| Black Aggie | |
|---|---|
 A photo of Black Aggie | |
| Background | |
| Type | Phenomena |
| Continent | North America |
| Country | United States |
| One-Time? | No |
| Theories | · Demonic presence · Ghost |
Black Aggie is the folkloric name given to a statue formerly placed on the grave of General Felix Agnus in Druid Ridge Cemetery in Pikesville, Maryland. It is an unauthorized replica — rendered by Edward Ludwig Albert Pausch — of sculptor Augustus St. Gaudens' 1891 allegorical figure, popularly called Grief, at the Adams Memorial in Rock Creek Cemetery in Washington, D.C.. The statue is of a somber seated figure in a cowl or shroud.
Description[]
Beginning with its installation in 1926, the replica was surrounded by many urban legends, principally that someone spending a night in its lap would be haunted by the ghosts of those buried there; that the spirits of individuals buried at Druid Ridge would annually convene at the statue; that no grass would grow on the ground where the statue's shadow would lie during the daytime; or that the statue would animate itself during the night, whether by physically moving or by showing glowing red eyes.
Possible Explanations[]
There are several explanations as to what the phenomenon could be. Theories include:
- A demonic presence
- A ghost
Trivia[]
- Black Aggie was moved from her previous home at the museum to a courtyard behind the Dolley Madison House on Lafayette Square in Washington, D.C. where she currently stands. The bare, blank pedestal remains at the statue's former home at Druid Ridge Cemetery.
- Another statue, similarly called "Black Agnus" is located at Green Mount Cemetery in Montpelier, Vermont. This one is of a man sitting and covered in a shawl, but his head is visible and his looking up with closed eyes. This statue is copper rather than bronze, so it has a green patina.
Gallery[]
Photo Gallery[]
