Woodlawn

DISPATCH FROM THE MOST HAUNTED HOME IN VIRGINIA


The Haunted Mansion
Does this plantation home contain a portal to the underworld?

Everybody at Woodlawn Plantation seems to have a spooky story about something strange that has happened at the historic house — a well that’s a conduit to the underworld; the sound of footsteps from otherwise empty rooms or music from a Wurlitzer organ that doesn’t exist; or a notorious portrait that can’t seem to stay on the wall.

Built in 1805 for Martha Washington’s granddaughter Nelly Parke Custis and her husband Major Lawrence Lewis, Woodlawn passed through several owners before ending up as a museum operated by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Many generations have passed through its walls, and some people will tell you that their spirits are still wondering around the building.

In his popular “Ghosts of Virginia” series, ghost-hunting author L.B. Taylor referred to Woodlawn as “the most haunted home in Virginia.” What do you think about that? Do you have your own Woodlawn story you'd like to share?

Schafer House

A SHOCKING STORY OF LOVE AND LOSS


Fatal and Melancholy Affair
The tragic tale of Laura Schafer and Charles Tennesson.

Here's something sweet: Laura Schafer's father was a confectioner. Considering the house now haunted by his daughter is a popular candy store off Market Square, there's a fair amount of ghostly synergy happening here. Plus this: Schafer's father was a German immigrant, according to census records. And Candida Kreb, owner of Candi's Candies, is from Central America.

Clearly, there's something going on here.

Kreb says she's had several run-ins with the ghost, and describes the story as similar in many ways to Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet." But she's not alone. A handful of ghost tour guides say they've had their own experiences. Perhaps you are one of them. Have you had any experiences here? Have you heard anything strange happening here?

City Hall

BREAKING NEWS FROM THE DISTANT PAST

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Bat in the Belfry
Legend has its roots in a 1976 Bicentennial interview.

The story of the devil-bat is documented in a 1976 publication titled “Alexandria Ghost Stories,” written by Eric Segal and published by the Alexandria Youth Bicentennial Committee. Segal's account stars an Old Town character Louie Robert, who worked in a framing shop.

"As Louie continues delving into his memory, we watch him, pointing and gesticulating in the muted light of his Alexandria framing ship," Segal wrote in 1976. "He is a favorite with the Old Town clientele, having always displayed the attractive moodiness we now see."

Puffing on a pipe in his frame shop, Robert tells Segal the legend of the devil-bat:

“Well, I guess one of the oldest stories goin’ back I don’t know how long is the story of the devil bat of Market Square,” Robert told Segal. “They say it lives up there in the belfry of City Hall. I don’t know much about the story, and I don’t know if anyone says they seen it. But I thought I saw it once.”

According to Robert’s account as relayed by Segal, one account of the devil-bat involved a boatload of rowdy men arrived late at night. The men were whooping and hollering, making quite a ruckus. As the rioting crowd caroused up King Street, breaking windows and screaming wildly, the men apparently stirred the ire of the devil-bat.

“I heard ‘em saying something, believe it or not, about tearin’ down City Hall,” Robert said. “All of a sudden, for some reason, I still don’t know why, I said something like Devil bat, devil bat, keep this crowd back!”

From out of nowhere, according to Robert’s story, a giant devil bat appeared from the clock tower on the Royal Street side of City Hall and attacked the rioting crowd. Seeing this frightening creature, they scampered away. And thus the mysterious animal saved the municipal building.

“I was scared, but I was curious too, so I checked to see what it was and there in the middle of the street was the biggest darn skunk anybody ever saw,” Robert said. “Some say that proves the devil bat doesn’t exist; it’s just some skunk. But other say that it proves it does, it just turned into a skunk to protect its old home. I’m not sure, but, as far as I know, that’s the closest anyone’s ever come to really seeing it.”

Marshall House

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The Lost Cause
Ghosts are prowling about the site of the old Marshall House.

