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WASHINGTON, D.C., September 29, 2005 � As the cool, autumn air rattles
the leaves outside, unsettled spirits rattle the halls inside some of America�s
oldest hotels. A stay at one of the National Trust Historic Hotels of America
member hotels means experiencing fine service and first-class amenities,
but for some it may also mean encounters of the supernatural kind. The
Historic Hotels of America roster includes properties that date back to
the 1600s, some of which host guests who just can�t seem to leave.
Kitchen Capers Steve Garrison, a cook at the 1886 Crescent Hotel & Spa in Eureka Springs, Ark., swears he doesn�t drink on the job. In fact, he doesn�t drink, period. However, Garrison may have been tempted by two strange encounters in the kitchen of the hotel�s Crystal Dining Room. One morning, while slicing and dicing vegetables, he looked up and saw a little boy with �pop-bottle� glasses, dressed in old-fashioned clothing and knickers, skipping around the kitchen. Another morning, Garrison flipped on the lights to begin the day�s preparations when �some or all of the pots and pans came flying off their hooks.� It�s a Long Way Down A persistent ghost story has haunted the Davenport Hotel in Spokane, Wash. Guests have reported seeing a woman, dressed in 1920s fashion, wandering the mezzanine, peering over the railing as if looking for someone in the lobby. A recent search through the city�s newspaper archives has revealed that the apparition may be that of Mrs. Ellen McNamara, who fell to her death through the hotel�s lobby skylights on August 17, 1920. Her final words, spoken to a physician in the hotel that night, were, �Where did I go?� Perhaps she is still seeking an answer to her question. Guests and employees at the Windsor Hotel in Americus, Ga., have reported a number of strange happenings over the years. The silhouette of a woman in a long, black gown is reflected in the mirror on the third floor hall. Guests and employees have also reported seeing and hearing the voice of a little girl on the third floor of the hotel, who runs laughing through the hallway at night. The little girl is the daughter of a head housekeeper who used to live and work on the premises in the early 1900s. The woman was murdered � pushed down the elevator well � and her ghost and that of her daughter still haunt the hotel. Ask old-timers about ghosts at the Heathman Hotel in Portland, Ore., and they will all eventually mention Room 703. During a visit in 1999, a celebrity psychic staying in room 803 claimed to see a ghost at the end of her bed. �The hauntings have all taken place in the column of rooms between 303 and 1003. My theory is that someone once jumped to their death and is haunting the rooms he passed on the way down,� said the psychic, Char. Bartender, Make Mine a Double�or a Case of Double Vision
Bruce Barrios met his friend Patrick for a late-night drink at the Pierpont Inn in Ventura, Calif. While seated at the bar, Bruce noticed something that moved in a nearby alcove. He looked hard and saw a vapor-like mist formed as three ribbon shapes floating just above a table in the middle of the alcove. He turned to relay this to Patrick, but when he turned back around, the �mist� had mysteriously vanished. The bartender said Bruce�s face was ashen white. With no one to corroborate his story, Bruce passed it off to fatigue. However, upon leaving the bar, the two men opened the door of their car and were greeted by a powerful, pungent odor of flowers, not unlike those one would find at a funeral. The car was new�no lingering odors. This time, Patrick was there to experience the unexplained smell. Hurricane Isabel Stirred Up the Spirits In September 2003, during Hurricane Isabel, the guests of the Admiral Fell Inn in Baltimore were evacuated to safety. The only people remaining behind in the hotel were the Hotel Manager John Lowe and several other managers. Everyone stayed on the lobby level. While the group recessed to another room for dinner, Assistant Hotel Manager Iwona Diaz stayed in the lobby to keep watch and handle the phones. When the others returned, Iwona reported that she had heard a lot of noise, footsteps and loud talking in the rooms directly above her in the lobby�like a bunch of people having a party and dancing around. It was jokingly suggested that it must be the inn�s ghosts, who were celebrating the fact that the hotel was empty and they could reclaim their rooms. The next night, John Lowe kept watch in the lobby. As everyone else was down the hall enjoying dinner, he sat on a sofa by the lobby fireplace. Suddenly, he was aware of muffled sounds and many footfalls on the ceiling above. He reported even seeing the floors above vibrate! The �dancing� grew louder and more raucous until it sounded as though 20 people had joined the party. The arrival of another manager and his query, �John, want some pizza?� put an end to the celebration above. �Are You Enjoying Your Stay?� Many people believe a soul returns to a place that holds significant
meaning. In the case of hotels, this may apply to an owner, an employee
or a long-term guest. A mother and daughter were spending the night in
room 1012 at the Omni Parker House Hotel in Boston. The daughter awoke
around daybreak to find a gentleman dressed in attire from the late 1800s
standing at the foot of her bed. He sported a large grin, as if asking,
�Are you enjoying your stay?� When she smiled back at the friendly apparition,
he gracefully vanished. When the young woman descended for breakfast in
the dining room the next morning, she was amazed to see her nighttime visitor
on prominent display. It was Harvey Parker, founder of the venerable hotel.
In March 2003, the International Society for Paranormal Research spent several days investigating the 1886 Hotel Monteleone in New Orleans. Within the six-hour long, documented field investigation, the ISPR team made contact with more than a dozen earthbound spirits. This included and intense encounter with a girl named Helen, who died after falling at the hotel. At the time of the investigation, Helen was not aware that she was dead and became very distraught when investigators told her this news. Through channeling, two of the clairvoyants helped free Helen�s spirit. This experience was caught on tape. Rachel, the Civil War Nurse Several times a year, guests of the Gettysburg Hotel in Gettysburg, Pa., tell of their friendly encounter with Rachel, a civil war nurse. Believe it or not, Rachel details her frustration with caring for wounded soldiers and their damaged limbs. Moonlit ghost tours stroll through the streets of Gettysburg giving the opportunity to meet Rachel and other wandering souls. Earlier this year, Rachel made two visits to the same room, with different guests. Each told stories of the dresser drawers being opened, clothes mysteriously being removed and a cold draft or breeze in the room. Kiss Me, Kate Of all the paranormal personalities, perhaps none has the �staying� power of Kate Morgan, resident guest at the Hotel del Coronado in Coronado, Calif. Guests and employees have been experiencing supernatural occurrences almost since the day the hotel opened. Many attribute their encounters to Kate Morgan, one of the The Del�s former guests, who committed suicide on the beach in 1892. One guest reported her initials appeared to be drawn in a steamy bathroom mirror. Just last year, while filming footage for �Dead Famous,� a long-running English television show, one skeptical staff member was overtaken with a powerful sense of Kate�s final moments and became sickly, too shaken to stand up or even remain in the room. Christine Donovan, director of heritage programs and author of Beautiful Stranger: The Ghost of Kate Morgan and the Hotel Del Coronado, sums up the experiences by saying, �If you have to spend eternity somewhere, what better place than The Del.� Historic Hotels of America is a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Historic Hotels has identified 210 hotels that have faithfully maintained their historic integrity, architecture and ambiance. To be selected for this prestigious program, a hotel must be at least 50 years old, listed in or eligible for the National Register of Historic Places or recognized as having historic significance. A directory of member hotels can be purchased for $4.00 by sending a check to National Trust Historic Hotels of America, P.O. Box 320, Washington, D.C. 20055-0320. Rooms at any of the member hotels can be reserved by calling 800-678-8946 or at www.historichotels.org. Reservations made through Historic Hotels of America support the National Trust, a non-profit organization of 200,000 members that provides leadership, education and advocacy to save America's diverse historic places and revitalize our communities. |
Contact:
Historic Hotels of America
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