fbpx
Wikipedia

Lincoln's ghost

December 18, 2023

"Ghost of Abraham Lincoln" redirects here. For the photograph by Mumler, see Ghost of Abraham Lincoln (photograph).

The ghost of U.S. president Abraham Lincoln, also known as the White House Ghost, is said to have haunted the White House since Lincoln's assassination in 1865. Lincoln's ghost has also been said to haunt many of his former residences in Springfield, Illinois, including his former law office.[1]

The ghost of Abraham Lincoln is said to haunt the White House.

Of the several stories about the ghosts of former presidents of the United States revisiting the White House, Lincoln's ghost is perhaps the most common and popular. First Lady Grace Coolidge, Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and President Theodore Roosevelt are among those who claimed to have seen Lincoln's ghost in the White House.

Reported apparitions edit

The White House's most famous alleged apparition is that of Abraham Lincoln. The first person reported to have actually seen Lincoln's spirit was First Lady Grace Coolidge, who said she saw the ghost of Lincoln standing at a window in the Yellow Oval Room staring out at the Potomac.[2]

Perhaps 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 frock coat and top hat standing in front of her (she promptly fainted).[3]

British Prime Minister Winston Churchill loved to retire late, take a long, hot bath while drinking a Scotch, and smoke a cigar and relax. There is an account that on this occasion, he climbed out of the bath and naked, but for his cigar, walked into the adjoining bedroom. He was startled to see Lincoln standing by the fireplace in the room, leaning on the mantle. Churchill, always quick on the uptake, simply took his cigar out of his mouth, tapped the ash off the end of his cigar and said "Good evening, Mr. President. You seem to have me at a disadvantage." Lincoln smiled softly, as if laughing and disappeared.[4]

President Theodore Roosevelt,[5] presidential daughter Maureen Reagan, her husband Dennis C. Revell,[6] and a number of staff members of the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration all claimed to have seen Lincoln's spirit.[7] On one occasion FDR's personal valet ran screaming from the White House claiming he had seen Lincoln's ghost.[8]

 
Mary Todd Lincoln with the "ghost" of her husband, in an image created by "spirit photographer" William H. Mumler

One of William H. Mumler's most famous photographs apparently shows Mary Todd Lincoln with the "ghost" of her husband, Abraham Lincoln.[citation needed] Paranormal researcher Melvyn Willin, in his book Ghosts Caught on Film, claims that the photo was taken around 1869 (after Abraham Lincoln's death), and that Mumler did not know that his sitter was Lincoln, instead believing her to be a 'Mrs Tundall'. Willin goes on to say that Mumler did not discover who she was until after the photo was developed.[citation needed] The College of Psychic Studies, referencing notes belonging to William Stainton Moses (who has appeared in photographs by other spirit photographers), claim that the photo was taken in the early 1870s, Lincoln had assumed the name of 'Mrs. Lindall' and that Lincoln had to be encouraged by Mumler's wife (a medium) to identify her husband on the photo.[9] Though the image has been dismissed as being a double exposure,[10] it has been widely circulated.[9]

Eleanor Roosevelt never admitted to having seen Lincoln's ghost, but did say that she felt his presence repeatedly throughout the White House.[11] She also said that the Roosevelt family dog, Fala, would sometimes bark for no reason at what she felt was Lincoln's ghost.[2]

President Dwight Eisenhower's press secretary, James Hagerty,[8] and Liz Carpenter, press secretary to First Lady Lady Bird Johnson,[7] both said they felt Lincoln's presence many times.

The former president's footsteps are also said to be heard in the hall outside the Lincoln Bedroom.[2]

Lillian Rogers Parks stated in her 1961 autobiography My Thirty Years Backstairs at the White House that she had heard them.[12]

Margaret Truman, daughter of President Harry S. Truman, said she heard a specter rapping at the door of the Lincoln Bedroom when she stayed there, and believed it was Lincoln.[7]

President Truman himself was once awakened by raps at the door while spending a night in the Lincoln Bedroom.[13]

