The Removal of Black Aggie, Part ll

In Part l of this post here, several legends are shared that resulted in the Black Aggie statue being removed from the Druid Ridge Cemetery. 

Large numbers of people entering this Cemetery in Pikesville, Maryland, at night illegally, plus ongoing vandalism spurred its removal.

The Agnus Family donated it to the Smithsonian in the 1960s. They are related to the general whose grave displayed the Black Aggie statue.

Black Aggie statue.

The following is just one of the many scary legends that were told about this statue—which spurred its removal.

Three teens were sitting on a slope overlooking Druid Ridge Cemetery in the 1950s. They were there because they had heard rumors about one marble grave marker dubbed—Black Aggie.

One boy in the group, Nathan had heard the stories from his mother, so he was regaling the other two with what he knew.

“At first glance, Black Aggie looks harmless-- but her angelic face is deceiving for she has a demonic nature. They say it’s her eyes-- during the day they are pale and blank, but at night they turn fiercely red and glowing.”

The other male in the group, a boy by the name Josh laughed. “So she is a statue that gives you an evil eye. Come on you don’t actually believe that?”

Nathan placed on the defensive stated, “It is not just an evil eye, witnesses state when you look directly into Aggie’s eyes, you go blind.”

They say she is a particular threat to males. She hates them because of the way she died.”

Josh’s girlfriend asked, “How did she die?”

Nathan relishing his role continued, “My mother told me she was left at the altar. She then died of a broken heart.”

Josh laughed again. “This is all hogwash. Has anyone witnessed her red eyes or evil nature?”

Nathan worried he was losing face, got up off the grass. “It’s getting cold, time to leave.”

Josh ran down the hill. “Not until we visit Black Aggie.”

Nathan reluctantly showed the other two the way to the statue. It was located in the oldest part of the cemetery—Black Aggie sat with her arms stretched out and a shroud draped over her—in the shadow of an ancient oak.

Josh moved in close, “So this is Evil Aggie?”

As a chill ran down Nathan’s back, he glanced around and nodded yes. “It is cold and late, let’s go.”

Josh reached out and poked the statue. He quipped, “So many men to blind and so little time.”

Nathan now nervous but not wanting to show it, feigned boredom. “Hey, you’ve seen her—now let’s go.”

Josh ignored Nathan and stepped up onto the base of the statue, he then jumped into her lap. “You go, I want to visit with Aggie for awhile.”

He leaned back against one of the statue’s arms and dangled his legs over the other. His date looked up at him, “You shouldn’t do that, it is disrespectful.”

A cold chill slammed into the center of Nathan’s gut. Frightened now, he said, “this isn’t funny.” When Josh once more ignored him, he shouted, “Get down, let’s go, I mean it.”

Josh looked over at the other two teens. “You are chickens. You should go, I don’t feel like hanging out anymore.”

Nathan grabbed Josh's girlfriend by the hand and escorted her out of the cemetery.

The next morning she called Nathan. “Josh’s mom called me this morning—she is in a panic because he didn’t come home last night.”

Nathan blew it off, “He is just trying to freak everyone out.” But several hours later when Josh still had not made an appearance, the two teens met back at the entrance to the cemetery.

When they came within sight of Black Aggie Josh’s girlfriend sighed in relief, “There he is, still in her lap.”

Nathan shouted Josh’s name, but he did not respond. As the two drew near, they found it odd he didn’t acknowledge their presence. Nathan then reached out and touched Josh’s arm.

Josh moved slightly, “Is that you guys?”

Nathan said, “It’s us, why didn’t you go home last night?”

Josh turned to them, and they drew back in horror as they looked upon his face. His eyes were coated white—he was blind.

“I couldn’t find my way . . . and she wouldn’t let me go.” He held up one of his arms, and there the other two teens saw dark purple and blue marks, in the shape of Black Aggie’s five stone fingers.

More legends are shared in Part l The Removal of Black Aggie, here.

The Removal of Black Aggie, Part l

The name Black Aggie was given to a statue that initially stood in Druid Ridge Cemetery in Pikesville, Maryland. It marked the grave of General Felix Agnus.

Black Aggie in Druid Ridge Cemetery

This statue, dramatic in appearance is an unauthorized replica of a statue sculpted by Saint-Gaudens in 1891—called Grief. It depicts a dark, seated figure that wears a shroud.

