I hosted a theme lunch called
“The Historical and Hysterical Hauntings of the White House.”. Everyone who attended my lunch received an altered miniature project that had three scales represented in the gift.
I was truly amazed at how much history I learned while I was looking up the hauntings: the following is my outline of information that I used for my presentation- go to the internet- especially the Whitehouse site- fascinating!!
Historical and Hysterical Hauntings of the White House
-History is important, accurate history is difficult to come by, embellished and embroidered tales of past events is so much more fun to share.
I did research the information for this presentation. Including
http://www.whitehouse.gov/. There was an abundance of accounts and reports of hauntings at our Nationals Capital on the internet.
My disclaimer is that none of this is substantiated, but how can you substantiate the “unknown”.
1600 Pennsylvania Ave is the address of the White House. Construction began in 1792 by George Washington, it was 8 years later before President John Adams and his wife Abigail became the first official residents.
From the time it was built there have been 43 presidents who called it home (George Washington is the only president not to live in the White House.).
It has been set on fire twice- once by the British is 1814 and again in Hoover’s term in 1929. It has stood thru wars, infidelity, insanity and even death.
4 presidents have been assassinated during their terms.
All of this leaving an impression on the building.
It is often said that those who do not believe in ghosts just haven’t had the right encounter yet. Ask me later about the ghost in the Operating Room. (A story to tell you at a later time, just remind me)
The White house has a reputation for making believers out of the skeptical.
The more common signs of hauntings include doors that slam, lights flickering on an off in the Lincoln Bedroom, strange noises and voices and cold spots.
What sets the White House apart from most other hauntings in the United States is the sheer number of apparitions that have been witnessed and reported over the years.
Abraham LincolnThe most troubled and restless spirit has to be President Lincoln, who left a lot of unfinished business and unfulfilled plans for the nation when he was unexpectedly killed.
3 days before his assassination, Lincoln told his wife about his dream of his death:
He dreamed that he was awakened by the sound of crying. On following the sounds into the East Room, he found a casket surrounded by honor guard of soldiers.
He grabbed one sleeve of a soldier and asked who is dead. The soldier sadly answered: “The president is dead”. Lincoln went up to the casket and saw himself lying there dead.
The first reported sighting of Lincoln’s ghost was made by Grace Coolidge, wife of Calvin Coolidge (1923-29) in the White House. She said he stood at the window of the Oval Office, hands clasped behind his back. She saw his ghost repeatedly after that.
Since then there has been many, many more reports of sightings: a sample:
-Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands; a guest at the White House was awakened by knocking at her door. When she opened the door, she came face to face with Lincoln’s full body apparition and promptly fainted. He was gone when she awoke.
-Britain’s Winston Churchill refused to sleep there after sighting President Lincoln’s ghost. During one of Churchill’s visits to eh US during WW-2, he spent the night in the Lincoln Bedroom. He retired late after relaxing in a long, hot bath while drinking a Scotch and smoking a cigar. He climbed out of the bath, completely naked, except for his cigar, and walked into the adjoining bedroom. There was Abraham Lincoln standing by the fireplace, leaning on the mantle. They looked into each other, and in seemingly embarrassment, Lincoln’s apparition slowly faded away.
-Eleanor Roosevelt had felt his presence watching her when she was working late.
-Her assistant, Mary Eben saw him sitting on his bed pulling his boots off.
-Even Fala, the Roosevelt’s dog was said to sense Lincoln’s presence.
-Harry Truman saw the ghostly apparition of Mr. Lincoln,
as did his daughter, Margaret. Mr. Truman was visited in the middle of the night by the former president.
-President John F. Kennedy’s former butler, Tobias Johnson, describes Mr. Lincoln’s ghost as polite and curious. He reported that if Mr. Lincoln wants to get your attention, he taps you the shoulder or coughs softly.
Abigail Adams
-The oldest spirit ever recorded at the White House is that of Abigail Adams. She was the wife of John Adams, who served 1797-1801.
-The White House had just been built in Early Washington D.C., the streets were unpaved, and the inside of the house were still incomplete, the question of where to hang the laundry to dry came up. The warmest and driest place in the White House was the East Room, and that is where Mrs. Adams hung her clothes line. Mrs. Adams cheerfully went about her daily chores, especially enjoying the laundry. So much so, that during the Taft Administration (1909-1913), and to this day Abigail Adams can be seen in her lace shawl and cap- hurrying towards the East room with her arms outstretched as if she is carrying a load of laundry. Sometimes the faint smell of damp clothes and soap is detected.
-She does not seem to interact with the living, she most often seen drifting thru the closed doors to the East Room.
-Abigail Adams advocated greater political rights for women, especially regarding divorce and property ownership. This was 1776.
Dolley Madison
-Dolley Madison who was married to President James Madison (elected in 1809) appeared in the Rose Garden most frequently during the administration of Woodrow Wilson. First Lady Edith Wilson had grown tired of the garden that Madison had planted a hundred years before. When the ground keeper moved to dig it up, “they said out of nowhere the spirit of Dolley Madison swooped out the sky, chased them away and saved the garden from destruction.
-Dolley’s original rose garden continues to bloom to this day.
