true account

The Octagon is an elegant and odd-shaped house in Washington, D.C. reportedly haunted by numerous ghosts, including that of Dolly Madison, wife of James Madison, the third President of the United States. The Octagon is said to be the site of the most hauntings in Washington, save for the Capitol Building and the White House.

The three story house was built in the early 1800s for Colonial John Tayloe, A Virginia plantation owner and friend to George Washington, on an odd-shaped piece of property near the White House, it is said that there is even a tunnel leading to the White House.

The Tayloes and 15 children (8 daughters and 7 sons) lived in the house until 1812, during the war they moved to Tayloes plantation and rented the house. The Tayloes came back around 1816 and stayed until 1855 when John Tayloe sold the house. The first spirit is rumored to be that of one of the daughters. One of the daughters fell in love with a British officer in the early 1800s, but John Tayloe would not allow the man to even enter the house. One stormy night Tayloe and his daughter had an argument over the matter, Which ended when she took her candle and went upstairs. Suddenly thier was a shriek and she tumbled down the stairs to her death. It is not know is she tripped, fell or was pushed.Since that time the shadow of a flickering candle moves around the house especially up the stairs follows by seconds later a shriek and then a sound of something heavy hitting the floor.

During the War of 1812 the White House burned down so the Tayloe lent The Octagon to the Madisons during reconstruction of the presidental home. The Madison's moved in and stayed there through the end of James Madison's second term. Dolly (wife to James) Madison loved the scent of lilacs and loved to host huge frequent parties.

During the later part of the 19th century witnesses reported seeing Dolly Madison, clad in elegant fashions and smelling of lilacs. Sometimes she was standing while others say she was dancing.

Upon moving back home---Much to Tayloe's horror, the staircase claimed the life of a second daughter. She had eloped against his will and had returned to ask his forgiveness. They met on the staircase, and the angry tried to move the girl aside to pass by her. She lost her footing and like her ill fated sister, fell to her death. Her ghost, too, is said to haunt the scene of the tragedy.

After Mrs. Tayloe died in 1855, John sold the house. It had various owners who let it deteriorate. One of the owners was a gambler who was killed on the uper floors during a dipute over his alleged cheating. He grabbed the bellpull as he was shot to death. His ghost reportedly has been seen reenacting his fina; moments over and over again.

Other haunting phenomena includes moans, thumping within the walls, screams, sighs, smells of phantom food cooking in the kitchen, and the appearance of human footprints in otherwise undisturbed dust. Some witnesses report sensing a presence, ghostly shapes flitting through the rear doors to the garden and someone walking up and down the stairs.

It is rumored that during the war a British soldier killed his slave girl lover and his her remains within the walls. Also it is rumored that the tunnels under the Octagon house was used for the Underground Railroad for runaway slaves, and also housed wounded/dying Union Army soldiers.

The Octagon house is now a museum and part of a tour.

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