During an interview with SiriusXM, Barbara Pierce Bush, daughter of former President George W. Bush, shared a chilling experience from her time living in the White House. She recounted how, one night, 1920s jazz music suddenly began playing out of nowhere. Ms. Bush’s story adds to the many ghostly tales that surround the White House, passed down through generations as part of its rich—and sometimes spooky—history.
The White House Historical Association has reported that ghost sightings in the presidential house are not uncommon.
One famous recount comes from former president Ronald Reagan, as he reportedly told his guests that his dog Rex, would go into every room in the White House except the Lincoln bedroom as the dog would bark nervously at the door. The former president believed that Lincoln’s presence was still felt in the room.
The Lincoln bedroom seems to be the epicenter of the White House Ghost tales
It seems that there is something up with the Lincoln bedroom since it’s linked to most of the ghost tales in the White House. One of the most famous counts of some kind of some kind of presence being in the bedroom comes from none other than Winston Churchill himself.
Churchill was visiting President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and was actually staying in the Lincoln bedroom during his stay. The former British Prime Minister said that he had just stepped out of a hot bath, and he was wearing nothing but a cigar when he encountered Abraham Lincoln by the fireplace in his room.
The former British Prime Minister claims to have greeted Lincoln saying “Good Evening Mr. President, You seem to have me at a disadvantage”.
The man who sold the land for the White House reportedly haunts the place
A man called Jared Broach founded a company called Nightly Spirits and offered tours of haunted areas in the United States but in the beginning, he only offered a tour of the White House.
In a 2017 article in the Washington Post, he recounted the story of David Burnes, who sold the stretch of land where the White House had sat for more than 200 years. It has been reported that the voice of Burnes has been heard in the halls of the white house, but especially in the Oval Office.
Another famous story came from Abraham Lincoln himself. He reportedly received regular visits from the ghost of his son Willie who died in the White House in 1862, when he was just 11 years old.
Lincoln’s wife, Mary Todd, was so overwhelmed by the grief of Wilie’s death that she said she once saw the ghost of her son at the foot of her bed.
Now, a week before the next tenant of the White House is announced, the ghosts of the presidential home might be rejoicing at the prospect of having someone new to spook.