This statue was placed in Druid Ridge in 1926. Soon after several scary legends were attributed to it.

The main legend stated that if someone dared to spend the night sitting on the lap of Black Aggie they would encounter the ghost buried there.

Another legend stated that all the ghosts in this cemetery would gather together at this statue once a year.

Other tales stated that grass would not grow in the areas where the statue’s shadow rested during the day. A more startling claim was the statue’s eyes would glow red at night, and that Black Aggie would physically move.

These legends attracted unwanted attention. Many people broke into Druid Ridge Cemetery at night and the statue was frequently vandalized.

Spot where the statue once stood.

Fed up, the Agnus family donated the statue to the Smithsonian in 1967, however its original base remains at the General’s grave.

Today Black Aggie is displayed in the courtyard behind the National Courts Building in Lafayette Square in Washington, D.C.

In Washington, D.C.

Ironically, another grave statue that is located at Green Mount Cemetery in Montpelier, Vermont has inherited the legends that originally surrounded Black Aggie.

In Part ll of The Removal of Black Aggie, one story that inspired the interest that surrounds this statue is shared.

Maryland: Ghosts of Antietam

This Civil War battle was the result of Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s first invasion of the North in September of 1862.

One day of intense fighting turned the Antietam battle into one of the bloodiest of the war—second only to Gettysburg in devastation.

Bodies after the battle.

Lee’s troops met the Union army at Antietam Creek * on the 17^th near the small town of Sharpsburg in Maryland. A staggering 23,100 men were wounded, killed or were missing in action after these two armies collided in cornfields and farmlands.

* In 1933, the National Park Service took over this site making it a National Park.

In just four hours alone, along a sunken road that separated two farms 5,000 men died.

Lee’s troops had reached this road and stayed, thinking at first it provided some protection. Soldiers on both sides fired continuously as the Union soldiers tried to take the position.

Finally, the Confederate soldiers were overrun—bodies fell on top of bodies along this bloody road.

Part of the Sunken Road now
known as Bloody Lane.

Today this road is called Bloody Lane. People who visit it claim it leaves an eerie impression. For no matter how many visitors roam this old road on any given day—it remains deathly quiet.

Many modern-day visitors have experienced strange activity along Bloody Lane. The sounds of gunfire and the smell of gunpowder are reported when no one is around.

One male visitor to Antietam National Battlefield spotted several men wearing Confederate uniforms as he walked Bloody Lane. At first, he thought they were war re-enactors but then he saw them vanish.

Another strange encounter occurred when a group of Baltimore schoolboys visited the lane. They heard singing out in the fields. They described it as a chant or the Christmas song Deck the Halls.

They heard Fa-la-la-la-la sung repeatedly.

Observation tower along Sunken Road.

Their encounter is telling in that during the battle an Irish brigade charged the Confederates near the observation tower located along Sunken Road. These Irish soldiers battle cry was in Gaelic and sounded like a Christmas carol.

Burnside bridge

Another active area on the battlefield is Burnside’s Bridge. It was here that General Ambrose Burnside finally pushed the Confederate troops back after several previous attempts.

Many soldiers were buried quickly near this bridge in unmarked graves.

At night, visitors near this bridge report seeing a strange glowing blue light moving around the area. Others report hearing the cadence of a drum playing—this sound fades away into the distance.

Ghostly mist captured by
one canon. Photo by
Belinda Franks

Today five upside down canon barrels mark the spots where five generals died during the battle. Photographs taken in these areas sometimes have strange mists or light anomalies in them.

It appears some of the soldiers who perished during the Antietam Battle are more than just a memory.

Two houses-- the Pry House and the Piper House both stand on the battlefield. These structures are haunted as well.

Witnesses report hearing footsteps on the stairs and seeing apparitions.

The Pry House was where Union Maj. General George B. McClellan made his headquarters. A woman seen in this house is believed to be Francis the wife of General Richardson.

Pry House as it appeared during battle.

Richardson was wounded during this battle and Francis nursed him on his deathbed.

Another structure near the battlefield in Sharpsburg is the St. Paul Episcopal Church. This building was used as a Confederate hospital following the battle.

Members of this church have heard screams, which they believe to be the southern soldiers who were wounded and dying in this makeshift hospital.

