The Ghosts of Old Town Alexandria

Ok, here we are, the first stop on our tour. I give you the famous Marshal House…er, I mean the famous Alexandrian Hotel. I know I started with saying said Marshal House that’s ok, all you need to do is use your imagination and go back in time to the year 1861, and THEN you’d see The famous Marshal House, which happened to be the tallest hotel in the city.
The owner, James W. Jackson, was a staunch Confederate supporter. And in order to make sure everyone knew where his loyalties lied, he flew an oversized Confederate flag on the roof of his hotel. It was big enough that when Pres. Lincoln would use his field glasses, he could easily see it flying. This kind of open rebellion did not go over too well with the president. But Lincoln played it cool and sent word to Jackson asking him to take down the flag. His reply, “over my dead body.” uh…I’m thinking Jackson is pretty serious about flying his flag.
When Pres. Lincoln gets Jackson’s response, and realizes this was not going to be as easy as he thought, he went to his good friend, Elmer E. Ellsworth for help. @@ Now Ellsworth had just gotten back from NY where he had recruited men to come fight the Confederate army and when Ellsworth heard Jackson’s response to the president, he was like, “Jackson said what? Not on my watch! That flag is coming down with or without a dead body.” Oookaay, I might…have made that last part up, because there’s no actual documentation on what he said, when he got the request. But hey, just because it’s not in writing doesn’t mean it’s not true.
So, Ellsworth grabs seven of his soldiers and began what I like to call, “operation take down.” Once they got to the Marshal House, they didn’t waste any time, they ran right through the open door, yelling at anyone in their way, as they charged up the stairs to get to the roof. Once they were on top of the hotel, Ellsworth Immediately located the flag, and using one of his handy dandy war knives he cut down. With the flag secured, all they had to do was get it back to Lincoln. Private Francis E. Brownell took the lead as they worked their way back down the stairs
But what they didn’t know, is that sneaky, Confederate loving Jackson was on the first platform they would come to. Not moving a muscle, he silently hid in the dark passageway, waiting for them to fall right into his hands. Seriously, boys, this is ambush 101, how did you not leave someone guarding the platform? Rookie mistake. So as Private Brownell stepped onto the platform, without warning, Jackson jumps out, with his double-barreled gun… aiming past Brownell and right at Ellsworth’s chest. Before anyone could react, Jackson fired one barrel, killing Ellsworth instantly. By the time he swung his gun around to shoot Brownell, he was surprised to find himself looking down the barrel of gun. Both men fired at the same time. Jackson’s shot missed, but Brownell’s…hit its mark…shooting Jackson right in the middle of his face. One might go as far as saying Brownell and Jackson, had a face-off. I mean, who knows, maybe that’s where the term ‘face-off’ originated??? Needless to say, this deadly fight would go down as the first battle fought in the American Civil War.
Eventually the Marshal house went through different proprietors over the years to come, at one point the establishment was reconstructed, and eventually modernized, becoming what is now known as The Alexandrian Hotel. Now, don’t be fooled, you can tear down and rebuild all you want, but that won’t make the spirits of the dead leave. There have been many reports of strange things happening on the 6th floor, which is about where the deaths took place. For example, a light all of a sudden appearing in the middle of a wall, and then disappearing when someone tries to take a closer look. Even sounds of gunshots and falling bodies have been heard by some of those brave enough to stay on the 6th floor. Listen, there’s a fine line between brave and straight up crazy. But to each their own. And over the years, there has been the occasional claim that someone actually saw what appeared to be a solider, acting out the motions of taking down a flag and then disappearing. Maybe It’s Ellsworth’s ghost, still trying to make sure that flag gets to Lincoln. If ghosts are anything, they’re definitely loyal.
Let’s say goodbye to Ellsworth and continue with our tour, as there are other ghosts excited to scar – I mean, meet you. Since at some point we’ll be crossing over to the other side of King street, we might as well do that now. When you’re on the other side, turn to your right, and continue down King street. Just make sure you look both ways, cause I’m thinking if you got hit by a car while crossing the street – it would either put a major damper on our tour…or, you’d just become part of the tour, which then, congratulations and happy haunting.
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Once you’ve crossed over Fairfax, you’ll see a rock wall on your left. Follow that down King st and in the middle of the wall, you’ll see the entrance to the visitor center. If you go up these stone steps, they’ll lead to the quaint colonial garden I mentioned early, and this is where you’ll see a small wooden bench. Rumor has it, if you take a selfie while sitting on the bench, no ghost can possess you until midnight. So just make sure you’re home safe in your house before the 12th dong of the clocktower bells and you’ll be safe! Ok, I may or may not have just started that rumor, but regardless, isn’t it always better to be safe than sorry? So, get up there and take some selfies!

