A classic Georgian
house, built in 1740, the home was bought by Horatio Middleton in 1750 who
opened a tavern in the building. He started running a ferry between
Annapolis and Rock Hall, and in keeping with the local laws at that time, he
was obligated to provide overnight lodging for ferry passengers so he
expanded the tavern to an inn. After Middleton's death his wife, and
later his son ran the tavern and inn. Over the decades (and centuries) the
building has had many different owners and uses. The current owner
bought the tavern in the late 1960s and named the business after the first
tavern owner. The Middleton Tavern is an oyster bar and restaurant
with four dining rooms, a piano bar, and an outside cafe in the summer.
The staff have nicknamed their ghost "Roland," though no one knows his true
identity. The most frequent signs of his presence are the tossing of
plates or glasses off shelves, moving tables and chairs, and the smell of
cigar smoke though they are not allowed in the building. Some people have
seen an apparition of a man in Patriot era clothing looking out over the
harbor. Middleton Tavern, 2 Market Space, Annapolis. Phone:
410-263-3323.
12 miles from
Annapolis, Kent Manor Inn is the 1820 original "big house" of the
plantation by Thompson Creek. Alexander Thompson was the owner of
the plantation, and his ghost is one of the spirits that haunt the
current Inn. His master bedroom is now Room 209 and it seems that
he still visits now and then. There is sometimes the distinct
aroma of tobacco smoke, lights go on and off, and the TV also goes off
and turns on by itself. The third floor also has a lingering spirit.
One of the maids who was new had not heard any of the ghost stories
opened the door to a presumably empty Room 303 to see the figure of a
man in farmer's clothes sitting on the bed. The doors to rooms on
that floor are locked at night by staff if unoccupied, but often some of
the doors would be unlocked when the innkeeper checked them. The
staff swore they were locked and double checked by them when they were
up there. After a while, this was chalked up to ghostly intervention as
there didn't seem to be another explanation. One of the innkeepers who
purchased the Inn in 1998 would sometimes, when leaving in her car for
the night, see lights on in rooms that she knew she had gone into and
turned all the lights out. Room 305, the Presidential Suite, was a
particular room where this would occur. The Inn has 24 rooms and
suites. The Brightsworth Room is a formal dining room but there is
also a newly renovated Generations restaurant which is more casual.
No pets are allowed. children under 18 are free if staying in the same
room as their parents. The Kent Manor Inn is at 500 Kent Manor Dr.,
Stevensville, MD phone: 800-820-4511
Kent Manor Inn web page
Surratt House Museum
Not far south of
Washington DC, in a town now called Clinton stands a house that Mary
Surratt built as a boarding house. When money got tight she leased
it to John Lloyd who ran it as a boarding house and tavern. Mary's
son John Surratt would often hang out there with his friends, one of
whom was an actor named John Wilkes Booth. As we all know from
history, they conspired to kill President Lincoln, and after the
assassination Booth's guns and ammunition were found hidden in the
Surratt's house. Mary Surratt was hung as a conspirator in the
assassination, though her role has never been definitively proven and
some think she was punished unfairly. After a long period of being
vacant, the house was bought and lived in as a two-family in the 1940's.
Since that time the spirit of Mary has been seen on the staircase from
the first to second floor and also on the front porch. Apparitions
of men in period clothing have been seen on the back stairs, and men's
voices in excited conversation have been heard. The Surratt
House is now open as a museum from mid-January to mid-December. It
is located at: 9110 Brandywine Road, Clinton, MD Phone:
301-868-1121.301868-121
Surrat House Museum web site
Just a Note
regarding
Snow Hill Inn
- I have seen this as a haunted site in several ghost books. It
appears that the Inn was sold in 2004, and I can't find any trace of it
still functioning as an Inn. I as assuming it is now a private
home. If by any chance it is re-opened as an inn and you have any
info please email me.
Update:
I've
been told the Snow Hill Inn was recently up for auction and has been
sold.
Click here to see a link to the description, including the hauntings
2011 update:
The former inn at 118 Market St., Snow Hill MD seems to be once
again for sale. Listed at $199,000 maybe you want to be the new
owner!
