The Woodrow Wilson House

Posted: 11.07.2024 | Updated: 11.22.2024

A sorrowful groan drones through the stately manor, the echoes of regrets from another life reverberating through the 12-room home. The Greek Revival abode at 2340 S Street Northwest in Washington, D.C., boasts many fascinating features, but the undead residents intrigue the most. The body of former President Woodrow Wilson may be at rest at the Washington National Cathedral, but his detached spirit is clearly still tied to our mortal realm.

An otherwise innocuous building, the Woodrow Wilson House contains mysteries within, ethereal figures that relay the tales of yesteryear. Woodrow Wilson is said to be the most prominent of the specters, a haunt mourning a life left unfulfilled. Walk through the threshold of the century-old home and witness the pangs of the last days of Wilson’s life as he gave up on dreams and faced an imminent end.  

Why is the Woodrow Wilson House Haunted?

Residual hauntings and intelligent apparitions are often the product of tragedy and trauma, as the energy manifested by these events imprints itself on nearby objects and surfaces. Woodrow Wilson’s death—and the few years leading to it—oozed misery and depression. The former president was an ambitious man with a clear picture of his life after his presidency. Then, a stroke left him an invalid, shattering his dreams before he could even remotely act on them. 

President Wilson’s melancholic energy courses through his old home, converting an otherwise quaint space into the perfect haunted spot. Book a ghost tour with DC Ghosts to learn more about the haunted history of Washington, D.C.

The Tragedy of Woodrow Wilson’s Presidency 

In 1913, Woodrow Wilson began a two-term service as President of the United States. He guided the nation through World War I, even with his emphasis on global peace. An educator and politician, the Democratic president took a pragmatic approach to issues that plagued the United States and beyond. His influence and guidance led to the Fourteen Points of the Versailles Treaty and the creation of the League of Nations, an organization designed to ensure World War I wouldn’t be repeated.

His personality and way of handling complicated situations would have followed him into his post-presidency life. Unfortunately, in 1919, President Wilson suffered a stroke that incapacitated him, making it impossible for him to oversee the country. Wilson was a workhorse, and his refusal to stop took a significant toll on his life, as was predicted before he even started his first term. In fact, some physicians didn’t believe he would even make it beyond a one-term presidency.

On September 25, 1919, the president suffered a life-threatening stroke that officially incapacitated him from running his office. Refusing to step down, though, he and his wife, Edith Wilson, worked together to run the country until his second term ended in 1921. In the wake of his service to the United States, Woodrow and Edith moved into a new home. Not wanting to be far from his coveted office, for which he had hoped to run a third term, the former president purchased a residence under two miles from the White House, just off Embassy Row.

The Short History of the Woodrow Wilson House

Just five years before President Wilson and the First Lady moved into their new abode on South Street Northwest, Bigelow Carpet Company executive Henry Fairbanks watched with anticipation as the finishing touches were being put on his new Georgian Revival-style home. The red brick facade lent to its stately appearance, with window accents and a beautiful terrace overlooking the gardens, giving the house a luxurious appearance. The interior only enhances the appeal, its grandiose entryway with marble flooring and an ornate staircase topping off some of the home’s more lavish features.

How Did Woodrow Wilson Die?

Henry lived in the private residence until 1921, when the president offered to purchase the property for his beloved Edith. It was here the two lived out their final days together, as Woodrow Wilson’s body succumbed further to the effects of the first stroke. On February 3, 1924, Wilson suffered another stroke at the age of 67, this one proving fatal for his already weakened and frail body. 

At the time of his death, President Woodrow Wilson was the only president to be buried in the capital city. Until President Obama, he was also the only president to remain in Washington, D.C., after his term ended. Despite her husband’s passing, Edith stayed at the red-brick home outside of the Embassy District until her passing many years later in 1961.

Though Woodrow and Edith had three children, when she passed away, Edith bestowed the Washington, D.C., mansion to the National Trust for Historic Preservation as a dedication to her husband. Likely unbeknownst to her at the time, the home was more than just a monument to the 28th president. It was where his spirit had attached itself, entombing the former president in an eternity of anguish for his unrealized accomplishments.

The Despondent Spirit Of Embassy Row

Unlike so many centuries-old homes, the museum isn’t marked with a timeline full of death and tragedy. That can make it easy to pinpoint precisely who’s still meandering throughout the space, startling visitors with disembodied cries and moving rocking chairs. 

You may hear a slow shuffle moving through the home or the rhythmic rapping of something striking the floor. There’s a sense of unease tied to the presence within the home, an attribute many believe to be caused by the last years of the president’s life.

The Mournful Ghost of Woodrow Wilson

If there’s a spirit to be found within the walls of the residence, it’s the man for whom the building is named. It’s believed that the former president had big plans for when his tenure in politics was over. He wished to start a law firm and further his worldliness, all while staying true to his ideals and principles. 

Then, the stroke afflicted him. 

With his presidency essentially ended early and his dreams far out of reach, negativity brewed around Wilson, absorbing into the porous surfaces of the home. After his passing, his spirit remained behind, attached to his home and drawing energy from the emotional charge manifested by his gloomy state. 

The mansion is often filled with the sobs of a lone man, who many believe to be the former president, grieving the life he couldn’t finish living. In his rocking chair, Wilson’s apparition has been seen as if reflecting on what the stroke took from him.

Reported activity at the museum has proven to be too much for some, and legend has it that, in 1969, a museum caretaker quit, citing the shuffling along the floor as a catalyst for his departure.

Haunted Washington D.C.

The Woodrow Wilson House is an important piece of American history, where the 28th president lived out the remainder of his years. A stroke incapacitated him, allegedly depressing him as it prevented the former president from pursuing dreams he had beyond the Oval Office. Upon his death in 1924, his essence remained behind. Not that of the peace-driven president who went against his laurels to help during World War I, but of a more broken man, lost and forever seeking a hint of happiness.

More than just a relic of American history, the Woodrow Wilson House is a potential hotspot for a paranormal entity. For a chance to learn more about the hauntings of Washington, D.C., book a ghost tour with DC Ghosts today. Be sure to check out our blog for even more frightful stories from the nation’s oldest city, and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok for more Washington, D.C. haunts.

Sources:

https://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/woodrow-wilson

https://www.biography.com/political-figures/woodrow-wilson

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/woodrow-wilson-stroke

https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/historically-odds-were-stacked-against-any-president-seeking-a-third-term

https://www.biography.com/political-figures/edith-wilson-first-president-biography-facts