Monday, December 30, 2013

The Story Inn, Story, Indiana, USA

The Inn has the distinction of being the whole (tiny) town of Story, Indiana. The Story story is listed on the website. Old buildings that once served other purposes (the general store, old mill, carriage house, etc.) have been converted to provide lodging, with a restaurant in the basement of the general store.

The Inn also boasts a resident spirit, known as the Blue Lady. Rumor has it that she can be summoned simply by turning on a blue lamp. The Inn offers a "Ghost Hunter's Special", despite the fact that the owner is reluctant to believe in the Blue Lady, or in any other ghost. More information on the haunting is available here.

Sunday, December 22, 2013

Cedar Grove Mansion, Vicksburg, Mississippi, USA

Built in 1852, Cedar Grove Mansion was the property of the Klein family until 1919. The first owners were John Klein and his young wife, Elizabeth. Of their ten children, four died young - two in infancy (the cause of death is not given, but may have been SIDS), a daughter from undisclosed causes, and one of their sons, who dropped his gun, which then discharged and killed him. He was seventeen.

During the Civil War, the mansion was occupied by the Union Army and used as a hospital, where more than one soldier died. Another occupant of the house at a later date shot herself in the ballroom.

Elizabeth Klein, who loved her house, still looks after it, as more than one eyewitness can attest. John Klein's pipe smoke is noticed when someone he dislikes enters or goes near the parlor. Babies crying have been heard; a little girl has been seen on the staircase to the second floor. Ghosts of Union soldiers have been reported.



Tuesday, October 29, 2013

The St. James Hotel, Selma, Alabama, USA

The St. James Hotel was originally known as the Brantley, built in 1837. Union forces used it for lodging during the Battle of Selma in the Civil War. The hotel survived the burning that destroyed most of the city during the war.

Among the hotel's less-than-savory guests were those notorious train-robbing brothers, Frank and Jesse James. Jesse and his lover, Lucinda, are often reported as persistent guests at the hotel. Jesse is seen in rooms 214, 314, and 315, since he often stayed in those rooms. Guests have complained about the barking of a dog in the courtyard, which faded as soon as anyone investigated the source of the noise. Jesse was known to have a dog. Jesse is also seen, unsurprisingly, in the bar.

Lucinda announces her presence - seen or unseen - with the scent of lavender, her favorite. Sometimes, she is seen strolling the halls of the hotel.

In addition to the famous couple, guests have seen people wearing 19th-century clothing in the courtyard.

Friday, March 29, 2013

The Plains Hotel, Cheyenne, Wyoming, USA

The Plains Hotel is an imposing building in Wyoming's capital city. It opened in 1911, offering one hundred guest rooms and five elevators - no small feat for a hotel of that time, even in a major city.

It's no surprise that the hotel was a destination for honeymooning couples. One new bride, called Rosie, checked in with her husband on what was to be the last trip of her life.

Rosie's husband (no Prince Charming, he) wandered down to the lounge one evening for a drink or two. Hours later, when he hadn't returned to their room, Rosie found him still in the bar, getting friendly with a prostitute.

Rosie's new husband, with his new friend, left the bar and went to the prostitute's room on the fourth floor. Rosie followed, and with her husband's gun, shot the prostitute, her husband, and (back in the honeymoon suite) herself.

The ghosts of all three parties to the murder/suicide have been seen by staff and guests. Rosie, wearing a blue gown, walks the hallways of the hotel. Laughing and crying have been heard from the room that was once hers. Her husband is seen on the fourth floor, and - oddly - the basement. The prostitute is seen on the second floor.




Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Kewaunee Inn, Kewaunee, Wisconsin, USA

The Kewaunee Inn (once the Karsten Hotel) is close to Lake Michigan, Green Bay - and the supernatural.

The building turned 100 years old in 2012. In 1966, work was done on the hotel, and it seems that this operation brought out the spirits of three people once attached to the hotel - a former owner, his grandson, and a maid.

Why the maid (Agatha Struck) haunts the inn is a mystery; she was not an owner, and she didn't die on the premises. Rumor has it that she was in love with a former owner; if so, given the fact that they both haunt the place, she may be happy now. She has been seen performing her old duties, such as sweeping the halls. One guest who stayed in 310, Agatha's old room, watched, freezing, as a filmy wraith floated through the wall. She is known to move objects, especially when the inn was renovated in 1984; Agatha showed her displeasure by hiding tools, opening and closing doors, and turning lights on and off.

William Karsten, Sr., has been seen having an ethereal beer in the bar. Like Agatha, he moves things (in his case, furniture) when upset; he also causes a foul odor to show his unhappiness.

Billy Karsten, William's grandson, died of meningitis at the age of five. Living children have played with a little boy on the second floor, a boy who looks strikingly like the photo of Billy. He has also been heard running down the hall to his grandfather's room.

Friday, January 25, 2013

Ross Castle B&B, Oldcastle, County Meath, Ireland

Ross Castle (NOT to be mistaken for a castle in Killarney with the same name) is a rather imposing 16th-century building on Lough Sheelin.

The first owner was Richard Nugent, 12th Earl of Delvin, who had the castle built in 1536. Nugent, who was called "the Black Baron", was so eager to punish crime in his area that he had an innocent man hanged for stealing a loaf of bread (the real culprit was a dog).

In true Romeo-and-Juliet fashion, the Black Baron's daughter, Sabina, fell in love with Orwin O'Reilly, member of an enemy family. After many a secret meeting, the two decided to elope. They set sail across the lake, but a storm blew up and capsized their boat. When Sabina awoke, three days later, she learned that Orwin had drowned. Distraught, she refused food and drink, with the predictable result.

Sabina still haunts her former home; some say that she is being punished for the heartless actions of her father. He has not escaped his own punishment, though; his ghost has been sighted many times.