This Monday is the scariest day in America
(next to April 15) — Halloween. It’s a day for haunted houses, macabre
costumes, the telling of spooky ghost stories and other legends, and of course
a scary thing to dentists — lots of candy. So in honor of Halloween, here’s the
story behind a few of Arkansas’ spookiest places.
The
Crescent Hotel — This legendary Eureka Springs hotel is
probably the best-known haunted building in Arkansas. The hotel, built in 1836
as a health resort, has been featured on television programs such as SyFy’s
Ghost Hunters and the Travel Channel’s Ghost Adventures. According to one
legend, a construction worker who fell to his death from room 218 still haunts
the room. (In its later years, after the Crescent became a women’s college, a
young student fell — or was pushed—to her death from a top story window.)
Around 1937,
Dr. Norman Baker purchased the Crescent Hotel and turned it into a hospital.
Baker claimed he could cure cancer and other diseases. But Baker had
no actual medical training, and his treatments were often sadistic and painful,
including drilling holes in patients’ skulls and performing surgeries without
anesthesia in the basement.
Along with
the construction worker, the hotel is said to be haunted by former patients and
staff from the time it served as Baker’s “hospital.” Throughout the years,
there have been mysterious reports of hands coming out of bathroom mirrors,
cries of pain, gurneys rattling down halls and doors slamming shut on their
own. Some visitors have claimed to see spirits in Victorian dress in the
hotel’s dining room.
The hotel
has been restored to its original condition and offers ghost tours. Contact the
Crescent’s front desk at (866) 896-0144 for more information.
The Allen
House — The Natural State also has its
share of haunted houses, such as The Allen House in Monticello. This mansion
was built in 1906 by local businessman Joe Allen, who lived in the home with
his wife and three daughters until his death in 1917. His family continued to
live there for decades, but in 1949, Joe’s daughter, Ladel, poisoned herself
with mercury cyanide. Mrs. Allen sealed off her daughter’s bedroom for the next
40 years.
After Mrs.
Allen’s death, her two surviving daughters converted the family home into
apartments. Soon afterward, renters began to report strange sounds and
witnessed bizarre events. They claimed that objects would fall over by
themselves and shadowy figures would move across rooms. Allegedly, those
figures would appear in pictures taken by residents.
The Allen
House is now a private residence but is open for tours on the last Saturday of
each month from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The cost of admission is $15 per person and
no reservations are required.
King Opera
House — Local legend states that an actor who
performed at this historic theater in Van Buren fell in love with a local
doctor’s daughter at the turn of the 20th century. The young lady’s father
didn’t approve of the relationship, and the young lovers ran away.
Unfortunately, the doctor discovered their plans and met them at the train
depot, where he beat the actor to death with a whip.
The staff
of the King Opera House claim to this day that the ghost of the young actor
haunts the theater. It’s been said that his ghost has been frequently spotted
wearing a top hat and cape and turns the auditorium’s lights on and off.
If you
would like to visit the theater for yourself, contact the theater manager at
(479) 474-7767.
Have a
happy and safe Halloween, Arkansas!
A proud sixth-generation Arkansan,
Darrell W. Brown is a lover of all things Arkansas. He lives in Saline County
with his wife, Amy, and their beloved Boston Terrier, Dixie. Find him on
Facebook and Instagram at AllAroundArkansas.
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