Los Angeles can brag about the Cecil Hotel. Estes Park has the inspiration for the Shining with the Stanley Hotel. Eureka Springs gives us the Crescent Hotel. They all have one thing in common; a history of violence and reputation for the paranormal.
Originally built in 1886 as a retreat for the rich and famous, the Crescent Hotel soon became too much to manage and it fell into disrepair. After being reinvented a few times as a location for higher learning, the property became a hotel again before a new owner took control in 1937.
Norman Baker was a millionaire before purchasing the property and he turned the location into a hospital and health resort. Norman Bake fancied himself a doctor, without having the education or license. In fact he had been forced out of Iowa for practicing medicine without a license. But his reputation was in tatters by the fact that he claimed he had a cure for cancer that didn’t require surgery, radium, or x-ray.
During his time in Iowa, Norman attacked the American Medical Association in both print and radio. Eventually they attacked back. Norman had to defend his cancer cure, his reputation, and his patients.
Even if he had a license, Norman wasn’t a fan of modern medicine. He felt that modern medicine was profit-driven and corrupt. So when he purchased the Eureka Springs property, he moved all of his cancer patients to Arkansas with him. There he continued to provide them his cancer treatment, which was no more than a solution containing glycerin, carbolic acid, and alcohol, which was mixed with tea brewed from watermelon seed, brown corn silk, and clover leaves. The concoction tasted horribly, and did nothing to help the suffering of the cancer patients who believed their illness was being cured. Sadly hundreds of people died in his care, some may have been able to survive had they been able to get legitimate medical care.
Knowing the fact that hundreds of poor souls perished in its walls, is the Crescent Hotel really haunted? Of course you have to determine that for yourself. However, the hotel has been named the most haunted hotel in the United States. Here’s why:
A “portal to the other side” is located at the doorway to the annex. This was discovered in the 1990’s but has only started to resurface as those individuals who may be on the same frequency, have become faint or even pass out at this exact spot. What’s even more startling is the fact that this “portal” is directly above the morgue which is in the basement of the hotel. Most likely left over from its days as a hospital.
Room 218 is reputed to be the most haunted room in the entire hotel. After a fire destroyed most of the hotel, during reconstruction one of the workers fell to his death in what is now Room 218.
Other paranormal experiences have been had at the Crescent Hotel such as; orbs, cold spots, mists, and captured images that defy explanation.
But to be really sure and make your own decision, please contact the Crescent Hotel directly for a stay in one of their room, or their night time ghost tours. Perhaps you too are on the same frequency and may feel faint at the “portal”.
If you have experienced the Crescent Hotel, please share with me. I would love to hear about it!
You are you own best investment
Amateur Connoisseur 