The Rose Hotel, Photo by Michael Kleen
The Daily Egyptian, newspaper of Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois, has featured the haunted Rose Hotel in a recent issue. The Rose Hotel is owned by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency and operates as a bed and breakfast. Built by James McFarland around 1830, with additions added in 1848 and 1866, it is the oldest active hotel in the State of Illinois.
In 2009, the Little Egypt Ghost Society investigated the hotel and captured a photo of a strange reflection that appeared in the mirror of the McFarlan Suite. They compared it to photographs in an old hotel scrapbook and determined it was an image of the ghost of a former servant named Tote. Another anomalous photo appeared to show a woman in old-fashioned dress, which they believed to be a former hotel operator named Maimee Rose. The group also recorded several EVPs and heard a number of out-of-place voices. You can read Bruce Cline’s description of their findings in three parts: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.
The article in the Daily Egyptian is titled “Rose Hotel is home to more than just guests.” Written by Branda Mitchell, it explains a little about the history of the hotel and interviews Bruce Cline about LEGS’ investigations there. The article also goes into some detail about Elizabethtown itself, which we hadn’t realized was in such disrepair. Here is the reporter’s description:
The decaying infrastructure of the area emphasizes the ghostly mysteries that appear to haunt the town. The town is full of empty buildings, broken storefronts and fire-damaged businesses. Streetlamps covered in cobwebs appear to not be regularly maintained. The old school building is boarded up, with plants overtaking what used to be the main stairs. An old, faded sign for the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, an organization whose mission is to promote personal and social change, can be seen hanging above a broken door on an abandoned building at the main intersection.
We encourage our readers to visit this interesting location and book a night there. If nothing else, you will experience a beautiful view of the Ohio River. Read the full article here.
