LOCATION:

Old Yarmouth Inn Restaurant and Tavern can be found in Yarmouthport in Cape Cod. The Old Yarmouth Inn was built in 1696 in a strategic place, in the city of Yarmouthport, a village which was located 35.18 miles southeast from Plymouth, and was 45.51 miles from Provinceton. While such a drive today would take around two hours, back in the days before modern transportation it was a long day and a half trek via stagecoach or horseback, making Yarmouthport an ideal place to spend the night!

Address: 223 Route 6A, Yarmouthport, Masschusetts 02675. * 508-362-9962

Web-Site: oldyarmouthinn.com

Currently, the inn offers a high quality restaurant and tavern, hosts banquets, weddings and receptions and special events, but is not using its guest rooms on the second floor for visitors at this time.

DESCRIPTION:

HISTORY This Old Yarmouth Inn Restaurant and Tavern is described as a 2 story white colonial structure, with an attic and basement, which houses the inn, three distinct dining rooms, and an informal tavern.

The Red Room and the Music Room are smaller and perfect for small affairs or intimate dinners. The bright beautiful room now used as the Main Dining Room, was added on to the original structure in the 1940's as a sun porch but later was enclosed to become the large dining area.

This Old Yarmouth Inn Restaurant and Tavern, established in 1696, lives up to its name, having the distinction of being the oldest inn in America which is still operating as an inn, which serves terrific food, offers great wine and fine company, and is still a place to host special events!

After it opened in 1696, while it was a restful place to stay with good food to enjoy in the 17th & 18th centuries, this establishment also was a favorite place for church goers to visit after services. The churches had no heat, and the Old Yarmouth Inn was warm and toasty inside and served refreshments; the perfect place for after-church fellowship!

The Old Yarmouth Inn through its long history, also was used as a dentist office, family homes, a boarding house for the school teaching staff and perhaps a place where Revolutionary era soldiers were stationed; but this isn't clear as the historical records were lost in a fire.

Before the Civil War, the owners of the inn were part of the underground railroad, and hid runaway slaves in a secret room in the attic, which was found by the future owners, the Powell family, when granddaughter Althea was playing in the attic and discovered it.

MANIFESTATIONS:

Throughout the years, many owners and many visitors have lived and stayed here. No one knows if any died in their sleep. There seems to be at least 2 ghosts, a man and a woman who make The Old Yarmouth Inn their home. It is suspected that the male entity may be Althea Power's grandfather. The female entity may be the woman who died in a fire on the 2nd floor or could be a slave woman from the underground railroad days. It was rumored that she was the mistress of the owner of the Inn at that time.

a) Quisset Harbor Room - A guest sleeping in this room was awakened around 4:00 AM and found that he had company! A calm-mannered gentleman dressed in late 19th century clothing was standing at the foot of the guest's bed, puzzled as to why the guest was in this room. The guest described this apparition as being a "jowly individual with big full cheeks."

b) A male guest, with a fear of ghosts was awakened by a ghostly form which sat on the foot of his bed. He was scared and hid under his covers. He then felt unseen hands rub and massage his feet. Then an unseen presence shook the bed vigorously by holding onto the bed posts and shaking them. Lickity-split, the guest made a beeline for the porch and spent the rest of the early morning hours there until the sun went up. One can speculate this may have been a female entity, as he got a foot rub, which was something a woman may have done at the times in history when either the slave woman or the mistress were alive.

Perhaps another entity or two have joined the other two entities in the Inn. I theorize this because some of the incidents listed below seem to be out of character for the other two known entities. The female entity likes to tease and is playful, the male entity is calm, well-mannered and controlled, but the possible third entity likes to be part of the managing staff, and has taken action when the living act in a manner not becoming a live person, in its perception! To me, it sounds like a Revolutionary War or other era Miliatry Officer or other soldier(s), another past owner or employee. (The Heceta House * General Wayne Inn )

a) After turning out the lights in the dining rooms for the evening after closing, the lights have been turned on by an entity who wanted perhaps a chuckle and to say: hello, I'm still here - I have some control!

b) There are unexplained cold spots and drafts felt by the living.

c) Recently, the waiters and staff who supervise the dining area have heard their names whispered from an unknown voice.

d) The kitchen mixer was turned on by an entity, while a relative of the owner was getting a cup of coffee early one morning. The relative produced a lovely reaction, providing some entertainment for this unseen mischievous presence.

e) Another guest came down early one morning to get some coffee in the kitchen, but she couldn't figure out how to open the kitchen doors. A voice from nowhere told her to "Push!"

a) While pouring drinks on the bar, the female bartender has had to hold the glasses still.

b) Some playful entity likes to slide ash trays down the bar and flip them into the air for the fun of it.

c) It's never a good idea to proclaim one's unbelief about ghosts in a haunted place! (Hassayampa Inn, The Inn at Jerome) One such customer visiting the tavern found out the hard way why this is true. The cover of the air conditioner came undone and flew 10 feet across the room to graze this scoffer's head; not hurting, but scaring enough to correct faulty thinking!

d) Window panes have come loose from their hinges by themselves or probably helped along by a jokester entity.

e) The doors open and close by themselves. Unexplained cold spots also can be felt at times.

STILL HAUNTED?

Yes indeed!

Ghosts are playful, a bit mischievous but harmless entities who are part of this old inn.

Sources include: authorsden.com * oldyarmouthinn.com * capecodtoday.com