The White House is one of the oldest buildings in the United States, with many stating that
spirits roam the White House. They’ve heard laughter echo in the halls, and felt eerie
cold spots at night. However, is there any truth to these paranormal tales. Today on
Top 5 Scary Videos, I’m going to be counting down our list of the Top 5 Scary Paranormal
Hauntings In The White House. Before we begin though, be sure to stick around until the
end of the video where I’ll be responding to some of your comments, and with that, let’s
jump in.
5 The Ghost of Anna Surratt Now, as we will go on to talk about later,
John Wilkes Booth was the man responsible for assassinating Abraham Lincoln. However,
his name wasn’t the only one connected to the assassination, John Wilkes Booth had an
entire gang. One of the sadder names connected to the assassination is that of Anna Surratt.
Anna is remembered chiefly for her heartbreaking -- and unsuccessful -- efforts to save her
mother, Mary, from being hanged by the US government as a member of the John Wilkes
Booth gang. Anna spent twenty-four hours trying to save her mother’s life, visiting the
White House twice in an effort to get President Johnson to halt the execution. Mary Surrat
was ultimately executed, however, history wasn’t quite done with Anna yet. She reappeared
in the public eye and even became an issue in the 1880 presidential election. By the
time Anna died on October 24, 1904, public opinion largely regarded Mary Surrat as the
innocent victim of prosecutorial zeal, and Anna was remembered, in the words of the Baltimore
American, for her “utmost devotion and self-sacrifice in the closing hours of Mrs. Surratt’s life.”
Now, many of the more recent residents of the White House have sworn the ghost of Anna
Surratt haunt the grounds, with many hearing knocks on the front doors, pleading for the
release of her mother, Mary Surratt.
4 The Ghost of David Burnes Jared Broach is the founder of the Nightly
Spirits company, which offers tours of haunted areas in several cities across the United
States. However, when Broach started the tours back in 2012, he offered only one: The White
House. I quote: “The White House has the best ghost stories, and I’d call them the
most verified. Honestly, we could do a 10-hour tour if we really wanted to.” Now, his favorite
story is that of David Burnes, who sold the land where the White House sits and whose
voice has been heard in the Oval Office countless times. David Burns was said to be an argumentative,
controversial Scotman, who despite his great wealth, never placed his original home, which
was a humble cottage overlooking Constitution Avenue. When David Burns died, he left his
daughter his entire and very substantial estate telling her from his death bed “Marcia,
you have been a good daughter; you’ll now be the richest girl in America.” She was
said to be the richest woman in America at that time.Now, like I said, since his death,
Burns’ ghost has been seen in the Oval Office, where a reporter told a security guard during
the Truman administration that, while standing in the Yellow Oval Room, he heard a whisper
which said, “I’m Mr. Burns.”
3 Jenna Bush Hager’s Ghostly Experience Now, as it has become clear already, the White
House has certainly seen its share of ghosts, however, Jenna Bush Hager has one of the more
creepy stories to come from the Presidential home. In a conversation with Hoda, Jenna recalled
the time she and her twin sister, Barbara Bush, may have encountered the undead while
living in the White House, during their Dad’s time as President, aka, George W. Bush, who
was the 43rd President of the United States who ran from 2001 to 2009. According to Jenna,
the sisters were in their shared bedroom when Jenna’s phone rang. I quote: “It woke
us up in the middle of the night. We had a fireplace in our room, and all of a sudden
we started hearing, like, 1920s piano music as clear as day coming out of the fireplace.”
According to Jenna it was incredibly spooky and she jumped in her sister’s bed. To make
things even more terrifying, it wasn’t a one-time thing. I quote: “The next week,
we heard the same thing but opera.” She also recalled telling one of the White House
staffers about her experience, who apparently promptly responded with: “Oh Jenna, you
wouldn’t believe what I’ve heard.”
2 President Harry S. Truman’s Ghostly Surprise Harry S Truman was the 33rd President of the
United States, serving from 1945 to 1953, succeeding upon the death of Franklin d Roosevelt
after serving as Vice President. During his term, he implemented the Marshall Plan to
rebuild the economy of Western Europe, and established the Truman Doctrine and NATO.
However, we’re not talking about him as a President today, we’re discussing his
ghostly encounter in the White House during his presidency. On one lonely night in 1946,
it is said that President Harry S Truman went to bed around 9pm. However, about six hours
later, he heard something at his door. “Knock. Knock. Knock.” The banging awoke him, he
wrote to his wife in a letter that is archived in his Presidential library and museum, I
quote: “I jumped up and put on my bathrobe, opened the door, and no one was there. Went
out and looked up and down the hall, looked in your room and Margie’s. Still no one.
Went back to bed after locking the doors and there were footsteps in your room whose door
I’d left open. Jumped and looked and no one there! The damned place is haunted sure
as shootin’. The Secret Service said not even a watchman was up here at that hour.
You and Margie had better come back and protect me before some of these ghosts carry me off.”
1 Abraham Lincoln As most of you will know, or at least should
know, Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, from 1861-1865. He led
the nation through its greatest moral, constitutional, and political crisis in the American Civil
War, but more notably, he abolished slavery and modernized the US economy. However, on
April 14th, 1865, Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth while attending a play
at Ford’s Theatre with his wife. Booth entered the back of Lincoln’s theater vox, crept
up from behind, and fired at the back of Lincoln’s head, mortally wounding him. After remaining
in a coma for eight hours, Lincoln passed away on April 15th. Now, as you might expect,
there have been several stories about ghosts of former Presidents haunting the White House,
but perhaps the most common and popular is that of Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln’s Ghost,
otherwise known as The White House Ghost, is said to have haunted the White House since
his death in 1865. Lincoln’s ghost is also said to haunt many of his former residences
in Springfield, Illinois, including his former Law office. Theodore Roosevelt and Maureen
Reagan and her husband have all claimed to have seen a spectral Lincoln in the White
House, and on one occasion Roosevelt’s personal valet ran screaming from the White House claiming
he had seen Lincoln’s ghost. However, arguably the most famous incident was in 1942 when
Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands allegedly heard footsteps outside her White House bedroom
and answered a knock on the door, only to see Lincoln in a frock coat and top hat standing
in front of her. She promptly fainted. However, one of the more famous stories came from none
other than British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. He loved to retire late, take a
long, hot bath while drinking a Scotch, and smoke a cigar and relax. However, on one occasion
he climbed out of the bath and was startled to see Lincoln standing by the fireplace in
his room, leaning on the mantle. Churchill promptly stated: “Good evening, Mr President.
You seem to have me at a disadvantage.” According to the former Prime Ministers, Lincoln
smiled softly and then disappeared.
Well, there we have it! Do you guys agree with our list? Were there any paranormal hauntings
that we missed? Leave us all your thoughts and feelings in the comments down below and
perhaps we can do a part 2. Before I go though, I just want to respond to a few comments from
one of our last videos, Top 5 Scary Horror Games That Should Be Illegal.
Sans_The Epik Skeleton 22 said: “I don’t think this should be illegal, but it’s really
horrifying to ever exist though.” ---
Brian Baker said: “Amnesia: you’re alone, unarmed, and unsure of how you got here. Sounds
like most Sunday mornings to me.” ---
Lucci Club Studios said: “Manhunt 2 was on the Wii?” ---
Laz Toth said: “Lucy, I thought you left the channel, glad you’re back I’ll start
watching again.” ---
Ward Alien Video said: “Lucy is starting to sound more American.” ---
And on that note, if you haven’t already, be sure to give this video a big thumbs up,
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time, see ya later.