However, this location still remains one of my favorite Harper's Ferry area haunts! The hotel was built in 1888 by Mr. Thomas S. Lovett, a local man of African American descent, who dreamed of managing a hotel overlooking John Brown's historic act. This first hotel burned in 1912, and its replacement burned again in 1917 or 1918. Still, Lovett and his wife Lavonia perservered, and the Hilltop House Hotel became host to such notable figures as Mark Twain, Alexander Graham Bell, and Bill Clinton.
It has also hosted a myriad of ghost sightings and paranormal experiences, witnessed by both visitors and staff alike. Among various apparitions, it is said that between 2 and 3am, noises such as pots banging, laughing, and voices can be heard coming from an empty kitchen. Furniture has been known to move on its own, and although it wasn't built until after the Civil War, there's allegedly sightings of soldiers, including a whole regiment that makes its way up and down the road.
Room #66 was one spot in particular that was said to be haunted by the ghost of a small boy. The boy, who died in the c. 1917 fire, is heard crying in that room, and allegedly a portrait of a young boy gracing the walls of #66 was said to cry real tears.
Many readers will be too young to remember that this location was also the starting point for a popular Harper's Ferry ghost tour led by Shirley Dougherty. I had the pleasure of attending one of Shirley's last tours, and exploring the hotel and Harper's Ferry park grounds. Before the tour started, we were walking into the town when we were met head-on with a pack of weary soldiers heading in the opposite direction. Not one of these people looked at us, or acknowledged our presence in any way. At the time, I thought they were some really dedicated reenactors heading home after a day of work...but now that I've learned all these stories about the phantom regiment...I'm not so sure!
UPDATE: In April 2012 I was at the library looking through newspaper archives for an obituary. I ran across an article on this location, dated from March 2010. It appears that the hotel, closed due to structural problems, suffered a partial collapse. Although the company that bought the hotel had plans on tearing the structure down anyway to make room for a new, historically sensitive design based on the original, the loss of this historic icon was still a blow to the small community of Harper's Ferry.
Brochure with tons of historic photos
Homepage
I worked at the Hill Top in the 80s and since it closed Ive seen our town slowly go down hill! I blame the national park service,They keep growing bigger and bigger.We once had a great town now we have lost our town to big government,they charge us to park,they police our private roads,they have ruiened our town!But there is hope one thing they cant control is God , he is always in control!! He will hand our town back to its rightful owners.All you have to do is take a short walk in the lower part of town and take a peak at the past flood scales!!Please Pray For Our Town!! I Pray he will deliver us!!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comments, Mike, and for visiting the site! That hurts to hear about your town. I have always loved Harpers Ferry, and visited several times in the late 1980s/mid 1990s. I haven't been since 1997 but have been wanting to take my son as soon as he gets a little older.
DeleteMike can you email me some pictures of hill top hotel
DeleteI have some ghost pic you may be interested in wvporkman@gmail.com I took them at the hill top house just the other day!!you can see them posted on timber ridge grocery facebook!!
ReplyDeletePopped over to FB and gave the page a LIKE. Neat photos! Although, it is kinda sad to see the hotel looking to be in such rough shape : (
DeleteThank you for this post... found it when looking for info on the net regarding Hilltop. My grandmother managed this place back in the 1930's... very interesting!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome and thank you for visiting! How cool about your grandmother! I bet she saw many strange things during her time there...and I'm not talking necessarily about ghosts, lol.
DeleteOh, LOTS of us would love to know more !
DeleteI stayed at the Hilltop Hotel in 1998 and awoke in the middle of the night to an army of soldiers marching toward me. I was absolutely terrified and hid under the blanket. Weirdest experience of my life!
ReplyDeleteI would hide too! Thanks for sharing your experiences!
DeleteI stayed a couple times and enjoyed the Sunday brunch and dinners. Celebrated a birthday once and was overnight when Princess Diana was killed.
ReplyDeleteFascinating information I haven’t been experienced such information in quite a long time. compares hotel pricing
ReplyDeleteNever knew the history of the place, but after reading about it,I now know that I am not crazy. I stayed there in 2005 with my ex husband. I woke up in the middle of the night to find the entire bottom portion of the bed/mattress wet and ice cold. Neither of us could explain it. And NO, it wasn't the fault of anyones bladder lol! Very strange for sure!
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I stayed in the hotel's 2nd floor turret bedroom for our 14th wedding anniversary. Before we went to bed, I did a little exploring of that floor and admired the old staircase and a section that was closed for renovation. After we went to bed, my husband ran a fever, with sweats and chills, all thru the night. We got up early and checked out to travel the 40 minutes back to our home in Frederick MD, and within 10 minutes of leaving, he was completely fine. Another time, we went there for their Thanksgiving buffet. We were seated at a small table in the crowded dining room. As we were eating, it literally sounded like someone came up to me and gave a deep, breathy sigh directly in my left ear. I turned to see if someone from the next table had whispered in my ear, but patrons were busy talking and eating at their tables. I looked at my husband who was busy devouring his meal as though he didn't notice anything. Finally, I told him what happened, and he said no one had bent near our table and all he heard was regular talk around us. I've had occasional recurring dreams of an old dark-wood staircase (not the one in the lobby) with dark carpeting and an old-fashioned dark red velvet, tufted chair on a stair landing. There was always a foreboding feeling that someone was coming to get me... then, I'd wake up in a panic. I knew it was Hilltop House, although I don't remember having seen the old chair when I explored. I no longer have the dream, but I have good memories of the old place with its beautiful view and am sad to see it crumbling.
ReplyDeleteStayed there frequently with my parents in 1960’s. Had the best fried chicken there and great breakfasts.
ReplyDelete