Mary Washington House

The home where George Washington's mother Mary spent her final years, purchased for her by George in 1772. She lived here until her death in 1789.

The Mary Washington House in Fredericksburg stands as one of Virginia's most emotionally charged haunted locations, where the spirit of George Washington's mother refuses to leave the home her famous son purchased for her in 1772. Mary Ball Washington spent her final seventeen years in this comfortable white frame house on Charles Street, within walking distance of her daughter Betty Lewis at Kenmore Plantation. It was here, on August 25, 1789, that Mary died of breast cancer at approximately 82 years of age, after enduring treatments including arsenic, opium, camphor, and hemlock under the care of physicians Elisha Hall and Charles Mortimer.

What makes the Mary Washington House haunting particularly poignant is the mystery surrounding Mary's grave. She was buried three days after her death near Meditation Rock on the Kenmore grounds, her favorite retreat where she read her Bible and prayed for her son during the Revolutionary War. However, George Washington never laid a gravestone for his mother, and when the family later tried to prove ownership of the house, they discovered the deed was missing. The exact location of her grave remains unknown to this day, and many believe this unresolved matter keeps her spirit earthbound.

Docents and visitors have reported Mary's presence throughout the house for decades. She appears as a benign but determined spirit wearing the long skirts and attire of her era, continuing the domestic routines she performed in life. Staff members have heard the distinctive swishing of her skirts and watched in amazement as doors close by themselves, her way of keeping warmth inside the rooms. Those passing by after hours have glimpsed her ghostly figure tending to her beloved garden or sitting contemplatively by the window, gazing out as if still waiting for her son's visits.

But Mary is not alone. The spirit of George Washington himself reportedly returns to visit his mother, creating what paranormal investigators call the spookiest family reunion. His ghost has been seen frantically searching through papers, desperately looking for the missing deed to the house, a task he could not complete in life while occupied with presidential duties. The doors of his former book cabinet fly open playfully during tours, particularly startling a group of elementary school children when one door was pushed from inside, popping the other open.

Paranormal investigator Mike Ricksecker of Haunted Road Media captured compelling evidence during an investigation at the house. He invited medium Vanessa Hogle to remotely view the location without telling her where he was investigating. Hogle psychically perceived Mary's spirit showing her the children and books she used for their education. She detected a spirit earnestly searching through stacks of papers, sensed the distinctive smell of powder used on 18th-century wigs, and heard a man pacing upstairs in the room above Mary's chambers.

What distinguishes encounters at the Mary Washington House from other hauntings is the emotional quality witnesses describe. Rather than fear, visitors report feelings of warmth and tranquility, as if Mary's motherly nature extends beyond death. Her spirit seems to find comfort in familiar surroundings, or perhaps yearns for the son who went on to shape a nation.

The Mary Washington House remains a popular stop on Fredericksburg ghost tours, including the annual University of Mary Washington Ghost Walk. Each October, the house hosts Mary's Ribbons, a breast cancer awareness event honoring Mary's battle with the disease that claimed her life. Visitors are invited to tie pink ribbons to the fence, creating a touching tribute to America's first mother. The house stands as a National Historic Landmark, preserved by the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities since 1890 when they saved it from being moved to the Chicago World's Fair.

Today, the Mary Washington House offers tours where visitors may experience the presence that docents have long acknowledged. Whether it's the faint rustle of colonial skirts, doors closing on their own, or the sense of a watchful maternal figure, Mary Ball Washington's spirit remains the anchor that draws her family home, century after century.