Market Square has been the heart of Alexandria since the town's founding in 1749. For over 275 years, this public space has served as a gathering place for celebrations and protests, commerce and punishment. The current City Hall, with its distinctive mansard roof and imposing clock tower, was built in 1871 to replace an earlier structure - but the ghosts that haunt it come from every era of Alexandria's long and often violent history.
Fast Facts
- Current building constructed in 1871 in Second Empire style
- Market Square has been in continuous use since 1749
- Site served as a Civil War prison during Union occupation
- Public punishments and executions occurred here for over a century
- Multiple documented apparitions reported by city employees
A Square Built on Blood
When Scottish merchant John Alexander laid out the town that would bear his name, he designated the central square as the public marketplace. But Market Square quickly became more than a place to buy and sell goods - it became Alexandria's stage for justice, both legal and extralegal.
For over a century, the square witnessed public punishments that would shock modern sensibilities. Criminals were flogged at the public whipping post. Those convicted of theft had their ears nailed to the pillory. Enslaved people were sold at auction on these very stones. And on several occasions, condemned prisoners were executed here while crowds gathered to watch.
The trauma inflicted in this space left an indelible mark that paranormal researchers believe explains the intense spiritual activity reported here to this day.
The Civil War Prison
When Union forces occupied Alexandria in May 1861, the city became a crucial staging ground for the war effort. The old City Hall building that stood before the current structure was converted into a military prison, holding Confederate soldiers, suspected spies, and civilians accused of disloyalty to the Union.
Conditions in the prison were brutal. Overcrowding, disease, and inadequate food claimed many lives. Some prisoners attempted escape; others simply gave up hope. Historical records indicate that numerous deaths occurred within the prison walls, though the exact number remains unknown - many Confederate dead were buried in unmarked graves or simply disappeared from official records.
These forgotten prisoners are believed to be among the most active spirits at City Hall. Their anguish and desperation seem to have imprinted itself on the building that replaced their prison.
The Building Rises
After the Civil War, Alexandria faced the monumental task of rebuilding. The old City Hall had fallen into disrepair during the occupation, and civic leaders determined that a new building befitting Alexandria's aspirations was needed.
Architect Adolf Cluss, known for his work on important buildings throughout Washington, D.C., designed the new structure in the fashionable Second Empire style. The building featured a distinctive mansard roof, a tall clock tower, and elegant interior spaces meant to project stability and prosperity.
What the builders couldn't know was that they were constructing their monument directly atop layers of Alexandria's darkest history. The new foundation disturbed graves, scattered remains, and - according to those who study the paranormal - awakened spirits that had been at rest.
The Spirits of City Hall
City employees have reported unexplained phenomena at Alexandria City Hall for decades. The activity seems to intensify during evening hours and is particularly prevalent in the building's basement and upper floors.
The Confederate Prisoners
The most frequently reported apparitions are men in tattered Civil War-era clothing. They appear suddenly in hallways and stairwells, sometimes seeming confused about their surroundings before vanishing. Witnesses describe gaunt figures with hollow eyes and expressions of profound despair.
Ghost City Tours staff spoke with a maintenance worker who has been employed at City Hall for over fifteen years. He described an encounter that occurred during a late-night shift: 'I was checking the basement - we store old records down there - and I saw what I thought was someone who had broken in. He was wearing old clothes, like from a costume shop, and he looked... sick. Really thin and pale. I called out to him, and he turned to look at me. The look in his eyes... I've never seen anything so sad. Then he just wasn't there anymore. Didn't walk away, didn't fade out. Just gone.'
Other employees have reported hearing conversations in the basement when no one else was present - voices speaking in hushed, urgent tones that fall silent the moment anyone approaches.
The Woman in White
A female apparition dressed in 19th-century clothing has been seen on multiple occasions, primarily on the building's upper floors. Unlike the Confederate prisoners, this spirit seems more purposeful in her movements, as though attending to specific business.
Local historians speculate she may be connected to one of several tragedies involving women at the original building. During the Civil War, wives of imprisoned men would gather at the City Hall, pleading for news of their husbands. Some waited in vain - their loved ones had already died but no one had informed them.
