 After the burning of the White House in the War of 1812, President James and Dolley Madison lived there from September 1814 to October 1815, and Madison signed the Treaty of Ghent (which ended the war) there in February 1815.Apparitions and the presence of otherworldly forces have been seen and felt in many places at The Octagon, including on the spiral staircase, the second floor landing, the third floor landing, the third floor bedroom, and the garden area in the rear.Among the eyewitnesses have been members of the public, and curators and other employees hired by the museum which owns the house.