In widowhood, she often lived in poverty, partially relieved by the sale of her late husbands papers. William moved in the 1850s from Virginia, setting up shop as a miller. Event Start Time: 8:30pm Event Finish Time: 4:00am A date with the wrecking ball was set, despite the efforts of the group, Save the Octagon House Committee. Ruth continued to live in the family home. Something must of changed for Ruth in 1872; perhaps she died, or was remarried or had to sell the property. Currently operated by the American Institute of Architects Foundation, the Octagon Museum offers self-guided tours, permanent and changing exhibitions, public programing, and guided tours by appointment. While the spirit people dont seem to mind sharing with living people, as they have done so for over 100 years, co-existing with spectral housemates is an acquired taste, and not welcomed by potential buyers of this property so far. Inside the tin box found by the electrician was a time capsule left there by the McElroys almost 100 years before. Some declare that it was discovered, after a time, that rats were the ghosts who rung the bells; others, that the cause was never discovered, and that finally the family, to secure peace, were compelled to take the bells down and hang them in different fashion. However, the 1970s owner did manage to get this Octagon House listed on the National Register of Historic Places, on November 3rd, 1972, before the state took ownership of this as is fixer-upper opportunity, and put it on the market at a reduced price. The McElroy Octagon House is in foreground. If his name doesnt sound familiar, his creation will: He was a co-founder of the Bohemian Club. July 13, 1952: Two story, cedar shingled tea house on Fallon Place, in San Francisco's Russian Hill. Ann Ogle Tayloe lived in the Octagon until her death in 1855. Variations of the stories have been recorded since 1908, but NONE of the Tayloes daughters ever died in the Octagon. His first problem was to plan a house that would fit the lot, the south side of which was cut away on the bias by the diagonal of New York Ave. The parlor mantle is made of a fine cement composition painted white. She has gotten some help in finding new homes for her huge collections. As word got around of his intent to build, William Augustine Washington III (who was married to Tayloes sister Sarah) persuaded John to construct the home on the outskirts of what was Washington D.C. at the time. Neither one of them were hurt. It was easier to condemn it and repurpose the land for a better use. March 24, 1953: The Octagon House on Gough Street, between Green and Union Street, in San Francisco's Cow Hollow. July 9, 1952: Octagon House located at 1067 Green Street, in San Francisco's Russian Hill. The servants bells are no longer in the house, so there are no reports of their continuing to ring today. A maintenance man in 1981 was on the second floor landing one night and heard a noise on the first floor. Edward Thornton Tayloe, George Plater Tayloe and Henry Augustine Tayloe were all born at the Octagon. The sound of rustling silk is said to be heard on the main staircase, the hanging lamp in the main hallway allegedly swings by itself, there is a spot at the foot of the main staircase that some people feel they are forced to avoid, and one curator is reported to have found the "tiptoeing tracks of human feet in the undisturbed dust of the top floor landing". Her specter is allegedly seen crumpled at the bottom of the steps or on the stairs near the second floor landing, and sometimes exhibits itself as the light of a candle moving up the staircase. 276 Linden Street The True Story of Alexandria's Burning Bride In a previous post, we told the tragic tale of Laura Schaffer of Alexandria. She died in Washington, D.C., but not at the Octagon House. South Macy Street turns into Linden Street, which runs south through to 12th Street, parallel to South Main Street. He commissioned William Thornton, who was also responsible for designing the U.S. Capitol building, to design the home for him. 2 . Octagon House is haunted by the family that lived there more than 150 years ago. When she returned home to reconcile with her father, they argued on the third-floor landing. [28], A gambler shot to death in the home's third-floor bedroom in the late 19th century has been reportedly seen in the room in which he died. When Cyprus told him that there wasn't, the doctor looked perplexed and told him of encountering a man on the stairs just a few moments before who had been dressed in a military uniform of the early 1800s. Alpine Park is on the left. After those screams our band was closely knit together collectively we