Several unnamed eyewitnesses have claimed to have seen the shade of Abraham Lincoln actually lying down on the bed in the Lincoln Bedroom (which was used as a meeting room at the time of his administration), and while others have seen Lincoln sit on the edge of the bed and put his boots on.[2] The most famous eyewitness to the latter was Mary Eben, Eleanor Roosevelt's secretary, who saw Lincoln pulling on his boots (after which she ran screaming from the room).[11][14]

Lincoln's ghost was reportedly seen outside of the White House as well. In Loudonville, New York, Lincoln's ghost was said to haunt a house that was owned by a woman who was present at Ford's Theatre when Lincoln was shot by John Wilkes Booth. Other Lincoln hauntings included his grave in Springfield, Illinois, a portrait of Mary Todd Lincoln and a phantom train on nights in April along the same path his funeral train followed from Washington, D.C. to Springfield.[15]

The last reported sighting of Lincoln's ghost was in the early 1980s, when Tony Savoy, White House operations foreman, came into the White House and saw Lincoln sitting in a chair at the top of some stairs.[3]

 
Willie Lincoln died in the White House during his father's presidency.

Abraham Lincoln is not the only Lincoln ghost witnesses claim to have seen in the White House. Willie Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln's 11-year-old son, died in the White House of typhoid on February 20, 1862.[16] Willie Lincoln's ghost was first reported to have been seen in the White House by staff members of the Grant administration in the 1870s, but reports have been made as recently as the 1960s. President Lyndon B. Johnson's college-age daughter, Lynda Bird Johnson Robb, claims to have seen the ghost and talked to him.[7]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "History of Ghost Stories". History. A&E Networks. October 29, 2009. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d Ogden, Tom. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Ghosts and Hauntings. New York: Alpha Books, 1999. ISBN 0-02-863659-7
  3. ^ a b Belanger, Jeff. The World's Most Haunted Places: From the Secret Files of Ghostvillage.com. New York: Career Press, 2004. ISBN 1-56414-764-9
  4. ^ Garber, Marjorie B. Profiling Shakespeare. Florence, Ky.: Routledge, 2008. ISBN 0-415-96446-6
  5. ^ Peterson, Merrill D. Lincoln in American Memory. Reprint ed. New York: Oxford University Press US, 1995. ISBN 0-19-509645-2
  6. ^ Reagan, Maureen. First Father, First Daughter: A Memoir. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2001. ISBN 0-316-73636-8
  7. ^ a b c d Norman, Michael and Scott, Beth. Historic Haunted America. Reprint ed. New York: Macmillan, 2007. ISBN 0-7653-1970-5
  8. ^ a b Alexander, John. Ghosts: Washington's Most Famous Ghost Stories. Arlington, Va.: The Washington Book Trading Co., 1988. ISBN 0-915168-07-3
  9. ^ a b "William Stainton Moses collection". College of Psychic Studies. Retrieved April 29, 2014.
  10. ^ Wagner, Stephen. . About.com. Archived from the original on 2005-10-17. Retrieved 2008-05-04.
  11. ^ a b Pederson, William D. and Williams, Frank J. Franklin D. Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln: Competing Perspectives on Two Great Presidencies. Armonk, N.Y.: M.E. Sharpe, 2002. ISBN 0-7656-1034-5
  12. ^ Parks, Lillian Rogers. My Thirty Years Backstairs at the White House. New York: Fleet Publishing Corp., 1961.
  13. ^ Thomsen, Brian M. Oval Office Occult: True Stories of White House Weirdness. Kansas City: Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2008. ISBN 0-7407-7386-0
  14. ^ W. Haden Blackman. The Field Guide to North American Hauntings: Everything You Need to Know About Encountering Over 100 Ghosts, Phantoms, and Spectral Entities. New York: Three Rivers Press, 1998. ISBN 0-609-80021-3
  15. ^ Ogden pp.181,182,227
  16. ^ Donald, David Herbert. Lincoln. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1995. ISBN 0-684-80846-3

External links edit

  • Presidents and the Paranormal 2005-10-17 at the Wayback Machine by Stephen Wagner on About.com
  • The Paranormal Presidency of Abraham Lincoln by Christopher Kiernan Coleman (Schiffer Publishing, 2012)
  • A History & Ghosts 2018-04-24 at the Wayback Machine by a Canadian Paranormal Enthusiast

