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| 75 Prospect Ave, Eureka Springs, AR 72632, USA (Eureka Springs, Arkansas)
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Eureka Springs
In the mid-to-late-1800's, Eureka Springs became world-renowned for its "healing waters" of its Basin Spring. The waters were said to cure crippling diseases that medicine of that day couldn't and the town quickly grew as result. By 1881, Eureka Springs was the fourth largest city in Arkansas.
The Crescent Hotel & Spa
In 1886, the Crescent Hotel opened its doors to guests, offering a luxurious stay to those that came seeking the nearby water's healing powers. Amenities included the options of tennis and croquet, a swimming pool, gardens, gazebo, and elaborate parties complete with a full orchestra. Coupled with the healing powers of the nearby springs, the Crescent Hotel became known worldwide. At the boom of the Industrial Revolution and the advances of modern science, less people turned to the "healing powers" of the Spring and the Hotel saw a plunge in visitors and ultimately had to close its doors.
The Later Years
The Hotel was transformed into a Women's College in the years between 1908 and 1924, while still acting as a resort during the summer months. That too would come to an end and the Crescent Hotel would close down for several years, with a brief respite as a junior college for four years. In 1937, a man named Norman Baker reopened it as a "health resort." Despite not being a licensed physician, Baker promised miracle cures that would completely cure its guests of cancer before they left the hotel. He was ultimately found guilty of fraud and the Hotel once again closed its doors from 1940 to 1946. After that, it was once again opened as a Hotel and began to thrive, but was undone by a fire that destroyed the fourth floor of its south wing. From then, the Hotel passed through many hands and more restorations, but had long since lost its former glory.
The Hotel Today
Marty and Elise Roenigk purchased the Hotel in 1997 and swore they would return it to its former stature. That dream would become a reality in 2002, when the Hotel was completely restored after five years and over five million dollars worth of renovations. Today, the Crescent Hotel's vicinity to nearby Branson, Missouri (the "new Nashville" of the south) has made it one of the more popular hotels in the country. At the same time, it has gained the reputation of being one of the more haunted hotels in the country.
Ghosts
Several of the Crescent Hotel's hauntings seem to harken back to its days as Baker's cancer hospital. One of its many "guests" includes the specter of a nurse who is seen pushing a gurney on the Hotel's third floor. Those stating on the third floor have heard the sound of a gurney being pushed down the hall after 11:00 PM. This floor was believed to have been the hospital's morgue and apparently still has the autopsy table and walk-in freezer used by Norman Baker. Baker himself is often spotted in the Hotel's recreation room and on the stairway of the first floor. Room 419 also hosts a ghost dubbed Theodora, believed to be one of Baker's cancer patients, who sometimes introduces herself to surprised guests and housekeepers.
A red-haired ghost that the staff has nicknamed Michael is said to be the most prevalent ghost of the hotel. It is believed that he was involved in the construction of the hotel and fell to his death in what would now be Room 218. The lights and television of the room have been known to turn on and off and pounding can be heard on the walls. Others report their bed shaking or the cries of a man falling and even hands suddenly coming out of the bathroom's mirror. Though that might sound a little too horrifying, staff believe he is more interested in teasing people than he is scaring them.
Other experiences have been reported in the lobby and the hotel's Crystal Dining Room, which is said to occasionally host a party of ghosts dressed in Victorian times. A young boy has been spotted in the kitchen and the screams of a woman falling (believed to be a girl who died in the Women's College days) have been heard outside. The Hotel was even the site of a recent investigation of the Sci-Fi Channel's Ghost Hunters.
Ghost Tours
The Crescent Hotel fully embraces its haunted past, as well as that of its sister-hotel, the Basin Park Hotel. An independent company composed of two mediums runs nightly ghost tours in the Hotel itself. On Fridays and Saturdays, the duo also run a ghost tour that explores the haunted past of nearby Basin Park Hotel and the city of Eureka Springs. |
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| Related Sites |
The 1886 Crescent Hotel & Spa
The official site of the haunted hotel, Crescent Hotel & Spa, located in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. |
America's Most Haunted Resort Hotel?
Eureka Springs, Arkansas' Crescent Hotel & Spa and the Basin Park Hotel's independent site highlighting their haunted past and ghost tours. |
Legends of America: Crescent Hotel & Spa
Legends of America's entry for the Crescent Hotel & Spa in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. The hotel is well-known for being one of the more haunted hotels in America. |
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| See Also on TheCabinet.com |
| Dark Destinations in the News (12/18/07) |
| Dark Destinations in the News (10/26/07) |
| Dark Destinations in the News (10/25/07) |
| Dark Destinations in the News (10/21/07) |
| Dark Destinations in the News (10/17/07) |
| Blog: The Top Haunted Hotels of Dark Destinations (05/18/08) |
| Blog: The Basin Park Hotel of Eureka Springs (07/01/09) |
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| Available from Amazon.com |
A Ghost in My Suitcase: A Guide to Haunted Travel in America |
Haunted Places in the American South |
Haunted America |
Haunted Places: The National Directory: Ghostly Abodes, Sacred Sites, UFO Landings and Other Supernatural Locations |
Dixie Spirits: True Tales of the Strange and Supernatural in the South |
America's Hauntings: Haunted America Speaks |
The Haunting of America: Ghosts & Legends from America's Haunted Past (History & Hauntings) |
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