What place could even come close to comparing to the insanity of Winchester Mansion? Mission Inn Hotel. This building began as a 12-room adobe boarding house called the Glenwood Cottage, built by civil engineer Christopher Columbus Miller in 1876. After his death, Miller's son Frank took over the business. He gave it a new name, Mission Inn, and gradually expanded the hotel until the day he died in 1935. The 12-room structure grew to 239 rooms extended over an entire city block.
His vision for the building extended many styles including Moroccan, Mediterranean, Chinese, Turkish, Babylonian, Spanish, Oriental, Italian Renaissance, and Gothic-Hawaiian. The building contains narrow passageways, exterior arcades, a medieval-style clock, a five-story rotunda, innumerable patios and windows, castle towers, minarets, a Cloister Wing (with Catacombs), flying buttresses, Mediterranean domes and a pedestrian sky bridge. The reason for some of the complexity was tailored to Frank's height challenged sister. Miller also traveled the world bringing treasures back to display in his hotel. This includes his bell collection containing over 800 bells, one dating back to the year 1274. The value of some of the artifacts is estimated well over $5 million.
Pat and Richard Nixon were married in one of the two wedding chapels. Ronald and Nancy Reagan honeymooned there as well. The Presidential Lounge pays homage to 10 U.S. presidents who have visited the hotel.The bar stands where President Theodore Roosevelt once slept during his visit in 1903. Other presidents who have visited include Benjamin Harrison, William McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, Herbert Hoover, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush. A chair stands in the lobby specially made for President William Howard Taft. Miller heard about the incident when Taft was stuck in the White House bathtub and had the chair made for the banquet held in his honor.
Numerous entertainers have also passed through the doors including Clark Gable, Harry Houdini, Bette Davis (married at the inn in 1945), Cary Grant, the Osbournes, Ethel and Drew Barrymore, Governor Schwarzenegger James Brolin and Barbara Streisand. Social leaders such as Susan B. Anthony, Henry Ford, Booker T. Washington, Joseph Pulitzer, and Helen Keller. Carrie Jacobs-Bond wrote the lyrics of her famous song "A Perfect Day" during her stay at the Mission Inn in 1909.
After Miller died in 1935, his daughter and son-in-law Allis and DeWitt Hutchings managed the inn until their deaths in 1952 and 1953. Then ownership shifted hands a multitude of times. Some of the older rooms were even converted in to apartments. The building was at one point on the brink of being demolished. In December 1992, the Inn was sold to Duane R. Roberts, a Riverside businessman, and lover of the Inn and was reopened to the public shortly after.
With someone who puts so much love and history in to a place, why would they want to leave? The Miller family is believed to haunt the location. Guests have reported hearing beautify singing coming from empty rooms, large blue lights floating in the air, touched and pushed by unseen hands, and equipment malfunctioning. Apparitions have been seen walking hallways, floating near the ceiling in the Dining Room, and the storage building behind the hotel.
8 comments:
I was there December 15, 2010 for the first time. As I walked down the main hallway I saw a man in a suit standing at the side of one of the doors and another standing at the next door as if they were inviting me to enter. It was as if you could almost look right through them or they were in another dimension. I did not look back but I sensed they were still there.
JUST STAYED THERE APRIL 2011 AND HEARD FOOTSTEPS RUNNING AND SHUFFLING THAT WOKE US UP IN THE ROOM SEVERAL TIMES DURING THE NIGHT. NICE ROOMS BUT DEFINITELY A PRESENCE THERE. WE STAYED ON THE TOP FLOOR.
In late June 2011 we stayed one night at the end of the 4th floor Author's row in the Northest corner room 405 which is supposedly proximate to the room that Frank Miller resided while living. We were awakened by a repetitive walking on the roof in the wee hours of the night. Perhaps 40 cycles of the walking were heard over a two hour period. It wsa not frightening, and only slightly annoying. I feel sympathy for Mr Miller (if it was he) being stuck there for all eternity in his masterpiece.