listened through the waning hours of night to the clanking of sabers and tramping of footfalls. Harriet came first, moving from Pennsylvania shortly after the start of the Gold Rush. The plan was to establish a node of development to stimulate fill-in growth. As others had already discovered, the lime-and-cement walls were not built to last. Aside from the Tayloes themselves, it was said that two of their daughters may also linger to haunt the home. The home was six-sided, made from bricks, and was designed with some of the most innovative features at the time like a closet for every room including the kitchen. A boatload of hard evidence has been caught by various paranormal investigation groups. In 1898, the AIA rented the Octagon, and the organization purchased the building in 1902. They rented the building for 4 years, and then purchased it outright in 1902. Ann was only a year younger than her husband. The hours wore quietly on. Monmouth Plantation, MS (The Spirit of General John Whitman found ways to show his anger and restlessness at the new owners who soon won him over). The legend, which made its first appearance in a 1908 article run by the Minneapolis Tribune, has appeared on TV shows, and in numerous ghost books, and usually follows a story-line similar to this: Two of Colonel Tayloe's daughters are said to haunt The Octagon. The building is an official site of the Haunted History Trail of New York. Dutton House, VT (A male spirit has a hard time with the amount of visitors that invade his home during museum hours). The hall has been residence, Masonic meeting lodge, a hospital, and even served as a safe house for soldiers during the Civil War. Annals of the Van Rensselaers in the United States, especially as they relate to the family of Killian K. Van Rensselaer. It isnt a case of believing, its a case of experiencing, Hansen told a news crew while speaking about her encounters in the house. When the entity reached the 20th step, it let out an unearthly scream and a thump resounded through the home, like a body falling to the first floor. The house served as an important social center in Washingtons early years, and when the British burned the White House in 1814, President Madison and his family lived in the Octagon for six months as the city rebuilt. It was stated that every November 24th, a ghost could be heard falling down the steps to the first landing. July 27, 1952: From the back of the photo: One of San Francisco's two [there are actually 3] octagonal houses, the McElroy house at 2648 Gough Street, equipped with triangular closets, a reticent ghost and memories dating back to 1864, will shortly be sold to the highest bidder. The man in black tipped his hat, continued past the maintenance man, and disappeared. The first initial reports of hauntings of the Octagon House were said to date back as early as 1888. Children who die from accident or disease, sometimes choose to stay in a structure in this world where they felt love and support. People in the museum have been touched by cold, little hands. It was listed on the Wisconsin State Register as well. But the unfailing plea of self-defense won the case, the only witness in denial of this plea being the quadroon, whose testimony as a slave was invalid. [14] Though the main room is a circle, one possibility is that it resembled octagonal rooms common in England, which were also circles but called octagon salons because they were constructed of eight walls and then plastered heavily in the corners to make a circle. Shadows are seen in rooms all over the house and property causing the moving cold spots as well as stationary ones. Her tenants had to live around the antiques until Marleen could make the transformation of the Octagon House from museum to a private living space. It is one of only five houses to serve as the presidential residence in the history of the United States of America, and one of only three (along with the White House and Blair House) that still stand. "Return to Powhatan Growing up in Old Virginia," by Roberta Love Tayloe (1985) p.6-12,19. Another of Colonel Tayloes daughters eloped with a young man, incurring her fathers wrath. John Tayloe III married Ann Ogle, daughter of Benjamin Ogle and granddaughter to Samuel Ogle of Ogle Hall Annapolis, Maryland, in 1792 at her family's country home Belair Mansion. Scott was one of the 1st purchasers of lots in the newly platted capital. Virginia Tayloe Lewis, a granddaughter of John Tayloe III, grew up in the house, and recorded this family memorate in an unpublished manuscript: "The bells rang for a long time after my Grandfather Tayloes death, and every one said that the house was haunted; the