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The hotel's original
design included 50 rooms in an L-shaped building that provided
community baths in the middle of the long halls. The dining room and
parlor space were later converted into additional rooms. Beckoning
travelers from the train was a large painted sign on the outside of
the two story brick building. Once checked in, travelers enjoyed the
prominent four-bay front porch as they watched the traffic pass by.
The craftsman-style
hotel was continuously operated by the Ott family until 2002 when
Kelly and Susan Mc Cain purchased the building. Immediately, they
began to restore the building to its 1928 appearance, complete with 10
foot ceilings, wooden floors, and many of the original furnishings. At
the end of the second story hallway are two baths – one for the men
and one for the women. The front lobby continues to hold its original
front counter, hotel registers and a number of historic artifacts
including photographs.
The McCains’ will
tell you that their hotel "ain’t fancy, but it’s affordable, clean and
functional.” It’s also allegedly haunted.
Since remodeling
first began, a number of strange incidents have occurred, including
doors slamming by themselves, the sounds of phantom heavy footsteps,
and loud knocking. Guests and staff alike have often heard a man and
woman having a heated argument in an empty room. However, when staff
opens the door to check it out, the phantom couple reverts to silence.
Several have
reportedly seen spectral bodies, including reports of a woman wearing
a white night gown, a tall figure in a black hat and coat, a man
dressed in blue, a well-dressed red-headed woman, and multiple dark
figures that are glimpsed throughout the old hotel. One guest even
reported a spectral man who stood at the end of her bed every night
she stayed there.
The hotel continues to have other strange
events that occur such as lights that go on and off by themselves,
doors that open and close on their own, strange smells, and floating
grey mists. The hotel’s security video has captured the doors opening
and closing with unseen hands as well as the sounds of people arguing
when no one is there. Sometimes, the sound of a gunshot is heard at
the hotel.
A
number of odd incidents have been caught on guest cameras including the
figure of a well dressed lady on one and moving orbs on a video camera.
Who are these unseen
ghosts? Well, two of these restless spirits are thought to belong to a
couple by the name of Anna and Joshua. In the Fall of 1930, Anna was
having an illicit affair at the Ott Hotel and her husband,
having heard about it, came looking for her. When Joshua arrived, he was a
tall, slender man, wearing a black cowboy hat, duster coat and black
boots. On one door after another, he knocked on each until he found her.
When Anna opened the door, dressed in a white nightgown, the two
immediately began to argue. Suddenly a shot rang out and when the smoke
cleared both Anna and Joshua lay dead on the floor.
To this day it is unclear
who shot and killed the married couple, but both died from the same
bullet.
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