-Besides saving the Rose Garden, Dolley is also known for saving the “Declaration of Independence” and the portrait of George Washington from the burning of the White House in 1814.
British Soldier-A number of years ago, during a restoration project of the exterior stone walls of the residence, restorers found scorch marks around the windows and doors that were deep into the stone and were part of the fire of 1814. Only the exterior walls survived the fire.
-In 1814 while burning the White House and other Federal Buildings, there is a story of a British Soldier who died on the White House Ground during the War of 1812.
-The menacing apparition is always seen with a blazing torch in his hand.
-Once in the second room bedroom, a husband and wife reported that the ghost tried to burn their bed.
Andrew Jackson-In 1865, Mary Todd Lincoln reported encountering Jackson’s ghost “swearing up a storm”.
-The ghost of Andrew Jackson is said to haunt his old canopy bed in the Rose Bedroom. In the 1930’s, White House personnel have reported an unexplainable cold spot and the sound of laughter coming from the empty bed.
-In the 1950’s White House seamstress Lilian Parks felt Jackson’s presence lean over her, while she sat hemming the bedspread.
-President Lyndon Johnson heard the cussing, hollering ghost of Jackson in that room in 1964.
Gary Walters, Whitehouse Chief UsherOn October 31, 2003, Gary Walters participated in an online interactive forum where questions could be submitted and answered in real time.
Being the day was Halloween, most of the questions are spooky in nature.
He was asked if he had ever seen a ghost in the White House.
“No, I haven’t but I had an experience that I can’t explain- along with three other police officers. I was standing at the state floor of the White House adjacent to the staircase that comes up from the ground floor. The police officers and I felt a cool rush of air pass between us and then two doors that stand open closed by themselves. I have never seen these doors move before without somebody specifically closing them by hand. It was quite remarkable.
We checked to see if there were some condition that may have caused the rush of air like other doors being opened or an air system starting and could not find any evidence of any cause for the rush of air or the doors closing. This feeling of the passage of cold air has been related by other members of the staff through the years.
Demon CatThere is one spooky spectre spotted in the White House that isn’t human. It’s the ghost of a black cat and it is seen prior to national tragedies. It was spotted before the crash of the Stock
Market in 1929 and again in 1963, before the assassination of President Kennedy. It was not spotted before 9/11.
-It is first seen as a normal, black cat, which purrs happily as it approaches the unsuspecting human victim in a dimly lit hallway. As this cat apparition comes closer, it’s body swells to the size of a tiger, and the sweet purring turns into a vicious snarl. With it’s claws extended, this huge cat leaps at the human, and then vanishes into thin air, leaving the person terrified, but unhurt.
-Another version puts the supernatural cat in the basement of the US Capital Building.
-Paw prints marking the floor in the Senate rotunda are rumored to belong to the ghost.
-Did this cat belong to President Lincoln?? No one seems to know.
-Many years ago, when the Capital Building was infested with mice, cats were let go in the basement to take care of the problem. All the cats were then caught and given to good homes. However, maybe one cat was left behind. Oops sorry kitty.
Reference back to Gary Walters, he was asked if the White House is spooky at night?
“Absolutely. It is a big old house and when the lights are out it is dark and quiet and any movement at all catches your attention. In the Carter Administration, Amy Carter’s cat Misty ran out from under a chair as I was turning out the lights for the night, it scared me to death.”
As in all history lessons you can choose to believe what is taught, or you can research it for yourself.
What I hope you do is take your gift of an altered miniature house,
And share some of these stories with others.
Lincoln’s hat on the table is in quarter scale.
The East Room with Abigail’s ghostly clothesline is in 1/144th scale.
And try as I may I could not make roses in ½” scale, so instead you have a 3D patriotic girl to share history with.
This is ready for you to complete, there is art work included in the bottom.
Possible flooring, wall paper all for the top, or make it an outside vignette,
Use multiple scales, if you have an 1” scale patriotic item that would fit in the box, go for it,
If you want, you can furnish the rest of the rooms in quarter scale, don’t forget the exterior spots.
Example of the America’s House, in the exhibit room can give you ideas on how to add your own touch to this house.
Maybe you want to add more historical figures to the house, like a canopy bed with a cussing Andrew Jackson in it, or make or find roses and make the top the rose garden.
The most important history is your very own, and when you can place some of it in your miniatures what a great legacy.
Next the Sales room and Exhibit Room was opened, as well as the Hospitality Room. In the Hospitality room, there are areas for people to work on unfinished projects, participate in quizzes: my favorite: Identify the Presidential Beasts. I came in and said it had to be Bush or C
linton. But I was wrong- you had to identify the pets or animals that roamed the White House lawns and attach them to the correct President of the time.
The evening event was our “State Dinner” Banquet, many people dressed up in period clothing or costume. I fell in love with the “Secret Service!!! We shared a meal, doorprizes and souvenirs, and the raffle of the “Housepar
ty Helpers”. These are donated miniatures or gifts that people can win. Believe me- there was so many that I really loved. This time I was not my turn to win a Houseparty Helper.
The nite ended with the silent and live auction!!
Floor by Registration
Floor by Registration- Elaine Barrington, Rachel Watson (patriotic toes) and Katrina Bailey
