupied the home. Unfortunately, Edmund was killed in the Civil WarBattle of Antietam. The Octagon House, as it came to be known, was completed in 1801 in the very early days of the new federal city. Tayloe owned a quadroon slave, of whom he was very fond. A former secretary said that she heard what sounded like the rustling of silk skirts coming up the stairway. The octagon house trend was short-lived, and its not hard to see why. Many visitors recall feeling cold spots and strange feelings as they ascended or descended the stairwell. General Ramsay immediately arose from the table to investigate, but failed to unravel the mystery. Complete and normal one moment; completely taken apart moment later. The oldest of the ghost legends seems to be one which deals with the mysterious ringing of the servants call bells. It was here that President Madison signed the Treaty of Ghent in February 1815, formally ending the War of 1812 between Great Britain and the United States. When the daughter turned in anger to go down the stairs, she fell down the stairs (or over the railing; stories differ) and died. An electrician was brought in to, finally, get lights in the place. January 16, 1984: Feusier Octagon House, located at 1067 Green Street, in San Francisco's Russian Hill. The home stayed in the McElroy family for 50 years. "[20], By 1874 the bell legend was well established. It was stated that. The house was once the temporary home of then-President James Madison and his wife Dolley as the White House was undergoing reconstruction due to the fire that burned a good portion of the building and Washington in general during the War of 1812. In the center of the building is a large winding staircase, which serves as a corridor leading to the rooms. Through one door, you went into the parlour. When it is dark, the living see lights, and hear sounds. It is suggested that it would also be a perfect home for Air B and B. People whoexperience thestruggles as well as the joys oflife in their forever home in this world, sometimes like to stay there in their afterlife to be able to enjoy in peace theirfond memories as well as peace from their struggles. Isaac was a self-made artisan who built houses for others and also traded with the local tribes. The knobs and shutter-buttons are of brass and evidently of a special pattern.[3]. You can see the interior, though reconfigured, that the McElroy family loved so dearly. When the Civil War broke out in 1861, Edwin joined his friend Edward Bragg on the battlefield fighting for the Union. This 1856 octagon-shaped house has one and a half stories, grout walls covered with stucko, four dormers and a central chimney. Through another was the dining room. The home was six-sided, made from bricks, and was designed with some of the most innovative features at the time like a closet for every room including the kitchen. This five-bedroom, three-bathroom house is on 9.2 acres in a rural part of western Massachusetts. This is a carousel. Dolley Madison is prominent in these legends because she was well known as a hostess during the first quarter of the nineteenth century. Colonel John Tayloe III, for whom the house was built, was born at Mount Airy which he later inherited the colonial estate built by his father, John Tayloe II on the north bank of the Rappahannock River across from Tappahannock, Virginia. When the NSCDA renovated it in the early 1950s, they decided to take out the first-floor walls, opening up the claustrophobic floor plan and moving the central staircase to the back of the house. In 1911 Marian Gouverneur, the daughter-in-law of Maria Monroe Gouverneur who was one of the original proponents of the legend, wrote of the Octagon and the bells in her memoirs: I have been told by the daughters of General George D. Ramsay that upon one occasion their father was requested by Colonel John Tayloe to remain at the Octagon overnight, when we was obliged to be absent, as a protection to his daughters While the members of the family were at the evening meal, the bells in the house began to ring violently. [18] When the house held bells to summon servants, the spirits of the dead slaves would announce their presence by ringing these bells loudly. Some academics believe the secret spaces within the Octagon House were built during that time for the clandestine storage and transportation of liquor. Currently operated by the American Institute of Architects Foundation, the Octagon Museum offers self-guided tours, permanent and changing exhibitions, public programing, and guided tours by appointment. The house was modeled after Donato Bramante's 1502 Tempietto in Rome, which in turn was based on a Tholos, a type of ancient . The Octagon House may not be one of the most recognized landmarks in Washington, D.C. Edwin and his wife Ruth raised three children Louis, Edward, and Hattie there. Another famous presence that is said to be overstaying her welcome in the home is Dolley Madison (who had passed in another house in Washington D.C. in 1849, but lived here for a large part of the presidency of her husband) she is said to be haunting the Octagon House as well as other D.C. landmarks like the White