Mason House Inn, Bentonsport, Iowa, USA

Built in 1846, the Mason House Inn (then known as Ashland House) was originally an inn designated for serving passengers on steamboats traveling the Des Moines River. In the course of its existence, it was a stop on the Underground Railroad, a holding area for wounded Civil War soldiers awaiting transport to the hospital in Keokuk, and a sanitarium for tuberculosis patients.

The main building contains six rooms. A seventh is not exactly a room, but a converted train caboose near the main house. The caboose has its own kitchen.

Stories of the house are fascinating. According to legend, Room 7 was the site of a murder, and the ghost of the victim (a man named Knapp) still haunts it. The ghost of an elderly woman has appeared in more than one room. A little boy haunts Room 5, where he tugs on the clothing of whoever is staying there.

Room 8 is for the more intrepid. This one is haunted by a floating head.

The owners are open to ghost hunts, with very strict rules (no alcohol, no seances, no Ouija boards, etc.). Happy haunting!

Fort Garry Hotel, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

The Fort Garry Hotel is an impressive building dating from the early 20th century.

For those who want an added experience, Room 202 is said to be haunted by the ghost of a woman who hanged herself in the closet. Guests have reported sounds of (wet) footsteps coming from the bathroom, hangers moving in the infamous closet, the lights and TV turning on, footsteps around the bed at night, sounds of sobbing, and a cloaked figure hovering above the foot of the bed.

Canadian Liberal MP Brenda Chamberlain stayed in the room once, and claimed that the ghost actually got into her bed. "I actually felt the bed move," she claimed.

More disturbing is that some guests in 202 have reported seeing blood trickling down the walls. The unfortunate woman's ghost has been seen crying in a corner of the hotel lounge, as well as walking the corridors.

It seems that all the employees at the hotel know about the ghost - and that she may have no intention of ever leaving.

Lindsey Hotel, Rockland, Maine, USA

It appears that Captain Lindsey loves his house so much, he's still there.

The 1835 Lindsey Hotel in Rockland, Maine is near the waterfront and has a number of attractive amenities. The website doesn't mention the ghosts, however. According to various sources, the Captain Lindsey who built the house - and for whom the house is named - is one of the spirits haunting his former home. Doors slam, beds are rumpled (but only when unoccupied by the living), and voices are heard.

See for yourself what sort of vibe this place has!

Dr. Holms Hotel, Geilo, Norway

Hotels (and motels and other lodging places) seem to be a magnet for suicides. A person who decides to end his/her life will often leave home, check into a hotel, and do the deed. This ensures that the body will be found relatively quickly, and that the suicide's loved ones won't have to clean up the mess (though they'll be stuck with the hotel bill and cleanup costs).

Dr. Holms Hotel in Geilo, Norway, has a tale to tell that is found in other hotels, in other countries. A married couple came to the hotel to spend their honeymoon, and all seemed well - until the bride found her new husband in bed with another woman. Distraught, the bride disappeared. When she was found three days later, she had hanged herself in the attic.

She is still in the hotel, particularly in Room 320.

Hotel Chelsea, New York City, New York, USA

The Hotel Chelsea is virtually a Who's Who of artists. Past guests include Allan Ginsberg, Brendan Behan, William S. Burroughs, Mark Twain, Dennis Hopper, Stanley Kubrick, Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Tennessee Williams, and Andy Warhol.

Two infamous guests were Sid Vicious, of Sex Pistols fame, and his girlfriend, Nancy Spungen. Their violent relationship culminated in murder, when Sid allegedly stabbed Nancy to death. She was all of 20 years old when she died. (There are theories that Nancy was killed by a drug dealer while Sid was zonked out on drugs.) Vicious is believed to haunt the Chelsea; evidently, Sid (who died of a drug overdose in 1979, just a few months after Nancy) makes his presence known in the elevator, as well as in Room 100, where Nancy died. Oddly enough, for someone who in life was so self-destructive, Sid is very helpful in the elevator, pushing buttons and opening and closing the doors. Room 100 is a different story; guests have reported sounds of a couple arguing in there.

On November 4, 1953, Welsh poet Dylan Thomas walked into the Chelsea and announced, "I've had 18 straight whiskies. I think that's the record!" Five days later, he was dead of bronchial disease. His presence is particularly eerie; he is said to haunt Room 206, where he stayed before his fatal illness, and his disembodied head has been seen at the ends of guests' beds.

Eugene O'Neill has appeared at the Chelsea, as has Thomas Wolfe. Both of them have been seen in the hallways.

