Mount Vernon
This famed presidential mansion may still be home to George Washington’s ghost
Paranormal Activity at
Mount Vernon
- A man’s apparition is seen on the first floor
- People report being touched by unseen hands
- Visitors feel unseen people brush by them in the hallways
- A woman’s apparition is sometimes seen on the stairs
- Security alarms are triggered for unknown reasons
- George Washington's figure is spotted in his old bedroom
The First White House:
History of Mount Vernon
When most people think of US presidential homes, they only think of the White House. But the first president, George Washington, never lived at the White House.
He had another place he called home: Mount Vernon. The expansive property was a generational home for the Washington family.
Since the mid-1800s, the Washington family plantation has been a public monument to the United States’ first president.
And though Mount Vernon hasn’t been home to any Washingtons in years, some colonial-era ghosts may still be roaming the grounds. Maybe even the ghost of George Washington himself.
Timeline of Mount Vernon's History
Swipe or use timeline points to see Mount Vernon through the years
1734
In 1734, George Washington’s father, Augustine, built the first home on the future site of Mount Vernon. For decades prior, the family had owned a swathe of agricultural land in Virginia, but George’s father was the first to bring true development to the land. At the time, Augustine built just a simple one-and-a-half story house for the immediate family.
The property soon became known as Little Hunting Creek Plantation, and Augustine operated a slave-driven operation on the property until his death in 1743.
1752
After Augustine’s death, the plantation property passed onto his eldest son, Lawrence. Lawrence took to renaming the plantation to Mount Vernon, after a navy admiral he had served with. In this era, a young George Washington spent a lot of time around the developing plantation.
He became accustomed to life there, and soon after Laurence died of tuberculosis in 1752, George took to managing the property. After the death of Lawrence’s widow in 1761, George became full owner of Mount Vernon.
1787
Through the 1760s and 1770s, George Washington expanded the Mount Vernon home and plantation. The home did not fully take on its present appearance until a final expansion in 1787. But by then, George Washington had little time to relax and enjoy his now stately manor home.
As a general in the American Revolution, he stayed busy working on developing the budding nation. Two years later, he would become the nation’s leader as the first president of the United States.
1799
While the presidency kept George occupied until 1797, he retired to an expansive and successful plantation home on his family’s Virginia property and resided there until his death in 1799. After George’s death, Mount Vernon remained in the family for nearly sixty more years. It passed first to George’s widow, and then to a nephew, Bushrod Washington.
But, in 1858, then-owner John Washington Jr. sold the property to the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association, which had raised money for several years hoping to buy and restore the property.
1860
After some restorations, the Ladies’ Association opened Mount Vernon to the public in 1860. It has been a museum ever since. Over a century-and-a-half of public operation, very little about the property has changed. Visitors today can see many of the same sights and artifacts that visitors in the 1860s experienced. And along with preserving the estate itself, the Ladies’ Association may have preserved a few spirits too.
Ghostly lore at Mount Vernon has been around almost as long as it’s been open to the public.
Is Mount Vernon Haunted?
Understandably, one of the most well-known spirits at Mount Vernon is that of George Washington himself. He is not encountered too often, but over many years, there have been some notable experiences with his presidential phantom.
Most often, George’s ghost is seen in his former bedroom at the mansion.
In one tale from before the home was a museum, a guest of Bushrod Washington claimed to see George Washington’s vivid apparition standing in his old bedroom in the night.
Since then, others have similarly claimed to see George standing listlessly in his bedroom, always in the middle of the night.
The Ghostly Lady of the House
While George Washington is Mount Vernon’s most well-known ghost, he’s far from the only ghost story it has to offer. Another common sighting is of a spectral woman descending the staircase.
The woman is frequently seen wearing a grand, 1800s-era dress, coming down the steps with what looks like a punch bowl in her hands. Despite this woman’s purportedly detailed appearance, no one can conclusively identify her.
The Mysterious Museum Director
On the first floor, the ghost of a mysterious man also lingers. Seen in one of the home’s parlors, the man appears in early 20th-century clothing and sports a mustache. Along with that, the man is known for being a bit angry, often appearing to shout or complain about visitors being disruptive.
Unlike the staircase spirit, this mysterious man has a supposed identity: former museum director, Harrison Howell Dodge. Witnesses say the man’s figure bears an uncanny resemblance to the former director.
Mount Vernon’s Physical Phantoms
Mount Vernon is said to have its share of apparitions, but you might encounter a few other kinds of ghostly activity around the plantation. Visitors and workers alike sometimes report being touched by Mount Vernon’s phantoms.
Tourists frequently feel the sensation of people brushing by them in the home’s hallways. But, if they look, all they’ll see are partially manifested ghosts fading into thin air.
Additionally, workers occasionally note strange touches around the old family bedrooms.
While passing by certain rooms, workers claim to feel hands resting on their shoulders, only to turn around and find no one there.
Ghosts Get Into Paranormal Mischief
Sometimes, it seems that the ghosts of Mount Vernon get up to a little light-hearted mischief, mostly at the night security guard’s expense. One well-known story tells of a guard on duty one night when an alarm went off in the Mount Vernon stables.
The guard went out to check the area, only to find no one there. At that same time, they got another alarm report, this time from George’s bedroom. Once more, they trekked across the property to find nothing amiss in the bed chamber. Perhaps the specters just like making sure the guards get their exercise in.
Mount Vernon:
Cornerstone of Haunted History
Though ghost stories are not the main attraction at Mount Vernon today, the staff doesn’t shy away from their paranormal lore. For many years, it was an unspoken rule around the plantation to not make much out of the mansion’s ghost stories.
But today, an entire page on Mount Vernon’s website is dedicated to the ghost stories people have told over the course of two centuries.
As more tourists visit George Washington’s home, more people have direct, personal encounters with the unexplained. While ghost hunts aren’t likely to ever be offered at Mount Vernon, the property’s paranormal lore will likely continue to develop.
For years, the Washington family cultivated many things at Mount Vernon, from budding crops to the seeds of revolution. And today, the old plantation may be the perfect place for presidential ghost stories to grow.
