The Haunting History of the Crescent Hotel
/In modern times, the Crescent Hotel is known for its haunted nature. From the first opening to the hospital days. There is a lot to unpack in this rich history, ready to dive in?
The crescent hotel was built in 1886 in Eureka Springs Arkansas. During the beginning of this building being occupied, it was used for the intended purpose of being a hotel. During the construction of the hotel and during its years of operation there have been two spirits to come about, a 17-year-old Irish stoneman and a ginger cat.
While the hotel was under construction, Micheal (the 17-year-old stoneman) had fallen to his death while building the hotel. The cause of the fall being him doing a little dance for a woman to get her attention, he ended up falling and hitting a beam located in room 218. He usually targets women with his hauntings.
During the operations of the hotel, the staff had deemed a ginger cat named Morris as the general manager. The guests absolutely loved Morris (who couldn’t). There was a little cat door installed so he could roam the grounds as he pleased. When he passed away at the age of 21 many were upset about the news. The funeral had a giant amount of attendance to pay respects to Morris. There was a guest who decided to write a poem in honor of Morris that goes “In memory of Morris, the resident cat at The Crescent Hotel. He filled his position exceedingly well. The General Manager title he wore, was printed right there on his own office door. He acted as greeter and sometimes as guide. Whatever his duties, he did them with pride. He chose his own hours and set his own pace, The guests were impressed with his manners and grace. Upstairs and down, he kept everything nice. They might have had ghosts, but they never had mice.”
However, when the ownership switched hands the purpose of the building also switched. On September 23rd, 1908, Crescent college and Conservatory for Young Women was opened. The college was open from September to June, while during the summer it was used for hotel operations. Due to lack of funding, the college was closed in 1924. During 1930 to 1934 Crescent junior college was open for operation, it was known for its high standards and Christian atmosphere.
In the late 1930s a man named Norman Baker took ownership of the property. Baker claimed to be able to cure cancer without radiation or surgeries. Baker was no doctor, rather, he was known as a radiobroadcaster. Baker had named his hospital “Baker’s Cancer Curing Hospital” which was a complete lie for a major cash grab. Baker’s base to cure cancer was fresh air, healthy food, and exercise, he also had an elixir that was made mainly with alcohol and watermelon. Many of Baker’s patients had passed away from their cancer. This didn’t stop Baker from harvesting body fat from his patients in jars. These jars were later found in 2017.
In 1940, Baker was arrested for fraud and impersonation (although with his riches he was able to bail himself out). His friend, however, took over after his trial until they eventually gave the ownership to a group of Chicago-based businessmen six years later.
During the “Baker’s Cancer Curing Hospital” era, there was a lady thought to be the head nurse who ended up passing away where she worked from cancer. Her name was Theodora, after passing away since the “cure” never worked her spirit eventually haunts room 419. She can be seen fumbling with her keys outside of the room and in known to tidy up after guests.
The ownership of the hotel was always changing until 1997 when a couple took ownership. The couple, Marty and Elise Roenigk, had tried to reserve the building as much as possible. As it stands now, the hotel is thriving with tourists coming to see what they can catch for themselves with the hauntings. There is still a cat as a general manager, well it is two this time their names are Casper and Jasper.
While there has been a lot to happen within the wall of the Crescent Hotel and there is still a lot to happen. All we have now is the ability to wait and see what the hotel has to transform into in the future and how it will shape us as a whole.
Sources:
https://www.newyorker.com/culture/photo-booth/the-haunting-history-of-a-hucksters-cancer-cure
https://www.historichotels.org/us/hotels-resorts/1886-crescent-hotel-and-spa/history.php
https://crescent-hotel.com/blog/ghostly-happenings-at-the-crescent-hotel/
https://crescent-hotel.com/about/history/
https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/crescent-college-and-conservatory-5618/
https://www.tiedyetravels.com/2011/12/cats-at-crescent.html
https://www.cattipper.com/travel/2017/the-ghost-cat-of-the-1886-crescent-hotel-and-spa.html
R.Solitaro is the author of this post, they like anything spooky and gruesome. Sometimes, in the dark of night you might be able to see them in your window. Welcome to the Chaos that is R.Solitairo.
