By Patricia Weil Coates
Special to The Washington Post
Friday, October 6, 2006; Page WE51
From time to time, visitors to the historic Landon House in Urbana, Md., may see its former owner, Capt. Luke Tiernan Brien, sitting in a rocking chair on the expansive front porch, rocking back and forth while looking out over his property. Normally, this wouldn't be unusual -- except that Brien was a Civil War veteran who died in 1912.
At the Woodlawn mansion in Alexandria -- once home to Maj. Lawrence Lewis and wife Eleanor Parke Custis (George Washington's nephew and Martha Washington's granddaughter) -- a gentleman in a black cape is said to make a regular appearance, and visitors have reported hearing children's voices and the sound of windows opening and closing. But no one lives at Woodlawn, which has been a museum for more than 50 years.
Roll over, Halloween. Big kids, especially, will enjoy the "real" ghosts of October, such as the Civil War soldiers said to be wandering the streets of Frederick and Harpers Ferry, W.Va., or the Revolutionary-era patriots haunting Annapolis and Alexandria. From sightings of abolitionist John Brown in Harpers Ferry to a phantom in Ellicott City, ghosts are apparently "alive" and well across the region. Just in time for the haunting month, guides from Baltimore to Leesburg await, ready to spook your family on the ghost tour of your choice. (Though it should be noted that not all ghost tours are appropriate for the 6-and-younger crowd -- and parents should use their discretion, depending on the tour, with kids 12 and younger -- most should provide good, Halloween-season fun, with even a little history and folklore sprinkled in.)
Wellington Watts, owner of Alexandria Colonial Tours, says more children than adults have spotted the ghost of Laura Schaefer, the doomed bride-to-be who in 1879 caught on fire while trying on her wedding dress and died shortly after in the House in the Country building on North Fairfax Street in Old Town. "Our tour ends in the bedroom where she died," Watts says, adding that adults often feel intense heat on this tour.
At Woodlawn, which bills itself as "one of the most haunted houses in Virginia," Haunted History tours will include spooky stories and vignettes performed by actors with the theme "Superstitions and Premonitions." Stacy Hawkins, Woodlawn's manager of special events and programs, warns that an abundance of paranormal activity takes place near the home's original well. And, apparently, people like to check it out. "Make reservations," she says. "We sold out last year."
In the District, the operators of Washington Walks tours claim that the ghosts of presidents, a first lady, assassins and military officers roam the city and that its tour will take you to the "most haunted" areas of the city. At Landon House in Urbana, ghost-tour leader "Johnny Reb" (Landon House owner Kevin Dolan) will talk about the tragic life of Capt. Brien, whose five children predeceased him. Who knows? They might even see Brien rocking on the porch, waiting for his children to return.
The District
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WASHINGTON WALKS CAPITAL HAUNTINGS Fridays at 7:30 through October, also Oct. 28 and 31. Meet at McPherson Square Metro station (White House exit). 202-484-1565. http://www.washingtonwalks.com/ . No reservations required. $10, 3 and younger free. Guides relay ghost stories about the mysterious, macabre history of Lafayette Square, the park north of the White House. Creep through the park and adjoining streets past these haunted sites and listen to ghost stories associated with each person or place.
Maryland
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A GOTHIC EVENING Oct. 27 at 7:30. Riversdale House Museum, 4811 Riverdale Rd., Riverdale Park. 301-864-0420; TTY 301-699-2544. http://www.pgparks.com/places/eleganthi ... intro.html . $5. Enjoy eerie tales and macabre happenings throughout the house. Costumed interpreters present excerpts from 19th-century literature, and live music plays during your self-guided tour.
ANNAPOLIS GHOST TOURS Oct. 20, 21, 27, 28, 29 and 31 at 7. Annapolis Tours and Watermark Cruises, meet at the Dock Information Booth, 1 Dock St., Annapolis. 410-268-7601. http://www.annapolis-tours.com/ghost.tours.htm . $14, $7 ages 3-11, younger free. Reservations required. Guides in Colonial attire tell spooky stories and take visitors on a candlelit ghost tour of the historic district, pointing out haunted houses and visiting a cemetery.
CANDLELIGHT GHOST TOURS OF FREDERICK Saturday at 8:30; Oct. 13 through Nov. 11, Fridays at 8 and Saturdays at 7 and 9. Meet at Brewer's Alley Restaurant & Brewery, 124 N. Market St., Frederick. 301-845-7001. http://www.marylandghosttours.com/ . $8, $4 ages 6-12. Guides in period attire lead visitors through the city's dark streets and alleys in search of the infamous, the unknown and the unexplained. Revolutionary War patriots, Civil War soldiers, politicians and others are said to haunt the streets of Frederick.
FELLS POINT GHOST TOURS Fridays and Saturdays through November at 7. Meet at Max's Darthouse, 731 S. Broadway near Fells Point Square, Baltimore. 410-522-7400. http://www.fellspointghost.com/ . $13, $8 ages 12 and younger. Advance purchase recommended. Explore the haunted pubs, shops and residences of historic Fell's Point.
GHOST WALKS AT LANDON HOUSE Fridays at 8:30. Landon House, 3401 Urbana Pike, Urbana. 301-874-3914. http://www.hauntedlandon.com/ghostwalks.html . $10, $5 ages 12 and younger. No reservations required. Parental discretion advised. Take a candlelit guided tour of the Landon House to learn about the ghosts that haunt the house as well as its Civil War history. Landon House was the site of Confederate Gen. J.E.B. Stuart's Sabers and Roses Ball just before the Battle of Antietam in September 1862.
