The Octagon
The Octagon is an unusually shaped building with many
interesting
ghostly
residents. It is situated one block from the White House in
Washington
DC.
The man who designed the US Capitol, Dr. William Thorton,
designed
the
house. Colonel John Tayloe III, who wanted a home near his
political
friends, built it in 1801. Though called the Octagon, the
house
has only six
sides. It was designed this way in order to fit an unusually
shaped
lot.
Inside are many oddly shaped rooms and closets. The
centerpiece
of the
building is a beautiful oval staircase, the area where the
Octagon's
most
famous ghost is active.
Colonel Tayloe had 15 children, eight of which were daughters
famed
for
their beauty and wealth. Tayloe was also quite patriotic and
often
entertained the likes of Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson and
James
Madison.
During the war of 1812, one of the Tayloe daughters began
having
a secret
love affair with the enemy - a British soldier. As she snuck
back
into the
house one night after meeting her love her father caught her
on
the
stairway. They argued violently about the girl's behavior and
somehow
the
young woman lost her balance. She fell over the railing and
plunged
to her
death. Though Colonel Tayloe insisted it was an accident, his
daughter's
ghost came back to re-enact her death. People have reported
seeing
a
flickering candle shadow moving up the stairs as though
someone
was
walking upstairs with it. Then, there would come a
terrible
shriek and a thud at
the bottom of the stairs.
Grief and perhaps this haunting caused Tayloe to move his
family
back to
his Virginia plantation. Rather than have the house sit
vacant,
Mrs.
Tayloe invited the French embassy to occupy the home. A
French
flag was flown
outside.
It is this flag that people believe saved the house during the
war
of
1812. In 1814 British Troops burned the White
House
and many other nearby
buildings. Due to this arson, President James
Madison
and his wife Dolley were
homeless. The Tayloes offered them the Octagon, where they
lived
and
entertained happily until they could move back into the White
House.
Dolley Madison's ghost has been seen roaming the house after
her
death. She is
still wearing her elegant clothes and the feathered turban,
which
she
believed, made her look taller. People often smell her lilac
scented
perfume. Also, sounds of horse drawn carriages coming up to
the
house are
believed to be long deceased guests arriving for Dolley's
parties.
When the Madisons left, the Tayloes moved back in. Once again,
a
daughter
fell in love with a forbidden mate and again Colonel Tayloe
caught
her
sneaking up the stairs late one evening. During the ensuing
argument
the
girl's father shoved her in anger, and just like her sister
she
met death
in a fall. It is this incident that people believe is
responsible
for the
cold spot at the base of the oval staircase. People also
get
a feeling that
someone is lying on the floor on this spot. Also, the rug near
this
area
is often found turned back by unseen hands.
The Tayloes sold the Octagon in 1855, after Mrs. Tayloe's
death.
The
building was put to many uses, though tenants never stayed
long.
During
the Civil War the place was used as a hospital. People
still
hear the sobbing
and moans of the dead.
The house was also rented out as apartments. A gambler lived
on
one of the
floors. One night he was shot by a man whom he had cheated at
cards.
The
gambler's ghost is often seen as he was at the moment of his
death,
reaching for his gun. In 1902 the American
Institute
of Architects purchased
the property. During their renovation they found the
skeleton
of a young girl
behind a wall, her fists tightly clenched. This
explained
the thumping noises that
had been coming from behind the wall for almost 100
years.
The thumping sounds
stopped when the skeleton was properly buried. The young girl
is
believed
to have been a servant of the house during the time the
French
Embassy
occupied the house. She fell in love with a British
soldier.
During a lover's
quarrel, he killed her and hid her body in the
wall.
The hauntings continue at
the Octagon, but it is not as rowdy as it was in the
last
century. A young man
in a US military uniform from the early 1800's has been
spotted
on the stairs.
During the 60's the superintendent had occasional
problems
with the police
calling him to say that all the lights were on and the
doors
were open. The man
always made sure that everything was properly locked and
shut
off at the end of
the day. The Octagon is now the museum of the American
Architectural
Foundation.
It is located at 1799 New York Ave. in Washington, DC.
Hours
are Tuesday to
Sunday 10AM-4PM.There is a $2 admission fee.
by catmz @theshadowlands.net
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