HAUNTED HIDEAWAYS
How the most haunted locations in the DMV measure up CC PALUMBO OPINIONS EDITOR
BUNNYMAN BRIDGE
Location: Clifton, Virginia he Bunnyman Bridge stories will make you see the mall Easter Bunny in a new light. A variety of legends about the site’s origins exist, but most of them involve a man in a bunny suit terrorizing people near the secluded bridge. Upon my arrival, I immediately wanted to leave the site. The Bunnyman Bridge is located in the kind of place I wouldn’t want to spend the night—let alone half an hour. Although the chances of a man in a bunny suit attacking me felt pretty low, there is no doubt something was off about that place.
T
OLD STONE HOUSE
Location: Washington D.C. (Georgetown) ne of the oldest structures in Washington D.C., the Old Stone House is infamous due to claims of it being haunted and reports of spirit voices. I had been to this house when I was a kid and it’s still just as creepy as I remembered it to be. The old wood floors and stairs creak with every slight movement, making me scared to even look over my shoulder. I had low expectations for this hideaway, assuming that it was only scary to my 10-year-old self, but the Old Stone House proved me wrong.
O
CLARA BARTON HISTORIC SITE Location: Glen Echo, Maryland lara Barton was a nurse during the American Civil War and founder of the American Red Cross. Legend says that after she died, her spirit never left the home she lived in and she still haunts it to this day. Those who claim to have seen her decribe her as a transparent figure wearing a green dress. When I first arrived, the atmosphere was horrible—it was raining and muggy. I drove all the way there just to want to turn around and speed back to McLean. If I spent a second longer, I am pretty sure Ms. Barton would have personally evicted me from her property.
C
WALSH MANSION
Location: Washington D.C. (Dupont Circle) valyn Walsh McLean owned the Walsh Mansion in the early 1900s. Speculators believe that her family’s purchase of the Hope Diamond caused her death. She reportedly still roams the estate and is often spotted on the grand staircase. The family sold the property to the Indonesian government, and it’s still an Indonesian embassy. I felt the spirit of Halloween when I went on a cloudy day, but the mansion was disappointing. The house was weathered and intimidating due to its height and colonial-style architecture. However, as grand as it was, the building and neighborhood lacked the quintessential atmosphere to make my skin crawl.
E
Page design by Ariana Elahi & Taylor Olson | Illustrations by Jayne Ogilvie-Russell
OCTOBER 2021 | FEATURES | 15
