The area that is now the Supreme
Court has a sordid history long before the nation's highest court took
residence there. That corner was the home of a large brick building that was
well known to be haunted.
The Building was known as the Old
Capitol Building because it temporarily housed the employees of the Capitol
while the current building was being repaired from a fire.
When the workers moved out of the
old building it was used as a prison for Confederate soldiers. These soldiers
would scream, swear, beg, and plead their innocence while awaiting trial. The
most famous of these prisoners was the well-known female Confederate spy Belle
Boyd. (Below)
The building was taken over by
pioneers of the Woman's Suffrage Movement, and meetings were held here while
women were fighting for the right to vote. Many of these women heard screams,
swearing, and begging while they were holding their meetings, some were
terrified.
The building was demolished in
the 1920s to make way for the Supreme Court. Although the Old Capitol Building
is gone, many a Washingtonian will tell you on some early mornings before the
sun rises and the feds arrive to work... the screams, rattles, and pleads for
justice can be heard.