A city clerk told Ghost City Tours about her experience: 'I was working late one evening, finishing up some paperwork. I looked up and saw a woman walking past my office door. She was wearing a long white dress, very old-fashioned. I assumed she was lost, maybe looking for a meeting room. I called out to her, but she didn't respond. I got up to help her, and when I stepped into the hallway, it was completely empty. There's nowhere she could have gone that fast.'
The Sounds of the Past
Even those who haven't seen apparitions report strange sounds throughout City Hall. Footsteps echo in empty corridors. Doors open and close on their own. The building seems to carry sounds from its past - what some describe as the crack of a whip, the clink of chains, or distant cries of anguish.
During Ghost City Tours' research, we interviewed a security guard who patrols the building at night. 'You learn to tune it out,' he said, 'but you never quite get used to it. Some nights it's quiet. Other nights... there's something happening in this building that I can't explain. I've heard crowds when I know I'm alone in here. I've heard what sounds like someone being beaten. I just do my rounds and try not to think about it too much.'
The clock tower is particularly active. Multiple witnesses have reported hearing the clock mechanisms working even when the clock was not functioning. Some have heard what sounds like someone climbing the tower stairs - slow, deliberate footsteps ascending - only to find the tower empty upon investigation.
Market Square After Dark
The paranormal activity isn't confined to City Hall itself. Market Square, the open plaza in front of the building, has its own reputation among those who know Alexandria's haunted history.
The Auction Block Spirits
Market Square was once a major hub of the domestic slave trade. Enslaved people were brought here to be sold, their families torn apart on these very stones. The trauma of those transactions - the terror, the grief, the inhumanity - has left a spiritual residue that sensitive visitors claim to feel immediately.
Ghost tour guests and locals alike have reported overwhelming sensations of sorrow when crossing certain areas of the square. Some have heard crying when no one around them was in distress. Others have reported the sensation of being watched by hostile eyes, or feeling suddenly cold on warm summer nights.
A shop owner whose business faces the square told Ghost City Tours: 'Some days I can feel it before I even unlock my door. There's a heaviness in the air, like something terrible happened here. Which, of course, it did. Terrible things happened here for a very long time.'
The Execution Ground
Public executions occurred in Market Square well into the 19th century. Condemned criminals were hanged here while crowds gathered to witness justice being served. The last public execution in the square took place in 1894, but the spirits of those who met their end here seem to linger.
Residents of apartments overlooking the square have reported seeing figures in the plaza late at night - not the homeless or the intoxicated, but people who move strangely and disappear when approached. One resident described seeing what appeared to be a crowd gathered in the square at 3 AM, only to find it completely empty when she went to her window for a better look.
'I know what I saw,' she insisted when speaking with Ghost City Tours. 'There were people down there. Lots of them. And then there weren't.'
Experience the Haunted History
Alexandria City Hall remains an active government building and serves as the seat of city government to this day. Visitors can enter during business hours to see the historic architecture and, perhaps, catch a glimpse of something unexplained.
Market Square is accessible at any time and hosts various events throughout the year, including the famous Saturday morning farmers' market that has operated continuously since 1753. Walking the square at night, however, offers a very different experience - one that allows visitors to feel the weight of history that presses down on this ancient gathering place.
For those seeking a deeper exploration of Alexandria's haunted past, Ghost City Tours offers guided walking tours that include Market Square and the exterior of City Hall among many other paranormally active locations. Our expert guides share the history, the legends, and the firsthand accounts that make Alexandria one of Virginia's most haunted cities.
Book a Ghost Tour of Alexandria today and walk through 275 years of history - and the spirits who refuse to leave it behind.
Alexandria City Hall is located at 301 King Street, at the heart of Old Town Alexandria. Market Square sits directly in front of the building, bordered by King Street and Cameron Street. Whether you're visiting for history, architecture, or the paranormal, the spirits of City Hall are always watching.
Alexandria City Hall, where Civil War prisoners still roam
