Ghosts: Washington's Most Famous Ghost Stories

Considering the drama and emotion that have marked much of the history of Washington, DC it is no wonder that the Federal City is home to a large population of ghosts. With this book, John Alexander has done this large otherworldly population proud as he relates the stories of many of these Capitol Caspers, and he relates his stories from a source that had never occurred to me before. I generally look for ghost books that contain mostly stories of recent ghostly activity along with eyewitness accounts, and this book meets both of those requirements. Mr. Alexander has spent a great deal of time interviewing people who have come face to face with Washington's ghosts and he does an excellent job of relating their stories. He also relates the stories of some people who have obviously had some kind of encounter but who refuse to talk about it. He has been particularly efficient at interviewing guards who have worked the night shift at many of the government's most well known buildings and has come away with a vast array of chilling stories. The author didn't stop with interviews however for he mined a source that is often overlooked by those seeking eyewitness accounts of hauntings. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries it seems that newspapers were just full of ghost stories. Reporters for these newspapers would go out and interview those who claimed to have seen, heard or smelled a ghost. There eyewitnesses are of course long gone but thanks to those reporters their stories remain. Mr. Alexander has undoubtedly labored over old newspapers for hours and hours for he has found accounts of DC haunts that go back well over a hundred years. Many of the haunted locations detailed in these stories no longer exist and although I really prefer stories of ongoing haunts these old stories must not be lost. Thanks to John Alexander they never will be. For the most part the author's writing style is very pleasant but the book does seem to drag a little on occasion. For example, the story about the Bladensburg dueling grounds seemed to go on and on with far too much history and far too few ghosts. This was the exception rather than the rule however and most of this book was highly enjoyable. There were even a few humorous moments such as the quip from Harry Truman as he wondered why anybody dead or alive would want to spend eternity in the White House. Truman by the way never hid his belief that the White House was haunted. Add together a pleasant writing style, wonderful pictures and illustrations and a lot of legwork and even more research and you get a very solid and enjoyable ghost book. Be sure to read this book before any trip to Washington so that you can look for spooks and also try to avoid the Demon Cat of the Capitol.

This is a book in which I have read too many times to count. I live in the Washington suburbs and have all my life. I have seen and been to all the places mentioned that still exists whether altered or not. I can tell you this book was well written and very hard to put down even for the billionth time its read. I can't wait till I can get a copy of Ghosts of Washington Revisited. I am sure it's just as good. Thanks for a great book and look forward to reading your new one. Footnote: I am a Tayloe/Ogle from one of the most Haunted houses in America, "The Octagon House"