Halcyon House sits in Georgetown, a historic neighborhood in Washington, DC. The house was built by Benjamin Stoddert, the first Secretary of the Navy. His death around 1813 is part of the lore, and people say his spirit remains within Halcyon.
THE TUNNEL
Strange things began after Stoddert’s death. The ghost of Stoddert was often seen sitting in a chair, staring out the window. As the house passed through numerous hands, events grew more unsettling. A tunnel connected to the basement had been used during the Civil War as part of the Underground Railroad, helping many enslaved people reach freedom, while others perished on the property. The tunnel closed in the early twentieth century, yet screams and moans can still be heard from that area of the basement. After deaths in the tunnel, sightings of phantoms roaming Halcyon increased. Some appeared with clear outlines, others as floating blobs. Most sightings occurred after dark.
MYSTERIOUS OWNER
A man named Albert Adsit Clemons became the owner in the 1930s and, like the builders of famous houses, believed he had to expand the property to safeguard his life and soul. He added staircases that went nowhere, doors that opened into walls, and a crypt. To deter others from reclaiming the house, he blocked electricity. Yet the grand construction did not stop his death: he passed away in 1938, and, as stated in his will, a doctor was brought in to stab his heart to confirm death.
SO MANY GHOSTS
The spirit of Albert Clemons was seen often after his death, but it is hard to tell who triggers the ghostly activity across Halcyon. Could it be Clemons who opens windows to invite air, or Benjamin Stoddert whose footsteps are heard pacing the attic? Perhaps the slaves who died in the tunnel are part of the pounding heard behind Halcyon’s walls. Sleeping visitors have awakened to levitate above their beds, and two people sharing a bed sometimes wake to find they have swapped sides. An engraving that hangs on the wall is repeatedly found on the floor, and after one resident fixed it, a large black X appeared where it belonged.
A PART OF HAUNTED HISTORY
Halcyon House is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, so the ghosts who haunt it are likely to remain a part of the scene for some time. (Source: National Register of Historic Places)