We've spent some time talking about all the bonuses you'll find at B&Bs - complimentary breakfasts, free wi-fi, afternoon refreshments. Alas, we forgot to mention one of the more memorable bonuses you'll find at B&Bs throughtout the world...ghosts! The BedandBreakfast.com editors have made it a personal mission to collect tales from B&B crypts, and we've just posted more than 100 great B&B ghost stories in BedandBreakfast.com's press room. Be sure to check it out. Here are a few of our favorites, just to get you ready for Halloween.
Creole Gardens, New Orleans, LA: Ghosts don't like change, and when this building was restored as an inn, 400-pound doors slammed for no apparent reason, and bathroom tiles that had been neatly stacked were found scattered about the floor. One guest reported a clear image of a former slave standing in the corner of the room with arms folded, apparently awaiting orders. Another guest reported a man visiting at night, speaking softly. Housekeepers report dark, flitting blurs, and a feeling of someone watching them.
Hannibal Bed and Breakfast at Rockcliffe Mansion, Hannibal, MO: Built in 1898 and described as the "finest home in Missouri," this mansion was boarded up for 43 years after its owner, John J. Cruikshank Jr., died in 1924. During the years of the vacancy, local children would run through the home, under the dare to make it all the way up to the third floor classroom, tear off a piece of the schoolroom map, and return outside to prove they had made it through Hannibal's most "haunted house." Caretakers who watched over the vacant house would often be forced to leave their living quarters due to the strong smell of cigarette smoke that would sometimes appear at midnight. Now restored as a B&B, the housekeepers at Rockcliffe Mansion have to straighten the bed in the former owner's room, even when no one has been sleeping there, as it mysteriously retains the form of a 5'4" body. Mr. Cruikshank, who stood 5'4" while alive, died in that very bed! From time to time, guests have witnessed Mrs. Cruikshank floating through her grand music room.
Texas White House, Fort Worth, TX: The ghost here is believed to be the husband of the only family who ever lived in the house. He died here and now haunts his old bedroom (now the Lone Star Room). Interestingly, the ghost sightings occur when a single woman is staying in the room. One woman awoke in the middle of the night, feeling that someone was lying on the bed beside her, back to back. She says that for several minutes she lay perfectly still, then she felt the "person" start to move off of the bed. At that point she turned over very quickly to see who it was, and no one was there. The overhead light then came on, even though no one had turned it on. Another woman awoke feeling someone getting into bed with her. She turned over immediately to see who it was, but no one was there. Immediately afterwards, her cell phone, which was plugged in several feet away, began to beep and wouldn't stop for several seconds. She says that her phone had never done that before. A third woman reported that she felt a presence in the corner. Later that night she felt the same presence again on the other side of the bed. Thus far, all of the presences have been "friendly."