Victors do not always write history. Sometimes the vanquished have their say. Such is the case at the corner of Pitt and King streets, where an old plaque beacons passersby with a headline boasting “The Marshall House.” Those who stay to read the rest of the plaque experience a strong dose of Confederate patriotism honoring James William Jackson, a man whom the plaque boldly tells us “the justice of history does not permit his name to be forgotten.”

Clearly his name has not been forgotten.

People are still taking about James W. Jackson. Some even say he haunts the building. He’s considered by some to be “the first martyr in the cause of Southern Independence,” the subtitle to an 1862 biography published in Richmond the year after his death. Never mind that the others consider Jackson to be a cold-blooded killer responsible for the murder of Col. Ephraim Elmer Ellsworth. From the plaque, we learn that Jackson is “an example to all” who “laid down his life … in defense of his home and the sacred soil of his native state: Virginia.”

Guests at the hotel have long reported strange things happening at the modern-day hotel located where the old Marshall House once stood. It's even been featured by the History Channel. Perhaps you have had some experience with the ghosts? Maybe someone who's been on the tour had some experience you'd like to share?

Colross

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Today the block is known as the Monarch, where high-end condominiums and apartments share space with ground-floor retail establishments like Starbucks and L.A. Boxing. But this block has secrets.

This is the old home of Thomson Mason, who was mayor in the 1820s. His urban plantation was known as "Colross," with a street address of 1111 Oronoco Street. (Mason also had a vacation house Fairfax County known as Huntley Meadows.) For William and Ann, Colross was an idyllic place to grow up. Until tragedy struck.

One day, the children were playing hide-and-seek when a strong gust of wind came through and blew down the chicken coop down where William was hiding, crushing him to death. Ann was devastated by the loss, and her body was later found in the bathtub. The two children were both buried in the family vault on the block. But that's not the end of the story.

People say the two children haunt the block, and many of the later residents at Colross said they could hear the voices of children playing. Also, nobody could seem to keep the vault locked for more than three days.

How do you tell the story? Do you have any personal experiences you could add? What is this story about?

Red Hill

The ghost of Red Hill is beyond the boundaries of Old Town, set on a hilltop now known as Braddock Heights. In the early days of the city, this is an area that was known as Red Hill.

The story involves a captain and his lady. When he failed to return to port one day, the woman shot herself in the garden. Her ghost has been known to haunt the neighborhood ever since. She is frequently seen wandering around her old garden.

In the 1950s, artist Babs Van Swearingen depicted the woman wearing a red cloak. The story has also been chronicled by pioneer female journalist Frances Lide, who wrote for the Washington Post and the Washington Star before retiring in the North Ridge neighborhood.

Do you tell the story of Red Hill? Have you heard from people familiar with the story? Anyone ever seen her?

Swope House

Do you Swope? Many tour guides don't for fear of offending the family that used to live there. But good news, tour guides. The family that lived in the house from 1997 to 2006 is now gone. They are the ones who were uptight about mentioning the specific location of the house.

The new owners are fine with being featured as a haunted house. In fact, they've already been outed by the Alexandria Gazette Packet in a feature about Historic Garden Week in 2009.

How do you tell the Swope House story? What have you heard about the house? Can you contribute to the discussion about this ghost story, one of the most famous in the Alexandria?

Extra! Extra!

PUBLISHED IN PRINTER'S ALLEY

Ghosts are roaming about Old Town. Perhaps you've even seen one yourself. They seem to be everywhere. If you've seen any of the following ghosts, please be on guard. Alert the authorities and send a message to Samuel Snowden in Printer's Alley.

Top Ten 10 Most Wanted Ghosts

10. Ghost of a Spook
210 Prince Street

The identity of this Prince Street specter is a mystery wrapped in an enigma wrapped in a ... well, let's just say it remains unsolved. Some say the ghost is Michael Swope, a Revolutionary War hero from Pennsylvania. Others say the ghost John Dixon, a wealthy Alexandria merchant who was executed as a spy. Do you know the answer?

