The Octagon House of Virginia, also known as the Abijah Thomas House, is an abandoned home that sits in the countryside just outside of Seven Mile Ford. The Armour-Stiner House is an octagon-shaped and domed Victorian-style house located at 45 West Clinton Avenue in Irvington, in Westchester County, New York.It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1976. Event Start Time: 8:30pm Event Finish Time: 4:00am 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. The other death, stories claim, occurred in 1817 or shortly thereafter. Variants of these stories appeared again in newspapers in 1892 and 1908. This passageway led down to the basement tunnel, which led to the nearby river. 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. In 1911 Marian Gouverneur, the daughter-in-law of Maria Monroe Gouverneur who was one of the original proponents of the legend, wrote of the Octagon and the bells in her memoirs: I have been told by the daughters of General George D. Ramsay that upon one occasion their father was requested by Colonel John Tayloe to remain at the Octagon overnight, when we was obliged to be absent, as a protection to his daughters While the members of the family were at the evening meal, the bells in the house began to ring violently. Sounds of children laughing and playing have been reported by docents and others. NE of Hamburgh, which was absorbed into the new city plan. Some have heard deathly screams at night yet they were the only ones in the house at the time. This stunning house is layered with history and spirits that cant seem to free themselves, so they haunt a time that is not their own, causing fear and shock over the years. The Octagon property originally included a number of outbuildings, including a smokehouse, laundry, stables, carriage house, slave quarters, and an ice house (the only surviving outbuilding). 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. Jacqueline Bouvier (later Kennedy) wrote an unpublished article about the Octagon in 1952 in which she reports that in 1939 the wife of an army general stationed in Washington, on a tour through the house, smelled lilacs so strong, so suffocating, wherever I turned that I could hardly breathe.. The Misses Riley, three sisters who rented it from 1903 until last year [1951] for $35 a month lived like recluses, their high button shoes, chokers and courtly manners illuminated by flickering gas fixtures. The owner, docents, and the public have all had personal experiences. In widowhood, she often lived in poverty, partially relieved by the sale of her late husbands papers. By 1874 the bell legend was well established. During the Civil War, Edmund Brown had enlisted with the Union Army, leaving his wife and three children to hold the fort so to speak. It was occupied by an artist named Styles Dickenson at one time. Here's how to claim a chunk of $725 million case, Taxes are due Tuesday in only 3 of 58 California counties, It can work: Plans for an SF-LA night train are underway, Bay Area city at risk of devastation when overdue earthquake hits, Thousands of unusual sea creatures wash up on Bay Area beaches, Horoscope for Tuesday, 4/18/23 by Christopher Renstrom, BLACKPINK's genius Coachella set turned me into a BLINK, Kings fans are playing with fire against the Warriors, Kings announcer vents misplaced outrage over TV promo, Authorities investigate video showing man harassing SF sea lions. You can book a tour on the. You entered the home into a small triangular foyer bordered by doors on all three walls. Unfortunately, Edmund was killed in the Civil WarBattle of Antietam. Ruth and other full apparitions have been known to appear from time to time. Spirit of another young boy from another family also died by accident or illness). [14], The Octagon House is purported to be one of the most haunted homes in D.C.[15], Apparitions and the presence of otherworldly forces have reportedly been seen and felt in many places at The Octagon, including on the spiral staircase, the second floor landing, the third floor landing, the third floor bedroom, and the garden area in the rear. "The hours wore quietly on. Of the Tayloes' seven daughters, only three died before the age of 30. George Washington whose half-brother Augustine Washington, Jr.'s son, Capt William Augustine Washington married Tayloe's sister, Sarah 'Sally' Tayloe, on May 11, 1799 found out and persuaded the Tayloe's to build their house in the new capital city in an outlying section. {"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. Isaac Brown had given the main house to his son Edmund, as a belated wedding present just before Isaac died. These dedicated women marched into the battlefields nearby to bring fallen soldiers medical attention, water and food.. 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. Updates have been made, including electrical, mechanicals, central air and a new roof. There are gorgeous hardwood floors throughout the house. In 1900, the property became strictly a rental unit for tenants. Theyve heard the sounds of the Brown children playing more than 150 years after they occupied the home. When it is dark, the living see lights, and hear sounds. The children were all born between 1793 and 1815. 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. Would love your thoughts, please comment. If you experience problems with the form or want to attach images please email them to info@wisconsinfrights.com, Are you affiliated with this location? Reports of the slave girl's body being found in the house (walled up in a closet, the attic, or a chimney) have no basis in fact. FHL #975.525 H2t. Pamphlet, "The Octagon A Brief Description and History" (American Institute of Architects). She heard a distinct moan repeated twice and was so scared she took one bound across the dining room and ended up out in the stairhall. The favour of an answer is requested. No one, though, knew who the spirit belonged to. . A former secretary said that she heard what sounded like the rustling of silk skirts coming up the stairway. List of the oldest buildings in Washington, D.C. "List of National Historic Landmarks by state", "National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: The Octagon / Colonel John Tayloe House", "Old Landmarks at the Capital That Few Persons Know Anything About. The plan was to establish a node of development to stimulate fill-in growth. She has gotten some help in finding new homes for her huge collections. One gentleman, dining with Colonel Tayloe, when this mysterious ringing began, being an unbeliever in mysteries, and a very powerful man, jumped up and caught the bell wires in his hand, but only to be lifted bodily from the floor, while he was unsuccessful in stopping the ringing. Indeed, Isaac Brown had a secret purpose for the homes special features. The legend appears again in 1975, in Ghosts: Washingtons Most Famous Ghost Stories by John Alexander. There was a small storage space under the front porch that could be used as a hiding spot for family or anyone else needing to hide. It sat below the Verdier Mansion, at 1001 Vallejo Street, where, according to Herb Caen, Sally Stanford ran her brothel at one time. Complete and normal one moment; completely taken apart moment later. 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. And "the views are to die for.". Octagon House is haunted by the family that lived there more than 150 years ago. Leading into the back hall and dining-room are two secret doors in which the wash-boards, chair-boards, etc. 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. One gentleman, dining with Colonel Tayloe, when this mysterious ringing began, being an unbeliever in mysteries, and a very powerful man, jumped up and caught the bell wires in his hand, but only to be lifted bodily from the floor, while he was unsuccessful in stopping the ringing. It was listed on the Wisconsin State Register as well. 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. But the caretakers of the NSCDA had a plan, just in case. The building served as a hospital for Confederate soldiers and a target for the Union Army during the Civil War. The Octagon House is described as being An Extremely Unique Property; an Architectural Masterpiece! 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