The Resident Ghosts of the White House

The existence of ghosts (or the lack thereof) is still a mystery. Some don’t believe that they are real, while some do. What’s for sure is that the employees working on the most famous address in the United States of America— 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, believe that these entities are real, based on their experiences. Even the ex-president Harry Truman said the place was haunted “sure as shooting.” Whenever a new President of the United States resides, they don’t only accept the huge responsibility of governing the whole country, but also the spirits that live in the White House. Here are some of the resident ghosts of the White House:

Abraham Lincoln

Served as the 16th president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln is one of the most famous ghosts in the White House. He won the presidency in 1861 and was assassinated in 1865 just forty-two days into his second term in office and just five days after Lee surrendered to Gen Grant effectively ending the Civil War. But it looked like the former president wasn’t ready to let go of his position yet, as many claimed that they were still seeing Abraham Lincoln’s ghost. Grace Coolidge, for instance, saw Lincoln standing and looking out the window of the oval office. First Lady, Eleanor Roosevelt, said she would feel his presence when she worked in Lincoln’s bedroom. President Lincoln died with lots of work still to be done in putting the Union back together, perhaps that is why his ghost is said to still linger in the White House?

Anna Surratt

It is said that the restless soul of Anna Surratt could sometimes be seen pounding on the doors, demanding the release of her mother, Mary Surratt. Mary was executed and hanged in 1865 for her participation in the plan to assassinate Abraham Lincoln. Rumors said they would hear creepy moaning and sobbing sounds for many years.

John Tyler

In the Blue Room, John Tyler could often be seen proposing to his wife, which is certainly romantic. Except he already passed away in 1862. Some accounts say he could also be seen in the Yellow Oval Room sometimes.  It is interesting that the apparition people have claimed to see was him proposing to his future wife.  Apparently, President Tyler is the ghost who couldn’t take yes for an answer?

Abigail Adams

During the 1800s, women’s roles were confined to maintaining the house and doing household chores. This was not true of the relationship between John and Abigail Adams.  Their letters to each other during the Revolution and afterward reveal a relationship in which he very much treated her as an equal and partner in life.  While John Adams was a hunted man during the Revolution, Abigail was home at their farm in Braintree Massachusetts running a business, with the kids, the crops, the livestock, and all that went with it. Perhaps that’s the reason why Abigail Adams, wife of the United States’ second President John Adams, could be seen hanging her laundry in the East Room, accompanied by the smell of laundry soap. It was said that during their time, the White House was not yet fully completed, thus was not heated. The East Room was the warmest and driest room, so Abigail Adams would dry her laundry there. Based on the report of Constitution Daily, “A sighting of her was reported there during the Taft administration about 112 years later when an apparition was seen carrying clothes in its arms.”

Demon Cat

Kittens are cute and adorable. At least, that’s what most of us think, except for the cat in the basement of the US Capitol Building, which I would suggest that you avoid at all costs. It was reported the cat first appears as a helpless little kitten, but once you fall into it and approach it, the kitten would grow in size and become really terrifying. Some accounts say that the cat would appear before disasters, like the assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963 and when the stock market crashed in 1929.

Do you think these stories are true?