Haunted Logan Inn – New Hope, PA

Since we had such a hauntingly good time at the Inn of the Hawke in Lambertville, NJ and the night was so beautiful, we decided to cross the canal and the river into New Hope, PA.

Read about the Inn of the Hawke haunted jaunt here:  https://wp.me/paqIPF-69

If you have checked out our jaunt to the Inn of the Hawke already, you know I was stuffed from the fabulous pecan chicken and feeling pretty relaxed after some spirits (both kinds).  Although we both experienced paranormal activity at the Inn of the Hawke and the place was full of spiritual energy, I was far from overwhelmed.  And since we were just a short trip across the river from another historic and haunted small town, we headed over to New Hope – and one of our favorite historic places – the Logan Inn.

HISTORY:

New Hope, Pennsylvania originally was land belonging to the Lenni-Lenape Native Americans before the entire area was given to William Penn by King Charles II of England as payment for a debt in the 17^th century.  The roughly 1,000 acres was bought and sold a few times and had several names over the next century, but a lot of that original history still remains today.  The first of many mills was established here as well as a ferry service that transported weary travelers across the Delaware River.  This was considered a half way point between Philadelphia and New York and was a popular spot to stop for the night and rest up.

In 1727, the Ferry’s Tavern (now known as the Logan Inn) was opened to accommodate these weary travelers.  Today it is one of the longest continually operated inns, as well as one of the 5 oldest in America and it has witnessed some amazing history including a disastrous fire that wiped out all the mills in 1790.  During the Revolutionary War, the inn provided comfort, food and shelter to George Washington and his troops. Although New Hope has numerous reportedly haunted locations, as well as many registered historic sites, the Logan Inn is one of my favorites.

Interesting piece of history related to this inn:   In 1828 Ferry’s Tavern was renamed the Logan Inn to honor the Lenni-Lenape chief who was known to be very kind and hospitable to the townspeople.  In fact, he took the name of the town owner at the time – John Logan – to show his respect and admiration to the man.  The sign today of the Logan Inn represents an image of this chief.  

PREVIOUS VISITS:

During my first visit to the Logan Inn, as my husband and I walked in I began getting a strong smell of fire, of ashes..burning.  I was not aware at the time of the fire in 1790 nor the fact that bodies of soldiers from the Revolutionary War were stored and cremated in the basement of this historic building.  Was this intense smell of smoke, fire, ash and the sensation of burning related to one of these historic moments?  Or both….?

The interior of this building, although renovated and updated since its establishment, is impressive and must have been quite the site back in the 1800’s with its spacious rooms, large as life paintings and bold colors.    I have never stayed overnight in the inn, and after what happened on this most recent visit I’m not sure I ever will, but I was instantly drawn upstairs when I first entered the building.

As I looked up the steps, I saw a woman standing there, dressed in old-fashioned attire and what struck me the most was how tall she was.  She stood very tall and very lean at the top of the stairs as she glared down at me, making me feel uncomfortable.  Then she turned and walked away as I got an impression of the number 6.  I had no idea at the time what this meant or even if it meant anything.  Since I was not there to follow this spirit and wasn’t sure I was even allowed upstairs, I turned away myself and followed my husband to the bar area.  Almost immediately I saw a soldier walk past me, through the room and exit into the main area of the Inn.  It happened so fast that I honestly wasn’t sure what I was seeing or if the spirit was residual or intelligent.

We have been to the Logan Inn several times now and it has been common to encounter this woman spirit and this soldier – or at the very least a soldier.  I have witnessed children spirits running around as well – 3 different ones.  2 boys and a girl and all appear to be under the age of 10.