December 18, 2023
lincoln, ghost, ghost, abraham, lincoln, redirects, here, photograph, mumler, ghost, abraham, lincoln, photograph, ghost, president, abraham, lincoln, also, known, white, house, ghost, said, have, haunted, white, house, since, lincoln, assassination, 1865, als. Ghost of Abraham Lincoln redirects here For the photograph by Mumler see Ghost of Abraham Lincoln photograph The ghost of U S president Abraham Lincoln also known as the White House Ghost is said to have haunted the White House since Lincoln s assassination in 1865 Lincoln s ghost has also been said to haunt many of his former residences in Springfield Illinois including his former law office 1 The ghost of Abraham Lincoln is said to haunt the White House Of the several stories about the ghosts of former presidents of the United States revisiting the White House Lincoln s ghost is perhaps the most common and popular First Lady Grace Coolidge Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands Prime Minister Winston Churchill and President Theodore Roosevelt are among those who claimed to have seen Lincoln s ghost in the White House Contents 1 Reported apparitions 2 See also 3 References 4 External linksReported apparitions editThe White House s most famous alleged apparition is that of Abraham Lincoln The first person reported to have actually seen Lincoln s spirit was First Lady Grace Coolidge who said she saw the ghost of Lincoln standing at a window in the Yellow Oval Room staring out at the Potomac 2 Perhaps 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 frock coat and top hat standing in front of her she promptly fainted 3 British Prime Minister Winston Churchill loved to retire late take a long hot bath while drinking a Scotch and smoke a cigar and relax There is an account that on this occasion he climbed out of the bath and naked but for his cigar walked into the adjoining bedroom He was startled to see Lincoln standing by the fireplace in the room leaning on the mantle Churchill always quick on the uptake simply took his cigar out of his mouth tapped the ash off the end of his cigar and said Good evening Mr President You seem to have me at a disadvantage Lincoln smiled softly as if laughing and disappeared 4 President Theodore Roosevelt 5 presidential daughter Maureen Reagan her husband Dennis C Revell 6 and a number of staff members of the Franklin D Roosevelt administration all claimed to have seen Lincoln s spirit 7 On one occasion FDR s personal valet ran screaming from the White House claiming he had seen Lincoln s ghost 8 nbsp Mary Todd Lincoln with the ghost of her husband in an image created by spirit photographer William H MumlerOne of William H Mumler s most famous photographs apparently shows Mary Todd Lincoln with the ghost of her husband Abraham Lincoln citation needed Paranormal researcher Melvyn Willin in his book Ghosts Caught on Film claims that the photo was taken around 1869 after Abraham Lincoln s death and that Mumler did not know that his sitter was Lincoln instead believing her to be a Mrs Tundall Willin goes on to say that Mumler did not discover who she was until after the photo was developed citation needed The College of Psychic Studies referencing notes belonging to William Stainton Moses who has appeared in photographs by other spirit photographers claim that the photo was taken in the early 1870s Lincoln had assumed the name of Mrs Lindall and that Lincoln had to be encouraged by Mumler s wife a medium to identify her husband on the photo 9 Though the image has been dismissed as being a double exposure 10 it has been widely circulated 9 Eleanor Roosevelt never admitted to having seen Lincoln s ghost but did say that she felt his presence repeatedly throughout the White House 11 She also said that the Roosevelt family dog Fala would sometimes bark for no reason at what she felt was Lincoln s ghost 2 President Dwight Eisenhower s press secretary James Hagerty 8 and Liz Carpenter press secretary to First Lady Lady Bird Johnson 7 both said they felt Lincoln s presence many times The former president s footsteps are also said to be heard in the hall outside the Lincoln Bedroom 2 Lillian Rogers Parks stated in her 1961 autobiography My Thirty Years Backstairs at the White House that she had heard them 12 Margaret Truman daughter of President Harry S Truman said she