A listing of some of the ghosts sighted at the White House by dignitaries, staff and workers...
Could the most famous house in America be haunted? Yes. Haunting by spirits have been reported in the White House for over a century. Ever wonder whose ghost has been seen the most in the residence and workplace of the U.S. Presidents? The answer is Abraham Lincoln whose ghost has been seen, or sensed, by at least seven different people!
Abraham Lincoln Ghost Sightings
The Netherlands' Queen Wilhelmina, who once stayed at the White House, heard a strange knock at her bedroom door one night. When she opened it, she witnessed the ghost of Lincoln standing there.
The next morning, she shared the vision with President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who was not surprised, exclaiming that his own wife had also felt the presence of Lincoln in the home. Teddy Roosevelt was also said to have become aware of Lincoln's ghost with him when in the White House, and a female secretary actually witnessed Abe pulling up his boots while sitting on his former bed. If that were not enough confirmation of the Lincoln haunt, there is also the story of the wife of Calvin Coolidge along with White House employees who claim to have seen the Lincoln ghost standing in the Oval Room (not the Oval Office), looking out a particular window
.
Abigail Adams' Spirit
The wife of John Adams has been sighted, especially during President Taft's presidency, passing through locked doors and tending to laundry in the East Room.
The Ghost of Dolley Madison
The famous wife of President James Madison apparently became a spunky ghost in the afterlife. She made her appearance to White House gardeners who were instructed by Mrs. Woodrow Wilson to move Dolley's beloved rose garden. Upon catching them in the act, she reportedly scolded the gardening team; then, her ghost vanished. And the shaken gardeners? Well, let's just say they couldn't bring themselves to move her roses after the encounter!
Willie Lincoln - Boy Ghost
The ghost of Abraham Lincoln's third son, who died young due to illness, was a familiar spirit observed by family members of President Ulysses S. Grant. But haunting of the Grant family would not be constrained to just the White House. Interestingly, Grant's wife would later make her own posthumous appearance to her sister and her sister's house guest, separately, in dreams.
Miscellaneous White House Ghost Lore
Harry Truman heard mysterious knocking at his bedroom door up until reconstruction was completed on the White House. Whether a ghost, or not, we do not know. President Herbert Hoover mentioned he, too, had heard "fantastic" sounds while living there.
Workers who have served at the White House have also had many strange encounters, especially in the Rose Room. Many of them, in the past, at least, reported the eerie feeling of being watched by someone unseen while in the room (not the Secret Service!), encountering cold spots, or even hearing laughter emanating from the bed!
The father of President Garfield is said to have appeared to his son, James, to have a father-son chat. This spirited conversation is said to have taken place inside -- you guessed it -- the White House. Is it a portal for our more prominent ghosts of the past? You decide...