The Old Stone House

Posted: 05.02.2021 | Updated: 03.20.2025

Amidst the sea of brick and car-lined streets of Washington, D.C.’s Georgetown neighborhood, the Old Stone House stands out. However, it’s not just the subdued colors of its stony exterior that make it stand out. It sits in the shadow of its neighboring buildings, its roofline slightly lower than the nearest commercial spaces.

Despite its small stature, the Old Stone House has a big and bold personality. It has developed over the centuries, largely due to the unseen and often wraithful forces within. 

As the oldest structure in Washington, D.C. on its original foundation, the stone house has seen the best and worst of mankind. Though the exterior has been renovated, there are some things a fresh coat of paint can’t hide. For example, there is a malevolent presence, within the stone walls waiting to feed off the energy of the living. 

But that’s just the start. 

Eleven spirits are said to be bound to the Old Stone House, anchored by their unique, albeit unknown, ties to the centuries-old building. 

From the cruelest phantoms to the most tragic specters, Washington, D.C., boasts a fascinating congregation of the departed. Score an opportunity to peer into the afterlife with a Washington, D.C., ghost tour from DC Ghosts.

What Happened at the Old Stone House?

With eleven apparitions, spirits, wraiths, and poltergeists embedded within the lore of the Old Stone House, clearly, it must have a history of tragedy and death. However, that’s the most peculiar part about the home and what ultimately fuels the mystery behind it. With no reported sudden passings or unnatural deaths tied to the Old Stone House, one must consider what happened behind closed doors to warrant such a collection of differing ghosts.

Quick Facts:

• At least 11 ghosts haunt the home.
• It was believed to be the headquarters of George Washington.
• The government purchased the home in 1953.
• Two of the prominent homeowners owned slaves.

Georgetown Before the Old Stone House

Determining why the Old Stone House is home to so many ghosts isn’t easy. As many of the spirits are dressed in period garb, when the deaths occurred is at least obvious. How they died and why they’re trapped within the old home remains unanswered, though. That being said, one has to dig deeper into Georgetown’s history to understand the pull the land may have had.

Long before the first stone was laid, the Anacostia tribes lived on the land along the Potomac. As so much of American history started, their claim soon came under attack. As German and Scottish immigrants arrived, they found fertile lands, a moderate climate, and rushing waters perfect for the development of villages. 

It may not have been violence that drove the Natives out, but Europeans came with diseases that devastated entire populations. It’s speculated that the suffering of the Natives may have become a part of the noted spiritual energy of the Stone House after they were cleared from the area.

The energy lay dormant in the grounds where locations like the Old Stone House would be built, eventually seeping into porous materials used to develop Georgetown. Could this have charged a building like the old home, turning it into a conduit for the dearly departed? 

The Families of Washington, D.C.’s Stone Home

What’s quite unique about the eleven specters is that they’re not all from one family. In fact, it’s possible that none of them are related or even from the same period. 

Many families have lived within the stone home over the years, starting with the first owners of Georgetown Lot #3, who actually improved the property. Unlike two of the lot’s previous owners, Christopher and Rachael Layman built on the lot, laying the foundation for the Old Stone House we know today.

Unfortunately, partway through construction, Christopher passed away. Rachael did complete the build, though. She retained ownership of the property until 1767 when she remarried and traded the lot with Cassandra Chew. Chew’s wealth enabled her to develop the house further, adding a rear kitchen and two additional floors. 

Until she passed away in 1811, Chew rented the property to those needing accommodations. Unfortunately, who rented it is unknown, so it can’t be said if that’s where one of the spirits may stem.

What is known about Cassandra’s time as a homeowner is that for much of it, she was a slaveholder. As it turns out, so was her eldest daughter and next of kin to take ownership of the Old Stone House.

Slavery and the Old Stone House

After Cassandra’s death, Mary Chew Smith Brumley took over the property on Lot #3. Like her mother, Mary owned slaves with her husband, Richard. 

Though she sold some of the enslaved off after Richard’s death, records at the time of her passing in 1826 showed she still owned 15. Whether they had direct ties to the Old Stone House, lived on the property, or were forced to work elsewhere in Georgetown remains foggy. 

However, it can be difficult to find a still-standing slaveowner’s home that isn’t haunted today. 

Tainted by the darkness of owning a person, Cassandra and Mary’s have left a stain on the Old Stone House. It may be that stain that manifests the home’s most vile specter, a brutish man known only as “George.”

The Eleven Haunts of the Old Stone House

George is a rather violent entity of the Old Stone House. While not to be confused for George Washington, who was mistakenly attributed to having used the stone house as his headquarters, he is just as infamous. 

Dangerous to the living, the wraith targets women, strangling and shoving them when they enter his third-floor bedroom. The focus on women does question whether George was one of the women’s former slaves in the Old Stone House.

Is he merely getting his revenge, mistakenly targeting his anger at every woman he sees?

It’s a frightening thought and one best unexplored. Thankfully, there are 10 other specters roaming through the home.

Each one has a unique personality like the 18th-century woman often spotted by the fireplace or the athletic woman spotted running laps on the stairs. If you do have to be on the third floor, keep an eye out for little Joey. A stark contrast to George, Joey is a young boy who somehow wound up attached to the old home. 

Some visitors have claimed to spot another young African American boy, an ethereal figure in the kitchen, and a woman enjoying the slow rock of a rocking chair. Two Colonial soldiers stand at attention while another man in a blue jacket seems to be aimless in the home. 

That leaves one last specter, and it’s believed to be one that may actually have a claim to the Old Stone House: Christopher Layman.

Visit Haunted DC

Spirits converge in the nation’s capital, and historical figures return from the dead to check on the flourishing country they left behind. To hear more fascinating tales like that of the Old Stone House in Georgetown, all it takes is a little stroll and open ears. 

Washington, D.C, is a hotbed for spectral activity that warrants embarking on a journey to the other side with D.C. Ghosts. Be sure to read more about Washington, D.C.’s haunted history on our blog and follow us on Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram for even more spooky ghost stories from the nation’s capital. 

Sources: 

• https://www.nps.gov/rocr/learn/historyculture/old-stone-house-history.htm
• https://cagtown.org/about-cag/history-of-georgetown/
• https://npshistory.com/publications/rocr/brochures/old-stone-house4.pdf
• https://www.hauntedinamerica.com/old-stone-house/