In recent years, the sightings of the supernatural have spread by word of mouth among those seeking a genteel visit with those who have crossed over.
— Steve Wong
The Oaks Bed & Breakfast
339 Greenville Street
Saluda, North Carolina
Steve Wong’s delightful article in the October 5th, 2015 Tryon Daily Bulletin, “Hoping for ghosts in an old Saluda B&B,” is a charming description of one reporter’s search for the supernatural at The Oaks Bed & Breakfast. Admitting that he really wants to believe, Wong spends a night prowling the halls of this late 19th century inn in search of some of the genteel specters that remain here.
Saluda was built by the railroad that arrived in 1878. The town is located at the top of the Saluda Grade, the steepest mainline railway grade east of the Rockies. Nearly ten years after the railroad’s construction, almost 3,000 visitors per year were arriving in this tourist town. Many private homes, including this 1895 house, were transformed into inns to host the visitors. This turreted home, originally built for a physician, became an inn in 1906.
Wong’s marvelous article provides some of the first documentation of the inn’s spectral activity that had previously only been spread by word of mouth. While the article doesn’t hint at a possible identity for the spirits, but it seems that it may be a past innkeeper. A woman has been seen ascending the staircase apparently checking to make sure that guests are well taken care of. One of the innkeepers admitted that some guests have been overcome with “a strange feeling about the house that compelled them to tidy up their rooms.” Overall, this inn and its spirits seem to be the epitome of Southern hospitality.
Sources
- “Historic Victorian Home.” The Oaks Bed & Breakfast. Accessed 6 October 2015.
- Saluda Grade. Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Accessed 6 October 2015.
- Saluda, North Carolina. Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Accessed 6 October 2015.
- Wong, Steve. “Hoping for ghosts in an old Saluda B&B.” Tryon Daily Bulletin. 5 October 2015.