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Sunday, April 27, 2014

Delaware's Haunted Addy-Sea Inn

Today, the Addy-Sea Inn is a thriving bed and breakfast on Delaware's Bethany Beach.  Built in 1902 by Pittsburg plumber John Addy, the Addy-Sea was originally meant to be the family homestead.  However, a string of circumstances ensured that the house would eventually become a vacation destination.

In the 1920s, the Addy-Sea had to be relocated twice to different lots due to the threat of storm surge damage associated with its beachfront location.  Then, it the 1930s, the Depression was hitting the whole country hard.  To make ends meet, the Addy family began renting out rooms to church groups.  From there, it grew into a bed and breakfast, with the Gravattes taking over the home and the business in the 1970s.

I absolutely love to hear about haunted bed and breakfasts, and this one is definitely not short on its ghost stories.  There are three main guest rooms that are said to be haunted, in addition to all the other crazy paranormal things that happen throughout the inn.

Room 1--Room 1 is one of the most interesting of the haunted rooms.  Its private bath contains the original copper tub that John Addy brought with him from Pittsburg.  Bathers have been more than startled to find the tub start violently shaking with them in it!

Room 6--This room has hauntingly beautiful organ music playing in it.  However, there are no organs in this room!

Room 11--If you're looking for a more visual ghostly experience, Room 11 is the one for you.  This is the room haunted by Paul Dulaney, a former handyman for the Addy's and local swim star.  Although Paul died out of state on a construction job, his spirit has found its way back to the Addy-Sea.  His apparition has been seen sitting on the bed or standing by it.

Even if you don't get to book a haunted room, you still have the opportunity to experience the paranormal activity of the Addy-Sea Inn.  The Addy's wild son, Kurtz, died in a tragic accident when he fell off the roof of the home.  Footsteps emanating from the roof are said to be his, and he also makes his presence known by running through the halls in the evenings.  Kurtz also makes his presence known by materializing his obituary out of nowhere, throughout the inn.

Other activity runs the entire gamut of haunting criteria:  strange sounds and music, lights flickering on and off, mechanical issues, including an answering machine that turns itself on, and people getting locked in their own closets. 


1 comment:

  1. We stayed at the Addy Sea to celebrate my then fiance's 40th birthday, three years ago. We stayed in room 11. We loved our experience at the Addy Sea, but did experience some possible paranormal disturbances. I would not leave our bed to go to the bathroom without waking up my poor fiance (now husband) to walk in with me. Why? Because the jacuzzi jet (when dry and empty) turned on inexplicably on its own several times, and the bathroom door would not remain shut and would move by itself. I also made my fiance switch bed sides with me so that I could sleep safely by his side furthest from the bathroom. At the time, I didn't know that his apparition has been seen sitting or standing by the bed (maybe he stands on the bathroom side of the bed?) I realize both could have reasonable explanations (even though there were no breezes), but I also just got "that feeling," of a benevolent presence. However, I do not believe that possible ghosts can do any real physical harm, so we still enjoyed our stay. :-

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