When you’re ready, our next stop will be next door to the visitor center, called Doci Gelati’s. Head back up to Fairfax St and take a right, you’ll see our next haunted house right next door to the Ramsey’s! I bet these ghosts are the most envied in town! They’re next door neighbors, they were friends while living, now ghost buddies in death, and best of all, they’re right across the street from Market Square which is where all the cool ghosts go to eat, drink, and be scary.
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On your Right you’re going to see the Burke & Herbert Bank. Across the street from the bank is an entrance to Market Square, the home of Alexandria’s City Hall. Let’s make our way over to the heart of Market Square and I’ll tell you about the ghost that haunts this place. And by ghost I mean creature, and by haunts, I mean protects. Hhhaaa! That’s a twist you didn’t see coming, did you! It’s true though, some supernatural entities use their powers to protect people, not just scare them.

If you don’t believe me, then take Louie Robert’s word for it. Back in his day, he was the perfect example of a quintessential Old Town patron. He lived here all his life, through great times of prosperity and times he’d like to erase from his memories. I mean, come on, who doesn’t have times they’d like to erase from their memories, right? He was a short, slightly hunchbacked man, with a tanned and leather worn face, eyes that made you feel as though he could see into your soul, and long white hair. According to him, the rumors of a creature haunting the clock tower of Alexandria’s City Hall… are true. He even claims he saw this creature himself. He would talk about the stories from long ago, stories from the beginning, when Alexandria was just starting out. Stories that were never written down, but passed from mouth to mouth, generation to generation. He says one of the oldest stories is about the devil bat of Market Square. The Devil bat was as old as Alexandria itself, probably even older, for all we know, and when City Hall’s clock tower was built in 1817, he moved right in.

It was in the 1830’s when the North boats began docking at Alexandria. This was not a welcomed sight for the town, because the North Boats always brought mayhem and chaos. As midnight would approach, the town could hear the passengers singing and jeering in their intoxicated state, before they even docked. The rowdy men would descend on Alexandria with a drunken vengeance, shouting mightily in the air, and breaking windows as they raised hell up and down King street.

On one particular night, the North Boats arrived as usual, but there was something different this time. The drunken crowd was on a rampage like never before. It wasn’t long before they became more and more violent, screaming wildly, breaking windows, and destroying whatever was in their way.
As the scene was threatening to turn into anarchy, Robert walked out onto King Street to see firsthand what was happening. It took one glimpse of the rioting crowd to cause the hairs on the back of his neck to raise up, and that is when he heard them talking about tearing City Hall down. At that moment, without warning, he heard himself yelling, “Devil bat, devil bat, keep this crowd back!!” He had no idea why he yelled it, nor did he expect anything to actually happen. But something undeniably did. From out of nowhere a giant devil bat appeared, with burning red eyes, flying close to the ground toward the crowd of drunken men, then it turned back around to lay in-weight behind the door beneath the clock tower. You’d think that would be warning enough of what would be waiting for them, if they continued coming closer. But not with this mob, they continued to inch their way forward. Robert had no idea what was going to happen, he was still trying to wrap his head around what he saw in the first place, but he wasn’t about to leave now, so he hid on the street to watch what would unfold.

When the angry men reached the building, the devil bat shot out of the doorway, screeching, its huge wings spread wide, eye’s blazing red like the depths of hell about to engulf you, as it descended on the riotous crowd. This time, the black-winged creature, made an impression. The men screamed in terror, running in every direction, trampling over anyone in their way. Some ran and hid in the darkened alleyways of Old Town, and others ran to the boats leaving their comrades behind and making that the last time they visited Alexandria’s port.

The devil bat was a hero, a monstrous, terrifying creature to be sure, but a hero none the less. He had saved City hall. When the clock tower burned in 1871, many thought the devil bat would never come back. But this was the devil bat’s home, and he wasn’t going anywhere. There might be some spirits intent on terrifying the living, but you can be sure that the devil bat is only intent on protecting his home and keeping us safe. Maybe he should be called the angel bat instead. Just a thought.

