The story
Washington DC was built on land ceded by Maryland and Virginia and contains the sites of duels, assassinations, epidemics and political scandals spanning more than two centuries. Tours near Capitol Hill pass Ford's Theatre, where Lincoln was shot, the Willard Hotel, where multiple figures from American political history have died, and the facade of the old Pension Building, now the National Building Museum. The Library of Congress annex and the underground passages connecting major buildings are consistently the most reported areas.
What's reported here
Tour guides and visitors report unexplained footsteps, shadowy figures and strange sounds around Capitol Hill, with Ford's Theatre, the Willard Hotel and the underground passages among the locations most often linked to ghost stories.
History & background
Washington, DC has been the nation's capital since 1800, and its historic streets have witnessed assassinations, political intrigue, wars and national tragedies. Many of the city's best-known ghost stories are connected to these events and the prominent figures who lived and worked there.