12/07/2004: Thanks to Dana P. Morrow for submitting this story about the Ohio Statehouse. Dana tells about seeing a ghostly apparition of a man, resembling Abraham Lincoln, and woman dancing in the Senate chambers. Several others, who were staying at the Statehouse overnight as part of a Civil War re-enactment, also witnessed the event. A State Patrolman later confirmed that it is believed the former U.S. President did indeed dance at the Statehouse during his campaign.
As a Civil War history buff, I had the privilege of visiting a re-enactment at the Statehouse grounds that usually happens in September as an annual event. While hanging around at 1 o’clock in the morning with several “soldiers” who were permitted to actually sleep on the floor of the Statehouse under the rotunda. While there were several of them there, and we were just having casual conversation, we suddenly heard the sound of violin music coming from the chamber where the Senate meets and conducts their meetings. Since no-one had seen anyone go into the Senate chambers, and we wanted to discourage anyone being in there illegally, several of the “soldiers” and I went to go and bring this person out of there before they got in trouble by the State Patrol Security Police, who were on duty.
As we opened the door of the Senate chambers, we suddenly saw two figures in the dark room. One was of a woman in 1800’s dress, and the other was a rather tall gentleman dressed in a dark suit and a “stovepipe” hat, and it looked like President Abraham Lincoln. They were dancing on the floor of the Senate chambers. We paused for a few moments, and suddenly the music stopped, and the two figures literally “vanished” into thin air in front of our eyes. We couldn’t believe our eyes.
When we later asked one of the State Patrolmen we saw that evening, he told us that it is a known belief that during his campaign tour through Ohio. President Lincoln did in fact stop in Columbus, and spent some time in the Statehouse and that it is believed that he actually befriended a woman who came to see him while he was in town. It is also stated that he did in fact have a dance with her in the Statehouse, and that they still share that dance together to this day.