The Savannah morning news., 1900-06-17
SOME WASHINGTON GHOSTS.
AND THE RED MANSIONS IN WHICH
THEY APPEAR.

The old Taylor HOme-When 1T Was
Built and the Year Noises Heard
I'm 1.-THE DuddinGtOn Manor, Near
the Navy Yard-The Holt Mansion
and Its .sHants'-other Old Houses
That Have Histories and Strange
Occupants.
Washington, June 15-Probably no city
in the country can show so many houses
wherein ghosts are said to wander as the
national capital-and certainly no other
can furnish so many people to credit the
stories concerning them-for our colored
population, $4,000 strong. to a man, woman
and child are firm believers in "hants."
Among a score or more of historic man.
sions, each crammed full of spooks, If
tales are true, one of the most celebrated
In ghostIy lore is the old Tayloe home, or
"Octagon House." as it is commonly
called. 1t is not only the most unique
building in Washington, architecturally,
but was once among the finest and proud
est. II stands in what is now considered
a disreputable section of the city, termed
south of the avenue" but in the early
part of the century the nabobs OF the
young capital considered il unsurpassed.
In front is queer circular porch, jutting
out like the round tower of a medieval
castle; the many-paned easements are
broken, and climbing vines running riot
outside, peep into the dark rooms long
tenanted by nothing earthly but rats and
spiders. On entering the door. the Wis
itor is Immediately impressed with the
antiquity of the place, its unmistakable
air of departed grandeur. as well as with
the sense of sadness that seems to hover
over the faded chambers and des1late
halls Such a strangely constructed house
is hardly to be found anywhere else. First
is a perfectly round marble paved recep-
ton hail, on each side of which stand
two ancient stoves with their rusty pipes
running up through the side of the wall.
Back of this circular apartment is anoth-
er long, wide hail, used for receptions
when the bells and beaux or early days
held court here. On the left hand side of
this Is a spacious ballroom which must
have been of unsual magniicence, judging
from it's lofty ceiling, deep windows and
beautifully carved mantle piece which of
course was imported from abroad. 1t is
said that Senato tor Lodge and several other
well-known men have tried TO buy this old
mantle and two or three others in the
house, offering as high as $500 apiece for
| them; but the heirs decline to sell them
On the second and third floors are a
great many chambers, mostly small and
oddly shaped, with innumerable little
closets and chubby-hol scattered all
about in unexpected places In the rear
is large yard, overgrown with grass and
weeds, and in one corner the ruins of
4 what was once the slave quarters. 1t is
in this yard that the ghosts render them
| selves most obnoxious-perhaps because
more conspicuous there than in the dim.
shut-up rooms. Tales are rife in the
neighborhood of the nightly sound Of
blows and shrieks, coming from a small
! brick clubhouse which is supposed to have
! been the place of slave punishment with
its whipping post in the center.
The mansion was built in 1898, by Col.
John Tayloe. a rich planter from Vir-
| ginia, who owned hundreds of slaves and
! dozens of fine estates in the Old DOmin-
ion. Gen. George Washington and Tay-
loe were chums, and the story goes that
! when the later wished 10 establish 2 city
residence, Washington persuaded him to
build in the new capital. The bricks
were brought from England. and our first
! President assisted bis friend Tayloe in
| deciding upon plans for the dwelling The
family moved into ii in 1907, and straight
way became the leaders of Washington
/ z,
and the lavish hospitality of "Old Vir-
! ginny." balls and dinners and receptions
! to the heads of the nation and foremost
statesmen of the day were of constant
occurrence. In 1874, when the White House
| in which Madison was living, was burnt
by the British forces, Col Tayloe hastily
moved his family out of his splendid
home and offered il 10 the President
! Madison gratefully accept ed and remained
| on the place about a year. His Office was
the round room on the second floor. Just
| above the circular reception hall, and
| here it was that the famous treaty of
! Client was signed. Here Dolly Madison
| held her gayest court and the time
eaten rooms were crowded with short
wasted danes in scanty silken robes and
| slippers laced around the ankles and men
| in powdered hair, knee-breeches and sill
yer buckles. There were candles to light
! the gallants to bed and scores Of slaves
TO obey the lightest nod; but the houses
were few in Washington at that early
day, and the streets were beaten tracks
along a muddy country road.
When the Tayloe family came back INFO
their home. the "hanting" began. One day
a servant heard the front door bell ring.
and FASTENED to open it-but nobody was
there. 1t rang and rang and rang Col.
! Tayloe himself went to open it, and so did
the rest of the family, singly and in
groups They lay in wait to surprise the
! ringer and sprang out suddenly But all
to no purpose; the bell continued to ring.
though no mortal hand was seen. Then
all the bells in the house set up, janglng
night and day together, and nothing could
stop them Finally the family could en-
| dure & no longer and retired TO one of
the Virginia farms, never to return. The
bell-ringing incident is true and was re-
corded in the papers of the time; but what
rang them remains a mystery
Many times since some venturesoue
| person has tried 20 live in the fine old
house but each has been quickly driven
away by mysterious noises. Among num-
erous traditions concerning the ghosts.
| one is TO the effect that a lovely Young
daughter of the Tayloes was forced to
marry an elderly man against her wish.
while her heart was in possession Of a
gallant young lover The husband treated
| her most cruelty and she died at the ape
Of o. Here is the slender figure. all in
white, which the neighbors swear they
| frequently see at che windows She throws
up the sash al a certain hour. as If bent
on climbing out and no nails or bolts
can keep those windows closed
1t is also told THAI on one Of the upper
rooms a gambling party was once con-
vened, when one was killed by his drunken
comrades in a fight over the cards; ana
now every morning In the wee sma
hours between ! and 3, groans and curses
are heard followed bv the copvantloo, /