Now let’s head back across the street, to the Carlyle House. You’re going to FALL in love with this one.
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As we make our way to the next stop, I’ll tell you another love story. Don’t worry, this one is not as dramatic as the one you just heard.

On Seminary Ridge, where Alexandria Hospital now stands, was this glorious and beautiful plantation, Vaucluse. At the beginning of the Civil War, the last owner of Vaucluse was Constance Cary, a young, very attractive woman, who also happened to be a direct descendant of Thomas Fairfax, who let’s just say was super important and had the kind of fortune that made even the ultra-wealthy seem poor. But no matter how much money you have, when it comes to times of war, nothing is safe, not even Vaucluse. During the war, Vaucluse was torn down for its bricks and other materials that could be used to help ‘the cause.’ By 1862, the estate had been destroyed, leaving Constance no choice but to flee south. Unfortunately, she was never able to reach her love, a young Confederate soldier, to let him know of her departure.

Because she was forced to leave so quickly, our young soldier had no idea there would be no one waiting for him, when he carefully slipped through the lines, making his way to the Vaucluse, to see his sweetheart. When he reached the plantation, not only was Constance gone, but what remained of Vaucluse was nothing but materials the army left behind. Our young soldier made it as far as the garden of Vaucluse but would never take another step. Yankee soldiers assigned to hold the line, attacked, and to put it bluntly, turned our young lover into a ghost.

According to General Lee, the boy was buried where he fell, next to the spring that ran through the garden. In the 1930s, Lee spoke about the young soldier who died at Vaucluse, trying to see his girl.

“All that remains of that chapter in Vaucluse history and of the once beautiful old garden, are the hardy daffodils and narcissi, blooming here and there on the hillside in the spring sunshine; the thread of living waters surging over pebbles as of old, and the ghost of the unlucky lover, visible on moonlight nights, lying at full length among the ferns, violets and periwinkle beside the spring.”

But like the soldier, with the construction of the new hospital, the spring has gone, dried up, and little by little traces of what once was, have disappeared over the years.

There have been claims that a ghost roams around the land surrounding the hospital, as though he’s still trying to find his sweetheart. He’s described as “a boy in his gray uniform, his breast stained a dark red, his youthful face unable to hide the tormented look one has when they’ve lost what is most important to him. Even Children of a later generation have seen him, but not walking around the hospital, but instead lying on the ground. They bend over him and gaze in breathless wonder, as through the soft grey of his Confederate uniform they can see the little violets blooming on the sod! Gradually even he fades from their sight…”

Keep heading up Royal, our next turn will be a Left onto Oronoco!
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You want another ghost story while we’re walking? Okay! This one takes place at a privately owned home in Old Town, but the current occupants don’t want people lurking around in hopes to see their ghost, so they’ve asked their location to be kept private. And personally, I don’t want to be on their bad side, I mean, they have a ghost! Remember what I said earlier? There ain’t no ghost like a mad ghost.

And this particular ghost is already in a bad mood, considering his murderer got away and to add insult to injury, his remains went undiscovered for over a century.

Sometime in the early 1800s, a family doctor or dentist, we’re not really sure, was MURDERED. The murderer carried his victim’s body and dumped it in the basement well, leaving it to rot and decay. I’m thinking it might have been a dentist. Maybe someone had serious tooth pain and the dentist wouldn’t make time to see him, so he figures if the dentist didn’t care that his tooth was rotting and decaying, then the dentist could do a little rotting and decaying of his own.

Years passed by as residents would come and go, never the wiser, never even suspecting the bones lying, undisturbed for hundreds of years, in the basement. That came to an end in 1970, when new tenants moved into the apartment on the top floor. The couple began having horrific nightmares, night after night, about something in the basement. Eventually, one of them decides enough is enough, and he heads down the dark, creepy, old wooden steps, that led to the basement below.

