Haunted Stone Lion Inn, Guthrie, Oklahoma, USA

The Haunted Stone Lion Inn is a 1907 house that was once the residence of a large family, the Houghtons. They needed it; they had twelve children to raise.

One of the children, Augusta, would never live to adulthood, however. At the age of eight, she caught whooping cough. This may not, though, have been the cause of her death; in those days, cough syrup was a strong concoction with codeine and opium. The general belief is that Augusta was given an accidental overdose.

The third floor is where most of the ghostly activity is experienced. The Houghton children kept their toys up there, and often played with them between the hours of 10 p.m. and midnight - which is, now, the time when most of the noise is heard upstairs.

The inn is strictly nonsmoking, but sometimes, the smell of a cigar is noticed, and at times, even smoke in the air - with no visible source. An earlier guest at the inn, perhaps?

Larian Motel, Tombstone, Arizona, United States

Tombstone is one of the most haunted cities in the United States, and the Larian Motel, located in the historic district, fits right in.

Though the motel is distinctly modern, having been built in the 1950s, it is only a block from the famous O.K. Corral, and occupies land that once housed a general store and a gun store, among other businesses.

Rooms 1 through 4 are the most haunted; twin sisters once experienced an eerie feeling in the Doc Holliday room, which is Number 3. Doc Holliday died with his boots off, succumbing to tuberculosis, but Room 3 keeps his name alive and well. The sisters woke at exactly the same time on their first night, 12:30 a.m., feeling that someone else was in the room with them. They were unable to sleep for the rest of the night.

Whoever, or whatever, haunts Room 3 likes to play with the guests' belongings. One man put his glasses on a table, then could not find them just a minute later. Eventually, he gave up and went sightseeing. When he returned, the glasses were on the table where he had put them.

Old-fashioned music with no source has been heard, and the image of a man has been sensed - but not the image of a 19th-century outlaw; this man has the look of a tourist of the 1950s or '60s. An exceptionally satisfied customer of the motel?

Sage Hill Bed and Breakfast, Anamoose, North Dakota, United States

The tiny town of Anamoose (population less than 300) boasts the Sage Hill Bed and Breakfast, located in a former schoolhouse.

The schoolhouse, known as the White School, was well ahead of its time. It was built in 1928, and had a wind generator to provide power. Hot lunches were provided, as well as hot showers for the students (most of the houses in the area had no indoor plumbing).

The school even had six school buses, all horse-drawn, and a garage to keep them. For forty years, it taught the children in the area, but the number of students never exceeded 100. White School closed in 1968.

Rumor has it that a fire killed the superintendent of the school, along with a young boy. Be that as it may, when the current owners began renovating the former school into a B&B, odd things occurred.  Lights flickered on and off. The sound of moaning was heard. A light in the cellar remained lit, despite all efforts to turn it off. Cigar smoke was noticed, though no smokers of any kind were in the building. Upon investigating, workers saw smoke hovering in the air of the cellar, and a cigar was found.

Cold spots and a feeling of being watched have also been reported. For such a small town, Anamoose has some interesting activities on offer.

Casablanca Inn on the Bay, Saint Augustine, Florida, United States

Almost one hundred years ago, the Casablanca Inn (then known as the Matanzas Hotel) was a hotbed of smuggling activity. In the 1920s, Prohibition was the law of the land, and illegal activities abounded. The female proprietor of the hotel would let rumrunners know whether or not it was safe to come ashore by standing on the roof and swinging a lantern.

The woman fell in love with one of the smugglers, and one night, unable to come ashore due to the presence of government officers, he was lost at sea in a hurricane.

The Lady with the Lantern still signals to him; a ghostly light has often been seen on the roof of the Inn.

The White Eagle Saloon, Portland, Oregon, United States

The White Eagle Saloon was built in 1905. At that time, the surrounding neighborhood consisted largely of immigrants, and the area was working-class; indeed, the place was established by two Poles who wanted a place for their fellow immigrants to spend some leisure time.
 
In those days, streetcars were the mode of public transportation in Portland, and one of the stops was located almost directly in front of the White Eagle (popularly known as "Bucket of Blood", due to the frequent fights occurring there). Things haven't changed much; the White Eagle is now only a block from Portland's MAX line.


In those days, Portland was still involved in the practice of "crimping", or shanghaiing. The city had a network of tunnels running beneath the streets - and more to the point, beneath various drinking establishments. Unlucky male patrons of these watering holes could be knocked out, either physically or by drugs, and awake to find themselves at sea.

The top floor seems to be the epicenter of the hauntings. Sounds of a woman crying have often been heard, and noises of people walking back and forth. During the saloon's "glory" days, the upstairs was a "white" brothel, and the basement was a "black and Chinese" brothel. A young prostitute named Rose had a client who fell in love with her, and begged her to let him take her away from the saloon. Rose was too frightened of the owner (who considered her his "property") to leave, and when the man attempted to persuade the owner to let Rose go, he was beaten terribly. He made one more effort to convince Rose to leave with him. When she refused again, he stabbed her to death. Thus, Rose has never left the premises.

The former owner was offered $200 to allow two men with a video camera to stay overnight in one of the upstairs room. The answer was a flat refusal.

As for the basement, noises have often been heard from it. Coins have fallen from the ceiling. A waitress descending the staircase was shoved violently, falling the rest of the way.

Now? The saloon is owned by the McMenamin brothers (who also own the Edgefield in Troutdale), who, evidently, love to buy haunted properties. The saloon is open for (legal) business, and the bar area has hosted many a famous band. Previous guests warn that this is not a place for light sleepers, since the rooms are directly above the bar. Each room contains a sink, with the bathrooms located down the hall.

Ghosts apart, some potential guests may be interested in this review, from Yelp:

"You'll inevitably run into some of the lodgers in the hall, preferably the way I did when I came out of the shower and faced a man in a coconut bra and pirate hat."