Washington DC can be a bit of an odd place. It has its fair
share of ghost stories, quirky places and mysteries. Among the famous myths and
lore of DC, these seven urban legends stand out as the most memorable legends
in the district.
The Curse of the Hope
Diamond
The Hope Diamond is rumored to be cursed. The legend goes
that the diamond brings misfortune and tragedy to anyone who owns or wears it.
There have been numerous "victims" of the curse including the finance
Minister Nicholas Fouquet, the Turkish Sultan Abudl Hamid and French Princesse
de Lamablle. Today you can see the diamond at its home at the Smithsonian.
The Demon Cat
Many members of Congress and their aides have reported
sightings of the so-called Demon Cat that haunts the Capitol building. The
story goes that cats were once brought into the basement tunnels of the Capitol
buildings to kill rats and this one never left. The cat is reported to be seen
before presidential elections and tragedies.
The Exorcism
No one did fall down the stairs in Georgetown as the movie
The Exorcist suggests. However, the author of the screenplay and the novel was
inspired by an actual case in DC during which a 14 year old boy was supposedly
possessed by the devil. There was a front page story about the exorcism in the
Washington Post in 1949.
The Three Sisters
Curse
The Three Sisters are three rocky islands in the middle of
the Potomac River. The legend is that the three Algonquian sisters tried to
cross the river to win the release of their brothers who had been kidnapped.
The sisters drowned during their swim and before they died, they cursed the
spot so that no one could cross the Potomac there. It’s said that a strange
moaning is heard from the Potomac River before the curse strikes.
Curse of Tippecanoe
This curse may have been broken but it’s still one of the
most prominent in DC. The curse is that Presidents die or is killed in office
if they are elected in years divisible by twenty. William Henry Harrison who
was elected in 1840, John F. Kennedy, who was elected in 1960 are two victims
of this curse. Additionally Ronald Reagan, who was elected in 1980, was wounded
by gunshot while he was in office. The curse was broken by George W. Bush, who
survived his time in office.
The Chamber underneath
the Ellipse
The Ellipse Park is a circular park behind the White House,
is said to be the "center" of Washington DC. The park was marked as
the "Meridian" in 1890 by a small plaque. The story is that there is
a secret chamber built beneath the Ellipse that holds jewels and treasures.
The Demonic Street
Designs of DC
This infamous conspiracy theory suggests that Pierre
L’Enfant was in fact a member of the Illuminati and incorporated demonic
symbols in the street design, including an inverted pentagram that points
toward the White House. Conspiracy theorists suspect the design is meant to
point the devil towards the White House.
Are you afraid to visit our nation’s capital?!
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