09/08/2026
KITTY KNIGHT HOUSE. Georgetown, MD.
The story begins more than 200 years ago with Catherine Knight or “Kitty.” She came from a prominent Kent County family. The family made frequent trips to Philadelphia, where they met and associated with influential people, including George Washington.
Kitty Knight would become known for something more important than her beauty or connections: her courage. Sometime between 1773 and 1783, two brick houses were built on a hill in Georgetown, Maryland. Then, on May 6, 1813, British forces sailed up the river during the War of 1812 and burned Fredericktown and Georgetown.
When British soldiers reached the two houses on the hill, they began setting them on fire. Kitty refused to leave. She followed them, putting out the flames and begging them to stop.
“I shall not leave. If you burn this house, you burn me with it.”
Finally, Kitty was able to speak with Admiral Cockburn, commander of the British forces. She pleaded with him to spare the houses, telling him that an elderly woman inside could not escape. The admiral ordered his troops back to their barges. The houses were spared. Her bravery became part of Maryland history.
In 1928, the two buildings on the hill were joined together, creating what became the Kitty Knight House, an inn and restaurant.
Some say Kitty never really left. For years, staff and guests have reported doors opening and closing by themselves, lights appearing in empty rooms, and a shadowy figure near a doorway.
Then there is Room 4, believed to have been Kitty’s bedroom. A travel writer watched the door close by itself. The innkeeper told her that if Kitty liked you, she would close the door. Guests also said a rocking chair in the room moved on its own.
And then came the phone call. The manager was in the business office when the phone rang. The caller ID showed Room 4. It was not booked. She answered, but no one was there. Staff investigated. The room was locked and empty.
So who made the call? Perhaps Kitty is still there, watching over the house she fought so hard to save. After all, Kitty Knight refused to leave.
Maybe she still hasn’t...
