The Spirits of the Van Ness Mansion

Posted: 02.14.2025 | Updated: 02.14.2025

The legend of the ghost that haunts Van Ness Mansion has long been part of Washington, D.C.’s lore. Over a hundred years ago, in 1919, a local newspaper even wrote about the woman who haunts the mansion — who was often seen carrying “a spectral candle in her hand.” 

As the nation’s capital, Washington, D.C., has seen plenty of dirty deals, murderous backstabs, and conniving betrayals that have laid the foundation for a city teeming with ghosts. To see some of the most haunted sites in all of D.C., book a ghost tour tonight with DC Ghosts. 

Is the Van Ness Mansion Haunted?

According to more than a century of eyewitness accounts, the Van Ness Mansion is undeniably haunted. Yet, there is some speculation about who haunts it. From the ghost of a former owner to the spirits of a group of animals, there are many tales of the apparitions that reside within the estate. 

Many of the ghosts are tied to the original owners of the mansion: the Van Ness family. 

Van Ness Mansion: One of the Finest Homes in D.C.

The man who commissioned the Van Ness estate to be built was a pretty big deal. During John Peter Van Ness’s life, he was a general, mayor of Washington, D.C., and congressman. 

During his political rise, he wanted to build a home that not only reflected his status but also impressed anyone who visited the capital. He accomplished his goal, spending $60,000 ($1.34 million in today’s dollars) on the luxurious mansion that was completed in 1816.

Van Ness spared no expense, importing Italian marble for the fireplaces and decorating the doors with Spanish Azulejo tiles. The massive house had three cellars that were only accessible by trap doors: one was used to store ice, another was a wine cellar, and the last was a jail for enslaved people. 

While Van Ness came from money himself, his wife, Marcia Burns, was responsible for bankrolling the mansion. 

The Burns Family

Marcia’s family already had quite a reputation before she was born. Her father, David, was one of the largest landowners in the D.C. area before the city was established. As the city was being built, Burns — also known as “the obstinate Mr. Burns” — made a very famous enemy: George Washington himself. 

Washington had been mostly successful in buying land to build his capital from local landowners. But David Burns wouldn’t budge. He was so unwilling to come to an agreement that Washington went out to Burns’s small, white cottage himself to negotiate. 

The conversation reportedly became very heated, with Burns famously saying: “I suppose you think that people here are going to take every grist that comes from you as pure grain. But what would you have been if you had not married the rich Widow Custis?”

Much of Washington’s fortune did, in fact, come from his marriage to Martha. This direct affront, however, was so outrageous that Washington threatened that he could take Burns’s land if he really wanted to. 

Burns didn’t fold right away, though. He slowly sold off each of his 450 acres to the government, getting more money for each one. 

The Burns Family Land

Today, some of the most famous areas in D.C. were once owned by the Burns family, including the land around the White House and Lafayette Square. This is likely why David Burns’s ghost is still seen milling around the White House now and then. 

However, he held onto a small piece of land in the center of town: a city block surrounded by C Street, Constitution Avenue, 17th Street, and 18th Street. Upon his death, Marcia inherited her father’s fortune — and the land. 

This is where Marcia and John P. Van Ness built their massive mansion. However, she specifically made sure that her father’s humble white cottage was not touched during her lifetime. 

Who Haunts Van Ness Mansion?

The most commonly seen spirit near Van Ness Mansion is Marcia Burns Van Ness, who seems content staying on her family’s land. Or perhaps she wants to remain close to her only child, Ann, who died giving birth to her stillborn child. 

Marcia died a decade after her daughter in 1832, leaving John Van Ness alone and heartbroken. He became a recluse for the latter part of his life, letting his grand home fall into disrepair around him. 

In the following years, people experienced all sorts of strange things within the home. Great laughter would be heard echoing through the walls when no one was there. Then, horrible screams would take its place — perhaps the screams from Ann’s last hours. 

A woman’s spirit was also seen sporting an old-fashioned bonnet that was already out of fashion at the time. This is the same woman who was seen carrying a candle around the property. 

The other famous spirits to see, however, have four legs. 

The Six White Horses

When John P. Van Ness died in 1846, a grand funeral was planned. This included his body being placed into a carriage, which was pulled by his six finest white horses. 

To this day, the spirits of headless horses are seen galloping around the Van Ness Mansion’s property. People believe the horses’ heads were buried with their beloved owner. They’re most often seen on March 7, the anniversary of his death. 

The Ghosts of Would-Be President Kidnappers

There are other strange things that are seen and heard at the Van Ness Mansion, like footsteps and disembodied voices. Some believe these could be spirits tied to the next owner of the home: Thomas Green. 

When he bought the mansion, the Virginian attorney was well-respected. Yet, this changed quickly when the home was involved in a treacherous plot to kidnap President Abraham Lincoln. 

The story goes that a man named Sam Arnold planned to abduct Lincoln on one of his solo nighttime walks, smuggle him through the White House gardens, and hold him in one of the cellars at the Van Ness Mansion. 

While Green was eventually exonerated from playing a role in the plot, many Washingtonians continued to believe that he was involved. Some believe that Green’s disgraced ghost never moved on and continues to haunt the place that proved to be his social downfall. 

Haunted Washington, D.C.

Several of the most haunted locations in the U.S. capital are on land that the Burns family once owned. This includes the White House, which is famous for many well-known spirits lingering, and Lafayette Square, which has spirits who haven’t left after its golden days as a racetrack. 

Not far away is also the National Theatre, where an up-and-coming actor was shot and killed beneath the stage just before a show. His spirit will still appear throughout the theater — sometimes even joining the actors on stage. 

If you want to see the most haunted and darkest locations in D.C., book a ghost tour with DC Ghosts. 

If you want to learn about more haunted mansions and landmarks in Washington, D.C., check out our blog. To learn about other sites haunted by animals and people alike, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. 

Sources:

• https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn92051227/1919-10-16/ed-1/seq-12/#date1=1789&index=6&rows=20&searchType=advanced&language=&sequence=0&words=Capital+Capitol+van+Ghosts+ghosts+haunted+Washington&proxdistance=5&date2=1963&ortext=capital+capitol+ghost+halloween&proxtext=haunted+washington&phrasetext=&andtext=&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1&loclr=blogser
• https://dcghosts.com/
• https://americanaristocracy.com/houses/van-ness-mansion
• https://www.officialdata.org/us/inflation/1816?amount=60000
• https://boundarystones.weta.org/2020/07/13/obstinate-mr-burns-and-first-white-house
• https://www.foggybottomassociation.org/post/funkstown-no-10-haunted-foggy-bottom