“Self proclaimed “America’s Most Haunted Hotel,” the Crescent indeed provides stiff competition for some notably famous (or infamous) historic hotels, such as the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado [...], the King’s Inn Tavern [in Natchez, Mississippi], and the Bird Cage Theatre in Tombstone, Arizona.””
The Castle in the Sky to A Hospital of Horrors
On May 20, 1886, the doors of the luxurious Crescent Hotel opened to the public in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. Nestled in the Ozarks, the “Castle in the Sky” would give its guests the opportunity to enjoy a stunning view while partaking in the healing powers of the natural spring water.
Unfortunately, the legacy of the Crescent didn’t live up to expectations that all hoped it would be. Today many claim the property is tarnished by traumas inflicted within this building, which for a time served as what many call a “Hospital of Horrors.” It is this horrific past that has cemented the Crescent’s legacy as America’s most haunted hotel.
Additional Links From This Episode:
Video analysis of Baker’s Bottles. Watch here!
Sources:
Amanda. “Unexplained Happenings at America’s Most Haunted Hotel.” Crescent Hotel (blog.) Eureka! Historic Hotels. October 22, 2015. https://crescent-hotel.com/blog/unexplained-happenings-at-americas-most-haunted-hotel/.
America’s Most Haunted Hotel. Last Modified 2022. https://www.americasmosthauntedhotel.com/.
Anderson, Layne Livingston. Haunted Legends of Arkansas: Thirteen Haunted Sites in the (Super)Natural State. Little Rock, AK: Plum Street Publishers, 2015.
Crescent Hotel. “Crescent Hotel History.” Eureka! Historic Hotels. Accessed November 8, 2022. https://crescent-hotel.com/history.shtml.
Flaxman, Larry. “1886 Crescent Hotel.” Larry Flaxman. Accessed November 8, 2022. https://larryflaxman.com/1886-crescent-hotel/.
Hauck, Dennis William. Haunted Places: The National Directory. New York: Penguin Books, 2002. Guildford, CT: Globe Pequot, 2018.
Shiloh Museum of Ozark History. “Healing Waters.” Shiloh Museum of Ozark History. Accessed November 9, 2022. https://shilohmuseum.org/project/healing-waters/.
Spence, Stephen. “Pure Hoax: The Norman Baker Story.” The 1886 Crescent Hotel and Spa. 2007. Archive.org. https://web.archive.org/web/20101121070622/http://www.crescent-hotel.com/bakerstory.shtml.
Steed, Bud. Haunted Northwest Arkansas. Mount Pleasant, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2017.
Weiser-Alexander, Kathy. “The Haunted Crescent Hotel in Eureka Springs.” Legends of America (blog.) Updated November 2021. https://www.legendsofamerica.com/ar-crescenthotel/.
