CHECKING OUT – A Visit to The Shanley Hotel

On January 16, 2010, several members of GHPS took a break from our normal investigation routine to have some fun, and stay at haunted bed & breakfast in upstate New York. We asked researcher Julie to tell us about her visit.

I’m not sure how I heard about the Shanley Hotel. But once I had read their web site, I knew I had to go. An overnight stay in this unique bed & breakfast includes a ghost investigation of the entire hotel. Plans had been made to go with my friends Kristi and Vicki, and after being rescheduled twice due to the weather, we finally had a beautiful mid-January day to drive to the hotel. The night before, Michael and Darlene decided to join us, so there would be the five in our group. I knew this was going to be fun.

The Shanley Hotel was originally built in 1845, and has had various owners through the years. Among other things, this building has been home to a hotel, brothel, rooming house and a tavern.

We arrived around 5 p.m., ready for an adventure. We were not disappointed. As Kristi, Vicki and I unpacked in the Rose room, I began to feel a tingling in my legs. This is one of the first things I feel when a spirit is present. It was curious, wondering who was in “their” room. It was a very positive experience, and we told this spirit how much we liked the room and how pleased we were to be there.

At 7 p.m., a tour was given of the hotel. There were 14 people, all investigators, staying the night. Cindy, who is one of the owners, showed us the entire building from the basement to the third floor. As we moved from room to room, she explained what she and others have experienced since the hotel reopened in 2005. She also explained how most of the rooms in the hotel had a specific spirit attached to it, and she named each spirit as we progressed through the tour. Based on what most of us were feeling, it seemed obvious there were spirits here.

Darlene, Michael, and I started with an EVP session in the basement. It was uneventful, and we went back to the big common room to find Kristi and Vicki. While upstairs, we ran into Sal, the other owner. Neither Sal nor Cindy had known the building was haunted when they bought it as a fixer-upper, after having been closed for over 10 years. Sal told us that they discovered the building was haunted the day after the closing, when footsteps were heard coming up the stairs while they were in one of the second floor rooms. Their plans had never included running a haunted hotel.

Another group had just come back to the common area after having had some success on the third floor in a room with toys on the floor. They reported seeing one of the balls move on its own, so of course we also had to check it out.

The third floor is currently unfinished, kept mostly in its previous state. We entered a room next to where the toys were located. Many of us had very uncomfortable feelings in this area earlier during the tour. Kristi had heard what she thought was a dog growling at the doorway of this room, which Cindy had earlier referred to as Joe’s room. We walked through this room to reach the next one, which had the toys on the floor. We started an EVP session (using our standard GHPS EVP worksheet), with Michael asking the questions. Darlene, Kristi, Vicki, myself, and a new friend named Laurie were also there. Deciding to try something different, we used two pendulums and a set of dowsing rods for answers on the yes/no type questions, in addition to recording the answers Michael was hearing in his mind. We had mixed success, but it was a great experiment. Michael did get the name Jonathan for the child that we were asking to move the balls. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see anything happen, but Michael was able to find out Jonathan couldn’t because he was just too tired from everyone else that night.

After a little break, we were on our way to Marguerite’s room, which is known to be one of the most active rooms in the hotel. Darlene had decided to call it a night, so we were down to five investigators. Once again we started with a standard EVP session. When we asked if they were a man or a woman, Michael received the answer “I’m different.” I picked up on the letter R, and from that Michael came up with the name Rebecca. We tried again to use a pendulum and the dowsing rods for the yes/no type questions. Kristi started really connecting with Rebecca, and was picking up that one of her hands was deformed and curled in. Kristi felt this so strongly that her right hand had turned in, just as Rebecca’s would have. We believe that is why she said she was different. Later, we found out that this was the most intense personal experience Kristi had ever had.

We decided to pick another room – this time it was Esther’s. Michael was once again leading the group with the EVP questions. Laurie and I decided to switch tools, so I had my pendulum and she had the dowsing rods. Vicki was taking photos while Kristi sat back on this one, still being a bit drained from Marguerite’s room. We started with the questions and soon discovered that switching the tools between Laurie and I was a good idea, as we were getting much stronger responses to the questions. Within a few minutes of starting, Kristi had to leave the room. It was just feeling much too intense for her. We all could sense the energy in the room. When we got to the question why you are here, I heard in my mind “have to be.” I said this aloud a couple of times. There was a very surprised look on Michaels face. He had heard “have to,” but had not said it aloud because he was writing down what was coming to him. He excitedly told us what he had heard and that it now made sense with the added word. This was the first time I had heard words, and there was someone to validate it. I soon began picking up some of the emotions of the spirit we were talking to – it was obvious she didn’t like the questions Michael was asking. She simply had to stay there because she was waiting for someone. And nothing was going to change her mind.

When Michael told her she did not have to stay in this room, she started getting angry. I could feel how much she disliked Michael. We continued with our standard questions, but she wanted none of it. This spirit was becoming so agitated that I began rocking the upper half of my body back and forth. I knew this session needed to end now. Michael was sensing this too, and asked if I was ok. I said yes, but it was time for us to leave. So we thanked the spirit for talking with us, quickly said goodbye, and headed back down to the big common room.

By far, this was my most intense connection with a spirit to date and it was wonderful. The best way I can explain what I hear in my mind is like when you silently say words to yourself. I am beginning to learn how to separate out the words that don’t seem to be my own. And to say them out loud, even if they make little or no sense to me. But not making sense to me is a good indicator that they are not my words.

The Shanley is a great place for new and experienced investigators, and I highly recommend seeing what you can find for yourself. I know I’ll be back again soon.

The Shanley Hotel is located in at 56 Main Street in Napanoch, New York, and is about 2 hours from NYC. The building is steeped in history, dating back to the mid 19th century. Accommodations are quite comfortable, and the hosts were extremely gracious during our stay. Prices are more than reasonable. For information on the history of the Shanley Hotel, or to make reservations for your own ghost hunt, visit www.shanleyhotel.com or call 845-210-4267.

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While reading this article, I learned just how accurately I had been hearing things – Julie was able to confirm several names that I had not known about. She discovered these names after checking the Shanley’s website when researching parts of her story. –Michael