The Carlyle House Historic Park is one of the most famous landmarks in Alexandria. Learn the spooky tales that haunt this historic park with USGA.
What appears like an aged colonial ruin that rests behind a hotel happens to be one of Alexandria’s most sought-after haunted locations: the Carlyle House Historic Park.Â
This park is a must-see stop on our tour of haunted Alexandra. Join US Ghost Adventures and learn about the site’s rich history and haunted tales that give it an infamous reputation in this Virginia town.Â
Built in 1752 by Scottish merchant John Carlyle, the home was on one of Alexandria’s premier lots. Resting near the Potomac River, the house has seen history that’s older than the United States. However, Carlyle had other businesses in England that helped him generate his wealth far before owning the colonial home.
He married a wealthy English socialite, Sarah Fairfax, whose father owned a significant amount of land in Virginia. Over the years, Carlyle owned a few plantations that made him among Virginia’s wealthy elite.Â
The Carlyle property housed British generals and military commanders during the French-Indian Conflict. Some of the meetings in the Carlyle House would eventually cause tensions, leading to the Revolutionary War.Â
During the American Civil War, the Carlyle house once again housed soldiers. It was a make-shift field hospital for treating wounded Union Soldiers during their occupation. Like many properties in Virginia, the deaths caused by the Civil War are a primary source of various hauntings.Â
The Union Soldiers used the property with so little maintenance that it almost collapsed. After the Civil War and during the era of restitution, people discovered a wide range of odd items in the home. One famous discovery was of a mummified cat inside the walls, thought to bring good luck according to some British customs.
The ghosts of fallen dossiers aren’t the only spirits to allegedly roam the property. Throughout the centuries, there have been several ghostly aspirations discovered at the Carlyle House. Some guests at the home had oddly fallen to their deaths during their stay.Â
Local legend says that people who visit the Carlyle House at night can see their spirits roaming around the yard. A Union Soldier jumped from a window after a strange hallucination of spirits chasing him.Â
Today, people can visit the Carlyle House to learn about its rich history. However, guests can also visit the property in hopes of seeing one of the many spirits still residing there.Â
Alexandria is home to a vast array of historical landmarks that teach about the early years of American history. And some of that history still haunts the present. One of the most exciting ways to discover it is our Alexandria Ghost Tour, which takes you to the Carlyle House and several other popular haunted locations in the city.Â
Join US Ghost Adventures for a spooky peek into the past.
Since 2013, US Ghost Adventures has offered entertaining, historic, and authentic ghost tours of America’s most haunted cities. We deliver fun yet honest accounts of hauntings across the nation for curious people of all ages. Our ghost stories are based on historical research, but that doesn’t mean they won’t send a chill down your spine.
This video gives you a small taste of what you might experience on your ghost tour — subscribe to our YouTube Channel for more.
US Ghost Adventures also offers virtual tours, a self-guided mobile app, and an Alexa voice app.
