Most Haunted Places in America: Three Chimneys Inn

Today it is known as Three Chimneys Inn, a quaint bed and breakfast in Durham, New Hampshire. But historically, Three Chimneys Inn has only been open since 1998, while the structure, and its numerous spectral residents, date back to the 17th century.

The haunted Three Chimneys Inn is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was originally built as a homestead in 1649, making it easily the oldest standing home in the town of Durham, and one of the oldest in all of New Hampshire.

The original owner was Valentine Hill, an ingenious businessman who built a sawmill on the fall of Oyster River and from there, developed his empire from the ground up. His homestead was originally built as a one-story abode, with basement.

According to local records, Valentine Hill had a daughter who was around 20 years old when she got married in 1659. Unfortunately, there is little more documentation than this on Hannah Hill. It is her ghost that haunts the Three Chimneys Inn to this day, possibly among others. It is believed that Hannah drowned in the Oyster River, but there are no records to show when, how or why, if even it did happen.

Valentine’s son, Nathaniel Hill, added on to the house in 1699, building a second story which now makes up the frontage of the Three Chimneys Inn ‘Coppers’ and ‘Maples’ dining areas. Sometime later, the home was transferred to the ownership of the Woodlands’, related to the Hills’ by marriage.

In the 19th century, the home changed hands once more, this time purchased by George Frost Jr. Frost hired an architect, Jacob Odel, to perform extensive renovations and remodeling of the house. Odel is actually buried in the cemetery adjacent to the Three Chimneys Inn.

Just after the turn of the 20th century, the property passed to James and Margaret Pepperall Sawyer, descendents of the Frosts’. More renovations, more remodeling; the homestead was growing larger and more lavishly landscaped with each passing century. But this would be the last big revival of the homestead for quite some time. The estate was unkept and virtually allowed to fall apart for many years after that.

Sagamore Hill Inc. took over in 1987 and began massive restoration efforts that lasted for the next ten years. The homestead was finally back to its former glory in 1997, and by 1998 Three Chimneys Inn was established and open for business.

But the ghost of Hannah Hill, through all this time and restructuring, remained a staple of the estate. Employees of Three Chimneys Inn have reported feeling, hearing and even seeing Hannah’s ghost.

A former chef was making his way up the stairs one night around 1am, but was distracted by a movement out of the corner of his eye. He leaned over the rail to see if he could see what had moved and found the full-bodied apparition of Hannah behind the bar.

Hannah seems to enjoy playing with the overnight staff the most. She awoke one sleeping employee by playing with her hair. Another was awoken by the sound of footsteps in the parlor, only to find upon investigating that the drawers of the filing cabinets, desk and armoire were all opened exactly one inch.

Guests have often complained in the morning of excessive noise from the rooms overhead during the night, only to find out there was no one in the upstairs rooms. Locks tend to lock themselves. One group of guests from an area insurance company was dining together when all members of the party witnessed a glass lift from the table across the room, where no other person was even near. The glass came up off the table as if lifted, then slammed in to the side of the table, as if it were lifted, pulled to the side and smashed back to the table’s side. The glass shattered into tiny shards landing all over the floor.

One of Hannah’s most famous eccentricities is a hatred of all things new, most especially electronic devices. Now remember Hannah’s ghost at Three Chimneys Inn dates back to the 17th century, long before the days of telephones, cars, televisions and certainly well before the computer was invented. It seems every time a new device is brought into the establishment, the staff has a terrible time trying to use it.

Installing a new computer is not a simple task as it would be in most homes and businesses. The machine may be in perfect operational order, but do nothing. Or it may be completely disconnected from any electrical power source, but continue to run on its own. On one such occasion, a new printer was used to print a single page. Instead, the printer continued to print page after page, with no sign of stopping or reasoning for it. Even when it was unplugged, the printer continued to print for another 20 minutes, failing to cease until there was no more paper left in the machine.

As old as the Three Chimneys Inn is, most of the staff and former proprietors are fairly certain there is more than one ghost at Three Chimneys Inn, but Hannah’s ghost is so notable because she is the most impetuous attention seeker of any of them.

Related posts:

1. The Ghost of the Old Stagecoach Inn
2. Ghosts Reveal Hannah’s House Secret
3. The Good Doctor at the Carolina Inn
4. The Four Ghosts of The Clawson House Inn
5. Haunted Places: Battery Carriage Inn