Other witnesses have seen lights flickering on and off in St. Paul’s tower.

Excerpts used in this post are from an article written by Rickie Longfellow a member of the West Licking Historical Society.

Here is a stark collection of Then and Now photos taken at Antietam. Warning: many are graphic in nature. 

Haunted St. Joseph College

Daughters of Charity
at St. Joseph.

Elizabeth Ann Seton--better known as Mother Seton-- established the American Sisters of Charity. She founded what was to become St. Joseph College in Emmitsburg, Maryland in 1809. Initially, it was a charitable Catholic women’s academy. Mother Seton was later made a saint.

This Catholic academy evolved into a liberal arts college for women. St. Joseph’s College was closed down in 1973. The U.S. Government then bought the property to house the National Emergency Training Center.

This old campus is haunted, most believe because it was used as a Civil War field hospital. Field hospitals during this war were crude at best. Most severe wounds to the limbs became infected with gangrene, and the only treatment was to amputate.

St. Joseph's College, 1923.

The one shining light of hope at St. Joseph during this war were Mother Seton’s Daughters of Charity who earned the nickname, “angels of the battlefield” for nursing both wounded Union and Confederate soldiers.

During the years the campus was still St. Joseph’s College numerous strange encounters were reported by the students--including both sights and sounds.

Numerous students state they heard the screams and moans of the wounded Civil War soldiers as they crossed campus. Some accounts even mention witnesses who saw the old field hospital with its open-air surgeries--while walking across the school at night.

Another account mentions several female witnesses who saw a nurse carry out a bucket of amputated legs and arms. Students also reported the putrid smell of blood throughout the area.

One apparition observed at night was a friendly Civil War soldier that stayed close by, as female students walked across the campus.

Another ghost seen was Mother Seton. Reports state students spotted her on campus, she would smile at them and then rush off. It is believed she was in a hurry because she needed to tend to injured Civil War soldiers.

The Cooking Ghost

Ellicott City Historic District

In 2010, Ellicott City, a small town in Maryland, was noted as one of the best places in America to live by MONEY magazine. 

This city is a part of the Baltimore-Washington metro area in Howard County. Ellicott City is also considered one of the most haunted small towns on the East Coast.

Edward Parson Hayden, the first county clerk in Ellicott City, built what is known as Hayden House or Oak Lawn in the 1800s. He lived in this home with his wife and six children. He died in 1850.

His home in more recent years has been used to house the Howard County Board of Education and then the District Court. In the 1980s a county law library was added.

Early on, strange stories about Oak Lawn started to circulate. These stories reached a fever pitch in the 1970s when the home housed the district court and the Howard County Office of Parole and Probation.

Oak Lawn

Clerks and secretaries reported that the lights in the building would turn on and off by themselves. A coffee pot would often heat up by itself even when it was not plugged in. These witnesses also reported they heard footsteps in the part of the home that was not in use.

Several workers saw a rocking chair move without cause, and one staff member who arrived early to work one morning reported seeing a man through a glass pane at the front door. When she entered the home, she searched thoroughly, but no one but herself was inside.

The oddest experiences surround phantom food smells. Besides the coffee pot acting strange, many workers smelled the aroma of soup or bacon and eggs at all hours of the day and night. What confused them was that there were no cooking appliances in the building at this time.

Because of these persistent smells, the workers dubbed this active ghost at Oak Lawn “The Cooking Ghost.”

One employee who often stayed late to work noted that this ghost made its presence known in a variety of other ways. He saw cloth napkins fold and unfold on their own right in front of him.

He reported that one night as he worked on the second floor, he saw a “white haze” out of the corner of his eye. When he turned to get a better look, he saw a dense misty ball of vapor floating in mid-air. He stated it wasn't too dense for he saw what was behind it. He watched as it then vanished into thin air.

One witness who currently works at the Court House states he sees “weird things” all the time. A hot plate turns on by itself--again even when the dial is turned to off and the unit is unplugged.

One of his female co-workers saw the ghost of a female walk by her and then walk right through the wall that leads to the law library.

The Ghosts of Point Lookout Part ll

The Point Lookout Lighthouse located at the southern tip of Point Lookout in Scotland, Maryland is considered a hot spot of paranormal activity. 

Because of treacherous storms in the area, many shipwrecks occurred in the years before 1827. 