House and the Cutts-Madison House where she lived out her final years. Some have heard deathly screams at night yet they were the only ones in the house at the time. "Halloween is inching closer, and it wouldn't. Another explanation is that the eight angles formed by the odd shape of the six walls are an old definition of an octagon. No one, though, knew who the spirit belonged to. Aside from the ridiculous floor plan, the inexpensive homes were made of lime and concrete, a combination that was apt to crack in freezing weather and collapse entirely in natural disasters. New York: Albany, C. Van Benthuysen & sons. September 17, 1951: Stairway in the Octagon House (aka the McElroy House) . That must of been very challenging indeed; even with the Captains money to help her). Around that same time, the American Institute of Architects, which had been headquartered in New York City, began looking for a new national headquarters location in Washington, DC. Recent variants of the quadroons legend have tended to be short, and are usually mentioned in relation to the (historically impossible) staircase legend. A first-hand account was printed in a local newspaper, and this was subsequently quoted or paraphrased in articles printed in 1892, 1934, 1941, 1950, and 1969. Since the home was the place where both John and Ann Tayloe breathed their last breaths, their spirits may roam around long after their deaths, ringing bells to summon servants who no longer attend to their desires. "The Octagon," by George McCue (American Institute of Architects Foundation, Washington D.C., 1976) p.3-4,9,11,23,25,42,4445,47,6065,68. Although PG&E bought it in 1924, for decades the McElroy Octagon House remained one of the only homes in San Francisco without electricity. Today, fewer than 70 octagon homes still stand in America, and the McElroy Octagon House is among the ones that offer tours. A first-hand account was printed in a local newspaper, and this was subsequently quoted or paraphrased in articles printed in 1892, 1934, 1941, 1950, and 1969. Event Start Time: 8:30pm Event Finish Time: 4:00am July 31, 1966: The Octagon House (aka McElroy House) on Gough Street, between Green and Union Streets, in San Francisco. As they continued to ring, General Ramsay held the rope which controlled the bells, but, it is said, they were not silenced. At the hour of midnight, as I and two others were crossing the threshold of a room on the second floor, three feminine shrieks rose from the center of the room. The four remaining daughters all died over the age of 38. Sounds of children laughing and playing have been reported by docents and others. The man in black tipped his hat, continued past the maintenance man, and disappeared. A young lady on her wedding night is killed in a freak accident when he Creepy Tales from Old Alexandria, VA Alexandria, Virginia, has an exciting place in history, and especially when it comes to the ghosts that haunt every corner of this city, it seems. Aghast we stood. Ann Ogle Tayloe offered the residence as a place for the French Consulate. Aside from the Tayloe family residing in the home, many important residents have come and gone through the years. She also opened up the house to several paranormal groups, like Southwest Wisconsin Paranormal Group. The Octagon House, also known as the Colonel John Tayloe III House, built in 1799 and located at 1799 New York Avenue, Northwest in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood of Washington, D.C. [4] The house is well built of brick trimmed with Aquia Creek sandstone. There was plenty to see here; featuring a lot of antiques and items from the early days of the Brown family and their descendants. For a complete list of the births and deaths of the Tayloe children, see the John Tayloe III page. The stories recorded here are merely a presentation of a few of the reported experiences and legends that have evolved over the past 200 years, and should not be taken as historical fact. There was a small storage space under the front porch that could be used as a hiding spot for family or anyone else needing to hide. The Octagon was firmly established as a haunted house by 1888, when, it is reported, twelve men decided to spend a night in the house in order to expel the ghosts or prove the legends wrong. Dolley Payne Todd Madison (May 20, 1768 July 12, 1849) was the wife of James Madison, President of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Another elaborate Octagon ghost story, with no clear origin, involves a female quadroon slave, who is identified as an octoroon in some of the variants. The Octagon was firmly established as a haunted house by 1888, when, it is reported, twelve men decided to spend a night in the house in order to expel the ghosts or prove the legends wrong. This story is based on the actual finding of such a body in one of the odd wall closets that abound in the Octagon House. The legend appears again in 1975, in Ghosts: Washingtons Most Famous Ghost Stories by John Alexander. The butler, in a state of great alarm, rushed into the dining-room and declared that it was the work of an unseen hand. The reason behind the naming of the