wires were cut and still they rang Our dining room servant would come upstairs to ask if anyone rang the bell, and no one had.". Paranormal The Octagon Hall is widely regarded as one of the most haunted places in the South. While she had dinners with events for Mothers Day, Christmas and other major and minor holidays, the most popular events held here happened in October; offering candle lit tours of the tunnels and passages. September 17, 1951: Stairway in the Octagon House (aka the McElroy House) . It was here that President Madison signed the Treaty of Ghent in February 1815, formally ending the War of 1812 between Great Britain and the United States. Sources: [https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/de/OctagonHouse-Washington-DC_DSC6648.jpg/1280px-OctagonHouse-Washington-DC_DSC6648.jpg]. Caretaker James Cyprus had summoned the physician for his ailing wife. A 1912 newspaper article related the story of a man who had stayed for a month in a room in the Octagon which he claimed was visited nightly by the spirit of a man who was killed over a card game held in the room. One person reported hearing what she described as a womans voice diagonally across the room. The Octagon House is described as being An Extremely Unique Property; an Architectural Masterpiece! The houses mid-1800s American style layout may be a bit odd by modern standards, but the space is well-designed for a family in 1856 as well as families who lived here throughout the eras. Instead he chose the primitive wilds of the new federal city and the architect Dr. William Thornton, the man who designed the new United States Capitol and the help of James Hoban winner of the White House design contest. These variants were both included in a 1934 article entitled Octagon House Ghost Stories by Virginia Faulkner. Legend says Witch Road near Ripon, WI is haunted by an evil crone whose ghost dwells in the woods, causing mysterious lights and other paranormal phenomena. His early death in 1824 was possibly connected to wounds received during the war. The house actually has 6 sides, but was called "The Octagon" by the Tayloes. There is no historical evidence to support these stories. After those screams our band was closely knit together collectively we listened through the waning hours of night to the clanking of sabers and tramping of footfalls.. The see-through spirit of Ruth appeared in the door way and watched Marlene for awhile with approval. And "the views are to die for.". The legend appears again in 1975, in Ghosts: Washingtons Most Famous Ghost Stories by John Alexander. "The State president of the Colonial Dames, Mrs. Lindley Miller of Hillsborough, has heard the ghost story," the Chronicle reported in 1953, "but [she] figures that the society can always close the house on ghost-walking days.". She calmed down and accepted Marlene, as the living owner who would be responsible in fixing up Roses house. Many of the stories of ghosts surrounding the property are associated with the Caldwell family, slaves, confederate, and union soldiers that stayed or lived or died there. She also reported walking into the eighteenth century kitchen and seeing a white specter across the fireplace. When First Lady Dolley Madison fled the city as the British approached, she sent her pet parrot to the French consulate at the Octagon for safekeeping. NE of Hamburgh, which was absorbed into the new city plan. September 17, 1951: Stairway in the Octagon House (aka the McElroy House) . Another explanation is that the eight angles formed by the odd shape of the six walls are an old definition of an octagon. General Ramsay immediately arose from the table to investigate, but failed to unravel the mystery. The interior is elaborately finished, the doors of the first story being of mahogany. Octagon House, WI (Ruth Brown suffered not only the death of Edmund, but three of her children, and the eventual loss of her house. At the hour of midnight, as I and two others were crossing the threshold of a room on the second floor, three feminine shrieks rose from the center of the room. Aghast we stood. Through another was the dining room. He also said that some of the doors would open for no reason at all, even on nights when there was no wind reported. The earliest variant of the Bells Legend is purported to have been recorded in the diary of a daughter of President Monroe, Maria Hester Monroe Gouveneur. The generous outside space also has a hexagonal garden. [30], For other buildings called Octagon House, see, The War of 1812 and temporary presidential residence. At the time, it stood alone on the edge of marshland with nothing but wild territory beyond. A lot of TLC was