Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-06-26
WASHINGTON HAUNTED HOUSES
spook Visitors, Who Spread Terror in
Former DAVIS.


I'm my time" said an old inbabitant
washington had its full complement of
haunted houses. Though the capital was
then In all verify a city of magnificent dis
tances. there were several old houses in
some of the suburban localities that had
the reputation of being either frequent or
occasional resorts of ghosts and spiritual
apparitions of various kinds One of these 4"
said the old citizen was the deserted man
sion OF Harry Winters, who will be remem-
bered by many observation-disclosures still in the
land OF the living as having been mem
Der Of the firm Of Provost Winters g. %
who furnished the marble for building the
new wings of the Capitol. This house was
Just south of the old arch that spanned the
canal at New Jersey avenue on the east
SIDE or the street. The grounds about the
Winters residence were surrounded NV
beautiful gardens, on which were located
many fine pieces of statuary For a long
time II was in an unhabitated condition
and 1t was then that many peonIe xybosa
reputation for good sense and yeracity was
excellent in this community made asser-
IONS IONS mat at times. generally about the
louf OF Midnight, female figure would an
pear at one of the windows of the vacant
mousse ana indulge in various gestures and
oehnohs1rauons, and l know, myself that
-" HCiS loiu SIIOuSH 10 lngGr long
dlter nShtfaII to commune with the noe
turnal visions. Whatever became of the
specter, or specters that made night hid
eoua In that locality l am not preDared to
say, put can assert that their generally
acknowledged presence In that section of
the town caused a dearth of travel in the
nelghborhood after dark
There was another haunted house in nv
poyhooo Gays, continued the old raconteur
ION the old Stone place, then beyond the
northern limits of the CITY II ;,,o+
back of where the Logan residence is TO-
day. 1t was brick building and was sit
uated IN ravine just off the road Even
In the gartsh light of day this old mansion
was avoided by the youthful folk and the
colored people. Particularly at night peo-
pie could hear strange sounds in the house
that they could not account for. This con-
tinued for quite a long time until at La
a young man noted for his prowess an
nounced his determination to invade the
ghosty precincts, and discovered to the
satisfaction of many disturbed minds. that
the unearthly connections were caused nv a
fock OF restless pigeons who had made the
vacant house their habitation This eluci-
dalton banished all thought of phantoms in
that quarter.
There was another old house in the y,c,n-
lily OF what we used to all Kalorama away
TO the northwest then, where the most un-
canny sounds wree heard both night and
day, and the few people who lived in the
vicinity were seized with cold tremors when
they heard them. No one could explain what
caused them. and as for getting any person
to occupy the house, its owner might have
offered 1t rent free and never had a tenant
The bowls and screeches that came from
WITHIN lis walls were enough to freeze the
marrow in ones bones. At various times
little parties were formed with the averred
purpose Of laying the perturbed spirits at
rest, and just as often when it came to the
sticking point the boldest among them
would find their courage was of the Bob
Acres brand, and the ghosts walled on
FINALLY three young men endowed with a
Spartanlike valor organized themselves into
an investigating committee and determined
to search for the shrieking spirits 1t was
a blustery autumn evening. the weather
was cold and the wind was blowing hard,
when the trio met at the place agreed upon,
armed with lanterns, ropes, etc, and in
spite OF the noises, entered the deserted
building. The weird sounds became more
appalling as they entered the place and
one of the explorers precipitately retired
from the expedition. His companions how
ever. were made of sterner stuff and con-
tinued their search into one of the upper
stories, where they found the limb of a tree
had forced itself through one Of the old
windows, and. swayins with the constant
breezes, produced with more or less noise
the walls and howls that gave the old house
its unenviable reputation. Thus another of
the city's haunted houses was relegated to
a commonplace history.
"Out in Berry's woods, just east of Glen
wood cemetery (there was cemetery
there, however, at the time 1 allude to),
there was another haunted house This
was a frame structure, and though no
sounds came from 1t save those of hooting
owls and rapid-fylng bats, 1t had the name
of being a good place to steer clear of after
nightfall. The boys-and girls too, for that
matter-who used frequently to attend the
picnics in Berry's woods ventured there in
the daytime. but there was always an in
disposition to go inside. A great many
gypses used to make their summer camps
in the woods in those days, and there were
rumors that the ghost of stolen child who
died in one of these camps, had been seen
in this place along with the nomad who
tore it from home. but I have never seen
any one who had gaZed upon the phantoms
The site Of this haunted house is that
of a handsome residence.
There was another dismal structure
where ghosts were said to make themselves
manifest in the olden time, continued the
old resident, land that was on the very spot
where the bureau of engraving and print
ing now stands. All can say about it and
about the other places nave mentioned is