He looks around and doesn’t see much of anything out of the ordinary in the basement, that is, until he made his way to the well. As he’s watched enough horror shows in his life, he knows he shouldn’t lift the cover to the creepy well in the basement, but when has that ever stopped anyone? As soon as he got the cover off, he saw the source of their nightmares. A skeleton, crumpled in a heap, at the bottom of the well. A knife still lodged in his eye!!! Maybe it wasn’t a family doctor or dentist after all, maybe it was an ophthalmologist!!! Mmm, hmm! I can SEE why they’d be having nightmares.

Now while you’re keeping an EYE out for that ghost, just make sure you don’t forget to turn left on Oronoco St.
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Alright, one more story before we get to the Lee-Fendall home, up on your right. As you’ve noticed murders and tragic love stories are quit the popular theme in Alexandria’s hauntings. This one comes from the dark alleyways of St. Asaph Street. Around the early 1900s, a man named Clem loved a woman by the name of Rose, but alas, as is often the case, his feelings were not reciprocated. Not only did Rose ignore Clem’s advances, she began hooking up with a local butcher. When Clem found out, he quickly descended into madness and paranoia. Not a good combination. He swore revenge on Rose, saying if he couldn’t have her, than no one would. He went to her home and cut her throat, after doing so, he slit his own, thinking he would join her in the spirit world. What Clem did not know was Rose didn’t die, she had only fainted from the shock and loss of blood. So not only did Clem not get the girl, he’s now stranded on the other side, alone, left to watch Rose live her life loving another man. description here...

Welcome to the Lee-Fendall House, which has also been called the boyhood home of Robert E. Lee, and between 1785 and 1903 was residence to 37 members of the Lee family. So a lot of people wonder why then is it called the Lee-Fendall house. Which is a totally valid question, and so you’re not distracted trying to figure it out, I’ll start with that tid bit of information, and then we’ll get into why this place is haunted!

It was November of 1784 when Major General Henry Lee bought 1 ½ acres of land to build on. By this time, his mother-in-law, who was the widow of Phillip Ludwell Lee, was married to Phillip Richard Fendall. The month after Lee bought the land, he sold ½ an acre to what would be his step-father-in-law, Phillip Fendall. The following year, 1785, Fendall built a large family home, which is now known as the Lee-Fendall House. So to wrap it up, Major General Henry Lee bought the land, sold some of it to his step-father-in-law, Phillip Fendall, who built the family home on it and called it the Lee-Fendall House. Now that we’ve got that cleared up and potential distractions taken care of, Let’s get to the scary haunted part of the story.

The home first saw tumultuous time during the Civil War, when the Lees refused to swear an oath of loyalty to the federal government. As a result, their home was seized by the Union army and, if you’ve been paying attention you’ll know what that means, was used as a hospital. Small fun fact, while it was operating as a hospital, the first successful blood transfusion was performed here. Who knew?
During this time, soldiers were treated, operated on, and if they didn’t survive, were placed in a morgue toward the back of the property. Yeah, with just that information alone, I think I’m getting a pretty good idea as to why this place is haunted.

After the war, things settled down, the home was kept in the family until 1937, when it was bought by John L. Lewis. In the years that followed, Lewis became a powerful Ally for the United States mine workers. He himself being a coal miner in his younger years, had worked his way up the union ranks, and in 1920, became President of the united mine workers of America. Because he knew first-hand how hard the mining profession was, who better could relate to the people he represented.

Lewis did whatever it took to protect the union. Which wasn’t easy, as in defying two presidents, not easy. Let’s put it this way, Pres. Roosevelt and Pres. Truman, were less than pleased with Lewis when he pulled miners out of the mines, to go on strike, in the middle of World Warr II. This course of action caused a major energy shortage during a crucial time of war. Bold move, Lewis. Bold move. During the strike, Lewis was hung in effigy in front of his home, this home, as a traitor to the united states. For those who aren’t sure, ‘in effigy’ means they made a replica body of Lewis and strung it up by the neck. I guess that’s one way to tell someone you’re not a big fan. But Lewis never backed down until he knew his boys in the union would be taken care of. Lewis lived until 1969, where he died in this home, surrounded by his family.

But did he ever really leave? Did his effigy leave a mark of death, where his spirit would be cursed to remain here long after he was gone? Does he wander this property with the ghosts of soldiers from hundreds of years ago? Or maybe he’s spending time with loved ones who stayed, waiting for him to join them.

