THE STORY
Reported Haunting
Virginia's Executive Mansion is associated with the apparition of a woman first reported at an upstairs window during Governor Philip McKinney's administration in the 1890s. A police officer later reported seeing the same mysterious figure at the mansion. Other accounts describe unexplained sounds and activity attributed to former occupants of the historic residence.
The Virginia Governor’s Mansion, or Executive Mansion, is the oldest occupied governor’s mansion in the U.S., serving since 1813. In the 1890s, the apparition of a lady was seen sitting at the window by then-governor Philip McKinney. She was seen later by a police officer, and since then has caused many strange things to happen, such as the moving of paintings, causing of a light to stay on even when turned off, and an icy freeze in the basement on a hot day. The ghost’s identity is unknown.