heard a specter rapping at the door of the Lincoln Bedroom when she stayed there and believed it was Lincoln 7 President Truman himself was once awakened by raps at the door while spending a night in the Lincoln Bedroom 13 Several unnamed eyewitnesses have claimed to have seen the shade of Abraham Lincoln actually lying down on the bed in the Lincoln Bedroom which was used as a meeting room at the time of his administration and while others have seen Lincoln sit on the edge of the bed and put his boots on 2 The most famous eyewitness to the latter was Mary Eben Eleanor Roosevelt s secretary who saw Lincoln pulling on his boots after which she ran screaming from the room 11 14 Lincoln s ghost was reportedly seen outside of the White House as well In Loudonville New York Lincoln s ghost was said to haunt a house that was owned by a woman who was present at Ford s Theatre when Lincoln was shot by John Wilkes Booth Other Lincoln hauntings included his grave in Springfield Illinois a portrait of Mary Todd Lincoln and a phantom train on nights in April along the same path his funeral train followed from Washington D C to Springfield 15 The last reported sighting of Lincoln s ghost was in the early 1980s when Tony Savoy White House operations foreman came into the White House and saw Lincoln sitting in a chair at the top of some stairs 3 nbsp Willie Lincoln died in the White House during his father s presidency Abraham Lincoln is not the only Lincoln ghost witnesses claim to have seen in the White House Willie Lincoln Abraham Lincoln s 11 year old son died in the White House of typhoid on February 20 1862 16 Willie Lincoln s ghost was first reported to have been seen in the White House by staff members of the Grant administration in the 1870s but reports have been made as recently as the 1960s President Lyndon B Johnson s college age daughter Lynda Bird Johnson Robb claims to have seen the ghost and talked to him 7 See also editReportedly haunted locations in Washington D C The Octagon HouseReferences edit History of Ghost Stories History A amp E Networks October 29 2009 Retrieved February 7 2019 a b c d Ogden Tom The Complete Idiot s Guide to Ghosts and Hauntings New York Alpha Books 1999 ISBN 0 02 863659 7 a b Belanger Jeff The World s Most Haunted Places From the Secret Files of Ghostvillage com New York Career Press 2004 ISBN 1 56414 764 9 Garber Marjorie B Profiling Shakespeare Florence Ky Routledge 2008 ISBN 0 415 96446 6 Peterson Merrill D Lincoln in American Memory Reprint ed New York Oxford University Press US 1995 ISBN 0 19 509645 2 Reagan Maureen First Father First Daughter A Memoir New York Little Brown and Company 2001 ISBN 0 316 73636 8 a b c d Norman Michael and Scott Beth Historic Haunted America Reprint ed New York Macmillan 2007 ISBN 0 7653 1970 5 a b Alexander John Ghosts Washington s Most Famous Ghost Stories Arlington Va The Washington Book Trading Co 1988 ISBN 0 915168 07 3 a b William Stainton Moses collection College of Psychic Studies Retrieved April 29 2014 Wagner Stephen Presidents and the Paranormal About com Archived from the original on 2005 10 17 Retrieved 2008 05 04 a b Pederson William D and Williams Frank J Franklin D Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln Competing Perspectives on Two Great Presidencies Armonk N Y M E Sharpe 2002 ISBN 0 7656 1034 5 Parks Lillian Rogers My Thirty Years Backstairs at the White House New York Fleet Publishing Corp 1961 Thomsen Brian M Oval Office Occult True Stories of White House Weirdness Kansas City Andrews McMeel Publishing 2008 ISBN 0 7407 7386 0 W Haden Blackman The Field Guide to North American Hauntings Everything You Need to Know About Encountering Over 100 Ghosts Phantoms and Spectral Entities New York Three Rivers Press 1998 ISBN 0 609 80021 3 Ogden pp 181 182 227 Donald David Herbert Lincoln New York Simon and Schuster 1995 ISBN 0 684 80846 3External links editPresidents and the Paranormal Archived 2005 10 17 at the Wayback Machine by Stephen Wagner on About com The Paranormal Presidency of Abraham Lincoln by Christopher Kiernan Coleman Schiffer Publishing 2012 A History amp Ghosts Archived 2018 04 24 at the Wayback Machine by a Canadian Paranormal Enthusiast Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Lincoln 27s ghost amp oldid 1173766637, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.