People have claimed hearing an old antique phone ringing from inside the house. There have also been reports of a woman and a young child sitting out back together. And every once in a while, when the wind blows just right, there’s a faint smell of coal in the air, which I imagine brings Lewis a lot of memories from days long, long, ago.

Let’s make our way to the last stop of our ghost tour. I know, I’m sad too. But we all knew this moment would happen. So let’s pull ourselves together and take a Left on Washington St., Yes, I know it’s hard, because you don’t want our time together to be over. But I know just what to do. What better way to cheer you up than by taking you to a place filled with death and horror?? No thanks necessary, it’s my pleasure.
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While we make our way, I’ll tell you about other ghosts, just in case you see them roaming the streets.

Dr. James Craik wasn’t just a revolutionary surgeon, he was also a best friend and personal physician to George Washington. His home in Alexandria (which is on duke st) is known to be one of the most haunted properties in the commonwealth of Virginia. There are a lot of haunted stories that have come from the home, but there’s one in particular that seems to be the craziest of them all.

Many years after Dr. Craik’s death, a young couple renting the property heard a knock at the door on a cold and rainy night. The wife answered the door and saw a tall, gaunt man, his sailor’s raincoat dripping from the storm. “May I help you?” the wife asked. In a rough voice, the man demanded, “I want to see James.” Nervously she let him in and called for James, her husband, hoping whatever he had done to upset this man, could be resolved…quickly. When he walked into the living room, the stranger, even angrier than before, shouted, “You’re not James!” And without another word, he stormed past the couple and charged up to the second floor bedroom.

As if that wasn’t shocking enough, the couple then heard him yelling in their bedroom, but what really pulled them out of their shocked state, and into action, was when they heard someone yelling back and then the sounds of a fight breaking out, fists hitting flesh and bodies colliding into walls. The couple quickly called police and breathlessly waited for help to arrive. But the moment the officer walked in the door; the noise stopped. The cop thought the couple called the police on false pretenses and was getting after them, when the wife blurted out, “Maybe they’ve killed each other and that’s why it’s quiet now!” Riiight, that’s totally logical. Yet the cop had no choice but to go investigate. Pulling his gun, and glancing an irritated look at the couple, he heads upstairs. When he turns the corner and makes his way to the bedroom, he saw….nothing. He tells the couple if they ever call again on something so ridiculous as this, they’ll be given citations.

The couple knew what they saw and what they heard, and no explanation could convince them they didn’t just witness two angry ghosts duking it out. So they packed up as fast as they could and left town. Maybe instead of calling the boys in blue for help, they should have called the boys in boo for help. And maybe even an am-boo-lance just in case there were major boo boo’s. See, how’d you like that, a little ghost humor to help cheer you up. You’re welcome.

Now, keep heading straight, and just so you know, I think you’re doing a faboolous job on following directions.
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I think we have time for one more ghost story while we’re walking. And I promise, no cheesy ghost jokes at the end. A long, long, time ago, Alexandria was frequented by a short man with long crazy red hair and a beard to match named, Jack. Very out of character for their famous local hospitality, the town folk were pretty harsh with Jack. They mocked him for being short, calling him Short Jack whenever they saw him.

As you can imagine, Jack wasn’t too fond of the name and when they wouldn’t stop, he began keeping to himself, trying to avoid crowded places for very long. His routine became very simple, he’d work on the docks all day, and then stop at the local bar around sunset for a bottle of whiskey to drink on his way home. More often than not, he’d get about halfway through the bottle and end up passing out somewhere, usually on a bench in the park.

Unfortunately, one particular evening, he didn’t cut through the park on his way home, instead, he wandered the streets, drinking more with each step, eventually passing out on the trolley tracks. Such a foolish place to pass out, you’d think he didn’t have his head on straight….but he did…until he didn’t. As the trolley Conductor was making its last run of the night, he felt the trolley hit a bump, causing the wheels to go off track. When he got out to investigate, he saw the bloodied body of Short Jack, excuse me, Shorter Jack. The conductor called the police and they searched for hours trying to find the missing head, but to no avail, it was gone. Not knowing what else to do, they buried the body headless.

So don’t be surprised, if at the end of the day, around sunset, you see Shorter Jack’s body, stumbling around the streets of Alexandria, searching for his lost head.