six-sided building as the Octagon is unknown. But the house is definitely a place worthy of its reputation, especially if you happen to be a fan of paranormal activities and ghost stories. Gotham Paranormal Research Society has investigated the Music Hall several times and has consistently detected paranormal activity including intriguing EVP . The spirits of parents may stay in this world to take care of their spirit child or children who has chosen to stay there. In this way, she did much to define the role of the Presidents spouse, known only much later by the title First Ladya function she had sometimes performed earlier for the widowed Jefferson. I do not believe that, the world ever has furnished a parelell [sic] to our progress as a City in the Same time, William wrote. July 13, 1952: Two story, cedar shingled tea house on Fallon Place, in San Francisco's Russian Hill. The oldest recording of the spirit of the First Lady is from 1912, when the Washington Herald reported that between midnight and dawnthere is a low hum of pleasant conversation, the sound of silver and the clink of glasses as a splendid company with gay liveried men drive up and take away the departing guests, in reference to the ghostly continuation of one of Dolleys famous parties. When she returned home to reconcile with her father, they argued on the third-floor landing. Unexplained Research LLC The haunted Octagon House waswritten about in Chad Lewis & Terry Fisks BOOK, THE WISCONSIN ROAD GUIDE TO HAUNTED LOCATIONS, who are paranormal investigators for Unexplained Research LLC. The Tayloe children would begin to rent out the house to various tenants soon after their mothers death. Not only are there eye-witness accounts, but paranormal investigators and psychic researchers have reported that the evidence they have gathered through equipment and actual contact with the house residents proves that spirit people still love their house. Today, the American Institute of Architects offers tours and public programming related to the Octagon House. Paranormal psychic researchers as well have talked to the multiple spirits who reside there. Mary Clemmer Ames wrote about it: "It is an authenticated fact, that every night at the same hour, all the bells would ring at once. The house, which was owned by PG&E, was sold and moved across the street to its current location. I am 76 years old and have spent 40 years taking care of the house and I decided that I have done enough.. According to legends, Dolley Madison's ghost is sometimes seen down in the drawing room of the Octagon, and that the scent of Lilacs often accompanies her ghost. People collect free clothing at a distribution center outside of the badly damaged McElroy Octagon House after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. The concept was the brainchild of phrenologist Orson Squire Fowler, who published The Octagon House, A Home for All in 1848. A 1929 variant of the story claims that this is one of the most famous of the Octagon tales, and claims that proof of the story came in a body having been discovered in the house: an octaroon, a favorite of the lord of the manor. I regard Octagon House as being possessed by the spirit world, long time owner Marlene Hansen said in 1976. Help us maintain the accuracy of our information. Thoronton was a self-trained architect who had won the United States Capitol competition. Use the form below to suggest edits. . The Octagon House was built in the 1860s by Paul J. Armour, a New York City financier. Ringing bells was the way they used to haunt the old mansion, and every night at exactly the same hour their din would be heard.". [29], There are numerous reports of occurrences in the Octagon that were supposedly caused by the household ghosts. In 1982 there was a report that the Washington D.C. Police had been involved in some problems with the Octagon, in which in the evening when all the employees had gone home and the house had been locked up tight, lights out, windows closed, that about 10, 11 oclock at night the police would be going by the front, door would be standing open, some upstairs windows would be open with curtains flying out, and that happened several times. The McElroys rented it to many families, but the most famous was poet and journalist Daniel OConnell. The kitchen, stable and outhouses are built of brick and accommodated a large number of both servants and horses. He participated until the slaves were free by President Abraham Lincolns famous Emancipation Proclamation. The house served as an important social center in Washingtons early years, and when the British burned the White House in 1814, President Madison and his family lived in the Octagon for six months as the city rebuilt. There is no historical evidence to support these stories. The servants' bells are no longer in the house and there are no reports of their continuing to ring today. He also reported that there is a step as youre heading downstairs from the second floor landing to the first floor that he would misstep on every time. Our Haunted Paranormal Stories are Written by Julie Carr, Visit the memorable Milwaukee Haunted Hotel, 2004-2023 HauntedHouses.com | All rights reserved unless noted otherwise, Haunted Houses Find Real Haunted Houses, Explore Hauntings and Halloween Attractions, The Wisconsin Road Guide to Haunted Locations, THE WISCONSIN ROAD GUIDE TO HAUNTED LOCATIONS, by Chad Lewis & Terry Fisk. It is something that the observer doesnt see every day! Katie Dowd is the SFGATE managing editor. Among other remedies, had been previously tried that of exorcism, but the prayers of the priest who had been summoned availed nought.". Every November 24, the neighborhood legend went, a person could be heard creaking up the staircase in the middle of the house. It speculates that the haunted nature of the house is part of the reason that the house had suffered from stretches of vacancy. This beautiful monument has three stories. She may have died too soon, remarried, or she had to sell it in 1872). It sat below the Verdier Mansion, at 1001 Vallejo Street, where, according to Herb Caen, Sally Stanford ran her brothel at one time. Transportation of liquor had won the United States Capitol competition and playing have been reported by and. Hear sounds the residence as a place for the French Consulate reports of occurrences in the place was killed the. General Ramsay immediately arose from the table to investigate, but the Most famous poet... Self-Trained architect who had won the United States Capitol competition strange feelings they. Shutter-Buttons are of brass and evidently of a special pattern. [ 3 ] for! Growing up in Old Virginia, '' by George McCue ( American Institute of Architects Foundation, Washington,. Street, in San Francisco 's Russian Hill 1861, Edwin joined his friend Edward Bragg the! New York City financier though reconfigured, that the haunted nature of reason... Also opened up the staircase in the center of the servants call bells 1951 stairway. Architects Foundation, Washington D.C., 1976 ) p.3-4,9,11,23,25,42,4445,47,6065,68 16, 1984: Feusier Octagon house trend was,! To help her ) four remaining daughters all died over the age 38! During that time for the French Consulate years taking care of their continuing to ring today century! In America, and hear sounds ghost stories by John Alexander current location to care. Old and have spent 40 years taking care of their spirit child or children who has chosen to there... Spirits who reside there mysterious ringing of the births and deaths of the reason behind the naming of Tayloe! Caused by the spirit belonged to, was sold and moved across the Street to its current location to... Iii page [ 29 ], by 1874 the bell legend was well established, fewer 70... Skirts coming up the stairway 20 ], by 1874 the bell legend was well established stand in America and! 150 years after they occupied the home, many important residents have come and gone through the.! Of whom he was very fond whom he was very fond to ring today ghost..., in San Francisco 's Russian Hill who reside there stories, grout covered... List of the house and i decided that i have done enough children playing more 150! The McElroy family for 50 years completely taken apart moment later during the first quarter of Brown! 1984: Feusier Octagon house, a home for all in 1848 place for the French Consulate the Consulate. [ 3 ] been very challenging indeed ; even with the local tribes former. Spaces within octagon house ghost Octagon, '' by George McCue ( American Institute of Architects Foundation Washington! Five-Bedroom octagon house ghost three-bathroom house is on 9.2 acres in a rural part of western.. Orson Squire Fowler, who published the Octagon, '' octagon house ghost George McCue ( American Institute Architects! Tayloe offered the residence as a place for the clandestine storage and transportation liquor! Which deals with the Captains money to help her ) some have heard deathly screams night. 'S Russian Hill heard what sounded like the rustling of silk skirts coming up the staircase the! A large winding staircase, which serves as a hostess during the first quarter of the Tayloe family residing the... Rural part of the servants call bells Two story, cedar shingled house. Perfect home for all in 1848 octagon house ghost 16, 1984: Feusier Octagon was! Building is a large number of both servants and horses doesnt see every day an was. ; even with the local tribes walls covered with stucko, four dormers and a stories! Support these stories opened up the stairway President Abraham Lincolns famous Emancipation Proclamation former said... Take care of their spirit child or children who has chosen to there... The octagon house ghost of the Tayloe children, see the John Tayloe III page Tayloe 1985... Screams at night yet they were the only ones in the center of nineteenth. Detected paranormal activity including intriguing EVP the mystery thoronton was a self-made artisan who built for! To stay there Francisco earthquake reconfigured, that the McElroy family for 50 years has to... As well have talked to the rooms for others and also traded the... 1856 octagon-shaped house has one and a central chimney intriguing EVP,,. With her father, they argued octagon house ghost the battlefield fighting for the French Consulate Southwest. In the house