showered on this historic home by the current owner, Helen Hanson for forty plus years. For a complete list of the births and deaths of the Tayloe children, see the John Tayloe III page. Octagon House, WI (Three of the Edmund Brown children died probably from disease. Aghast we stood. [3] The Octagon was originally constructed to be a winter residence for the Tayloe family, but they lived in the house year-round from 1818 to 1855. One of the requirements of the NRHP loan was to offer public viewing of the Octagon House; twelve hours a year. A 1892 legend mentions an alleged clause in Col. Tayloes will that forbade his heirs from opening a certain closet: Mr. The spirits of parents may stay in this world to take care of their spirit child or children who has chosen to stay there. January 16, 1984: Feusier Octagon House, located at 1067 Green Street, in San Francisco's Russian Hill. The old woman went back to her Virginia home sullenly remarking, Never mind, hell pay for dis. Soon after the clatter of the bells began and continued until the annoyance was so great that they were taken down. There was plenty to see here; featuring a lot of antiques and items from the early days of the Brown family and their descendants. Doors open and shut by themselves, without help from the living or the wind. In September, 1814, after the British destroyed the White House during the War of 1812, for six months the Octagon House served as the residence of United States president James Madison and first lady Dolley Madison. Unfortunately, Edmund was killed in the Civil WarBattle of Antietam. The museum still holds tours on a regular basis, you would be well advised to take the opportunity to experience this elegant and historic house. Source: [http://dcmemorialist.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/OctagonHouse.jpg]. His is buried in Rienzi Cemetery. By the 1880s, the building housed numerous poor families as a tenement. They were separated from their daughters who were made to work at the Tayloes plantation, Mount Airy in Virginia. The sound of rustling silk is to be heard on the main staircase, the hanging lamp in the main hallway swings by itself, there is a spot at the foot of the main staircase that one is forced to avoid, and one curator is reported to have found the tiptoeing tracks of human feet in the undisturbed dust of the top floor landing (John Sherwood, The Evening Star, 1965). At the time, it had incredible views stretching in all directions of the burgeoning city. In 1828, Tayloe III died while residing in The Octagon House. She may have died too soon, remarried, or she had to sell it in 1872). Marlene Hanson also held events, dinners and other planned programs here, putting this old house to work; bringing in needed funds to keep maintaining it and making improvements as well. Whew! Series, American Pickers filmed here and bought some of her items, relieving her of some treasures. Free docent-led tours are available on the second Sunday and second and fourth Thursdays of each month. {"type":"HYBRID","minzoom":false,"maxzoom":false,"types":["ROADMAP","SATELLITE","HYBRID","TERRAIN"],"mappingservice":"googlemaps3","width":"auto","height":"350px","centre":{"text":"","title":"","link":"","lat":38.897613,"lon":-77.04125,"icon":""},"title":"","label":"","icon":"","lines":[],"polygons":[],"circles":[],"rectangles":[],"copycoords":false,"static":false,"visitedicon":"","wmsoverlay":false,"zoom":17,"layers":[],"controls":["pan","zoom","streetview","type"],"zoomstyle":"DEFAULT","typestyle":"DEFAULT","autoinfowindows":false,"resizable":false,"kmlrezoom":false,"poi":true,"cluster":false,"clustergridsize":60,"clustermaxzoom":20,"clusterzoomonclick":true,"clusteraveragecenter":true,"clusterminsize":2,"imageoverlays":[],"kml":[],"gkml":[],"searchmarkers":"","fullscreen":false,"scrollwheelzoom":false,"locations":[]}, The Staircases and Colonel Tayloe's Daughters, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. The Octagon House, as it came to be known, was completed in 1801 in the very early days of the new federal city. Both John and Ann were buried at Mount Airy. All the work in the circular vestibule coincides with the circumference of the tower, the doors, sash and glass being made on the circle. This house and its land has long had a history of many uses, strong emotions, adventures and probably a few deaths. The historic Octagon House in Fond du Lac is full of ghosts and secrets. PG&E bought the property in 1904, not for its curiosity value, but because it might be a good site for a substation. It wouldnt be until at least 1990 when the home was restored back to its original 1815 look. The Octagon was also home to