9. Legend of the Female Stranger
134 North Royal Street

Who is the Female Stranger? Generations have struggled with answering that question, posed by a famous tombstone in St. Paul's Cemetery. City Historian Michael Miller says the identity of the man who paid for the famous tombstone was known simply as Clermont, an English widow with a penchant for bailing on the tab. Some say she was a Napoleonic princess forced into exile by war. Others say they were an incestuous couple expelled from their hometown under fierce social ostracism. You may have the clue that could help solve this mystery.

8. Tragedy of Laura Schafer
107 North Fairfax Street

Walk into Candi's Candies today and you are met by the effervescent Candida Kreb, proprietress of a candy store overlooking Market Square. She's not alone. The ghost of Laura Schafer has haunted the building ever since that fateful evening when her kerosene oil lamp burst into flames. In adjacent Ramsay Alley, despondent fiance Charles Tennesson made his way into a liquor store and shot himself in the head after toasting "Here's to me and you. God save us." Kreb and others have witnessed some strange things at this house on North Fairfax Street. What have you seen?

7. Three Falling Ghosts
121 North Fairfax Street

Two turtle doves couldn't even figure this one out. Why did people keep falling off the balcony of the Braddock House Hotel? First it was an insane Union solider. Then it was a wood turner named Samuel Markell. The third and most shocking fall from grace was that of Patrick Buckley, celebrated "boy guide" of historic sites in Old Town. Who — or what — could have been at fault?

6. Yates Gardens
414 Franklin Street

Here's a ghost with an identify problem. Was this Revolutionary War solider leading the Yates sisters to hidden clues about the history buried in the back yard? Ghost historian Ruth Lincoln Kaye thinks so. She disagrees with those who say the Spring Gardens tavern was located several blocks away near the cemetery. What's your opinion on the location of Spring Gardens? And why does the ghostly patriot linger here?

5. Civil War Stories
480 King Street
310 Prince Street
118 North Washington Street

The old Marshall House is no longer around, but stories of the Civil War rivalry between Union Colonel Elmer Ellsworth and Confederate stalwart James Jackson survive. This was a time when Union soldiers burned down the Alexandria Gazette building and trashed Christ Church’s cemetery. Some say the ghost of Confederate hothead James W. Jackson and Union Colonel Ellmer Ellsworth are still roaming about the Hotel Monaco. Have you heard gunfire here?

4. Waiting at the Anchorage
550 Braddock Road

The old house at the top of Red Hill was once known as the Anchorage — the cottage home of a reclusive merchant captain and his lady love. Today the area is known as Braddock Heights, a scenic hillside set in the picturesque North Hill Neighborhood. One day, the captain failed to return to port and the despondent woman shot her self with a shotgun. North Ridge historian Frances Lide was one of many who documented the ghost of the woman with a cloak draped carelessly around her shoulder. Have you seen this woman?

3. Vault at Colross
1111 Oronoco Street

The old plantation house on Oronoco Street is long-lost, but its sad tale perseveres. This is the home of Thomson Mason, a former mayor of Alexandria and the grandson of George Mason. It’s also the location of the tragic deaths of two children who are said to haunt the block. People who lived in the old house say they the vault refused to be locked for more than three days. Are you one of those who say you've heard the sound of children playing in the block is now home to the Monarch building in the Parker Gray neighborhood?

2. Portal to the Underworld
9000 Richmond Highway

Spooky Woodlawn Plantation is a few miles south of Alexandria, where George Washington built a home for Nelly Custis and her new husband, Major Lawrence Lewis. Some say they have seen the ghost of Washington riding a horse through the bowling green. Others say an underground well in the basement is considered to be a doorway to the spirit world. What do you know about the ghosts of Woodlawn?

1. City Hall
301 King Street

Look out, City Council. A devil-bat is haunting City Hall. It lives in the belfry designed by Washington architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe. Lurking over all the city's official business, the devil-bat is a wily creature and one that is fiercely protective of its turf. Have you sensed the presence of the devil-bat?