Happy Halloween!

Halloween window display of K. Aubrey Flowers. They not only have nice window displays, but their building is gorgeous.

This is the same florist shop where we saw Mr. Tuxedo Whiskers a few weeks ago. It’s across the street from the Hard Times Cafe on the corner of West and King Streets.

Hope you’ve enjoyed your virtual tour of haunted Alexandria these past two weeks. Happy Halloween!

Lots of people are in the Halloween spirit today. Take the Halloween World Tour!

Alexandria – Evry – Phoenix – Greenville – Paris – Queens – Brussels – Nottingham – San Antonio – Rotterdam – Cottage Grove – San Diego – St. Paul – Little Rock – Tucson – Barcelona Carlos – Auckland – Houston – Bath – Kyle – Sequim – Wellington – Stayton – Sydney Nathalie – Photowannabe – Passante’s World – Chattanooga – Venice – Joplin – Cambridge – Vancouver

And remember, tomorrow is Daily Photo Theme Day. Over 50 sites are participating.

Boo-ty Lounge

Unfortunately, I have no more ghost stories for you this season. There are a couple more buildings that are reported to have ghosts, but they’ll have to wait until next year. In the meantime, have a boo-tiful day!

Carlyle Funeral

The sad day has arrived.

Mourners gathered last night at the house of the late John Carlyle, who passed away 226 years ago. The trip was long and hard, and I know not all of you could make it in time. So let me take you there now. Just click here.

Old Fashioned Headstone

We return, after the doggie Halloween party fiasco of yesterday, to our regular Halloween themed programming.

Headstones like these are easy to find in local cemeteries. This particular style was common for 18th century graves. But rarely will you find a complete, readable inscription on them. Time and weather have conspired to keep the identity of this grave occupant a secret.

Tonight is the John Carlyle funeral reenactment. Passante and I will be donning our mourning clothes and be among the crocodile tear weeping, black-clad retinue accompanying the horse drawn carriage to the graveyard. Read all about it tomorrow!

Badly Dressed Bassets

The final Yappy Hour of the year was last night. It was supposed to be a Halloween party for the tail waggers, including a costume contest. What a disappointment. Not only did hardly anyone show up because it was cold, but the “best,” and practically only, doggie costumes in the place were on these three Basset Hounds. Not very exciting, but they were cute anyway.

Walk Softly Among the Dead

The dead are still among us in Alexandria, and some of them are restless, especially at this time of year. Some can be found in buildings, some in graveyards and some … might be right behind you. So walk softly among the dead, my friends. Be respectful and do not tempt the restless ones to follow you.

The Tale of the Burning Bride

The Christmas Attic – House in the Country is a charming shop on Fairfax Street with an added attraction — the ghost of a young woman is said to visit from time to time.

In the mid-1860s, this building was the home of the Schaeffer family. Young Laura was upstairs in her wedding gown, preparing for her special day. It is speculated that she stepped too close to the fireplace, and the long train of her wedding dress caught fire. The guests were down in the garden, unable to hear her screams. The next day Laura died of her burns. A few weeks later, her fiance committed suicide.

Laura’s ghost is said to visit the shop occasionally. Some people have even reported her presence in the restroom.

While the tale told by the ghost tour guide is embellished, and they freely admit it, there is a kernel of truth in this story. A young woman did live here and died of burns before her wedding. As for the presence of spirits, that I cannot confirm. I guess Laura wasn’t in the mood to receive visitors the day I visited the shop.

Eerie

Spotlights cast an eerie glow over the George Washington Memorial Masonic Temple on Shooter’s Hill. There are no hauntings associated with this building. I just thought it looked a little spooky with this lighting. Tomorrow the ghost fest continues.