DC Like a Local

After some time collecting stories of ghosts and hauntings in Washington, DC, a few themes start to jump out. Abandoned buildings will inevitably become haunted, often to the point where it becomes difficult to ascertain what happed first, the ghost or the owners moving out. For every good, solid, meaty story where the ghost does something tangible, there's at least a dozen "mysterious thumps in the night". Either ghosts were more active in the late 1800's and early 1900's, or newspapers were simply more amenable to reporting them, often as fact.

But I'm starting to notice that the tale of Washington ghosts overlaps quite heavily with the tales of Naval ghosts. It's entirely possible that as a former Naval Officer myself, I simply take not of them disproportionly. I mean, I love a good sea story as much as a good ghost story, so it's entirely possible that combining the two catches my eye.

Even considering this, I was surprised at how many ghosts in DC have a Navy or Marine Corps connection. In fact, we joked while developing the Capitol Hill loop of our tour that the problem was not finding stories, but finding stories where it wasn't a Marine doing the haunting. Which really shouldn't have caught us by surprise. Until relatively recently, the Navy Yard and it's associated Marine Barracks were the largest employers in town and Capitol Hill, especially the portion south of Pennsylvania Ave, was very much a Navy Town.

But even throughout the city, we stumble across ghosts associated with the sea services with astonishing regularity. The much haunted Halcyon House in Georgetown was built by the first Secretary of the Navy, Benjamin Stoddert. In yesterday's Vampire Story, the Brentwood Mansion was owned by a succession of Naval Officers, presumably when the vampire stalked the grounds. And in 1890, then Secretary of the Navy Benjamin Tracy refused to take head of warnings of a ghost in the house he purchased on Farragut Square not far from the White House. Sadly, the house caught fire and his wife, daughter, and maid were killed in the conflagration, which local lore says liberated the restless ghost.

Being a fan of the limited but fascinating Washington, DC Naval ghost genre, the natural place to search for ghosts is, of course, the Washington Navy Yard in southeast DC. Searchers need not be disappointed, either; it is well haunted. I particularly enjoy the tale of Capt. Thomas Tingey, the first Superintendent of the Navy Yard, who had the distinction of building it twice, the second time being after he ordered it burnt to deny it to the British in 1814. Commodore Tingey remains on watch at the Navy Yard, keeping a eye on things. In addition to his protective spirit assisting at Quarters A, originally his home and now the residence of the Chief of Naval Operations, he has been sighted late at night, inspecting the Yard. He wears the period fore and aft hat, familiar to any fan of pirate movies, and carries a spyglass. His authority is further confirmed by the sword belted to his waist, but somewhat dimmed in that it is belted over his nightshirt.

Fellow fans might enjoy Eric Mills new work, The Spectral Tide: True Ghost Stories of the U.S. Navy, which is an excellent collection of tales, well written and thoroughly researched, two traits often missing in the world of ghost stories. It highlights, among it's many stories, several of the ones listed above, including a great description of the Tracy House fire. I'l leave it to Mr. Mills to tell that one.

Ghosts in Navy Blue

Often, as we explore DC's history in our pursuit of the spirit world, our tales peter out with "the house was destroyed, and the ghost was never heard from again". This is unfortunately all too common, as great swaths of our history have been bulldozed, only to be replaced by monolithic chunks of buildings that no self respecting ghost would deign to haunt.courtesy of Library of Congress

But from time to time we find that the act of destruction itself seems to release the spirits of the past. And so it was in Dupont Circle, where in 1902, the Washington Post noted an unusual phenomenon on the site where "Stewart's Castle" had recently been torn down.

The Castle had been built as Nevada Senator William Morris Stewart's residence in DC by renowned local architect Adulf Cluss. It was among the first of many grand buildings in the wave of construction following the Civil War that transformed Dupont Circle from the dusty outskirts of the city to a thriving high class neighborhood. After a devastating fire in 1879, the house was leased to the Chinese Legation from 1886 to 1893.

Then, in 1899, this crazy-eyed bastard, Sen. William Clark of Montana, purchased the Castle. Somehow, it wasn't quite grand enough for him, and he razed it in 1901 to build something larger. Financing ran thin, as he worked things out, the lot sat vacant.

Which is where our story begins. One summer evening in 1902, a Mr. S. L. Lwehg was walking home to Georgetown, and it being a particularly warm night, decided to stop and rest on a nearby park bench. While there, he noticed the erratic movements of a man dressed in Chinese garments walking upon the newly razed site of Stewart's Castle. At first, it seemed he might be looking for something, but the man simply seemed to be wandering about the site. Finally, as Mr. Lwegh watched, the man vanished completely. Following this sighting, others noticed the spirit, who "at first seems only one of the picturesque figures to be seen in the vicinity of the Chinese legation". However, upon further inspection, "in the glare of the electric light, the flowing sleeves of his dark red jacket appear very filmy, and the gown of light blue looks like mist." What's more, his "feet make no sound as the ghostly saddles pass along the walks."

The Post, being a reputable newspaper, did some investigating and found that when the Castle had been the Chinese Legation, it had been no stranger to dire events:

courtesy of Library of Congress

"It was said that early one morning a passerby was surprised and horrified to see the body of a dead Chinaman hanging over the windowsill in one of the upper rooms. A long black cord tightly twisted and knotted showed the manner in which he had met his death. As the legation building was under international law, as much a part of China as the Celestial empire itself, the authorities of the United States could not trespass in order to learn the cause of the man's death and punish those responsible for it, if punishment was due."