It wasn’t until we had visited the Inn that I learned more about its history and the reported haunting experiences within.  My husband and I, as well as some friends and other members of my paranormal group (PCINJ), took a guided walking tour of the area recently.  The knowledgeable and engaging guide took us around a few streets in New Hope, pointing out several known haunted locations.  The Logan Inn was the final stop and apparently the most notoriously haunted.  The reported paranormal experiences include a woman who actively haunts Room 6 of the Inn and loves to engage visitors – moving their things, opening doors, talking to them, and crowding them when they are sleeping in the room.  Reported activity also includes seeing a soldier and the sounds of children.

So, although very active at times, all the reported activity has always been of a non-threatening nature – spirited ghosts that like to engage and keep the history alive.  As this had been my experiences to date at the Logan Inn, I was completely unprepared for what happened during this latest visit on this beautiful night in December.

LATEST VISIT: 

As I talk about here:  https://wp.me/paqIPF-69  it started out as a magical night and I fully expected it to end the same.  As we made our way across the river into New Hope, the energy of the night changed.  I began to get anxious and a little uneasy.  Unsure where this was coming from, I said nothing and we continued on – parking the car and taking a nice walk through town to the Inn.  As we got closer, the unease and anxiety got stronger until I was noticeably agitated and uneasy.  When we entered the Logan Inn, I didn’t take note that I wasn’t sensing the usual spirit activity.  I didn’t encounter the soldier, feel the children, or see the woman.  In fact, all was quiet except for the uneasy, anxious feeling.

Anyone that is involved in the paranormal knows that spirits and the paranormal are not always present – activity and involvement comes and goes – so not encountering anyone isn’t completely unusual.  Except if you are at the Logan Inn.  The lack of energies or presence of spirits should have been a warning sign to me.

We sat at the bar area, which was actually quite full, and I tried to engage in conversation and calm down.  But the longer we were there, the more uneasy I felt.  In fact, the entire energy of the evening began shifting and the magic began to melt away leaving only that feeling of anxiety and unease.

Now, I can be rather hard-headed at times (ask anyone, I’m sure they will tell you) but even I know when to say when – time to go home.  Before leaving, I wanted to stop off in the bathroom and gather myself.  As I walked down the hallway to the bathroom, leaving the bar that was full of people, everything became eerily quiet.  There were no other people down this way and the bathroom was empty.

I took a deep breath, trying to shake this feeling and walked over the sink to wash my hands.  As I approached, I heard one toilet flush… and then another… Startled because I knew the bathroom was empty, I looked up and over and then heard a stall door slam.  Being a paranormal investigator, normally this type of thing would excite me and draw me in – but not tonight.  I nicely informed whoever was there to cut it out.  I may or may not have used those words, but you get the idea.

Shaking my head, I went back to rinsing my hands and suddenly the entire room went dark.  Jumping back, and I must be completely candid here – I may have yelped a bit.  I say yelped because a yell or a scream was quite beyond me at this point.  This activity, coupled with the feeling and energy I had been experiencing, was too much.  After an eternity (ok, so it was probably only the breath of a second) the lights came back on.  As I stared at my wide-eyed, startled self in the mirror, I seen something that rocked me – no easy thing to do anymore.

Directly behind me was a massive, dark, billowing mass of… well… of something.  As I moved forward to get away, it shot towards me and surrounded me.  This only lasted a second before my feet found the will to move (run, let’s be honest) but it felt like forever.  The feelings surrounding this dark, billowing something was pure devastation… pure sadness… and fear… and trauma… and sadness…

Eventually, my feet did move and thankfully so did my arms.  I startled out of that bathroom and straight down the hall and out the front door.  My poor husband tried to stop me – he wanted to get a few pictures – but I was having none of it.  In fact, I still was so shaken I couldn’t even explain or find the right words to describe this horror I had witnessed.

What started as a magical evening on this beautiful night in December ended as something very different.  One of our favorite haunted, historic spots has now become something different for me.  I witnessed a level of suffering and torment by a spirit that I will never forget.  I am not sure who this dark, billowing mass of energy belonged to, but I do know that they were reaching out to me.  And, maybe one day, I will be able to find it within myself to let go of the fear and reach back.

But not today.