Hole up in a Haunted Hotel
Self-proclaimed “America’s Most Haunted Hotel,” The Crescent Hotel & Spa just may live up to its title. The hotel has been featured on the Travel Channel, NBC’s Today Show, the Sci-fi Channel and more for its nightly paranormal activity. Today, the Crescent is the most well-known hotel in the Ozarks, a hot spot for weddings and events, and a relaxing spa getaway; but this historic hotel has a storied past and reminders crop up just about every night.
The hotel was built in 1886 and is a member of the Historic Hotels of America. It was originally known as the “Queen of the Ozarks” because of its immediate popularity. Its rich architecture, beautiful grounds and famous reputation make it a popular year-round destination, but what has happened in the last 121 years to make it so haunted? There have been reports of a ghostly presence in the hotel almost since its inception, starting with a workman who reportedly fell to his death during the building of the hotel. He landed in what is now room 218, and this is still considered one of the most haunted areas of the hotel.
Once construction was completed, the hotel enjoyed several years as a popular tourist destination, but fell into disrepair after its initial hey-day. In 1908 the hotel was opened as a conservatory for women, spawning several young female apparitions, and then in 1937 Norman Baker leased the hotel with plans to create a hospital. The “hospital” became something else altogether, and many claim that this period is when the haunting really began.
Baker opened the hotel as an alternative cancer treatment center, advertising that patients could be cured by drinking the natural spring waters and partaking in other home remedies; however, local legend tells a different story. According to many of the legends surrounding the hotel, Baker was not the harmless peddler of natural healing methods that he claimed to be, and the dozens of human skeletons that have been discovered hidden on the grounds seems to prove otherwise. Reports of Baker’s unusual treatment methods range from the amputation of and experimentation on cancerous limbs to unique types of “brain surgery” on unsuspecting patients. Some sources maintain that jars of preserved body parts are still hidden within the walls of the hotel somewhere, but to date nothing of this nature has been found.
While there have been a few frightening reports of blood splattered walls and ghostly scares, almost all of the sightings and happenings are benign in nature. Guests regularly report sightings of men and women in old-fashioned clothes walking the grounds or dancing in the ballroom and a very distinguished gentleman from yesteryear frequents the bar. The hotel’s website hosts a number of photographs taken by guests that depict these unlikely visitors.
I’m sure we’ve all heard the notion that ghosts only stick around if they have unfinished business, or some sort of job to complete. While we’ll never know for sure if this is the case with the Crescent, some of these permanent guests reportedly do, or did, have a job to do. The most famous ghost worker is Miss Theodora, a regular of room 419. Her “job” was to help Baker’s cancer victims cross over, but it seems no one told her that the hospital closed down years ago. There is a nurse commonly seen pushing a gurney in the hotel hallways, and a cleaning lady from the past continues to battle dust and dirt.
Today the hotel runs a ghost tour seven nights a week, where local historians walk guests and local visitors through the history of the hotel and point out some of the building’s most haunted spots. Tour takers visit the basement that was used as a morgue during the Norman Baker years and learn about ongoing investigations into the paranormal. The hotel also features ghost packages and ghost hunts. Mediums and paranormal researchers regularly visit the hotel with promising results. A night at the Crescent may not be for the faint of heart, but for those hoping to experience a ghost sighting, this is the perfect place to start!