| The
first time I warmed myself by the fire in the tavern at the LOGAN INN was back in the mid
nineteen eighties. At that time there was
little consideration of specters and phantoms. I was more than content
to focus on the pleasant surroundings and the company of those that
were still among the living. New Hope, Pennsylvania was then a recent
find, and it was quickly becoming a preferred destination. The Logan
Inn for its part seemed to be the focal point of this historic
community. |
Over
the years, as I became a somewhat familiar fixture in front of the
fireplace at the LOGAN and a few other
choice hearths around town, I
was entrusted with some of the many unearthly secrets that abound in
this village. New Hope is most definitely haunted, and a quiet walk on
a dark night down its streets and narrow passageways would give pause
to even the most hardened skeptic.
Maggie Smith-Calderon, the general manager is the longest serving
corporeal presence at the LOGAN
INN. Her twenty plus years of work have
also made her the de facto historian in-residence of what is one of the
oldest inns and taverns in the United States. On a recent chilly
October evening she imparted a bit of otherworldly history.
|
By
the time America had embarked upon its path toward independence, the LOGAN INN had already been
in operation for over fifty years. It was
customary in the eighteenth century to store the bodies of the deceased
in basements during the winter months until they could be interred when
the ground finally thawed. During Washington’s December encampment
prior to his attack on Trenton in 1776, New Hope, then called Coryell’s
Ferry, was a hotbed of rebel activity. Some accounts state that the
general lodged in New Hope on Christmas Eve, the night before his
celebrated crossing of the Delaware.
While the chronicles are sketchy and open to debate, we do know that a
good portion of Washington’s army at the time were seriously ill and
unfit for action. During that period deaths were recorded, and there is
a good possibility that the bodies of fallen Continentals were kept at
the Logan Inn. This probably accounts for the rash of sightings over
the years of a Revolutionary War soldier who likes to frequent the tap
room. |
A WARM, WELL APPOINTED BAR
|
|
|
Then
there is the matter of room six. This might just be one of the
most haunted rooms in America. Guests have reported cold spots,
electrical anomalies, unusual shadows and reflections, tampering with
personal items and a strong scent of lavender perfume. Maggie
attributes most of the activity to Emily Lutz, who lived and died in
that room, and the spirit of a young girl that drowned in the canal
behind the property. But Adele Gamble, who runs Ghost Tours of New
Hope, suspects that there are several spirits in play here,
and
she has
experienced firsthand apparitions in room six. While both Adele and
Maggie believe that the ghosts at the inn are good natured, some guests
have been less inclined to want to share their future overnights with
these wraiths.
The LOGAN INN does not actively
publicize its paranormal activities;
but the staff is always agreeable about answering inquiries of that
nature. And Maggie is more than willing to allow you to take a look at
some rather compelling photographic evidence. So the next time you’re
in New Hope, Pennsylvania I suggest that you avail yourself of a warm
fire, a good drink and a great ghost story.
|
|
