The Octagon is an unusually shaped building with many interesting ghostly residents. It is situated one block from The White House in Washington DC. The man who designed the US Capitol, Dr. William Thorton, designed the house. Colonel John Tayloe III, who wanted a home near his political friends, built it in 1801. Though called the Octagon, the house has only six sides. It was designed this way in order to fit an unusually shaped lot. Inside are many oddly shaped rooms and closets. The centerpiece of the building is a beautiful oval staircase, the area where the Octagon's most famous ghost is active.  Colonel Tayloe had 15 children, eight of which were daughters famed for their beauty and wealth. Tayloe was also quite patriotic and often entertained the likes of Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson and James Madison.

During the war of 1812, one of the Tayloe daughters began having a secret love affair with the enemy - a British soldier. As she snuck back into the house one night after meeting her love her father caught her on the stairway. They argued violently about the girl's behavior and somehow the young woman lost her balance. She fell over the railing and plunged to her death. Though Colonel Tayloe insisted it was an accident, his daughter's ghost came back to re-enact her death. People have reported seeing a flickering candle shadow moving up the stairs as though someone was
walking  upstairs with it. Then, there would come a terrible shriek and a thud at the bottom of the stairs.  Grief and perhaps this haunting caused Tayloe to move his family back to his Virginia plantation. Rather than have the house sit vacant, Mrs. Tayloe  invited the French embassy to occupy the home. A French flag was flown outside.

It is this flag that people believe saved the house during the war of 1812.   In 1814 British Troops burned the White House and many other nearby buildings.   Due to this arson, President James Madison and his wife Dolley were homeless. The Tayloes offered them the Octagon, where they lived and entertained happily until they could move back into the White House. Dolley Madison's ghost has been seen roaming the house after her death. She is still wearing her elegant clothes and the feathered turban, which she believed, made her look taller. People often smell her lilac scented perfume. Also, sounds of horse drawn carriages coming up to the house are believed to be long deceased guests arriving for Dolley's parties.  When the Madisons left, the Tayloes moved back in. Once again, a daughter fell in love with a forbidden mate and again Colonel Tayloe caught her sneaking up the stairs late one evening. During the ensuing argument the girl's father shoved her in anger, and just like her sister she met death in  a fall. It is this incident that people believe is responsible for the cold  spot at the base of the oval staircase. People also get a feeling that someone is lying on the floor on this spot. Also, the rug near this area is  often found turned back by unseen hands.

The Tayloes sold the Octagon in 1855, after Mrs. Tayloe's death. The building was put to many uses, though tenants never stayed long. During the  Civil War the place was used as a hospital. People still hear the sobbing and moans of the dead. The house was also rented out as apartments. A gambler lived on one of the floors. One night he was shot by a man whom he had cheated at cards. The gambler's ghost is often seen as he was at the moment of his death, reaching  for his gun.   In 1902 the American Institute of Architects purchasedthe property. During  their renovation they found the skeleton of a young girl behind a wall, her  fists tightly clenched. This explained the thumping noises that had been  coming from behind the wall for almost 100 years. The thumping sounds stopped when the skeleton was properly buried. The young girl is believed to  have been a servant of the house during the time the French Embassy occupied  the house. She fell in love with a British soldier. During a lover's quarrel, he killed her and hid her body in the wall.   The hauntings continue at the Octagon, but it is not as rowdy as it was in  the last century. A young man in a US military uniform from the early 1800's  has been spotted on the stairs.

During the 60's the superintendent had  occasional problems with the police 
calling him to say that all the lights  were on and the doors were open. The man always made sure that everything  was properly locked and shut off at the end ofthe day.  The Octagon is now the museum of the American Architectural Foundation. 

It  is located at 1799 New York Ave. in Washington, DC. Hours are Tuesday to
Sunday 10AM-4PM.There is a $2 admission fee.