George Washington Haunts Woodlawn
He Lived and Died in Mt. Vernon - His Ghost Frequents the Plantation
Jan 31, 2009
George Washington’s ghost has been sighted in several areas including the Hotel Chamberlain in Fort Monroe and the Hiawassee woods. His ghost rescued a group of Union soldiers fighting to hold Confederate troops away from Little Round Hill. He appeared on a shining white stallion with upraised sword aflame. Washington’s ghost commanded them to fix bayonets and charge. Union soldiers charged down the hill, forcing the Confederates into full retreat. Gettysburg residents say that on some hot summer nights they still see Washington’s ghost astride a white horse gallop across the battlefield. His favorite haunt is the plantation. Why doesn’t he haunt the White House? He had no emotional attachment to the building, no compelling reason to appear there, as there was in Gettysburg, and died in December 1799 before it was livable and President John Adams and his wife, Abigail moved in. Her ghost does haunt the Presidential mansion.
Woodlawn Plantation
Woodlawn, 9000 Richmond Highway, Alexandria, Virginia, is an estate that was part of Washington’s Mount Vernon. Architect of the U.S. Capitol, Dr. William Thornton designed the main Federal-style house that was constructed for Washington’s nephew Major Lawrence Lewis and his bride, Nelly Custis, Washington’s stepdaughter, one of his favorite people. She was the daughter of Martha Custis Washington, a widow who married the future President. The land was their wedding present.
The plantation was sold to two Quaker families and became a haven for white and emancipated farmers as a free labor colony. Playwright Paul Kester began to restore the house which had been damaged by a hurricane. Next owner, Elizabeth Sharpe, rehabilitated Woodlawn and its grounds. The last private owners were Alabama Senator and Mrs. Oscar Underwood. In 1952, Woodlawn became the first historic site owned by The National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Paranormal Phenomena
In addition to sightings of Washington’s ghost, who has been seen on the grounds astride a white horse, there have been accounts of other paranormal events. When Woodlawn was being restored by The National Trust for Historic Preservation, ghostly activity exacerbated, as it usually does during reconstruction, and still lingers on.
- Sounds of footsteps, doors slamming, whispers and banging sounds are heard. Pictures fall from walls and objects fall, sometimes into smithereens, typical poltergeist activity.
- Animals shy away from the center hall where phantom shapes and lights are seen.
- A ghost stalks the halls at night with a distinctive thumping sound. He’s believed to be either previous owner John Mason, who had a wooden leg, or Lawrence Lewis who had gout and severe arthritis.
- Filmy spectral forms float about the entire house.
- The Lafayette bedroom is the site of major activity. A shape has been sighted when no one is in the house. In the 1930s, a baby who had been placed in the crib cried. The infant was found on top of the dresser. Chairs are moved, objects disappear or are found in a shambles and candles relight themselves.
- Strange noises and an armoire’s doors open by themselves. People have felt something tapping on their shoulders in the Lorenzo bedroom.
- The master bedroom has cold breezes of air and lights go on by themselves.
- Overnight guests and staff report waking up and seeing specters of men dressed in clothing of a previous century.
Related articles:
Abraham Lincoln and the Paranormal
Source:
“George Washington’s Ghost Looks After Woodlawn Plantation,” Rosemary Ellen Guiley, FATE, February 2008, Vol. 61 No. 2, Issue 694
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