The White House may be home to the seat of executive power in the U.S., but if some who have walked its halls are to be believed, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. also plays host to spirits that long ago graced the mansion.

Ghost stories and spiritual abnormalities have surrounded the White House nearly as long as it has existed, according to the White House Historical Association .

The majority of White House ghost stories developed during the nineteenth century, according to the WHHA , as spiritualism was a prevalent belief in the country in the wake of the Civil War.

“Spiritualism offered a coping mechanism that was necessary during a time when life was shrouded in death,” Alexandria Kommel wrote for the Association.

The presidential mansion is arguably the most well-known haunted house

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