Haunted Places in America: The Jefferson Hotel
Nestled in the swamp country of Marion County, The Jefferson Hotel in Jefferson, TX is located where the Caddo Indians once built their homes of straw. Built in 1851, this 23 room hotel is an authentic piece of Texas history. With that history comes authentic ghost stories as well. A stay at the haunted Jefferson Hotel may be more than you bargained for.
In the first half of the 19th century, the building was used as a warehouse to store cotton. Steamboats navigated along the rivers to the newly founded Jefferson County, where cotton and other commodities were stored.
The Jefferson Hotel was originally called the Crystal Palace. The building survived the Civil War and, at the turn of the century, was transformed into a hotel. In the 1920s, it served as a perfect location for riverboat to pick up and drop off passengers. In those days, ragtime music rang through the halls, as couples danced and swirled.
Not only does the hotel itself have an interesting history, its restaurant does as well. The Lamache Restaurant was founded at the turn of the twentieth century, when a young man from the island of Stromboli came to America in search of a new life. During his stay at a boarding house, he became infatuated with a girl in a picture kept on the mantle. After getting to know her in a series of letters, he went all the way to Lipari, an island not far from Stromboli, and brought her back to America.
His bride, Maria Francessa Lamache, brought with her a series of old recipes from her home. The two opened a restaurant which still serves the traditional recipes to this day.
Jefferson, Texas is considered the most haunted small town in Texas. Residents are proud of that and have no problem telling visitors a ghost story or two. The haunted Jefferson Hotel is plays a big part in most of those stories.
Over the years, many guests claim to have seen ghostly figures in most all of the rooms. A young boy once reported seeing a man in high boots and a long coat in Room 5. A 90-year-old man once claimed to see a petite blonde lady floating down the stairs. Guests have seen mysterious messages written on steamed up bathroom mirrors, apparitions looking like staff, disappearing in front of their eyes, faucets turning on by themselves and being touched.
Today, hotel still offers the same Southern comfort as it did a century ago. Each of the 23 rooms is decked out with its own unique décor and antique furnishings. The haunted Jefferson Hotel keeps a book for guests to read and write their own paranormal experiences they have within the hotel. Pick a room and maybe you can be the next chapter in the book.