Ghosts – Do You Believe?

This ghost account has been written by a pure skeptic! (This post was written by my innkeeper/husband on Oct. 21, 2010) Revised on October 18, 2018. Tis the season for witches, ghosts, and Halloween!

The Union Room with resident ghost

The Union Room has been the object of sightings by some of our “sensitive guests. They have been telling us that that the room in the northwest corner of our house, the Union Room in the B & B,  has a spirit ghost!.

The First Ghost Occurrence in the Union Room

The first occurrence of some note was the ‘odd’ feeling people have shared when looking at the north window of the room – an eerie sensation that made them feel sad. I personally, began to weep uncontrollably while painting in that area over 8 years ago. (Maybe it was the paint fumes?)

The Second Ghost Occurrence in the Union Room

Last year, in 2009, we had a ‘ghost hunter’ stay in that room but he experienced no sightings nor did he have any ‘odd feelings’. But our youngest daughter claims that the lights flashed on and off one night while she was swimming in the pool and she knew for a fact that no one was staying in that room. She also claims that the bed shook one night as she slept in it. And now when she comes home to visit, she’d rather sleep on the sofa than in ‘that’ room! These occurrences were noted and ignored because of my skeptical nature and lack of belief in ‘ghosts’. But a few days ago a much more detailed story emerged.

A Union Soldiers Uniform in the Union Room at Hallauer House B & B

The Third Ghost Occurrence in the Union Room

A dress hanging n the Union Room waiting for Francis, the spirit ghost.

I was preparing for breakfast when a guest came down early for coffee. Our guest struck up a conversation in which he claimed to be very sensitive to feelings and spirit ghosts. He began talking about two people he encountered in the Union Room. The description he gave was one of a woman in black mourning clothes waiting at the north window for a man who would not return. The guest had a strong feeling that the woman’s name began with the letter F. The man (another spirit ghost) was standing behind her but she could not see him nor feel him.

Who could the ghost be?

Now several months ago before the occurrence with this guest, a neighbor told me the story of one of her ancestors, Francis Barnard McRoberts, who lived in this house in the early 1900’s. It seems that her husband, a Pitt McRoberts, was bitten by a rabid horse and needed to travel to Chicago for treatment. A year later he died there, having never returned home to his house in Oberlin. The irony is that in the Union Room, where our guest saw the ‘woman in black,’ she was looking in the direction of the Chicago/Buffalo rail line that went through Oberlin just north of our house. Could she have been Francis waiting for her husband, Pitt, to return to her, cured of his illness? Was the man in black standing behind her trying to comfort her? Could Francis still be here pining for the return of her long gone husband?

Compelling facts about our ghost

The most compelling of facts in these stories is that they all occurred in the same room – the Union Room, with no corroboration between the tellers. If we do have a spirit ghost visitor in this house, I would like to meet her and charge her for all of the nights she has been in that room since we are now a Bed & Breakfast! But I guess she doesn’t eat much breakfast as we have not felt her presence in the dining room!

UPDATE! Haunting in the pool at the B & B!

The next occurrence has a picture with it so you can be the judge!  What you see to the left is a picture one of our past guests took. She outlined the figure that she saw in the pool and sent it to us. She said when she took the picture there was no one else around and there was nothing that would have made a shadow like what is in the outline. So we enlarged the picture and that is what you see on the right. On inspection we think this is a man floating on what looks like a chair float. He has a mustache and I can make out his ears and eyes. What do you see?

Are you a believer?!! Have you been a guest here? Did you have any ‘strange feelings’ or odd occurrences while here? If so, let us know.

Before we say farewell – Do you want to book a night in the Union Room? It is almost Halloween night! Maybe the spirits and ghosts will be up and about, weeping and wondering! Come for a visit and                                                meet Francis. She wants to meet you!