Nothing says spooky quite like a haunted hotel.
In part, it’s the legacy of creepy resorts like Stephen King’s Overlook Hotel from The Shining, and the roadside motel run by Norman Bates in Psycho. Of course, the other half of the equation is how many disturbingly authentic haunted hotels are floating around out there.
After all, Stephen King based his novel on a stay in the very-real Stanley Hotel in Colorado, and there are plenty of other guest-houses that are recognized hotbeds of paranormal activity, or just plain old creepy construction.
Such is the case of one old hotel located in Lewiston, ME. Lewiston, a small town, is best known as the home of Bates College. However, one of its lesser-known attractions is The Inn at the Agora, a charming country inn hiding a morbid secret.
The hotel used to be the rectory of nearby St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, which was built in the late 19th century by Monsignor Thomas Wallace. When the priest passed away, he asked to be interred in a special chapel built below the nave of the church.
That’s exactly where he remained for the next century, from his death in 1910 until St. Patrick’s was closed by the Catholic Church in 2009. It was deconsecrated and sold off after budget cuts, and was promptly converted in a boutique hotel.
Msgr. Wallace’s remains were moved to a nearby cemetery when the church was closed, but the hotel’s new owner so potential in his tomb for certain niche hotel guests. He turned the subterranean chapel into an offshoot of the Agora, aptly named The Hotel Crypt.
The Inn at the Agora looks perfectly charming from the outside.
It looks like any other bed and breakfast, but when you get away from the main building, things take a frightening turn for a few brave guests.
The Inn offers more macabre visitors the opportunity to experience an evening in The Hotel Crypt.
Guests enter the mausoleum through this cheery red door in the side of what used to be St. Patrick's Catholic Church. The longtime resting place of the church's founder, Monsignor Thomas Wallace, is now available for visitors who prefer their country getaways with a dash of terror.
The Crypt is loaded with spooky amenities.
While guests who purchase this experience are given a more ordinary room back in the main inn, they can also spend most of their night bedded down in a lavishly appointed pine box, built for two. Guests are invited to spend the darkest hours of the night in the crypt, which is well-stocked with cozy blankets for chilly evenings, a TV, and an ample supply of the spookiest horror flicks around.
Of course, libations are provided...
You can enjoy your evening with a complementary bottle of the hotel's signature 'Bloodeaux' red wine.
And, don't forget that you'll be under Msgr. Wallace's watchful gaze the entire time.
The good monsignor spent a century in this crypt, so you shouldn't be too surprised if you get the sense that someone is watching you. He was here first, after all.
Expect to book well in advance if you want to stop by around Halloween.
The crypt is available for $290 from May-September and for the month of November. If you want to book during the spook-tacular month of October, book early, and expect prices around the $410 mark.
Once you're inside, there's no escape...
…Until 2 am that is! The original crypt was gated to keep out vandals, and you can close yourself in for your evening of terror. But you are expected to leave by the early morning since this is not an overnight space.
After all, according to the website, "The crypt has no bathroom – the departed don’t need one." he crypt has no bathroom – the departed don’t need one.
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