Haunted locations in the DMV

HAUNTED HIDEAWAYS

How the most haunted locations in the DMV measure up

CC PALUMBO OPINIONS EDITOR

BUNNYMAN BRIDGE

Location: Clifton, Virginia

The Bunnyman Bridge stories will make you see the mall Easter Bunny in a new light. A variety of legends about the site’s origins exist, but most of them involve a man in a bunny suit terrorizing people near the secluded bridge.

Upon my arrival, I immediately wanted to leave the site. The Bunnyman Bridge is located in the kind of place I wouldn’t want to spend the night—let alone half an hour. Although the chances of a man in a bunny suit attacking me felt pretty low, there is no doubt something was off about that place.

CLARA BARTON HISTORIC SITE

Location: Glen Echo, Maryland

Clara Barton was a nurse during the American Civil War and founder of the American Red Cross. Legend says that after she died, her spirit never left the home she lived in and she still haunts it to this day. Those who claim to have seen her decribe her as a transparent figure wearing a green dress.

When I first arrived, the atmosphere was horrible—it was raining and muggy. I drove all the way there just to want to turn around and speed back to McLean. If I spent a second longer, I am pretty sure Ms. Barton would have personally evicted me from her property.

OLD STONE HOUSE OLD STONE HOUSE

Location: Washington D.C. (Georgetown)

One of the oldest structures in Washington D.C., the Old Stone House is infamous due to claims of it being haunted and reports of spirit voices.

I had been to this house when I was a kid and it’s still just as creepy as I remembered it to be. The old wood floors and stairs creak with every slight movement, making me scared to even look over my shoulder. I had low expectations for this hideaway, assuming that it was only scary to my 10-year-old self, but the Old Stone House proved me wrong.

WALSH MANSION

Location: Washington D.C. (Dupont Circle)

Evalyn Walsh McLean owned the Walsh Mansion in the early 1900s. Speculators believe that her family’s purchase of the Hope Diamond caused her death. She reportedly still roams the estate and is often spotted on the grand staircase. The family sold the property to the Indonesian government, and it’s still an Indonesian embassy.

I felt the spirit of Halloween when I went on a cloudy day, but the mansion was disappointing. The house was weathered and intimidating due to its height and colonial-style architecture. However, as grand as it was, the building and neighborhood lacked the quintessential atmosphere to make my skin crawl.

Into the minds of Unvaccinated students

Some McLean students choose to abstain from COVID-19 vaccine

KHUSHI RANA A&E EDITOR

According to the FCPS website, approximately 90% of 16- and 17-year-olds in the county have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and more than 80% of this same group have received two doses. That leaves a relatively small percentage of Highlanders who have not been vaccinated.

Just like vaccinated people have their reasons for getting the vaccine, unvaccinated individuals present their own reasons for refusing it.

“I’m unvaccinated, and I don’t plan to be vaccinated anytime soon,” junior Pierce Strubhar said. “The reason I chose not to be is because I’ve already tested positive for COVID, and I don’t believe I need a vaccine [and] booster shots because I already have all-natural immunity to it.”

Strubhar has concerns about the creation of the vaccine and its potential long-term effects.

“I also am not a fan of how the vaccine uses mRNA. This is a new type of vaccine, and I don’t think it has been properly tested,” Strubhar said. “I don’t think people know what will happen to [those] who have the vaccine down the road. It could be nothing, but we don’t know, and we’re only speculating at this time.”

Despite these concerns, FCPS has emphasized the importance of receiving the vaccine and will require student athletes to be vaccinated for winter and spring sports beginning Nov. 8. While most of the McLean community is vaccinated and will be unaffected by this change, unvaccinated students may be pushed into getting it as a result.

“I’ll have to get vaccinated at some point since I wrestle,” sophomore Hollis Freeman said. “I’m still unvaccinated and play football since they don’t require vaccinations at this moment.”

Although some unvaccinated students are against all aspects of the vaccine, some of them try to see both sides of the issue.

“I think the vaccine has benefits, but there are some risks to it,” Freeman said. “My mom’s friend had COVID, so she got the vaccine and was hospitalized for a few days because of it. It could’ve been because she reacted badly to the vaccine or also had COVID [at the same time].”

Since students don’t have to disclose their vaccination status to the school and there isn’t a way of telling whether a student has taken the vaccine or not, there aren’t any social pressures pushing students to be vaccinated.

“I don’t get treated any differently from being unvaccinated. It doesn’t come up in any conversation, and since it’s not required to go to school, nobody knows if I am [vaccinated] or not,” Strubhar said.

An additional reason unvaccinated students may choose to stay unvaccinated is because of their perception that COVID-19 has minimal risks. In other words, some students believe the vaccine is not necessary in order to stay safe.

“To be honest, COVID is a bad problem we have, but I don’t think it’s as bad as everyone thinks,” Freeman said.

TO BE HONEST, COVID IS A BAD PROBLEM WE HAVE, BUT I DON'T THINK IT'S AS BAD AS EVERYONE THINKS.”

- HOLLIS FREEMAN SOPHOMORE