"History is Inextricably Linked to the Ghost Stories": The Crescent Hotel (Part One)

The Crescent Hotel, known by some as  "America's Most Haunted Hotel," may be the most famous haunted site in Arkansas. The Crescent was built in Eureka Springs in 1886 as a place for the wealthy to rest and take advantage of the natural springs, which were believed to have healing properties by Native American tribes from different areas. During the 128 years since the first grand opening, the building has served as a hotel, a women's college, and a cancer "treatment" center. By 1946, the Crescent had become a hotel once more. We had the pleasure to spend a night in the allegedly-haunted Crescent on Wednesday, March 26.

The Crescent is a particularly famous staple of Arkansas urban legends - SyFy's Ghost Hunters visited the hotel in 2005, putting Eureka Springs in the national spotlight. Naturally, this became a must-visit location for us during our Odyssey. We booked a room and two ghost tour tickets before setting off for Eureka Springs. Our goal was to immerse ourselves in a well-known haunted hotel and to gain an understanding of how important these tales were to the Crescent and the surrounding community. Their importance quickly became apparent.

Situated on the top of a crescent-shaped mountain above the historic district of Eureka Springs, the Crescent is surrounded by history. Upon entering the lobby, we did not notice large banners proclaiming that the hotel was haunted. However, there were smaller signs and pamphlets near the front desk advertising the tours and a gift shop with ghost-related memorabilia. Another thing we noticed is that, while the hotel has been restored several times, the Victorian feel of the building has been preserved. The room keys are large and heavy, old pianos stand against the walls, and the trimmings and pillars are ornate.

Concierge Desk and Gift Shop

Our Room

After spending some time exploring the hotel, we wanted to visit the historic district of the city.

Eureka Springs certainly has an "Old World" feel, with numerous specialty shops in Victorian-style buildings lining narrow streets. At the base of the mountain is the Basin Park Hotel, which is the Crescent's sister hotel. Basin Park is allegedly-haunted as well, although we did not have the opportunity to explore this further. The historical atmosphere is certainly maintained by the presence of two turn-of-the-century hotels. We did not notice any shops directly attempting to cash-in on the Crescent's haunted past; that being said, the hotels are important to the surrounding community as they do draw tourists and visitors into historic Eureka Springs.

That evening, we took the ghost tour, which covered several important rooms and locations throughout the hotel that have stories attached to them, including the morgue in the basement where the infamous Norman G. Baker worked (and supposedly continues to haunt) during the Crescent's time as a cancer treatment center. The tour will be covered in a separate post.

At 10:30 p.m., we, along with other hotel guests, stood in the courtyard watching the third floor balcony - allegedly, a spirit appears to jump from the balcony. While the Crescent was a women's college, a girl committed suicide after becoming pregnant; some say she was pushed by the headmaster of the school. We did not see anything that night, but this is one of the more enduring tales from the hotel's history.

In the morning, there was a second Haunted Room Tour, of which we took advantage. In order to avoid spoiling the experience for future visitors, we'll spare some of the details. The tour stopped at several rooms, some of which overlapped with the main ghost tour, and the guide gave a brief history of each room. One of these included the penthouse suite where Norman Baker lived - he apparently had hidden passages throughout the Crescent which he used to spy on his patients.

In the end, we did not see any ghosts ourselves. People have sworn over the years, including a few people on our tour, that they have had paranormal experiences in the Crescent. Regardless of whether or not spirits continue to walk the Victorian halls of the Crescent Hotel, the stories draw people from across the state and country to Eureka Springs. Like Hot Springs, Eureka Springs was once known as a source of healing waters. This tradition continues in the form of an in-house spa. Almost as a reflection of the past, weekend packages are offered aimed at enhancing the well-being of visitors. Today, history and ghostly legends bring people to this part of northwest Arkansas. The Crescent has come close to closing permanently several times over the decades. Thankfully, the building's past and hauntings have saved the beautiful Crescent Hotel.