Haunted Washington D.C.: The Octagon House

The Octagon House is one of the oldest buildings in the country’s capital, and it’s also one of the most haunted. It was built between 1798 and 1800 by Virginia’s richest plantation owner, John Tayloe, at the suggestion of George Washington. President Madison and his wife, Dolley, used it as his temporary quarters after the White House burned in the War of 1812. It’s where he signed the Treaty of Ghent.

In 1855, after Mrs. Tayloe died, the mansion became a school for girls. Then, in 1899, it was made into a historical museum. Shortly after, curators began to experience the unexplainable: doors wide open after they’d just been locked, lights on after they’d been switched off, footsteps, and voices. Other recorded incidents include a carpet flinging itself backward, chandeliers swinging, pounding on the walls, and the jangling of servants’ bells. People often feel as if someone is standing behind them when there’s no one around.