So was the dead attache, haunted with his own ghosts or perhaps searching for those who had sent him onward, the same "Ghost of the Chinaman", as the Post somewhat offensively named the article? The ghost's final action is telling: before he vanishes, he attempts "to loosen the long black cord that is tightly twisted and knotted about his neck."

Perhaps because of the ghost, or more likely Sen. Clark simply lost interest in being a Senator and living in DC, the land remained undeveloped until 1923, when Riggs Bank (now PNC) built their branch on Dupont Circle it feeds into Massachusetts Avenue to the Northwest. So next time you go to the ATM, see if you can spot a lost soul from the Celestial Kingdom.

Ghost of a Chinaman

Sure, Halloween was fun as a kid. But whether you've managed to ditch them with a babysitter, or you are just unencumbered with little ones, you're going to want to experience the ghosts and ghouls of Washington, DC in your own way. Yesterday's post covered lots of great ideas, but let's be frank here. If you throw on a sheet, call yourself a ghost, and walk down East Capitol Street and don't have a kid or two in tow, at best you're going to get a few weird looks.

So let's take a look at a few ideas for adults:

1. Georgetown: This is the traditional place to go for a wild and crazy time in Washington, DC. It will be, as always, a madhouse, especially as this year Halloween falls on a Saturday night. That can either be a selling point or a warning to you. If you're looking for thousands of people decked out in costumes, hopping from bar to bar, with crowds spilling off the sidewalks, than this is for you. If not, go nowhere near it Halloween night (or probably the 30th as well). Keep reading and we'll find something more your taste. Now, I wonder if my wife and kids will notice if I sneak off after they've gone asleep....

2. Embassy Row: If you're looking for a different feel than the packed masses in Georgetown, head over to Dupont Circle and check out the Embassies along Massachusetts Avenue. This is another DC tradition, with most (but not all) of the Embassy's handing out goodies. It's a fun way to get a little culture in before you take advantage of the area's many bars and clubs.

3. H Street: H Street NE is relatively new to the Halloween scene, but it promises to be a good time. They are embracing the Dia de los Muertos theme this year for the week of Halloween. Many of the bars and restaurants are offering specials the week prior, and will be building, I kid you not, shrines to the dead in front of there stores. It culminates in a Thriller on H Street party on Friday, the 30th, at 9 pm. Costume contests, drink specials, and, believe it or not, a haunted golf course, will be on tap for Halloween night. I'm hard pressed to list a "favorite" H ST bar, but let's just say that Palace of Wonders can be spooky any day of the year. More about H ST can be found on The Hill is Home's Halloween round-up.

4. Ghost Tours! - You knew it was coming!. Without shame I'll push my outfit, Ghost Tours DC. We'll be running tours in Dupont Circle and Capitol Hill at 8 pm on the 23rd, 24th, 30th and 31st. If you must, here are a few other ghost tours going on:

• Old Town Alexandria: Alexandria Colonial Tours offers a walking tour of Old Town that ends up in a grave yard! Spooky stuff. Its popular so I would recommend booking early.
• Lafayette Park: Washington Walks, an excellent local tour company that offers a variety of walking tours, features a Most Haunted Houses tour Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights (seasonally). Lafayette Square across from the White House is probably the most ghost-intensive section of the city, and they cover a few of the ghosts of White House as well.
• Congressional Cemetery: Be sure to watch out for more discussion of this incredible place in the future, but for now I'd highly recommend their ghoulish Halloween tour they are giving on the 31st at 11 and 11:30 am. The Cemetery is easy to get to from the Blue and Orange Line. Exit at Potomac Avenue and walk up the Avenue to 18th St. The tours meet at the gatehouse on the corner.

This is just a few of the many offerings DC rolls out for Halloween. If you have any favorites I left out, leave them for others to see in the comments. And join DC Like a Local next week when we embark on a week of ghost stories set in your nation's capital.

Halloween for Grown-ups

Personally, I see nothing wrong with slapping on a costume and wandering around wherever you're staying in DC, but if the pickings are slim near the local Holiday Inn, I'd recommend bringing the kids to Capitol Hill or Old Town Alexandria. Both are family friendly destinations that have been celebrating Halloween in style for decades now and combine a high density of great, old townhouses with a large number of enthusiastic neighborhood kids.

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Besides of course, being the first day of the rest of your life (I assume), today is also the first day of our annual ghost tour season.

As I mentioned previously, a collection of local guides (including myself) have exhaustively researched the spirit life of Washington, DC and, in keeping with the Halloween spirit, would like to share them with you.

This is the second year we've offered tours of the Dupont Circle area, and this year, we're pleased to offer tours of the heart of the Barracks Row/Eastern Market area of Capitol Hill as well. We have some great stories of the haunted happenings of each of these areas, and have many curses, poltergeists, lost souls, and other assorted broken lives that are clamoring for attention.

We're also pleased to announce that this year we are conducting two kids tours (Oct 17th and 24th) at 4 pm of our Capitol Hill route. These are geared to children 5 to 12 years in age, but all are welcome.

Prices, locations, and other details of all of our tours are available on our website, www.ghosttoursdc.com. For those interested in our Hill tours, check here for a special offer for this weekend only.

We've had a lot of fun putting these together, and it really is an exciting way to learn about DC's neighborhoods. But be careful, a little history might seep in to.

And if we shake you up too much, your ticket price includes drink specials for James Hoban's Irish Restaurant (Dupont Circle) and Tunnicliff's Tavern (Capitol Hill). Both great place to help restore the spirits before heading home.