My First Ghost at The Crescent Hotel
The Crescent Hotel in Eureka Springs Arkansas had been on my radar for a few years not only because it is a beautiful and historic establishment, but because it is supposedly haunted. Ghost tours are offered year-round, but the hotel also offers an ESP weekend (Eureka Springs Paranormal) in January or February every year. Sign me up. 2024 was the year I decided to be brave and buy a ticket to the ESP weekend to get immersed in the full paranormal experience. Driving eight hours from Nashville was no easy feat, but I did see gorgeous natural beauty on the way. I had never been to Arkansas before, and making the westward trip through Tennessee, southern IL, Missouri, and finally Arkansas, (listening to my ghost-hunting psych up playlist shown below) I discovered forests filled with flowing streams, hills dotted with purple trees, and fields of orange tinted grass. I would have taken several pictures had I not needed both hands on the wheel. When I finally pulled up around 4pm, The Crescent was a welcoming sight. Even on a grey misty afternoon in January, it didn’t feel foreboding or scary. It had a very welcoming energy.
The hotel was built in 1886 as a getaway for the elite but went through many iterations over the years including a girl’s finishing school, hospital, and health spa. A bad character named Norman Baker took over the hotel in 1937 and basically scammed a bunch of sick people into coming to The Crescent for “medical treatments,” claiming that the natural spring water was a cure-all for diseases like cancer. He was a fraudster that eventually went to prison, but I won’t go too much into the crimes of Norman Baker or the hotel’s history in this article. I highly recommend learning more about it because it’s super fascinating and will enhance your experience if you decide to book a stay. Links to information about the hotel’s history will be included at the end of the post if you’d like to learn more.
Upon entering the lobby, I could tell many of the hotel’s original components had been kept. From the old timey check-in desk to the wallpaper, lighting fixtures, furniture, elevator, and crown molding, it felt like somewhere a few spirits may hang around.
I wasn’t sure how many people would be attending the event, but I was pleasantly surprised to find the lobby abuzz with ghost hunters and paranormal enthusiasts. I got checked in and made my way to room 309 to freshen up before the evening’s activities. After plopping my stuff down and taking in the beautifully old-fashioned interior, I headed straight to the bathroom because, well, you know. And I got stuck. I had closed the door behind me and when I went to open it back up, I couldn’t. It was a big, old, heavy door and I pushed and pushed and turned the knob this way and that, and nothing. This thing would not budge.
I started to panic because I was there alone and there was no way for anyone to know I was stuck. My phone had 1% battery so after pushing and pulling on the door for about 10 minutes, I decided to call down to the front desk to let them know what was happening. I found the number via google maps and had to listen to the automated message telling callers where to direct their calls with my anxiety through the roof as I just needed a human NOW before my phone died. As soon as I heard which button I needed to press to be transferred to a human, I heard a click. I turned the knob and the door opened. I chalked this event up to an extremely old door, probably with an original lock, and human error. But when I relayed this story to friends after the fact, they all said the same thing: ghosts. I’m not convinced it was a spirit trying to haze me, but I guess it’s possible. In retrospect, the timing was strange, but it’s also very plausible that I’m just a dummy who got stuck in a bathroom within 5 minutes of arriving.
Anywho, I got freshened up and made my way to the conference area to get a pass and schedule. The first event was a mini ghost tour where the staff told us a brief history of the hotel and shared some anecdotes about the resident spirits and led us around to some of the most haunted areas and rooms. And most importantly, we got to meet the hote’s resident cat Jasper. Such a good boy.
After, all the attendees gathered in the conference hall to chat and have a meet-n-greet before we settled in for a panel discussion with four paranormal experts. I wasn’t sure what to expect from the panel, but I was pleasantly surprised. It was a really cool conversation featuring Larry Flaxman, Beth Kloiber, Dave Harkins, and Sarah Echelle. They covered topics from ghost hunting tools and equipment, favorite paranormal experiences, why they are interested in the supernatural, different types of hauntings, etc. It was super engaging, and I appreciated that everyone was taking it so seriously. I’m a skeptical believer (although more of a believer now after my experience at this hotel), and I’ve experienced a lot of nay-sayers or people who think it’s all a crock of bull, and while that is a valid opinion, it was nice to be around a group of people who didn’t need to justify their beliefs. We all just accepted the information and validated each other’s experiences. It truly felt like a little community.
After the panel discussion we had a short break to grab our gear and prepare for a long night of ghost hunting. I didn’t have any equipment of my own so I decided to set up my iPad as a still cam in my room to see if I could catch anything while I was out ( sadly no activity was caught). We all met back up in the conference hall and had a champagne ‘toast to the ghosts’ and then broke off into groups to investigate.
