On season 14, episode 1 of the popular paranormal television series Ghost Adventures, host Zak Bagans and his team investigated the paranormal happenings at Guthrie’s Stone Lion Inn. The episode, which is titled “Stone Lion Inn” and aired on March 25, 2017, was well received by viewers of the series; it received a positive rating of 8.9/10 on IMDb.
During the investigations, team team explored the grounds of Stone Lion Inn and experienced numerous unexplainable events from slamming doors (in unoccupied rooms) to the malfunctioning of cameras. In a spirit box session held by co-host Aaron Goodwin, the device captured several electronic voice phenomena (EVP) sounds including “ghosting hunting”, “the kid”, and “because I had to”. On the second floor where the Houghton spirits are sighted along the hallways, an infrared red camera captured an anomaly darting across the lens after being knocked over by a mysterious force.
The large amount of paranormal evidence collected led the team to conclude that Stone Lion Inn is truly haunted, and that its ghost residents are one of the most active entities ever encountered. View the full episode of Ghost Adventures’ “Stone Lion Inn” here.
History of Stone Lion Inn
The historic Stone Lion Inn was commissioned in 1906 by Fred. E Houghton, founder of Cotton Oil Company, for his family of twelve. Completed in 1907, the property reportedly cost $11,900 (today’s equivalent of $347,000), making it the most expensive house ever built in the city of Guthrie.
Tragedy soon struck the Houghton house when eight-year-old Irene Houghton (or August Houghton, as some sources claimed) passed away from a serious case of whooping cough. It was also rumoured that Houghton’s family maid had medicated her with cough syrup which at that time, contained opium, leading to her eventual death. This legend however, cannot be confirmed by local death records.
In 1920, the Houghton family moved out leased the house to Smith’s Funeral Home, turning the place into a mortuary. Three decades later, the Walker family bought the property and restored it, turning it into their family home.
Stone Lion Inn was eventually purchased by Rebecca “Becky” Luker in 1986, the third owner of the historic property. The three-story building underwent a renovation project to restore the property to its former glory and convert it the town’s first ever Bed & Breakfast (B&B). Today, the Victorian style Mansion features six elegant suites: Cora Diehl suite; Bordello suite; Kentucky Daisy suite; Wedding suite; Lucille Mulhall suite and the Parlor.
Apart from its exquisite guest rooms, Stone Lion Inn—a listee on the National Register of Historic Places—is famously known for their Murder Mystery Weekend. Every Friday and Saturday, groups of up to 40 guests will get to enjoy a sumptuous seven course dinner and partake in a murder mystery game. Guests, mostly dressed up in their characters from the 1920s, will act out their part in the scenarios and attempt to solve the murder playing out in the haunted inn. In the murder mysteries created by Luker, guests will visit Summit View Cemetery where outlaw Elmer McCurdy, the man featured in the murder mystery game, was interred at. Players will also get to spend a night at one of the three B&B operated by Luker.
Prices for one night at Stone Lion Inn are as below:
- $77 per night for Parlor Suite. $185 for the suite and Murder Mystery Activity for 2.
- $87 per night for Lucille Mulhall Suite. $195 for the suite and Murder Mystery Activity for 2.
- $97 per night for Cora Diehl Suite. $205 for the suite and Murder Mystery Activity for 2.
- $137 per night for Kentucky Daisy. $245 for the suite and Murder Mystery Activity for 2.
- $137 per night for Bordello Suite. $245 for the suite and Murder Mystery Activity for 2.
- $137 per night for Wedding Suite. $245 for the suite and Murder Mystery Activity for 2.
Reservations for Stone Lion Inn’s suites is strictly by telephone only. The Murder Mystery Weekend activity can also be purchased individually on Groupon for $59.95 per person. To find out more about Stone Lion Inn, visit their official website.
Haunted Activities in the Inn
The hauntings were first sighted during the renovation work by Luker. Back then, workers would report equipments being moved mysteriously from their original location. Footsteps as well as the opening and closing of the doors were also be heard at night. When the mansion started operations as a B&B for tourists visiting Guthrie, the odd phenomena continued.
Guests of Stone Lion Inn have also seeing orbs floating in the inn’s living room as well as hearing the sounds of a music box. On several occasions, guests staying at the Cora Diehl Suite would be awakened by the spirit of a child patting them on their cheeks. The child is said to be Irene Houghton, who is reliving her moments pranking on her parents.
In one incident, housekeeper Michelle was doing the laundry in the basement when she spotted a translucent man smoking a cigar; he is rumored to be Mr Houghton, the original owner of the property. Staffs and guests of Stone Lion Inn have also claimed to have smelled a faint scent of pipe tobacco along the inn’s hallway. That said, most of the paranormal activities happen on the second floor where the guest rooms are.
Over the years, the historic B&B has earned a reputation for being most haunted property in Guthrie. It has also attracted a slew of ghost hunters to investigate the century-old building in hopes of catching something inexplicable. One of the earliest recorded investigation happened 18 years ago when Oklahoma Paranormal Research & Investigations visited the haunted inn. During the investigation, the team captured multiple electronic voice phenomena (EVP) recordings including “Do you hear what they are saying?” and “Sarah, good sister.”
