Happy President's Day!

Happy President's Day to all!  As we celebrate the birthdays of two of America's most well known presidential figures, and forgo mail service for another day, I'm reminded of the fact that Washington and Lincoln are undoubtedly the most influential and well known of our "paranormal presidents" as well!

Abraham Lincoln, long recognized for his Spiritualist leanings, is considered to be the most sighted ghost at the White House, and his apparition has cropped up in many other places throughout the years.  The Lincoln Ghost Train, with its skeletal crew, has always been a favorite story of mine.

George Washington, as well, is said to have his favorite haunts, including Woodlawn and Mt. Vernon, but its where these two presidential phantoms meet up is the purpose of today's post!

Growing up, I had always heard the story that George Washington appeared to Abraham Lincoln in ethereal form to encourage him to keep the country together at any cost.  Of course, Lincoln heeded the warning, and thus, the Civil War broke out.  There are some stories that even claim that Washington had his OWN ethereal visitor in the form of an angel back in 1777 that showed him a prophesy that could only be interpreted as an upcoming Civil War between the United States.  Snopes later dismissed that story as completely false--a fictionalized account published well after the date of the alleged vision.  (Read the link for the full account)

Although it is unlikely that George Washington saw a great vision of the impending War, many do still believe he played an integral part in the Union victory. 

In the summer of 1863, Union troops, tired, low on supplies, and of declining morale, were trying to hold off Confederate troops at the strategic hill of Little Round in Gettysburg, PA.  Wearied and discouraged, the troops claimed to have seen a vision of a man in an American Revolution uniform atop a shining white stallion.  The man, with upraised sword a'flame, called for the men to "fix bayonets!" and "charge!" The men followed the orders, charged down the hill, and forced the Confederates into retreat.

The man, of course, was believed to be President Washington and to this day, every summer Gettysburg visitors and residents claim to see the apparition of Washington and his stallion, riding swiftly through the battlefield.