Voices from the Grave

Story:  Scott, first of all, I am a total skeptic to anything that is paranormal.  In 1998 my wife and I booked a night at a Bed & Breakfast called the Inn at Pine Terrace in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin.  The night was mid-week and we were the “only” ones booked in for the evening.  The only staff on hand was a elderly woman who checked us in for the evening.  The Inn is very old and has had many distinguished people who stayed over the years.

Our room was on the second floor of the Inn and as I mentioned, we were the only guests that evening.  After getting settled in the room, my wife wanted to sit in the whirlpool in the bathroom area.  I told her that I’d watch some television while she unwound in the bath.  I laid on the bed and after a few minutes I heard some conversations outside our room in the hallway area.  I remarked to my wife that there must be other guests checking in as I heard the talking outside our room in the hallway area.  I decided to peek out our door into the hallway to see who was checking in.  As I peered into the hallway there was no one there and no conversation heard.  The second floor is divided into six or seven rooms.  I again laid on the bed and started to watch television when the conversations started again.  The sound of talking was rather loud but the words were undistinguishable.  I again got up and went out into the hallway.  The Inn keeps all the room doors open til guests check in so I personally peeked into each room and no one but us were on the second floor.  I again went back into our room and about ten minutes later heard the conversation start again but lasted only about two minutes and that was the last I heard for the night.  It was hard for me to fall asleep that evening and finally did so around mid-night.

The next morning we ventured downstairs to the first floor level where the Innkeeper is located.  The Innkeeper was another elderly woman who must have releived the woman from the night before.  I mentioned to the Innkeeper that I was happy that there were other guests who must have checked in besides us and she informed me that there was no other parties registered or who were in the Inn.  I told her that I heard several conversations the night before and she said that in the lobby was a guest book along with several newspaper articles about the Inn.  I got a cup of coffee and went to look at the guest book.  The newspaper articles stated that there was a young girl who committed suicide on the third floor in the late 1800′s and that the family who owned the house were known to bury their dead in the basement.  This kind of made me a little uneasy.  I again went back and asked the Innkeeper if she was sure no one else was in the Inn the prior evening and she said she was sure.  She said that besides herself the only other people in the Inn was kitchen help who arrived around six am to get breakfast started.  The newspaper articles went back about a hundred years and there was mention of people who thought the Inn was haunted.  As I stated, I am a skeptic until proven different and I came away from the Inn with more questions than answers.  Over the last few years we have often thought of going back to the Inn but haven’t done so.  I am not sure of what I heard but I know that it sounded like three or four people were outside our room that night and very close to our rooms door.  The Inn serves breakfast in the basement and  we decided to skip breakfast and get back on the road.  This was quite the experience and I’m not sure that I want to experience it again.

Mark and Barb Colrud

Reply from Scott Markus: Barbara, Thanks so much for your story!  There isn’t much online about this location being haunted, so the search of the origins of those phantom conversations is only beginning!