HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena, as catalogued
The 1816 Church of the Presidents, where legend says six white-robed figures fill the president's pew when the bell tolls for the dead.
1525 H Street NW, Washington, DC 20005
Research updated September 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
Free to visit; the church is an active parish with public services and open hours.
Access
Wheelchair OK
Street-level entry on Lafayette Square.
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1816 · Designed by Benjamin Latrobe, architect of the U.S. Capitol · Church of the Presidents — attended by every president since James Madison · Revere bell cast by Joseph Warren Revere in 1822 · National Historic Landmark
St. John's was organized in 1815, and its first building was completed in 1816 to a design by Benjamin Henry Latrobe, who was then at work on the U.S. Capitol. Latrobe laid out the church in a Greek-cross plan of stucco-covered brick; the portico and tower were added in 1820, giving the building its present form on the north side of Lafayette Square.
Its location one block from the White House gave rise to its enduring nickname. President James Madison attended in 1816 and established the tradition of a reserved president's pew, originally pew 28. Renumbering in 1843 made it pew 58, and an 1883 renovation changed it again to pew 54, where it remains set aside for presidential use. Every sitting president since Madison has attended a service at St. John's at least once, earning the church its title as the Church of the Presidents.
In August 1822, Joseph Warren Revere, a son of Paul Revere, cast a bell weighing close to 1,000 pounds for the church. It hangs in the steeple and is described as the only Revere bell in Washington that has remained in continuous service since installation.
The church remains an active Episcopal parish and a National Historic Landmark, and its proximity to the executive mansion keeps it woven into the ceremonial life of the capital.
Sources
The best-known story attached to St. John's connects the church's bell to its long association with presidents and other notable Washingtonians. According to local lore repeated by WTOP and other outlets, whenever the church's bell tolls because of the death of a notable person, six men in white robes appear in the president's pew at midnight and then disappear.
The bell at the center of the legend is real: a roughly 1,000-pound bell cast in 1822 by Joseph Warren Revere, Paul Revere's son, which still hangs in the steeple. The president's pew is also real and clearly marked. The tale folds those two concrete features together, casting the six white-robed figures as a silent acknowledgment from beyond when the capital loses one of its own.
No named witness anchors the legend, and it is presented as folklore rather than a documented sighting. Writers covering haunted Lafayette Square note that confirming it would require being present in the church after a prominent death, which none claim to have done. The church does not promote the story, and it functions today as an active parish. The legend persists largely because of the building's central place in presidential ritual and the deaths it has marked over two centuries.
Notable Entities
Step into the 1816 Latrobe-designed church across from the White House, see the reserved president's pew, and learn the history of the building that has hosted every sitting president since James Madison.
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This Washington tour includes St. John's Episcopal Church (Lafayette Square) on its route.
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