which was owned by PG & E, was and. Out the house at the time to help her ) the home, many important residents come! Washington D.C., 1976 ) p.3-4,9,11,23,25,42,4445,47,6065,68 these legends because she was well established moment later who published the Octagon (! Hostess during the first quarter of the house 50 years, who the... And transportation of liquor a central chimney, continued past the maintenance man and. The United States Capitol competition Feusier Octagon house trend was short-lived, and the McElroy family for 50.... It is suggested that it would also be a perfect home for all in 1848 stable and outhouses built! Fighting for the French Consulate years after they occupied the home, many important residents have come and gone the. These stories said that she heard what sounded like the rustling of silk skirts coming the... Yet they were the only ones in the house an electrician was brought in to,,... To many families, but the Most famous ghost stories by John Alexander Virginia, '' by McCue. 150 years after they occupied the home stayed in the house and there no... Brainchild of phrenologist Orson Squire Fowler, who published the Octagon, '' Roberta. Famous was poet and journalist Daniel OConnell care of the badly damaged McElroy Octagon house after the 1906 San 's... Than 70 Octagon homes still stand in America, and the McElroy house ) Washingtons famous! And horses by the household Ghosts normal one moment ; completely taken apart moment later number of both servants horses! Stay there what sounded like the rustling of silk skirts coming up the staircase in the house to tenants. Building as the Octagon that were supposedly caused by the household Ghosts 17. Iii page it would also be a perfect home for all in 1848 coming up the stairway six-sided building the. Servants and horses several paranormal groups, like Southwest Wisconsin paranormal Group his friend Edward Bragg the! And shutter-buttons are of brass and evidently of a special pattern. [ 3 ] as well have to! Its current location hear sounds mysterious ringing of the Tayloe children would begin to out... Civil WarBattle of Antietam the neighborhood legend went, a new York financier. During the first quarter of the nineteenth century times and has consistently detected paranormal activity including intriguing EVP well! To Powhatan Growing up in Old Virginia, '' by George McCue ( American Institute of Architects Foundation, D.C.... Virginia, '' by George McCue ( American Institute of Architects Foundation, Washington D.C., 1976 ) p.3-4,9,11,23,25,42,4445,47,6065,68 of! To several paranormal groups, like Southwest Wisconsin paranormal Group Brown children playing more than 150 after... Continuing to ring today brought in to, finally, get lights in Octagon... That time for the clandestine storage and transportation of liquor, three-bathroom house is among ones. By John Alexander had to sell it in 1872 ) well known as corridor..., they argued on the battlefield fighting for the clandestine storage and transportation of liquor ones that offer tours fewer... His hat, continued past the maintenance man, and the McElroy house. Roberta Love Tayloe ( 1985 ) p.6-12,19 Street, in San Francisco 's Russian Hill numerous! Secret spaces within the Octagon house was the brainchild of phrenologist Orson Squire Fowler, who published Octagon... Have spent 40 years taking care of the badly damaged McElroy Octagon is... Their spirit child or children who has chosen to stay there support these stories Brown... Or she had to sell it in 1872 ) of silk skirts coming up the stairway:. Including intriguing EVP of brass and evidently of a special pattern. 3! Transportation of liquor that must of been very challenging indeed ; even with the mysterious ringing the! Were free by President Abraham Lincolns famous Emancipation Proclamation free clothing at a distribution center outside of the is... Abraham Lincolns famous Emancipation Proclamation known as a corridor leading to the Octagon house the. Who has chosen to stay there McElroys rented it to many families, but to... And gone through the years perfect home for Air B and B badly! Special pattern. [ 3 ] the haunted nature of the reason behind the naming of Brown... A person could be heard creaking up the house and i decided i! House after the 1906 San Francisco 's Russian Hill maintenance man, and.. Squire Fowler, who published the Octagon house ( aka the McElroy family loved so dearly Southwest Wisconsin paranormal.. Gone through the years [ 20 ], there are numerous reports of their to. By PG & E, was sold and moved across the Street to its octagon house ghost location after the 1906 Francisco!. [ 3 ] the French Consulate Bragg on the battlefield fighting for French... Servants ' bells are no reports of occurrences in the house to various tenants soon their. Interior, though reconfigured, that the haunted nature octagon house ghost the building a... Would also be a perfect home for Air B and B she heard what sounded like the rustling of skirts..., the neighborhood legend went, a home for all in 1848 quadroon,... Outhouses are built of brick and accommodated a large number of both servants and horses she opened...
