Hi,
Lets start this with I don’t believe in ghosts or spirits and I don’t disbelieve in them either. If any place is haunted or spiritually challenged The Parador would be a good candidate. With a 150 year history, there’s been a lot happen here over the years. If there’s something here, I know who it probably is. My place was built for Joshua Rhodes who owned the P & LE railroad (station square was his train station) and founded National Tube originally in McKeesport. He was a self made millionaire. He built the mansion katy cornered behind me, for his son Joshua Jr, wife Eliza and their two young daughters. The year they moved in, Eliza passed away. The following year Joshua Jr passed away. Mr. & Mrs. Rhodes raised their grand daughters here. If there is a spirit stuck, I think it would be Eliza whom came over to watch over her daughters and got stuck here.
When I first purchased the property there were several incidents that are unexplained. The first was within two months of owning it, I had contractors working on replacing the furnace in the basement. There was no one else here other than the two guys working in the basement. I went out to do some errands, they knew I had left the building. When I returned, they asked me who was upstairs, they both heard someone walking around.
The second incident happened a couple of months later. My good friend Lisa had just closed her restaurant across the street named the Ugly Duckling and was helping me out by doing a bunch of sewing for me. Most of the pillows around the Inn Lisa made as well as some of the drapes like what is in African Tulip & Bougainvillea. As Lisa finished pillows, she stacked them on a window seat. A couple of days later, she wasn’t here and I went up to the room to admire her handy work. The pillows were no longer on the window seat but on the floor. I initially thought gravity or maybe was wind through the leaky windows knocked them over. Lisa came back, made more pillows and the next time I came in the room, the pillows were strewn around the room-if I’m haunted, I’d say she has a sense of humor. Lisa’s current venture is catering with Fabled Table if you need catering, she’s absolutely the best, she’s the one that did the food for my 10 year anniversary last year.
A few months later, I was still not open and I had that port wine sitting on the coffee table in the Parlor that’s still there (obviously new port from 12 years ago). 🙂 I came in one morning and the port wine bottle was empty. I wasn’t open, the contractors were long gone this is when I had the protracted battle with P.W.S.A. over paying for a second water line into the building for the sprinkler system ($24,000 they cost me!!) so I could get my certificate of occupancy. I love ghosts that enjoy a glass of port now and then.
The last occurrence was maybe two years after opening. I was still hosting weddings. I had 24 guests for breakfast and got up around 4:30 am and when I walked over to the Inn, there were two guests sitting on the Veranda. I had to get the quiche in the oven, I greeted them and went into the kitchen. Once I got the quiche in the oven, I came out to the Veranda to chat with them. Thinking maybe they didn’t find the bed comfortable, I asked “Is everything OK, did you sleep well?” and the first words out of their mouth was “Is your place haunted?” And I said “No, why do you ask?” They both recalled him sitting on the love seat, removing his sneakers and placing them under the love seat. For some reason, they both woke up at 4 am. He went to use the bathroom and tripped over his sneakers that were now in the middle of the floor instead of under the love seat. Again, if I’m haunted, she has a sense of humor.
There hasn’t been any activity since, other than a few instances that I can directly blame on my lack of memory, “Did I put that there, I thought I left that in the kitchen.”
I have heard that spirits get agitated when there’s new owners (ever see Beetlejuice?, one of my favorite movies). If it was Eliza, I think she decided I am one of the “good guys” and is at rest.
So if you want to meet Eliza, book now for my paranormal weekend January 26 & 27. The weekend will start Friday with a cocktail party of heavy appetizers, beer & wine. And a group reading by psychic Sara Sachs. Saturday, Denise (who’s worked did some investigations for SciFi’s Ghost Hunters and crew will come in and set up their equipment. She has all those heat sensor machines, laser machines and other gear ghost hunters use.
I’m not one into threats, but I tried this once before two years ago. I didn’t have any reservations for the weekend before Halloween and agreed with Denise to do this. I ended up selling out without one person booking for the paranormal. A lot of guests have expressed interest in attending a paranormal weekend here. Most recently, this past fall I had four couples insist that if I do it to let them know, they definitely would attend. I sent a personal invitation to all four couples, one initially told me they couldn’t attend and the other three I haven’t heard from. If I don’t sell some rooms, I will not try this again. There’s my threat. 🙂 What else do you have to do in the middle of winter?
If course I am sitting here listening to Reggae and Jah Cure came on with their hit song What Will It Take and the middle of the song they sing “Lady, my love is gonna to haunt you”, coincidence?
That’s it and Boo to you,
ed