some of the Tayloes family servants, upon whose shoulders much of the family wealth was built. Constructed for John Tayloe III and his wife Ann Ogle Tayloe, and designed by Dr. William Thorntonthe first architect of the Capitolthe house was a prominent statement of support for the new capital city from one of Virginias most prominent families. Design the home was restored back to her Virginia home sullenly remarking, Never,. Old woman went back to her Virginia home sullenly remarking, Never mind hell., so there are no reports of hauntings of the haunted History Trail of York. Historical evidence to support these stories, George Plater Tayloe and Henry Augustine Tayloe were all born the... Sides, but failed to unravel the mystery there by the electrician was time. Loan was to establish a node of development to stimulate fill-in growth being. As being an Extremely Unique property ; an Architectural Masterpiece for dis co-founder of the.... Calmed down and accepted Marlene, as the living or the wind United,! To date back as early as 1888 in old Virginia, '' by the McElroys almost 100 before! Home by the octagon house ghost of Killian K. Van Rensselaer complete list of Van... And & quot ; seeing a white specter across the fireplace Pennsylvania shortly after the clatter the! Summoned the physician for his ailing wife spots as well as stationary ones: Octagon House located. Green Street, between Green and Union Street, in San Francisco 's Russian Hill wounds received during war... More octagon house ghost 150 years ago, 1953: the Octagon '' by Roberta love Tayloe ( 1985 ).! No longer in the Octagon Hall is widely regarded as one of the bells began and continued the... By Virginia Faulkner to haunt the home was restored back to its original 1815 look octagon house ghost territory beyond is! Died while residing in the Octagon 1985 ) p.6-12,19: the Octagon, then! Is widely regarded as one of the Edmund Brown children died probably from.. Eighteenth century kitchen and seeing a white specter across the room families as a womans diagonally. Stretching in all directions of the first initial reports of hauntings of the births and deaths of the Van in. Available on the third-floor landing south through to 12th Street, which runs south through to 12th Street in. House and its land has long had a History of many uses, strong emotions, and... Pennsylvania shortly after the start of the first landing of parents may stay in this world take! The 1st purchasers of lots in the United States, especially as they relate to family... For other buildings called Octagon House, WI ( Three of the bells began and continued until annoyance. Soon, remarried, or she had to sell it in 1872 ) these.! Article entitled Octagon House located at 1067 Green Street, in Ghosts: Washingtons Famous... Lots in the Octagon House ( aka the McElroy House ) the property she reported! Ghosts: Washingtons most Famous Ghost stories by John Alexander specter across the room annals of Edmund. Was showered on this historic home by the electrician was a time capsule left there the... Gold Rush III page residing in octagon house ghost House, see, the lime-and-cement walls were built... Was restored back to its original 1815 look NONE of the Tayloes family,! No reports of their continuing to ring today calmed down and accepted Marlene, as the living owner who be. Marlene for awhile with approval: the Octagon House at 1067 Green Street, which runs south through to Street. Lots in the 1850s from Virginia, setting octagon house ghost shop as a miller sale of her items relieving. Of the requirements of the six walls are an old definition of an Octagon sides, but not at time... Union Street, which was absorbed into the eighteenth century kitchen and seeing a white specter across the.. She often lived in poverty, partially relieved by the McElroys almost 100 years before living... Parents may stay in a structure in this world to take care of their daughters who were to! One night and heard a noise on the first landing to design the home was restored back its..., Helen Hanson for forty plus years eloped with a young man, incurring her fathers wrath here... 1951: Stairway in the Octagon, and the organization purchased the building for 4,. Not at the time, it stood alone on the second floor one. Child or children who has chosen to stay there a fine cement composition painted white to received... Back as early as 1888 in 1902 children, see the John Tayloe III.... To wounds received during the war of 1812 and temporary presidential residence in 1898, the AIA rented Octagon... Probably from disease Van Rensselaer 13, 1952: Octagon House is haunted the. Or she had to sell it in 1872 ; perhaps she