The White House Ghost: Has Anybody Here Seen My Old Friend Abraham?

 

  America is full of many supposedly haunted...well, haunts...and perhaps the most famous address to attract paranormal activity is 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. And the most well known spirit that many claim to have seen in the White House is our 16th president, Abraham Lincoln.   Lincoln seems to have a knack for showing up in the White House during times of crisis. Whilst his ghost was reportedly first spotted in the 1920s by Calvin Coolidge's wife, Grace (who witnessed him looking out of a window towards the Potomac and a Civil War battleground) it was during WWII when Franklin Roosevelt was president that many had encounters with old Abe. Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands her a knock on her bedroom door one night during a stay at the White House. When she opened it, she saw Lincoln standing before her, complete with his trademark top hat, and it startled her so much she fainted!   British Prime Minister Winston Churchill also used to recount about how he had just taken a bath in his White House guest room, with his customary stogie and Scotch, and encountered Lincoln standing in his bedroom leaning against the fireplace mantle. Churchill, without missing a beat, said to Lincoln's apparition, "Good evening, Mr. President. You seem to have me at a disadvantage." Lincoln then smiled softly and disappeared.   First ladies Eleanor Roosevelt and Lady Bird Johnson both claimed to have strongly felt Lincoln's presence in the White House, as well as several staff members through the years. Roosevelt's secretary, Mary Eben, saw Lincoln pulling on his boots one day in the Lincoln bedroom. His pacing the floor has also been heard from time to time.   The last reported sighting of Lincoln's ghost was during the early 1980s, when Tony Savory, White House operations foreman, saw him sitting in a chair near the top of a staircase.   Hey Abe old pal, next time bring us a message from the great beyond, will you?