---

Bed down with spirits that still call some inns and hotels home

New England has its fair share of inns and hotels where the spirits of deceased residents are said to hang around, even to the present day. Many have stories associated with them – some tales of heroism, some tales of violence and trauma. Most often, the spirits are simply bumping around, watching present-day goings-on, sometimes pulling silly pranks. Below are some New England hostelries said to be inhabited by ghostly presences.

---

Homespun Farm Bed and Breakfast
Griswold, CT
The farm was purchased in 1740 by Simon Brewster, a descendent of William Brewster, who arrived on the Mayflower in 1620. According to news stories published on the farm’s website, the ghost of Simon Brewster, dressed in a plaid shirt and overalls, sometimes appears out of nowhere and hovers over the orchards he once tended at Homespun Farm. Farm owners Kate and Ron Bauer say they first came in contact with Brewster’s ghost when they began working in the fields. “I was out there pruning blueberries, having this feeling of someone telling me, ‘No, no, no not there,’” Kate Bauer said. “I guess he was trying to make sure we knew what we were doing and not cutting too much off the trees or hurting anything.” Kate Bauer said she never told her husband about her visit from Simon until after her husband described having a similar experience. The Bauers, who have three sons, said they also have felt the presence of Simon’s wife, Laura Brewster, in the house as she walks up and down the stairs at night.

The Lighthouse Inn
New London
The Lighthouse Inn Resort was built in 1902 as the grand summer home of steel magnate Charles S. Guthrie. Originally called Meadow Court, it was a popular destination for social events and a private retreat for film stars. According to legend, in the 1920s or 1930s a bride was walking down the large spiral staircase in the inn. She tripped and fell down the stairs and broke her neck and died on her wedding day. To this day, a woman in a white gown is seen sometimes walking through the inn. A year ago, a singer performing there in a band observed a woman in a white gown looking into the room from the outside. During a break in the performance, the singer went to the window to tell the woman where to find the door into the room, and was shocked to discover that those windows were 30 feet above the ground. Guests also report hearing voices and running feet of young boys. Some people suspect these are the ghosts of two young boys who were killed in the inn during the 1938 hurricane.

Captain Grant’s Inn, 1754
Poquetanuck
Captain Grant’s Inn was built by Captain William Gonzales Grant in 1754. The inn is located between very old plots of the Poquetanuck Cemetery. The owners believe the house is infested with caretaking, protective spirits, possibly as a counterbalance to the spirits inhabiting the nearby cemeteries. There are many unexplained stories of ghostly presence: nighttime footsteps in an area of the attic that was chock-full of lumber; appearances of the spirits of a woman and two children; loud rapping at the front door when no one was outdoors; a shower rod and curtain that repeatedly flies off the wall. One guest always feels the comforting presence of someone stroking her face; in another instance, a cleaning person watched as the spirit of a young child walked through her body. The owner believes that the ghosts are protective and caring … and practical. In a busy summer weekend of 1996, the inn’s well went dry. A day later, a well-drilling crew showed up spontaneously without any explanation, even though the owners had made no arrangements for a new well. “This place,” the owner says, “is really protected.”