Alright, we’re almost there! Take a Right on Cameron St, and you’ll see Christ Church on your left!
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We made it!!!! Our final stop on the tour is Christ Church, take the next right, just ahead, if you want a good view of the cemetery – which of course you do!!!! This is a HAUNTED tour, and what’s more haunted than a cemetery?? Getting to scare the living in a cemetery is like a never ending party for ghosts. And from what I hear, people are dying to get in there. Come on, you know I had to. It’s bad luck to talk about cemeteries without making at least one ‘dying to get in there’ joke.

This church was built in 1773 and was known as Fairfax Church until 1816 when it became Christ Church. At that time there were a few additions added to the outside - galleries, a bell tower, and porch. But the builders worked hard to keep the building as close to the original as possible. in 1970 the church was declared a National Historic Landmark. Which was a good call considering that George Washington frequently attended services here and even rented a family box pew so his family could always sit together.

Robert E Lee also attended Christ Church, beginning when he was just a young boy at the age of three. And later in life he was confirmed by the assistant bishop of Virginia, with two of his daughters by his side. Lee eventually married George Washington’s step-great-granddaughter, Mary anna Randolph Custis. So I guess that would make George Washington, Robert E Lee’s step-great-grandpa? That’s pretty cool.

Enough about who enjoyed the inside of the church, let’s move on to the people buried outside of the church. We have Henry Fowler who was at one time the United States Secretary of Treasury, two of George Washington’s pallbearers, Charles Simms and Philip Marstellar, and let’s not forget the world-famous actress, Anne Warren, who was said to be the greatest actress to ever grace the American stage. Guess who else is buried here? This is how we’ll know who was paying attention, I’ll give you a clue, he was known as the Romulus of Alexandria. (jeopardy music) for those who said William Ramsay, you get a free get-out-of-being-possessed card. The rest of you – good luck. I think my favorite tombstone is that of Sarah Wrenn, who died in 1792. It’s my favorite because I love what’s engraved on it. It reads,

“All you who come my grave to see,
As I am now you soon will be.
Prepare and turn to God in time,
For I was taken in my prime.”

How awesome is that??!!

There are thousands of people buried here, but only a handful of tombstones and grave markers still stand. Sadly, a lot of those buried here could not afford a marker. it’s also believed that some of the gravestones were stolen to pave walkways of homes in Old Town. Now that’s ballsy! You’re practically begging for your house to be haunted at that point. There is also a mass grave of 34 confederate prisoners of war who died in local hospitals during the Civil War. We actually just visited some of these local homes turned hospitals they’re referring to.

For the most part, the church has been undisturbed for hundreds of years, but that all changed in 1985 when a major construction and renovation began. A part of this construction included building an addition to the back of the church, which meant, graves were about to be dug up. Yikes!

Alexandria’s City Archeologist, Pam Cressey, was assigned to protect the integrity of anything recovered during the construction dig. According to Pam, the only human remains uncovered were a handful of teeth. Eeeew. Cassey also said, when they uncover an empty grave, when you’re looking down into it, you can get a clear outline of where a body had been laid to rest at one time, but it’s like looking through gauze to see it. She said the best way to describe it is, imagine what a shadow’s grave would look like. Now that’s just straight up creepy.
At that point in the excavation process, preliminary information showed that as many as 1000 people may have been buried there between 1770 and 1808, after which, new graves were no longer allowed. To add another element of mystery to this already prime ground for haunting, Cressey said that the grave markers still left above ground often bore no resemblance to what they found underneath. I’m thinking that when the living are away, the ghosts will play.

I hope you’ve enjoyed getting to know about some of the ghosts that haunt this amazing city, Old Town Alexandria, where the dead are just as lively and interesting as the living. Whether it’s love stories to stories of revenge, a couple on the run from the law, or a family who’s love went one brotherly hug too far, and whether you’re old, young, famous, poor, tall, or short like shorter Jack who lost his head, Alexandria has it all. Hopefully you have time to continue exploring this quaint historical town and maybe even discover a ghost no one has seen yet. If that’s the case, definitely tag us and let us know, because it would be a grave mistake if we made a ghost feel excluded. ruh rue.

If you want to see one of our other haunted tours, we have an awesome Georgetown ghost tour, that is, if you’re brave enough. Until next time, enjoy the world around you, and if you’re lucky, and I mean really really lucky, maybe you’ll get to be the star on one UCPlaces next haunted tours.

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