Halloween 2011: American's Most Haunted Hotel?

Crescent Hotel in Eureka Springs

The historic Crescent Hotel in Eureka Springs is one of the most cherished structures in Arkansas. It also may be the most haunted.
Built in 1886, just 21 years after the guns of the Civil War finally fell silent in the Ozarks, the Crescent was one of the grandest hotels in America. Visitors came to Eureka Spring by rail to "take the waters" of the community's numerous mineral springs in the hopes that the clear mountain waters held a medicinal secret that would cure their various ailments. The Crescent Hotel was built to provide the wealthiest of these guests with accommodations up to the standards of the most discriminating Americans of the day.

The Civil War had left tens of thousands of Americans sick with lingering illnesses and/or disabled by a variety of horrible battlefield wounds. Human suffering among the soldiers and their families lingered for many years after the end of the conflict. Many of these individuals sought out places like Eureka Springs, hoping that the mineral waters could ease their pain and suffering.

The popularity of mineral baths faded as the Civil War generation passed into history and by the 1930s, the Crescent had fallen on hard times. It was revived, however, as the "Castle in the Sky" of "Dr." Norman Baker, a radio pitchman who claimed to have discovered a way to cure cancer.

Desperate women came from all over the country to try the fake doctor's cancer cure. Many of them died at the Crescent. 

Baker eventually went to prison for mail fraud, but legend holds that his victims still roam the rooms and halls of the beautifull restored old hotel!  In fact, it is said to be the most haunted hotel in America.

To read the full story, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/crescenthotel.

Haunted Battlefield Tours at Prairie Grove set for Saturday

      Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park would like to invite everyone to the Haunted Battlefield Tour on Saturday October 23^rd, starting at 7 p.m. meeting at the park Amphitheatre.  The Haunted Battlefield Tour is in reminiscence of what happened at Battle of Prairie Grove.  The Union Army of the Frontier and the Confederate Army of the Trans-Mississippi fought one of the most intense and bloody battles west of the Mississippi River on December 7, 1862.  The tour begins with a half-mile walk from the Amphitheatre to the front of the historic Borden House along part of the park's walking trail and into the valley where the heaviest fighting occurred during the Battle of Prairie Grove.  Chances are good that there will be a few surprises along the way.  When the walk is finished you may continue on a hayride or walk back up the hillside on your own. 

Parking will be available at the east entrance of Battlefield Park at the Borden House parking lot.  Guides will then escort visitors in groups of 30 along the park's walking trail for a 30-minute eerie tour of the grounds.  Tour groups will hear from guides and walk by the areas of the gruesome battle during the Civil War.  Tours depart every 20 to 30 minutes.  The last tour will conclude around 10:00 p.m.  Admission: $2 Adults, $1 Child (3-12).  Tickets are required for tour departures.  Tickets are available on arrival at the park Amphitheatre in front of the camp fire the night of this event.  All events are subject to changes because of weather.

Hindman Hall Visitor Center and Battlefield Museum is closed for renovation, the temporary Visitor Center at the Latta Barn is open daily from 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.  For more information or in case of bad weather contact the park: Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park, 506 E. Douglas Street, Prairie Grove, AR 72753; or call (479) 846-2990; e-mail prairiegrove@arkansas.com.  Check us out on the web at http://www.arkansasstateparks.com/prairiegrovebattlefield for information about the Battlefield Park and other Arkansas State Park locations and a full list of events. You can also learn more about the Battle of Prairie Grove at www.exploresouthernhistory.com/ArkansasPG1.

Rich Mountain Pioneer Cemetery - Arkansas

Deep in the Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas, a small community of settlers struggled through the brutal years of the Civil War in almost total isolation. Their existence is memorialized today by the Rich Mountain Pioneer Cemetery on the Talimena Scenic Drive near Queen Wilhelmina State Park.

Most of these people simply wanted to be left alone. Their daily efforts to scratch a living from the top of the mountain occupied them far more than the issues behind the war that then raged across much of the continent. Some came to escape the ravages and raids taking place in more accessible areas of the state. Others were "Mountain Feds" or Union sympathizing Arkansans who fled to the mountains to avoid being conscripted into the Confederate military.

Regardless of their reasons for going high up on the mountain, the people living there during the war barely survived. Severe winter weather, hunger and sickness stalked the community. One of the more tragic stories of the time is still remembered today in the form of a ghost story about a young girl who went to a spring to obtain water for her sick family only to be cornered in a tree by wolves. Her body was found the next day, frozen stiff in the tree where she had sought shelter.

Now part of the Ouachita National Forest, little remains other than the cemetery to remind modern visitors that the community ever existed. The cemetery is located just west of Queen Wilhelmina State Park. Interpretive signs and a short pathway to the burial ground are maintained by the Forest Service.

To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/richmountainghost.

Battle of Poison Spring, Arkansas - Part Seven (Ghosts?)

The site of the Battle of Poison Spring is one of a number of Civil War battlefields that are reputed to be haunted by the ghosts of long forgotten soldiers.

I visited Poison Spring on the late afternoon of a stormy summer day and noticed an odd yellow glow through the trees near the spring. Although my mobility is limited, I walked a short distance down the path into the woods and could no longer see the strange light, but when I returned back to the cleared area at the parking lot it was once again visible.

I took a quick photograph before heading to the car to get out of the approaching lightning and, surprisingly, it showed up. This photograph to provide a better view, but the light I saw is clearly visible in the background behind the tree. The other "orbs" are, I think, just light effects from the weather conditions, but notice that one small white one is visible in front of the yellow light, showing that it was at a depth into the woods.

What was it? I have no idea. It is the first time I have encountered something like this in my various visits to battlefields and historic sites. It was clearly visible to the eye during the afternoon from a distance, but could not be seen from locations closer to its apparent position. If you have any thoughts, I would love to hear them!

You can see other "ghost" photos from Poison Spring State Park and read more about the battle at www.exploresouthernhistory.com/poisonspring.