Dead Presidents: Do They Still Walk Among Us?

Does Lincoln still haunt The White House?

What better way to kick off the Halloween season than to take a night-time, October moonlit walking tour of Washington D.C.'s most haunted places.

Now, for the sake of full disclosure, we did not see ghost nor spirit one. In fact, when it comes to horror watching any Republican presidential debate is far more terrifying. But we did learn a lot of history and we were entertained by many tales of supposed historical haunts and haunters.

The 2-hour journey began at The Octagon House (an 8-sided 18th Century home that served as temporary living quarters for President James Madison and his wife Dolley after the British burned the White House during the War of 1812) and concluded in front of the White House.  Here a point of supernatural interest: Dolley has been seen still hosting parties at The Octagon and her spirit supposedly stopped workmen from tearing up the Rose Garden during Woodrow Wilson's presidency.

Other sites included the former homes of Henry Rathbone, Stephen Decatur, and Henry Adams.

At the White House, our animated guide related several tales of supposed sightings. Many involved Abraham Lincoln, who has supposedly been seen by everyone from domestic workers to heads of state. My favorite involved a tale of a Secret Service agent, who had been assigned to President Kennedy's detail prior to his assassination in Dallas. Sometime later, on duty at the White House, the agent observed a man running toward the home. The man ignored repeated calls to stop and so the agent fired 4 shots. The man turned, revealing himself as the dead president, smiled, and vanished.

Tales, Tidbits, & Traveling Tips:
No night of the supernatural in DC would be complete without the strange tale of the Indian Chief Tecumseh's curse and the Presidential Circle of Death. To read all about it, click here.