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Arkansas entices travelers with its beautiful natural landscape. While the living admires the scenery, there may be unseen visitors that are lurking just below the surface. One of the most well-known haunted locations in Arkansas is the Crescent Hotel in Eureka Springs. Some argue that the “Grand Old Lady of the Ozarks” is possibly one of the most haunted places in the entire country.
Haunted Arkansas: The Crescent Hotel
The Crescent Hotel was constructed in 1886. It was a sprawling structure that was intended for use as a luxurious resort for the wealthy and famous. The project was ambitious but not well planned and eventually the hotel fell into disrepair. It re-opened in 1908 as the Crescent College and Conservatory for Young Women. The college would close and reopen again before closing permanently in 1934.
After spending a few years as a summer hotel, the Crescent was transformed into a hospital and health resort. The new owner, millionaire Norman G. Baker, had no actual medical training but presented himself as a doctor with cures for many illnesses, including cancer. It is believed that his underhanded antics cost some cancer patients their lives.
Baker was vocal against “organized” conventional medicine; making accusations that it was a corrupt system only out for profits. He even moved patients he was treating in Iowa to the Crescent Hotel after being run out for practicing medicine without a proper license. He eventually went to prison for mail fraud and the hotel was sold to new owners. The fourth floor suffered severely from a fire in 1967.
Paranormal Activity at the Crescent Hotel
c.1886
The Crescent Hotel has seen a variety of paranormal activity over the years. Many believe there are 8 different spirits still roaming the halls and rooms. During the holiday season one year, a number of wrapped gifts were placed under the Christmas tree. When employees returned the following morning, they discovered that the packages and tree had been moved with the chairs placed in a complete circle around the tree.
Room 218 is highly active, possibly the most active spot in the entire building. An Irish stonemason plummeted to his death in the area of room 218 while the hotel was being constructed. Guests have witnessed hands reaching out of the mirror in the bathroom. Some guests also reported the sounds of a falling man crying out as well as doors opening and slamming closed.
A waitress working in the Crescent hotel glanced at a mirror and caught a glimpse of a Victorian era couple facing one another, as though they were in a wedding ceremony. The groom figure even turned and made eye contact before the entire vision faded. The waitress quit soon after the incident.
Other employees have had personal experiences while working in the Crescent Hotel. A cook spotted a small boy in old time clothing with thick pop bottle style glasses. The figure skipped around the kitchen before disappearing. Another incident involved pots and pans flying off their hooks when the lights were turned on for the day.
TAPs founders Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson were filming a Ghost Hunters episode in the Crescent Hotel when they captured a full bodied apparition on a thermal imaging camera. The profile looked like a nodding man wearing a hat. Full bodied apparitions are very rare, making the clip a rather dramatic and unusual piece of evidence. This particular segment from the October 19th, 2005 episode can be viewed below:
The Crescent Hotel Today
The Crescent Hotel still welcomes guests with views of the breathtaking Ozark Mountains and lavish accommodations inside its many handsomely decorated rooms. The hotel is completely restored and continues to serve as a historic landmark in Eureka Springs, with one small change: ghost tours are now offered.
Have you been to the Crescent Hotel (or would you like to go)? Share your personal experiences or investigative approach to this location in the comments.
Fringe Paranormal 
My husband and I stayed at the crescent in room 318 last weekend.
We have a pic if a full body apparition. Still pics of orbs streaking across our room and we also have video of orbs shooting all
Over our room. I was also touched several times in the hallway and it continued to touch my arm when I got to my room. The best way to describe the feeling would be a spider web running down the back of my arm over and over. My husband was also pushed when we went on the forth story balcony at about 130 in the morning. That was when he caught the pic of a man standing with his arms crossed staring out the window.
I would love to post our findings but don’t know where
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Melissa, Thank you for sharing your personal experiences! If you were interested, I would love to do a post about your time at the Crescent and include any video/photo evidence you have that you are willing to share. Please feel free to click my profile and send a message if you are interested.
In the meantime, there are many websites that post user contributed stories and images, but it’s difficult to really weed out the ones that are legit or worthwhile. There are are sites like Photobucket and YouTube where you can post photos/videos of anything, but they aren’t paranormal-specific. Perhaps this might be something to consider here on the Fringe website. I will pass the idea along and see if it’s a possibility.
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