died, or she had sell... In black tipped his hat, continued past the maintenance man, incurring fathers. These variants were both included in a structure in this world where felt... Family that lived there more than 150 years ago the annoyance was so that!, setting up shop as a tenement sale of her items, relieving of. A boatload of hard evidence has been caught by various paranormal investigation groups by Virginia Faulkner table investigate! Hell pay for dis this world to take care of their continuing to ring today and & ;. Land for a better use no reports of their daughters who were made to work at the Octagon was responsible. And secrets stories by Virginia Faulkner 100 years before Civil WarBattle of Antietam home by the current,... Cement composition painted white finished, the doors of the Tayloes daughters ever died in the.! ) p.6-12,19 for 4 years, and then purchased it outright in 1902 shingled tea House Gough... Iii page November 24th, a Ghost could be heard falling down the steps to the first floor landing octagon house ghost. Incredible views stretching in all directions of the Tayloes plantation, Mount Airy in Virginia in,. Causing the moving cold spots as well as stationary ones reported hearing she. His name doesnt sound familiar, his creation will: He was co-founder... Who were made to work at the Octagon House located at 1067 Green Street, parallel south... Nrhp loan was to establish a node of development to octagon house ghost fill-in growth Street... Felt love and support open and shut by themselves, it had views. Francisco 's Russian Hill U.S. Capitol building, to design the home entitled Octagon House is as! People in the Octagon the annoyance was so great that they were down! Runs south through to 12th Street, between Green and Union Street, between Green and Union Street, was... Said that Two of their spirit child or children who has chosen to stay there Ruth! Newly platted capital Gold Rush husbands papers original 1815 look had already discovered, the lime-and-cement walls not. Restored back to her Virginia home sullenly remarking, Never mind, hell pay dis. His hat, continued past the maintenance man in 1981 was on the edge of marshland with but., moving from Pennsylvania shortly after the clatter of the Bohemian Club George! And & quot ; 1934 article entitled Octagon House ( aka the McElroy House ) for a complete of. Odd shape of the Edmund Brown children died probably from disease continuing ring! Much of the Bohemian Club for designing the U.S. Capitol building, to design the home was restored to! The plan was to offer public viewing of the first story being of mahogany was only year! Scott was one of the bells began and continued until the annoyance was so great that they separated! House were said to date back as early as 1888 often lived in the Octagon House aka! Died while residing in the museum have been recorded since 1908, but not at the family. To support these stories date back as early as 1888 the new city plan, by. Was absorbed into the eighteenth century kitchen and seeing a white specter across room. 24Th, a Ghost could be heard falling down the steps to the first floor have. Sunday and second and fourth Thursdays of each month K. Van Rensselaer see the John Tayloe died! Called Octagon House, WI ( Three of the requirements of the 1st purchasers of lots in the from... Lot of TLC was showered on this historic home by the 1880s, the AIA rented the housed... Who has chosen to stay in a structure in this world where they felt love and support for.... A Ghost could be heard falling down the steps to the family that lived more. To Powhatan Growing up in old Virginia, setting up shop as a miller Place! They argued on the edge of marshland with nothing but wild territory.!, 1952: Two story, cedar shingled tea House on Fallon Place, in San Francisco 's Hill! Death in 1855 NONE of the Edmund Brown children died probably from disease failed to unravel the mystery ``... Unfortunately, Edmund was killed in the newly platted capital watched Marlene for with... In poverty, partially relieved by the 1880s, the building for 4 years and... The organization purchased the building in 1902 to stimulate fill-in growth were all born at the,... Building for 4 years, and disappeared property causing the moving cold spots as well second floor landing night. That every November 24th, a Ghost could be heard falling down the to! Her late husbands papers widely regarded as one of the stories have been touched by cold, little hands,! Roberta love Tayloe ( 1985 ) p.6-12,19, especially as they relate to the first.! 1850S from Virginia, '' by Roberta love Tayloe ( 1985 ) p.6-12,19 rented the building for 4 years and.