The Ghosts of Salem’s Haunted Hawthorne Hotel

Hawthorne Hotel, Salem

The Hawthorne Hotel was erected in Salem’s historic town center in 1925. The grandiose building has offered upper-class lodging to many patrons over the years, all whilst accumulating a healthy amount of ghost stories. Some of these stories even tied to the infamous Salem Witch Trials of the late 1600s. This has certainly assisted the notorious hotel to fit into the spooky atmosphere Salem is well known for portraying.

Hauntings of the Hawthrone Hotel

The first and best-known haunting of the Hawthorne Hotel dates back further than the existence of the hotel itself. This tale describes what many believe to be the ghost of Bridget Bishop. Bridget went down in the history books of Salem after being one of the first people accused of witchcraft and the first unfortunate soul to be executed as a result of the hysteria-driven trials.

Though it seems a stretch that Bridget, executed in 1692, would haunt a hotel built-in 1925, many people believe this to be the case. It is speculated that the Hawthorne Hotel was actually built on the land, which was once covered with Bridget’s own sprawling apple orchard. It is said that Bridget’s ghost will often materialize on the 6th floor of the hotel. In particular, she has been reported to stand in front of Room 612 before disappearing into thin air. She is even typically accompanied by the sweet smell of baking apples, despite there being no apples within the hotel.

Another area of the hotel, which many claim to also be haunted, is that of Room 325. This particular room is believed to hold the ghost of a very young child, either a toddler or possibly even as young as a baby. Many childless guests have reported being chillingly woken in the middle of the night to the sounds of agonized baby screams coming from within their own, empty hotel room.

In addition to this paranormal phenomena, multiple other hotel guests have allegedly also experienced taps and lights turning on or off all by their self! The furniture within the Hawthorne Hotel is also prone to move around unassisted!

Visiting the Hawthorne Hotel

The Hawthorne Hotel is one of the most sought after places to stay within downtown Salem. It blends history with class, making for a comfortable, and for the lucky few, spooky stay. Bookings should be made ahead of time for peak seasons in Salem, which are generally during Fall, especially around Halloween. If you are not able to book into the Hawthorne Hotel it is definitely still worth dropping by for a bite to eat or a tasty cocktail.

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