MANOR GHOST TOURS Oct. 14, 21 and 28 from 7-9. Rose Hill Manor Children's Museum, 1611 N. Market St., Frederick. 301-694-1650. http://www.rosehillmuseum.com/ . $5. Recommended for ages 10 and older. Hear spooky tales and seasonal stories of Rose Hill Manor and the surrounding county as museum interpreters lead tours of the manor at night. Thomas Johnson, Maryland's first governor, lived at Rose Hill Manor with his daughter's family until his death in 1819.
MAYHEM IN MARLBOROUGH GHOST WALK Oct. 20-21 from 7-10. Darnall's Chance House Museum, 14800 Gov. Oden Bowie Dr., Upper Marlboro. 301-952-8010; TTY 301-699-2544. http://www.pgparks.com/ . Ages 6 and older. $6 adults, $4 children. Take a spooky guided tour of historic Upper Marlboro. Meet Colonial spirits and mischief-makers who once lived and worked in the county seat. Tours begin at 7 and run every 20 minutes until 10. No reservations required.
TALES OF THE SPIRITS Oct. 22 at 7 p.m. Surratt House Museum, 9118 Brandywine Rd., Clinton. 301-868-1121. http://www.surratt.org/ . Free; admission ($3 adults, $2 seniors, $1 ages 5-18) for tours of the house. An evening of spooky stories and songs with entertainer Matthew Dodd. Recommended for ages 10 and older.
YE HAUNTED HISTORY OF OLDE ELLICOTT CITY GHOST TOURS Fridays and Saturdays through November at 8:30. On Oct. 13, every half-hour starting at 6:30, last tour at 9. Main Street Visitor Information Center, 8267 Main St., Ellicott City. Not recommended for kids younger than 6. Reservations recommended. $8, $6 seniors and ages 12 and younger. 800-288-8747. http://www.visithowardcounty.com/ghost_tours/index.html . Tours of this historic mill town expose the ghosts lingering in granite buildings and on cobblestone streets. Guides tell tales of past lives and deaths; many local businesses have stories of resident ghosts.
Virginia
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ALEXANDRIA COLONIAL TOURS GHOST & GRAVEYARD TOURS, SPECIAL HALLOWEEN TOURS Saturday and Sunday at 7:30 and 9; Monday at 7:30; Wednesday-Oct. 31 at 7:30; Oct. 13, 14, 20, 21, and 26-31 at 7:30 and 9; Nov. 1-12, Wednesdays through Sundays at 7:30, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 and 9. Halloween tours, Oct. 27-31 from 6:30 to 9:15; call to reserve a time. Check tour departure location on Web site. 703-519-1749. http://www.alexcolonialtours.com/ . Ghost & Graveyard tours, $8 ages 13 and older, $5 ages 7-12, younger free. Halloween tours, $10 ages 13 and older, $8 ages 7-12, younger free. Reservations recommended. Ghost & Graveyard tour is a six-block walking tour through the streets of Old Town, where stories of unsolved mysteries, tales of romance and angry ghosts will be told. Tour ends in a graveyard. Halloween tours visit some building interiors, a cemetery and end in the bedroom of the "burning bride."
ALEXANDRIA'S FOOTSTEPS TO THE PAST Through November, Sunday-Thursday at 7; Fridays and Saturdays at 7 and 8:30. History and ghost walks leave from Ramsay House Visitors Center, 221 King St., Old Town. 703-683-3451. http://www.footstepstothepast.com/ . $6 adults, $5 ages 7-12, younger free. Learn about Alexandria's early history and documented ghost sites and visit a cemetery where George Washington's friends sleep. On Oct. 21 and 28 and Nov. 4, the tours will include a candlelit visit to Carlyle House and feature special programs relating to the 226th anniversary of the death of owner John Carlyle and to members of his family who met untimely deaths. Call for prices.
LANTERN TOURS AT SULLY Oct. 7, beginning at 6 (last tour at 7:45), Sully Historic Site, 3601 Sully Rd., Chantilly. 703-437-1794. http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/sully . $6, $4 children. Reservations required. Follow a guide through the first floor of the house, outbuildings and representative slave quarters. Encounter historical characters bringing the past to life with their portrayals of humorous and curious tales of Sully's past. Tours at timed intervals throughout the evening.
LEESBURG HAUNTINGS Oct. 27-28 from 6-11. Loudoun Museum, 16 Loudoun St. SW, Leesburg. 703-777-7427. http://www.loudounmuseum.org/ . $15. Not recommended for children younger than 12. Reservations recommended. A walking tour through reportedly haunted houses and sites in historic downtown Leesburg. Costumed storytellers narrate local legends.
RIPPON LODGE HISTORIC SITE GHOST TOURS Oct. 28-29 from 7 to 9:30. Rippon Lodge, 15500 Blackburn Rd., Woodbridge. $5, $3 children. 703-792-5632. http://www.virginia.org/site/descriptio ... trID=40755 . Hear stories about the house and the Blackburn family. Tour the grounds and cemetery at night. The program will conclude each night with a campfire and refreshments.
WOODLAWN'S HAUNTED HISTORY TOURS Oct. 27-29 from 7 to 10, every 20 minutes. 9000 Richmond Hwy., Alexandria. 703-780-4000, Ext. 26327. http://www.woodlawn1805.org/ . $15. Not recommended for children younger than 10. Reservations required. Hear the tales of people who have encountered evidence of Woodlawn's "other-worldly" inhabitants and explore areas normally closed to the public.
West Virginia
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GHOST TOURS OF HARPERS FERRY Fridays and Saturda ys through Nov. 4 at 8. Meet at Olde Towne Cafe, 173 Potomac St., Harpers Ferry. $5 ages 5 and older, younger free. Reservations required. 304-725-8019. http://www.harpersferryghost.20m.com/ . Guides in period costumes lead tours through the darkened streets of historic Harpers Ferry, which has many tales of mysterious apparitions and buildings laced with tragic history.
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