Post by bluefedish on Jan 29, 2008 22:11:16 GMT -5
The ghost of a stonemason was sealed behind a wall during construction of the Senate building in the 1790s has been seen passing through a wall in the Senate basement. Legend says he was sealed in the chamber after being hit in the head with a brick during an argument with another mason. The ghost of a Revolutionary War soldier, outfitted in a splendid Continental uniform, walks near the Washington Crypt, the empty tomb where our 1st president was supposed to have been buried.
The whole Capitol Building was cursed by engineer John Lenthall as he lay dying under a collapsed archway. Lenthall was crushed to death by falling bricks in September 1808, when he pulled out a support arch to demonstrate to the supervising architect that the support was unnecessary. Today, Lenthall is said to have his revenge in the crumbling walls, cracked columns, and shifting foundation of the building that killed him.
The ghost of another engineer roams the basement area. he is Pierre Charles L'Enfant, George Washington's original designer for Federal City. He is seen carrying a parchment, perhaps a bill for money due. The French engineer was never paid for his work.
The basement was also a favorite spot of former Vice President Henry Wilson. He spent almost as much time in the bathtubs there as he did in his office. In November 1875, he caught a chill that proved his ultimate undoing, but that didn't stop his spirit from returning to his favorite pastime. His lathered ghost and the sounds of wheezing and sneezing have been reported in the corridor outside the Vice President's Office.
The singing of a deceased barber, Bishop Simms, has been heard coming from the Senate barbershop, where the haircutter (and part-time preacher) used to sing to his clients.
The caterwauling of Demon Cat, said to stalk the basement near the Catafalque Storage Room, can sometimes be heard echoing through the damp corridors. In 1862 and again in 1898, guards shot at a black cat that had swelled to the size of an elephant. In the 1950s, a guard came across the demon cat and watched in astonishment as it swelled to the size of a tiger, then vanished. Over the years, such encounters with the ferocious feline (nicknamed "D.C.:) have portended unpleasant events for the nation.
The Senate offices are located at 1st Street and Constitution Ave Northeast, Washington, DC 20006.
Selected Source:
Haunted Places The National Directory by: Dennis William Hauck
The whole Capitol Building was cursed by engineer John Lenthall as he lay dying under a collapsed archway. Lenthall was crushed to death by falling bricks in September 1808, when he pulled out a support arch to demonstrate to the supervising architect that the support was unnecessary. Today, Lenthall is said to have his revenge in the crumbling walls, cracked columns, and shifting foundation of the building that killed him.
The ghost of another engineer roams the basement area. he is Pierre Charles L'Enfant, George Washington's original designer for Federal City. He is seen carrying a parchment, perhaps a bill for money due. The French engineer was never paid for his work.
The basement was also a favorite spot of former Vice President Henry Wilson. He spent almost as much time in the bathtubs there as he did in his office. In November 1875, he caught a chill that proved his ultimate undoing, but that didn't stop his spirit from returning to his favorite pastime. His lathered ghost and the sounds of wheezing and sneezing have been reported in the corridor outside the Vice President's Office.
The singing of a deceased barber, Bishop Simms, has been heard coming from the Senate barbershop, where the haircutter (and part-time preacher) used to sing to his clients.
The caterwauling of Demon Cat, said to stalk the basement near the Catafalque Storage Room, can sometimes be heard echoing through the damp corridors. In 1862 and again in 1898, guards shot at a black cat that had swelled to the size of an elephant. In the 1950s, a guard came across the demon cat and watched in astonishment as it swelled to the size of a tiger, then vanished. Over the years, such encounters with the ferocious feline (nicknamed "D.C.:) have portended unpleasant events for the nation.
The Senate offices are located at 1st Street and Constitution Ave Northeast, Washington, DC 20006.
Selected Source:
Haunted Places The National Directory by: Dennis William Hauck
