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?
From what I have read, when the burial vault was there, people could often find its gate swinging back and forth, constantly squeaking open before slamming shut--all on its own. Wind encircled only the area surrounding the vault, and people would say a cold sensation came over them anytime they passed by. It was as if they had just set foot into a meatpacker's freezer filled with bloody carcasses. Other people have claimed Thomas Mason, himself, was walking the grounds to visit his children.
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