Honestly, the investigating left a lot to be desired and I was disappointed in the way it was done. Each paranormal expert was put in a haunted area and each guest was able to pick who they wanted to investigate with and then we all dispersed. The ghost hunting areas were not very secure, for example the doors were left open, lights were on, everyone was talking at once. It didn’t feel like the right environment to capture paranormal activity. I floated from group to group, room to room, seeing if any of the investigators were hunting in the way I preferred but couldn’t find a good fit. I don’t blame the investigators for this, it’s a fully functioning hotel and they couldn’t lock it all down for us weirdos, but I do wish the investigating had been a little more structured and professional.
Since I wasn’t feeling the investigating, I decided to go back to the conference hall and chat with other ghost lovers about their experiences. The staff had laid out a midnight spread of sandwiches, cheese, fruits, cookies, and drinks. So, while I munched, I interrogated anyone and everyone for their firsthand account ghost stories. And boy did these people not disappoint. I heard so many tales that ranged from heartwarming to kinda weird to downright horrifying. And what made it even better was that everyone I spoke to was incredibly kind and welcoming. I was there alone and almost cancelled my plan to come since I couldn’t find anyone to go with. But I decided to be brave, social anxiety and all, and go alone and I’m so glad I did. Most everyone there was part of a couple or a group, so having complete strangers welcome me into their circle and engage with me was such a relief and really put me at ease. I’m so grateful to have met so many wonderful people.
I decided to call it quits around 1am since I wasn’t feeling the investigating, but I had an unfortunate situation with my room. Some bees had come through the fireplace looking for a warm place to stay, and with the high ceilings I couldn’t get them out myself. I was scared to get stung in my sleep, so I switched rooms in the middle of the night. After getting all my stuff up to the fourth floor to my new room, I was exhausted and in a bit of a funk. I hadn’t vibed with the investigations and now there were bees in my room. I was no longer in the mood for paranormal fun, and I just wanted to get catch some Zs. So, I put on the TV and listened to a Harry Potter movie as I drifted into a light sleep.
It must have been around 3 or 4am when I woke up to what felt like a cat jumping up onto the bed behind me. I was sleeping on my side and felt that distinctive feeling any cat owner would know. It’s possible I dreamed the sensation, but I was definitely awake for what happened next. After feeling the “cat,” I then felt the bed depress DOWN as if someone had sat on the bed behind me. Then, I felt a hand press down onto my hip area, but it wasn’t a caress or a tap, it was like someone was lightly pressing their fingertips down onto my hip? It was strange, and very freaky! I was frozen solid; I did not move I was so scared. I reverted to the childhood mentality of “if I can’t see them, they can’t see me” and closed my eyes and pretended to be asleep for what felt like hours. I eventually fell back asleep and felt a little better about the whole thing when the sun was up.
This experience really scared me in the moment, but after, I was THRILLED! I’ve never had anything that spooky happen to me before. I’m still skeptical that what I experienced was actually a ghost because certain things had been suggested earlier the evening, and its possible there was some sort of psychology at play. For example, the hotel has a resident cat Jasper, and on the ghost tour we were told stories of previous resident cats who’ve since passed but now and again visit guests from the afterlife. So, the idea of a ghost cat had been implanted in my brain. Also, one of the resident spirits of room 214, Michael, was said to be a mischievous teenage boy spirit who liked to mess with women, doing things such as caressing them in their sleep, opening the shower curtain, etc. So maybe I imagined someone sitting on the bed and touching my hip? But here’s the thing, I’m 100% sure I was fully awake when I felt that bed move. I’m so mad at myself for not setting up my iPad as a still cam again after switching rooms, but after moving all my stuff in the middle of the night, I wasn’t even thinking about ghosts. But maybe that’s the lesson, you can’t expect them or be too eager or else they won’t show? Idk.
Unfortunately, I had to leave the conference a day early so I didn’t get to stick around for the next evening’s activities which was a bummer. I really wanted to hear Larry Flackman’s talk and hear from other attendees about what they experienced the night before. But alas, after a delicious breakfast in the STUNNING dining room, I had to head back home. Even though the investigation portion of the weekend didn’t quite vibe with me, and the fact that I had some bees in my room, I still HIGHLY recommend this ESP weekend event, and The Crescent hotel in general. It’s absolutely beautiful, the staff was amazingly kind and accommodating, and the other guests I met were lovely. They also offer a paranormal “lock down” event where they close the hotel off to guests and do a lights off investigation, and honestly I think that would be more my speed. I’m going to check that out next year, so if you’re like me and like a very dark quiet environment to hunt ghosts, maybe opt for that event instead. They also offer ghost tours year-round, so you could always just book a tour and stay for the night if you don’t want to wait for an official event to come visit.
If you’ve had a ghostly encounter at The Crescent Hotel, PLEASE tell me about it in the comments, I am sincerely curious about what everyone else has experienced at this incredibly cool location.
https://crescent-hotel.com/about/history/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crescent_Hotel_(Eureka_Springs,_Arkansas)
https://www.newyorker.com/culture/photo-booth/the-haunting-history-of-a-hucksters-cancer-cure