The Octagon House
Located in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood of Washington, D.C., The Octagon House is a celebrated early Federal-style mansion built in 1799 for wealthy Virginia planter Colonel John Tayloe III. Designed by Dr. William Thornton, the original architect of the United States Capitol, the unique six-sided brick structure served as the temporary Executive Mansion for President James Madison and First Lady Dolley Madison following the burning of the White House during the War of 1812. It was in the mansion's upstairs circular parlor that President Madison signed the Treaty of Ghent in 1815, officially ending the war. Beyond its monumental political legacy, The Octagon House has been widely regarded since the late nineteenth century as the most famous haunted private residence in Washington, D.C., renowned for phantom servant bells, spectral apparitions on its grand oval staircase, and the lingering scent of lilacs.