Is there a ghost in the President’s House?

Many former residents have told tales of odd happenings, but is it just an old house creaking, or is there a ghost?

The Hynson-Ringgold House, located on Water St., was first built in 1743 on part of a lot bought by Nathanial Hynson in 1735. This structure is the front part of the house we know today, consisting of the two front rooms and the floor above. The original structure's roofline can be seen in the attic of the later extension. You can also visit the reconstructed front parlor at the Baltimore Art Museum (in 1932, all the paneling from the East room was sold to the museum).

The house, sometimes known as The Abbey, was expanded when Thomas Ringgold purchased it in 1767. It is said that many an important person stayed in the house, among them George Washington. In 1854, after a few other owners, the property was purchased by Judge James Pearce. The family lived there for several decades, and some of their personal items remain in the house today. Sadly, by the early twentieth century, the house was falling into disrepair. In 1944, a group spearheaded by Wilbur R. Hubbard purchased the house for $15,000. It was renovated and became the President’s House. Prior to this, the President lived in a regular house along Washington Avenue, just north of present-day Cater Walk where Kent House stands today.  It was then known as Faculty Row. President Gilbert Mead would have been the first to live in it as the President’s House, but it wasn’t occupied until President Gibson moved in the 1950s.

Mrs. Henry W. Catlin, the past owner before the College, insisted there was not only a ghost but a secret tunnel from the cellar to the Custom House down the road. Supposedly, Mrs. Catlin’s maid refused to sleep in her attic room, claiming ghostly hands were touching her face while she slept. It is in the attic that most of the rumors say is haunted, though past residents have stated to have seen glimpses of ghosts or objects moved in the upper story. For such an old house, there does not seem to be a lore or passed-down tale of a specific ghost; there just seems to be the acceptance that the house is haunted.

This does not seem to have deterred any of our Presidents. Libby Cater, wife of President Douglass Cater, loved the Hynson-Ringgold house, taking its upkeep seriously and opening it for tours. A few times a year, the house is opened to students, faculty, and staff, though the upper floors are kept private for the residents, so you may not experience a haunting, but you never know with ghosts. This Halloween, as you’re out and about, gaze up at the roofline and see if you can catch a glimpse of a spirit in the upper windows.