Disturbing tales uncover the past paranormal events in the White House

The unexpected smell of sweet lavender in the room, the eerie sounds of violin music playing in the distance, or that creepy feeling of being watched. There are a number of unsettling incidents that have happened at the White House.

America's most historic address, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. in Washington, DC, is also arguably the most well-known haunted house in the United States. In one particularly well-known instance, presidents, first ladies, White House employees and visitors have all claimed experiencing ghostly experiences, hearing strange sounds and even encountering real apparitions while leaving the bathtub, according to History.com.

Here are a few of the odd ghostly experiences that former occupants, staff and guests have had while at the White House:

A paranormal apparition of a musical president

The premature death of Lincoln’s son, Willie

The ghost of Abraham Lincoln has been seen multiple times

The sweet scent of lavender fills the air

The White House is visited by the Roaring 1920s

SOURCE History.com, Whitehousehistory.org, Thedeadhistory.com, Firstladies.org and Constitutioncenter.org and USA TODAY research

This story was previously published on Oct. 26, 2024.