Ramsay House

The oldest house in Alexandria, built in 1724 for William Ramsay, one of the city's founders and a close friend of George Washington. Now serves as the visitor center.

The Ramsay House at 221 King Street holds the distinction of being Alexandria's oldest structure, with origins dating to approximately 1724. Scottish merchant William Ramsay, who would become one of the city's founding fathers, acquired the building around 1749 when Alexandria was established as a colonial port town. Legend holds that Ramsay floated the house up the Potomac River on a barge from Dumfries, Virginia, though some family members later claimed it was built on site—no records survive to settle the debate.

William Ramsay (1716-1785) was far more than a tobacco merchant. He petitioned Virginia's governor to establish Alexandria, married George Washington's cousin Ann Ball McCarty, served as the city's first postmaster, and in 1761 was appointed its first and only Lord Mayor—an honorary title presented with a gold chain and medal. His friendship with Washington was lifelong; when Ramsay died on February 10, 1785, Washington himself walked in the Masonic funeral procession. Just two months later, Washington returned to walk in the funeral procession for Ramsay's widow Ann.

After the Ramsay family departed, the house endured a colorful and often disreputable history. It served variously as a tavern, grocery store, and cigar factory. Most controversially, during World War II it operated as a brothel serving workers from the nearby torpedo factory. A destructive fire in 1942 left the structure in shambles, with only one original wall surviving. The City of Alexandria purchased the property in 1944 to prevent its demolition, and architect Milton L. Grigg completed the restoration between 1946 and 1955, incorporating the surviving wall into what is now the veranda. The building reopened as Alexandria's Visitor Center in 1956.

The hauntings began after the restoration. Workers at the Visitor Center report that the spirits concentrate in the basement, where apparitions dressed in 18th-century clothing have been witnessed by multiple staff members and visitors. The most commonly sighted ghost is William Ramsay himself—a shadowy figure in colonial garb who appears standing at the upstairs window, gazing out at the Potomac River view he deliberately ensured for his family when he first settled here nearly three centuries ago.

Female spirits also occupy the house. Staff have reported sightings of women in period dress lingering in the basement, believed to be the wives of the Ramsay men—possibly Ann Ball McCarty Ramsay or the wives of William's son Dennis, who inherited the property after his father's death. Dennis Ramsay (1756-1810) served as a Captain in the Virginia Continental Line during the Revolutionary War, rising to Colonel, and later served as Mayor of Alexandria. He was close enough to George Washington to serve as one of the pallbearers at Washington's funeral in 1799.

The spirits appear to appreciate their home's current purpose. Unlike territorial poltergeists or vengeful specters, the ghosts of Ramsay House seem to encourage friendly coexistence with the living. One memorable incident occurred when a staff member prepared the coffee maker before closing, leaving it ready for the first person to arrive in the morning. That person arrived to find the coffee already brewed—someone, or something, had pushed the button during the night. The staff has dubbed this the work of a "latte-loving ghost," possibly William himself continuing his hospitable ways, or his son Dennis, who ran a tavern and knew the importance of greeting guests with refreshment.

In May 2004, the Convention and Visitors Association allowed paranormal investigators from the D.C. Metro Area Ghost Watchers to explore the building with infrared cameras, motion detectors, heat sensors, and video equipment. While no hard evidence has been released to the public, the investigation marked official acknowledgment that something unusual persists within these walls.

Today, ghost tours depart from the Ramsay House gardens, with guides sharing tales of the city's founding family while standing on ground where William Ramsay built his American dream. Visitors report strange noises, sudden chills, and the occasional glimpse of a colonial gentleman who refuses to leave the home he loved—and the city he helped create.