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Longfellow's Wayside Inn –
HauntedHouses.com
Haunted Place: Longfellow's Wayside Inn
ADDRESS:
72 Wayside Inn Road
Sudbury, Massachusetts
01776
(978) 443-1776 * (800) 339-1776
Open: Sundays Noon-8pm
Monday through Saturday 11:30am-3pm and 5pm-9pm
Major credit cards accepted
Longfellow's Wayside Inn is part of a
nonprofit educational and charitable trust established by Henry
Ford, and is both a working inn and a museum.
Longfellow's Wayside Inn web site
LOCATION:
Longfellow's Wayside Inn can be found in
the countryside just outside of Boston.
DESCRIPTION/HISTORY:
This 300 year old Hotel hasn't changed much
in decorum or style from what it had been from the beginning,
thanks to careful renovation by the Ford Trust. However, throughout
its long history, seven additions were made to the original dwelling
to make room and accommodate the needs of travelers and "family, slaves, farmers and tavern workers."
In 1707, David Howe built a two room house
with an upstairs sleeping quarters for his wife Hepzibah and their
baby, the first of seven offspring. This track of land which Howe
owned had been formally belonged to the Indians, going back 3,000
years.
In 1716 How was granted a license to run a
"House of Public Entertainment" and was known as How's Inn in 1716,
keeping a long family tradition of running an Inn and Tavern. The
original downstairs, which was the kitchen, became the bar, while
another two story addition was added for family quarters and
eventually throughout the years became the parlor, which Longfellow
made famous.
Thirty years later, under the new
management of David's son, Colonel Ezekiel Howe, the Inn became
known as the "The Red Horse." Colonel Ezekiel How additions
included the Back Parlor (which doubled the size of the Inn in mid
1700s), the West Kitchen, and the bed chambers above it, and The
New Hall, which was a ball room or reception room.
Interestingly, it became a meeting place
for the militia to group and organize before they followed Colonel
Ezekiel on April 19, 1775 to fight in Concord during the
Revolutionary War.
True to familial form, Colonel Ezekiel Howe
passed the Inn down to his son, Adam Howe in 1796. Adam was as
successful as his father. He added the old kitchen building which
was separate. He in turn passed the Inn onto his son Lyman Howe in
1830. Lyman never found the right woman to marry and died
childless.
One of the most famous guests to grace the
sign in book was the poet, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, who came for
a rest, to recover from his wife's death and to find inspiration to
overcome his writer's block, in 1862. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
indeed found comfort and inspiration here. He wrote his book, Tales
of a Wayside Inn in 1863 in the Hotel parlor.
Longfellow described the Inn, in 1863 - As
a old Hobgoblin Hall, in need of a little TLC. "Old Hobgoblin Hall.
With weather-stains upon the wall, And stairways worn, and crazy
doors, And creaking and uneven floors, And chimneys huge, and tiled
and tall." (Web Site)
After Lyman Howe died, the buildings were
no longer used as an Inn, though the nice hall was rented for
receptions, and special events.
In 1897, a well -to-do wool merchant,
Edward Lemon bought the whole property, and reopened the Inn, which
by this time really need some TLC. It was Lemon who renamed the Red
Horse Inn to the be The Longfellow's Wayside Inn, with the idea of
making it a place to come for aspiring writers and poets. Besides
sprucing up the place, Edward added onto the building what was once
the carriage house, remodeling it into an art gallery, where Edward
showcased his art collection.
After Edward died, his wife Cora sold the
property to Henry Ford in 1923, who was the one who renovated the
Inn, moved other original buildings, from the time such as the old
school house, onto the large property, and made the last additions
to the Inn.
When Henry died, he willed it all to the
state in a educational and charitable trust to be used as a
historical museum. The is also now an Inn again, which has
delighted some entities who have made their home here once
again.
HISTORY OF MANIFESTATIONS:
Jerusha Howe (and perhaps two other
entities once source claims) still make this Inn/restaurant
home.
The The story of Jerusha Howe... Jerusha
was the sister of one of the owners during the period of time which
spanned 4 generations of this family. She fell in love with a
gentleman from Britain, who wooed her, promising his love forever.
When he left to go back to the British Isles, he solemnly promised
to return and marry her. It is the age old story. Something
happened to him on the way to Britain or on his journey back to
America, because he never returned. Perhaps he was a Casanova with
a wife in England!
No one knows what happened to this suitor,
but Jerusha Howe's heart was broken; yet remained resolute. She
never gave up hope, pined away for him, and never married anyone
else, as she waited patiently for him to return. While she
continued to live her life, enjoying her music abilities, tending
to her duties, her love life was frozen in time. She needed
counseling with a good therapist, but that wasn't an option during
her time. After spending 44 years of living/working in the house,
She died a single lady, whose spirit still waits for the love of
her life, having fun teasing the living males who visit, and seeing
after others as well while waiting.
MANIFESTATIONS:
Secret Drawer Society - Since the 1900s
ghostly experiences with Jerusha have been written down in notes
and stuck into drawers in the rooms and in other crannies found in
the Hotel. While Jerusha likes to hang out in rooms 9 and sometimes
4, she has been experienced all over the Hotel. Evidence of her
citrus-scented perfume, her piano playing, the feeling of her
presence, being touched by her and seeing her actual apparition has
been occurring here for a very long time indeed. The three rooms
which were Jerusha's living space were located over the kitchen.
They were made into one room, now Room 9.
1) Personal Room Visits... Jerusha
Howe:
The three rooms which were Jerusha's living
space were located over the kitchen. They were made into one room,
Room 9, when the new hall was finished. She occasionally visits
other rooms as well, to check on her guests.
a) A male guest shares, "Around 5 am she
came into my room, sat at the foot of my bed, and a few moments
later, walked in front of my bed (she looked like a small strip of
green light) disappeared in front of the door." (Web-site link to
this personal testimony.)
b) On the stairway which winds up to the
second floor where her living quarters were located, the living
have experienced "A haunting, faintly perfumed presence and a
light, swift step on the narrow, twisting stairway." (Web Page
Story) c) Room 4 - Located above the famous parlor in the first
addition. In room 4, artist/writer Victoria Shearer was treated to
a spectral light show. (Web Page Story)
2) She sometimes forgets her social manners
and gets a little affectionate with male visitors.
a) Some male visitors claim to have been
caressed and gently touched by Jerusha in an alluring fashion.
b) She has been known to climb into bed
with an unsuspecting male visitor on occasion for a brief time,
perhaps giving him an affectionate hug!
3) When the Hotel is empty of visitors, the
piano piece, Copenhagen Waltz, can be plainly heard by the living,
perhaps coming from her old piano.
STILL HAUNTED?
Yes indeed!
I couldn't find any paranormal
investigations, but a 100 or so years of witnesses' experiences do
count for something!
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