A less-famous ghost is that of a woman named Mary, who survived the sinking of the Titanic in 1912. Her husband was among those who went down with the ship. Overwhelmed with grief over her loss, Mary hanged herself in her fifth-floor room at the Chelsea. She is seen gazing at her reflection in the mirror.

Hotel Bela Vista, Portimão, Portugal

Now a luxury hotel and spa overlooking the ocean, Hotel Bela Vista was once a private home. Evidently, the daughter of the former owner died in the house, and remains there. Screams and moans have been reported, and Room 108 is supposed to be the room where the unfortunate girl died.

The Farnsworth House Inn, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, USA

This inn, located in a building dating from 1810, should be haunted simply due to its location. Gettysburg is the site of one of the most famous battles of the U.S. Civil War; the fighting raged for three days in July, 1863. The Farnsworth House was occupied by Confederate sharpshooters during this time, and one of these men may have been responsible for the shooting death of Mary Virginia Wade (known as "Jennie"), the sole civilian to die during the battle. They took aim at Union soldiers from an attic window, but occasionally, one of the Confederates took a bullet from the Union side. His body was then unceremoniously dumped into a corner of the attic.

Gettysburg itself is said to be badly haunted - the battlefield itself, of course, as well as many buildings that were turned into makeshift hospitals. The Farnsworth House was one such hospital. Mary, a nurse who treated the wounded there, is still on duty, it seems. She is the blue-clad ghost seen occasionally on the lower level of the house. Other ghosts include some of the above-mentioned Confederate sharpshooters. (The inn's walls still bear marks left by Civil War bullets.)

The Sara Black room is supposed to be one of the most haunted rooms; the adjoining bathroom was once a bedroom, when a young boy named Jeremy died after a carriage hit him outside the house. The ghost of Jeremy's father is alleged to hammer fruitlessly on the door of the bathroom, anxious to hear whether his son will live or die. Pictures of the room on the house's website show a dressmaker's dummy wearing a white dress - certainly enough to freak out most guests who wake in the middle of the night.


Speaking of freaking out in the middle of the night, the Inn has an interesting condition noted on the website. It reads: "If guests wish to stay in different Bed & Breakfast rooms while they visit with us,  guests are subject to a $50 room switching fee, per day, per room."

Maybe the hauntings have been a bit much for some guests.

Notice for owners of haunted lodgings

Do you own or manage a haunted hotel, B&B, or other form of lodging?

Would you like me to blog about it?

Simply add a comment, and I'll get back to you.

The Lizzie Borden Bed and Breakfast, Fall River, Massachusetts, USA

If the house isn't haunted, it should be. Granted, there are many places where more murders occurred - such as the dwellings of the late and unlamented John Wayne Gacy and Jeffrey Dahmer - but the Borden house is one that has gone down in history for the crimes committed there.

In the 19th century, the city of Fall River, Massachusetts was the center of the U.S. textile industry. The city was also known for the production of iron, twine, thread, and looms. Towards the end of the century, however, the city became infamous for a shocking double murder.

On August 4, 1892, leading citizens Andrew and Abby Borden were hacked to death with a hatchet. Abby was murdered first, struck down as she changed the sheets in the guest bedroom. Andrew was murdered while sleeping on a couch downstairs.

Andrew's 32-year-old daughter, Lizzie, and the maid, Bridget Sullivan, were the only ones who could have committed the murders - unless an extremely resourceful killer was able to gain access to the house, kill Abby, hide long enough for Andrew to come home and fall asleep in order to commit the second murder, then leave the house without being noticed by Lizzie, Bridget, or any of the neighbors.

Lizzie was accused, charged, and tried for the murders of her stepmother and father. Despite the fact that she kept changing her story, not to mention the fact that she hated her stepmother, she was found not guilty. The police investigation of the murders was, at best, slipshod, and the fact that Lizzie was a woman worked in her favor. Juries of the time still consisted entirely of men, and none of them could belief that Lizzie, member of a prominent family (and a woman!) could be capable of such a crime.

She most certainly could, and in my opinion, she was guilty of both murders.

Andrew and Abby Borden's former house, where they met such gruesome ends, is now a bed and breakfast. The house also serves as a museum, where guests can see photos of the crime scene. The whole house looks much as it did when the Bordens lived there.

The house is open for tours, including night tours. You can also take part in a Paranormal Night at the Borden house, as well as "A Night with Lizbeth Borden" at Lizzie's later residence, Maplecroft.