Is the Alexander Inn Haunted –
As we research the paranormal, and or local ghost legends, we share with you via our website www.paranormalspectrum.com and on Facebook, WordPress and Ning.
Sure there are those who think it’s haunted. After all, to look inside is to see something far more frightening than a ghost. I’m talking about the Alexander Inn – also known as The Guest House – an important part of Oak Ridge’s history It was built to serve the top secret Manhattan project in 1943. Many famous dignitaries made the guest list including Enrico Fermi, Robert Oppenheimer and Gen. Leslie Groves.
Later, with the threat and fear of the war behind them, visitors & residents held their wedding receptions there, danced there, laughed and perhaps cried there. It was once a lively place thriving with energy. It is thought that this same energy and importance which propelled the Inn through the 1940’s all the way to the 1990’s may be the cause for some residual haunting. Many have claimed to see a figure behind the curtains in the windows – eerie indeed, for these rumors began after the Inn became vacant for at least a decade. Past visitors also thought they saw shadows of people in the halls, when in fact no one was there. What of the rumored “blood stains” on the walls, or the sounds of footsteps going up the stairs? The speculation that the Inn is haunted has garnered enough attention that ORRE has to deal with calls from ghost chasers weekly. We had a chance to check it out. Before we share our experience, let’s get a clear understanding of what is happening at the old Guest House.
Since approximately 1990 it has sat empty, forlorn but not forgotten, deteriorating to a condition that now seems deplorable, as time and vandalism wrought destruction upon the Inn. This is why I say it is more frightening than the thought of a ghost, as the evidence of human insensitivity, disrespect and destruction glare at you from inside the walls of a structure that once stood bright and proud.
Thankfully ORRE stepped in and bought the old Guest house. With plans to revitalize their historic buildings, Oak Ridge Revitalization Effort works diligently to raise funds, raise awareness and recruit volunteers. It does seem a daunting project, and as our video reveals much revenue and hard work will be required, but the opportunity for the Inn and its place in Oak Ridge’s future is far larger than the project that looms ahead. There have been suggestions to turn it into a bed and breakfast, a bar or restaurant or to make it a conference center or to use it as an “artists’ community” who need work and living space. It seems the only limitation to what the Alexander Inn could be- is to get past the current condition of what it is – so a historic treasure can move forward to a brighter future.
Back to the ghosts, and the question that we at Paranormal Spectrum asked, “Is the Alexander Inn haunted?” Since I’m an author of a book of ghost tales, I was hoping it could be true. My main goal was to be able to include the Inn and its haunting reputation in an upcoming book I’m working on. I spoke with Kate Groover of ORRE and she allowed me and my husband inside. I have a video that recaps our two hour visit there, and I find answers to some of the questions about the Inn’s spirit activity. I don’t want to ruin it for you here, but let’s just say that I hope my video, my blog and maybe an upcoming chapter in my next book brings the much needed awareness to the Alexander Inn, so that ORRE and Oak Ridge visitors and residents can once again stand proudly upon the steps of a historic building that can open its door to bustling energy, and then, everyone can see for themselves if the harmless spirits of the past still visit, either to discuss the past Manhattan Project or to replay a wedding event that marked an occasion in their life in a way that tethers them to this existence, even after they have crossed into the spirit world. I’m not asking you to believe in spirits, I am asking you to watch our video and share our experience and then to open your heart and mind to a project that I deem worthy of your attention. Only after you watch the video will you know if we think the Alexander Inn is haunted.
Posted on October 16, 2011
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