I just stayed there to celebrate my birthday this weekend. I was in the last room on the top floor in 407. I couldn't sleep all night, I felt a presence, but I thought it was just me. Then, I heard my friend's voice calling out to me in the dark saying she was sorry if she woke me up tossing and turning, but I wasn't even aware that she was awake as well until she called out to me. The little few winks I did get during the twilight, I dreamt that I was floating down long hallway corridors and faces were coming out of the walls. I found out after I checked out that there are catacombs underneath the Inn - SCARY. I never saw long enclosed hallway corridors because we were staying on the top level at the very end and you access this floor via an elevator and walk along a balcony path to the suite's door. I never walked any hallways in the hotel during my stay, so I wondered why I dreamt of it like that, then I found out about the catacombs - which are closed off. Also, in the same dream, I saw 2 boy children, trapped in rooms, as if the room was built around them with only an 8"x8" inch opening on the floor that I could look into their rooms, if I knelt down and placed my head down to the floor. One boy handed me photos, one of his mother and one of his father, both looked like photos from early 1900s from the clothing and the glasses the mother was wearing, I especially remember what the mother looked like distinctly. when his arm passed through the opening it glistened a translucent silver, so I knew they were ghosts in the dream due to this. I've since checked out and I'm home all cozy in my own place, but yet again I dreamt of the 2 ghost children last night. In my dream last night, I returned to the Inn and I was touring a closed off living area of the Inn (don't even know if there is a closed off living area - it was a dream) anyway, I wanted a candle to carry to see if the flame flickered, thereby thinking I would know when a spirit was near. But, before one could be given to me by the faceless others accompanying me, I walked into an unknown room and suddenly I felt a vice grip on my whole body and chills all over, I couldn't move and then as I looked around, again I saw something to do with the two children I dreamt of the night I stayed at The Mission Inn, I saw their beds, both beds in one room, I could not see them, but I awoke in the middle of the night TERRIFIED! to the sound of my son's cellphone going off loudly in the other part of the house, so I dashed out and scolded him for someone calling so late at night, but when he looked at his phone, he said "why are you calling me?". I was speechless, I returned to my bedroom, found my blackberry and sure enough, his number had been dialed. I left the lights on for awhile after that. There's no explanation how this could have happened. And to make matters worse, my phone is frozen and will not work, ever since this happened. I've disconnected the battery and tried to unfreeze it by connecting the battery several times, the red off button is not working to turn it off and on, none of the buttons are working!
Help, the ghosts of the Mission Inn are haunting me, even though I've checked out!
Said in jest, but seriously, it's freaking me out. Sincerely.
Wow, thats awesome...yet I wonder if your dreams will uncover something that should be uncovered, as it would seem that the boys were trapped somewhere, like maybe murdered and buried under the building, possibly. I am so like interested also, as to why they would not allow tours everywhere on that property, as it is a part of history. Quite a few years ago, about ten or so, a girl friend and I snuck into the area of the mission that was being worked on. It was an amazing journey, but, what was so weird, was we got lost in the maze of twisted byways, bearly any room to walk areas, that were covered with plastic and materials to cover areas that they did not want to damage. We saw many antiques, many hidden passages to no place we wanted to venture into, because we were trying to find our way out basically. It took us at least 2 hours at least 2.....to find a way to get out of the maze. We discovered many many passageways that were to deep and dark to continue going into, for fear we wouldnt ever get outta there. I looked at my girlfriend, and her eyes told me she was frightened to death. I never ever talked to her again since, she just disappeared one day, and I still do not know what happened to her. So amazing, I wish to go back, and face my fears. Email me if you wish too...smylynn@mail.com
There's definitely stuff going on at the mission inn! I actually worked there for a while and I had 2 paranormal experiences, I did saw a man on a room and went to check and it wasn't nobody there! It was fun. My other experience, I was told about a picture of a little girl around it, when I finally saw the actuall pic went to the area and put my hand on that area like reaching to something and I felt that somebody pulled my shirt, somebody kinda small like a little girl or something! I was so thrill about it!
I got married at the Mission Inn in 2009 , our presidential suite was not haunted , but we were too drunk to notice ! Later when we got our wedding photos , I noticed something strange in 1 photo.. We had our reception in the Spanish Art Gallery and at the top corner of the staircase it looks like the Grim Reaper !! So scary cus I don't believe in this stuff but it really does look like it . I'd like to show the manager at the mission inn to see if I am the only one who has seen this ?! Other than this , no other complaints . I always go there , it's beautiful !
I just got home from the mission inn two nights ago, thick eeriness is in the hallways and it feels like anything at any time can jump out at you or grab you at anytime. Plus the old creepy benches in the halls look like they used to have dead people lined up on to take their photos after death. Beautiful hotel but definitely very very creepy and very haunted. Guest service is also terrible on another note.
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