Of the many ghostly stories surrounding the historic Octagon House, one I find most compelling is the numerous accounts of hearing servant bells ringing throughout the house. The most significant account of this is from Marian Gouverneur, wife of Samuel Laurence Gouverneur Jr., the first American consul in China.

It is as follows:

“I have been told by the daughters of General George D. Ramsay that upon one occasion their father was requested by Colonel John Tayloe… to remain at the Octagon overnight, when he was obliged to be absent, as a protection to his daughters… While the members of the family were at the evening meal, the bells in the house began to ring violently. General Ramsay immediately arose from the table to investigate, but failed to unravel the mystery. The butler, in a state of great alarm, rushed into the dining-room and declared that it was the work of an unseen hand. As they continued to ring, General Ramsay held the rope which controlled the bells, but, it is said, they were not silenced.”

Legend says you can still sometimes hear the bells ringing in the Octagon House to this day.