Congress finally took note and ordered a small beacon light be built to protect passing ships. This lighthouse was completed in 1830. It originally had one and a half stories.

After the Civil War, this lighthouse was expanded when a fog bell tower was built, and porches were added on the front and back of the building. In 1888 water erosion threatened the lighthouse. A wood and steel bulwark was constructed to protect its cement foundation. 

Today the building is much closer to the shoreline because of this continued erosion. By 1930, the lighthouse was enlarged to its present size. Hot and cold running water was installed, and the house was split into two apartments.

In 1939 the station was transferred to the United States Coast Guard. But civilian keepers remained to maintain the light. In 1965, an offshore steel tower replaced the Point Lookout Lighthouse. The state of Maryland leased the buildings to the Navy in 2002, but by 2006 the state of Maryland took control. 

Today the Point Lookout Preservation Society holds occasional open houses during the day. This society allows paranormal groups in to do investigations of the lighthouse for a nominal $50.00 fee. This is a good idea--other preservation societies should take note.

The first lighthouse keeper to be assigned to Point Lookout in the early 1830s died within months of arriving. His daughter Ann Davis took over his duties. She remained the keeper until her death in the lantern room while performing her daily tasks. It is said she haunts this building. 

A famous photograph was taken that shows her ghost standing at the head of the stairs wearing a white blouse and light blue skirt.

Many of the ghostly sightings at the lighthouse are that of Confederate and Union soldiers. The reason for this is because a Civil War prison camp and hospital were near the tower. 

One witness, Gerald Sword stayed by himself in the lighthouse in 1970. He heard doors being slammed closed, moans, and the sound of men snoring, as well as objects crashing to the floor. When he inspected the area, nothing was amiss. He also felt cold spots.

Many witnesses have seen a Union soldier guarding the steps of the light. 

Laura Berg--the Secretary of State for Maryland in the 1980s lived in the Point Lookout Lighthouse with her husband in the 1970s. 

One night while lying in bed, she heard footsteps outside her bedroom door. They were heavy as if the person were wearing boots. This sound ended as mysteriously as it began. The couple continued to hear footsteps in the hall at night.

The Bergs also heard other noises. They often awoke to strange smells in the house. 

One night Berg awakened to see six strange lights over her head. She bolted upright and smelled the odor of smoke coming from the first floor. She ran downstairs and discovered the heater had caught fire. The flames were extinguished quickly. Berg feels that it was the ghosts that alerted her to this danger.

Nancy Stallings, a medium with the Maryland Committee for Psychical Research, is standing in the middle of one of the lighthouse’s’ bedrooms above. A soldier appears in the photo to the right of Nancy. This soldier was not seen by any of the participants.

Many EVP’s have been recorded in this lighthouse over the years. One group picked up 24 distinct voices recorded in various places around the house. An EVP captured a voice stating: “Fire if they get too close to you.“ It is believed this is the voice of a Union soldier guarding the prisoners in the camp. 

Another EVP picked up in the lighthouse basement is that of shutters slamming in the wind. There was no wind the day this was recorded, and the shutters had been removed years before.

Here is a must see link that has many EVP’s that have been recorded at Point Lookout Lighthouse. Just click on the word or words in the boxes under the “Sound” category, and they will take you to the recording. The second one, entitled “drums” is impressive.

The following is a link to The Ghosts of Point Lookout Part l where I share stories about ghosts from a Civil War hospital and Confederate prisoner of war camp.

The Ghosts of Point Lookout Part l

“Death opens unknown doors.”

                                --John Masefield

Point Lookout has made more than one witness a believer in the paranormal. 

Today, Point Lookout is a Maryland State Park. It is located on a gloomy isolated peninsula that looks out on the Chesapeake Bay to the east and the Potomac River to the west. 

This patch of ground has seen over 350 years of human suffering. It is here that people were massacred, imprisoned, shot, tortured, and starved to death. Add to these tragedies shipwrecks, fire, famine, disease, and war, and it is no wonder this peninsula is considered very haunted.

For thousands of years, the native Yaocominco Indians lived in this area. The first Europeans colonized the area in 1612. In 1648, the local natives massacred many of these early settlers. 

