Tag Archives: Haunted Hotels

DeSoto House Hotel, Ep. 387

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The DeSoto House Hotel sits at the corner of Green and Main Streets in downtown Galena, Illinois. This building has claims that it is the most haunted hotel in Illinois and with a history that includes President Abraham Lincoln, that reputation seems fitting. This was a beautiful hotel hosting grand balls until the economy hit it hard, but it has risen once again to provide the finest in accommodations. And with a Lady in Black who wandered the dining room so much that they left a hole in the wall for her, who wouldn’t want to stay here? Join us as we share the history and hauntings of the DeSoto House Hotel. The Moment in Oddity was suggested by Mike Rodgers and features the Charfield Railway Disaster and This Month in History features opening of the Brooklyn Bridge. Our location was suggested by listeners Amanda Allen and Jennie Douglas

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The Tutwiler Hotel, Ep. 288

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The Hampton Inn and Suites in Birmingham is an upscale hotel with a long history. This is the former Tutwiler Hotel and the former Ridgely Apartments. This was not the original Tutwiler Hotel. That one was built in 1914 on a different spot and eventually demolished in 1974. The Tutwiler was built in a grandiose style to attract the steel industry to come to town for conventions. This worked and Birmingham soon became a convention destination. The city felt the loss of the hotel when it was demolished and so it was decided to renovate the historic luxury Ridgely Apartments and reopen it as the new Tutwiler Hotel. And it is this location where the namesake for the hotel is reputedly still hanging around in the afterlife. Join me as we explore the history and hauntings of the Tutwiler Hotel. We also have three listener stories to share! Moment in Oddity was suggested by John Michaels and features Alien Hand Syndrome and This Month in History features Zulu War Begins. Our location was suggested by Jonathan Geisel.

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Congress Plaza Hotel, Ep. 187

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Chicago’s Congress Plaza Hotel is said to be the city’s most haunted hotel. Chicago hosted the World’s Fair in 1893 and the hotel was built to help provide more accommodations, so it has been around for more than a century. World leaders, US Presidents and the rich and famous have all stayed here. There are rumors that the hotel was used during Prohibition by Al Capone. And similar to the inspiration The Stanley Hotel provided to Stephen King when writing The Shining, the Congress Plaza Hotel inspired him when writing his short story 1408, which eventually became the movie of the same name starring John Cusack. There seems to be many spirits at the hotel to help provide haunting inspiration. Join us as we explore the history and hauntings of the Congress Plaza Hotel! The Moment in Oddity features the Moon Mausoleum and This Month in History features Julius Caesar assassinated. Our location was suggested by listeners Matthew Hirons and Kristin Swintek.

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Delta Bessborough Hotel, Ep. 184

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The castle-like Delta Bessborough Hotel is a four star, ten-story hotel located in downtown Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. Today it is owned by Marriott, but this historic hotel dates back to 1928 when it was built by the Canadian National Railway. Railway hotels were built all across Canada with many of them sharing the same architecture. Many locals refer to the Bessborough as “The Bess” and many of them have tales of hauntings that take place in the hotel. There seems to be several spirits hanging around The Bess in the afterlife. Join us as we explore the history and hauntings of the Delta Bessborough Hotel. The Moment in Oddity was suggested by listener Lisa Lauren Schmidt and features Jean Hilliard frozen alive and lives and This Month in History features the outlaw Belle Starr killed in Oklahoma. Our location was suggested by listener Corianne Wilson.

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Hotel Jeffery, Ep. 136

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Diane is solo on Ep. 136, but Denise does manage to sneak in for a bit! Along the most scenic route to Yosemite National Park is the city of Coulterville, which is home to the historic Hotel Jeffery. The Magnolia Saloon that is part of the hotel is one of the only saloons in America that still has the traditional bat-wing doors and it is the oldest working saloon in California. The hotel has hosted the famous, but it also hosts some unique guests. The hotel is rumored to be haunted by 17 individual spirits and the unnerving part is that the hotel claims that most of the spirits are not malevolent, meaning that some are. Join us for the history and hauntings of Hotel Jeffery! The Moment in Oddity was suggested by listener Tammie McCarroll-Burroughs and features the graves of Charlie Silver and This Day in History is by April Rogers-Krick and features colonists landing in Roanoke for the first time. Our location was suggested by listener Scott Stuller and our research assistant was Kristin Swintek.

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Skirvin Hotel, Ep. 102

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Ep. 102 features The Skirvin Hotel as suggested by listener Samantha Wilson with Research Assistants April Rogers-Krick and Jessica Bell. Westward expansion was pulling people from the east into the wild west. Oklahoma City was a boom town from 1898 to 1909 and many people flocked there. William Skirvin was one of those people who came to Oklahoma City and he built a hotel that has survived into today. The Skirvin Hotel was meant to be the most grandiose and fancy hotel in the area. And it was, hosting some of the luminaries of the day. For a time it was abandoned, but today, it is a property of Hilton and still hosting guests from around the world. But the Skirvin Hotel seems to be hosting more than just the living. This hotel is considered by some as the most haunted location in Oklahoma. Join us as we explore the history and hauntings of the Skirvin Hotel. Moment in Oddity features the Phantom Time hypothesis and This Day in History features Prince Mutsuhito becoming Emperor Meiji of Japan.

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Emily Morgan Hotel, Ep. 83

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The city of San Antonio is beautiful. It is home to the infamous Alamo. And right next to the Alamo sits the Emily Morgan Hotel. The hotel is considered the official hotel of the Alamo. It was once a state of the art medical facility. Today it is a DoubleTree by Hilton hotel that offers luxurious accommodations in a beautiful historic building. Those accommodations offer more than just luxuries. There are reportedly ghosts in this building. Some believe that the hotel is far more haunted than even the Alamo, where so many more people died. Join us as we explore the history and hauntings of the Emily Morgan Hotel. Moment in Oddity features the kidnapping of Charlie Chaplin’s body and This Day in History features the conviction of Boss Tweed.

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