For several decades, visitors and staffs of New Hope’s Logan Inn have reported various paranormal activities occurring at the property. Some of these strange occurences include explicable sounds in the empty basement, the unscrewing of lightbulbs along the hotel’s hallway, and whispers in the lobby.
At the basement of Logan Inn, staffs have reported seeing the ghost of a soldier dressed in a uniform from the American Revolutionary War period (1775 – 1783) and marching across the length of the cellar before disappearing into the walls. Apparitions of Revolutionary soldiers were also been sighted wandering around property, seemingly guarding the inn. Indeed, during the winter days of the war, the inn was temporarily used as a mortuary for soldiers killed in action as the frozen winter ground was too hard for burials.
Carl Lutz, son of Emily Lutz and also a former owner of Logan inn, claimed that a faint smell of lavender perfume can be smelled in the foyer where a portrait of Emily’s parents—also former owners of the hotel—hangs.
For those looking to find out more about the ghosts that haunt New Hope and Logan Inn, take on the Ghost Tours of New Hope run by Adele Gamble, a tour guide who leads tours around the historic town of New Hope.
History of Logan Inn
The town of New Hope was officially founded in 1722 by John Wells, a businessman who offered ferry services for travelers crossing the Delaware River. Five years later, in 1727, John Wells established The Ferry Tavern, becoming one of the earliest inn to operate in New Hope. Back then, the 12,000-square-foot inn offered 16 guest rooms for travelers and vacationers coming in from the metropolitan area. The inn was renamed to Logan Inn in 1828 in honor of Chief Logan of the Lenni-Lenape tribe, an indigenous group that lived primarily in the Delaware Valley.
Fast forward to 1969, friends and business partners Carl Lutz and Arthur Sanders purchased the historic property. Lutz’s mother, Emily Lutz, was said to have spent the final years of her life at room six. Lutz and Sanders eventually sold the inn in 1988. In 2016, it was purchased by Frank and Jeanne Cretella of New Jersey-based real estate firm Landmark Hospitality for $5.6 million. By then, plans were already being made to restore the building and construction a new addition.
In December 2020, Logan Inn embarked on an extensive renovation and expansion of the property to revitalize the hotel and appeal to the new generation of travelers. The historic hotel reopened its door to the public in July 2021. Apart from a renovation of the existing property, a new three-story building was erected adjacent to the original building, adding 22 new rooms as well as a host of amenities including a conference space, a bar area, and a conservatory garden pavilion. The hotel now offers 38 guest rooms, of which eight of it offers a direct view of Main Street.
Today, Logan Inn is the fifth oldest inn in the U.S. and one of the longest continuous running inn in the country. The property is also a listee in the National Register of Historic Places. However, it also holds the infamous reputation for being the most haunted place in New Hope.
Logan Inn’s Haunted Room 6
Room 6, said to be haunted by Emily Lutz, have been widely recognized by staffs and guests of the hotel as a ‘hot spot’ for paranormal activity. Emily, son of former owner Carl Lutz, was said to have passed away in room 6 due to old age.
That said, many have reported terrifying paranormal experiences during their stay at room 6. Personal belongings of guests are said to have moved on its own when they were away, and that doors would open and close on its own. Some have also reported being awakened in the middle of the night by a weird sensation on their cheek, as if they were touched by someone.
Apart form the ghost of Emily Lutz, visitors have also sighted other apparitions including the reflection of a men in the bathroom mirror. The translucent figures of a mother and her two young daughters were also reported by guests of room 6. In one incident, a visitor reportedly asked the pair who they were, to which the mother replied “We’re just travelers. We were passing through.”
The hauntings at room 6 has made it the most popular room in the entire hotel, with many visitors and paranormal investigators booking the room months in advance.
