In addition to the residual haunting of the tired maid at the McCabe-Patterson Tavern in Leesburg, there is a sentient haunting on the third floor of the building. A mischievous little girl has interacted with more than one visitor to the location.
The McCabe-Patterson Tavern is one of the most interesting structures in downtown Leesburg. From the windows placed well above street level to discourage the 18th century prying eyes of gossip mongers and political foes, to the massive stones carefully set in place from ground level to its highest peak, to the abundance of pencil sketches that decorate the third floor stairwell and upper landing, the old Tavern is shrouded in mystery.
In the mid-1980s two representatives from the Library of Congress were sent to the McCabe-Patterson tavern to record the pencil sketches. It is believed some of the sketches were doodled by idle Hessian soldiers briefly imprisoned in Leesburg. Some are thought to be commemorative sketches of General Lafayette’s visit to Leesburg when he spoke to the residents of Loudoun County from the tavern steps. The other sketches are more childlike and most likely the result of unattended McCabe children and grandchildren sent to the third floor classroom/playroom.
The Library of Congress curators, two distinguished ladies of culture and education, were assigned the task of photographing and documenting the numerous sketches in a matter of three days. On day one they worked diligently and got a lot accomplished. Tired, but satisfied, they rewarded themselves with a leisurely lunch that included a glass of wine before returning a little after 2pm to the hot attic stairwell. As they climbed to the third floor, a little girl with ringlet curls and wearing an airy summer smock peeked her head from around the corner of an upper room. “Peek-a-boo” she giggled as she ran past them down the stairs. The two ladies laughed at the delightful child and went back to their work.
On the way out for the night, the ladies stopped to say good-bye to the building manager and commented on how cute the young girl was; whose child was she?
“There are no children in the building?” responded the manager.
Well of course there is, insisted the two ladies and they described her in full detail – six or seven years old, golden blonde hair styled in Shirley Temple ringlets, a gauzy summer dress in a light shade of peach with embroidered flowers around the scooped collar.
The manager insisted that not only were there no children that day, but no one in the building has children fitting that description. Shaking their heads and blaming their lunchtime imbibing, the ladies headed to their hotel room.
The next day the curators resumed their work, consciously avoiding any discussion about the little girl. On this day, they took a brief lunch, minus any alcohol, and quickly returned to the stone structure. What had started as a leisurely, enjoyable job had taken on an uneasy edge and they were both eager to complete the assignment.
They again climbed the narrow third-floor staircase and just as they reached the landing, the little girl from the previous day peeked around the corner and shouted “peek-a-boo” before turning and running back into the room.
The startled ladies hurried into the room and found it completely empty. Unsure what to do, they both agreed they should document it in their report and complete the assignment as quickly as possible. They stayed a bit longer that day and informed the building manager that they had completed early and would not be returning the next day. When he pressed them further, they confessed that they had seen the little girl a second time and they had no desire for a third encounter.
Owners of the building speculate that the little girl is one of the McCabe children, but no records have been found to support that theory. What is recorded in the Library of Congress is the official account of two curators encounter with a ghost child in the McCabe-Patterson House of Leesburg.
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