This settlement, established in 1630, was called St. Mary City and became Maryland’s capital. Catholics seeking religion freedom initially populated this area. However, later Protestants moving in turned against the Catholics--eventually banning the Catholic mass. The original families were then driven out of the area, and the capital was moved to Annapolis.

So many shipwrecks occurred that in 1827 Congress ordered a small beacon light built on the peninsula’s point. Seamen also drowned off the Point, its beaches becoming makeshift graves. 

This lighthouse’s history and hauntings will be discussed in Part ll of this post. 

The early history of Washington D.C.’s is tied to Point Lookout. In the early 19^th century the point became a popular tourist destination. Hundreds visited and stayed in its beach cottages in the summertime. 

For the Washington elite who came to escape the heat, they stayed in an elegant resort hotel called the Fenwick Inn. This inn tragically caught fire and burned down in 1878.

During the War of 1812 is when Point Lookout earned its name. The peninsula was used to spot British Ships.

During the Civil War, Point Lookout experienced the most human suffering. At this time there was a Union hospital located on the Point called Hammond. Today its buildings shaped like a spoke of a wheel are long gone. 

For every one soldier that died here because of war wounds, another two or more died of diseases, such as, dysentery, smallpox, typhoid fever, and Malaria. It is stated the casualty toll rose from 200,000 to 600,000 because of these illnesses. This hospital closed in 1864. 

Before the war, this the peninsula was used as a refuge for runaway slaves.

Point Lookout also housed the largest Confederate prisoner of war camp. Camp Hoffman was built initially for 10,000 prisoners but it is said 50,000 plus soldiers were actually kept here. 

They were placed in open air tattered tents--left to mosquito infestations in the summer and the freezing cold of winter. An imaginary line or trench surrounded this 24 acre camp with the orders that if any prisoners crossed this line, they were to be shot. Many were shot. But the camp’s isolation made escape virtually impossible.

The Confederate prisoners at this camp called it “ Lee’s Miserables.”  They were packed in like sardines. Starvation and disease ran rampant through the area. So many prisoners died--an estimated 4,000-- they were initially all buried in a mass grave. 

Later these bodies were disturbed when they were placed in the “Confederate Cemetery” on the peninsula. 

Today, many witnesses as they drive past this cemetery are startled to see a still, silent Confederate soldier sitting in the backseat of their cars.

A smallpox outbreak on the Point forced the Federalists to establish a separate area for infectious disease. It is in this area that another frequent ghost sighting occurs. 

A man is seen wearing Civil War era clothing moving across the road at dusk away from where the smallpox unit was located. This gaunt ghost is seen moving very quickly--almost leaping.

Witnesses state he reeks of a distinct odor of mildew and gunpowder. His clothes are homespun and ragged. 

Most feel he is a Confederate prisoner who feigned illness, hoping to escape. But his plan appears not to have succeeded for he is repeatedly seen crossing this road. He is not aware of the people who see him, so this haunting is probably residual in nature.

Photo: Dolores Monet

Yet another ghost that has been seen many times is that of an elderly woman. This woman is known to have conversations with the living. She is always seen looking for something. 

In 1977, Donnie Hammett a ranger on the island reported an encounter with this female ghost. It was early spring, and there were not many people visiting the island yet. Hammett was working on the Potomac River side of the peninsula.

He spotted an elderly woman looking for something near the beach. Hammett approached her and asked if she needed help. Immediately he noticed his presence seemed to annoy her. 

She told him gruffly that she was looking for a gravestone. He said to her that the nearby Taylor Cemetery had all but disappeared--swallowed up by nature. She shrugged her shoulders and walked on. 

When Hammett left shortly after this, he was surprised to see that his car was the only one in the parking lot. Later, he discovered that many others had seen this female ghost. She is spotted always looking for her own grave. 

Hammett has also seen the residual leaping ghost mentioned above.

EVP’s picked recorded the peninsula include-- the sounds of an Indian massacre, shipwrecked seaman shouting and the sounds of captive soldiers. 

Campers, including rangers on the peninsula, have seen a variety of ghosts in the woods at night. One witness, a Civil War re-enactor, bent down to pick up something when he heard glass shatter and a bullet whiz by his head. When he inspected the area, the windowpane was intact, and there was no sign of a bullet.

In my next post entitled, The Ghosts of Point Lookout Part ll I share information about the haunted lighthouse on this peninsula. It, by far, is the most haunted spot on the Point.