Decatur House
photo taken from visitingdc.com
Decatur House sits in the nation’s capital of Washington D.C. as a distinguished neoclassical structure. There are many hauntings in the historic capital of the United States, and Decatur House is no exception. It is located just one block north of the White House on Lafayette Square. The mansion was designed by Benjamin Henry Latrobe, whom is often referred to as the father of American architecture. Back in the 1800s, this site was the heart of the social scene in Washington D.C.
Stephen Decatur and wife Susan lived in the house, and enjoyed many grand parties and social gatherings. However, the fate of Stephen proved to be a violent one, for he was killed in a duel with Commodore James Barron. Barron was the commander of the ship the Chesapeake, which was involved in the 1807 scandal where Barron didn’t prepare it well enough for battle. This lead to a court marshal in 1808 where Decatur agreed to verdict that discharged Barron from the navy for five years.
On March 22nd, 1820, Decatur and Barron met on the dueling ground in Bladensburg, Maryland. Decatur was mortally wounded, and the nation mourned the death of this naval hero. The night before the duel, Decatur was seen looking at his window for hours. After his death, people have seen his ghost still looking out into space from the same window. Susan’s ghost has also been heard weeping from her bedroom to this day.
The loss of her husband was so devastating to her that you can still feel the sadness when you walk into the house.
(Source: Belanger, Jeff. Encyclopedia of Haunted Places. 2005.)
