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| Yankee Pedlar Inn in Torrington |
The Yankee Pedlar Inn
Based at the foot of the Berkshire Hills in the town of
Torrington sits the historical Yankee Pedlar Inn . . . the beautiful place of repose where you are invited to stop in and
visit the tavern, complete with crackling fireplace and oak-hewn beams. View the lobby which shares some of the inn's
history, as well as some of the original funishings. The sixty rooms available at the inn are adorned with Hitchcock
furniture, the walls hand-stenciled, and the atmosphere bringing you back to the turn of the century.
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| Does the ghost of Mr. Conley still walk these rooms? |
The History
The Yankee Pedlar Inn was built by Frank Conley and opened
as Conley's Inn on July 28, 1891. Frank Conley and his wife, Alice, dreamed of a place that would provide elegance and
comfort as the "big city" hotels did. In November 1890, Conley bought a 100' x 214' lot on the corner of Main Street
and Maiden Lane for the cost of eight thousand dollars. Their dream had begun.
The inn was constructed with marble floors in a black and
white diagonal mosaic, the spiral staircase and rooms carpeted, and pictures were placed upon every wall. The rooms
were well furnished, each having a dual-light chandelier and hot water. Forty thousand dollars later, Frank's dream
had been accomplished. With the help of his wife, Alice (who was a great cook and manager) a successful business was
started. The Conleys ran the establishment until their deaths in 1910.
The pre-investigation took place on May 12, 2006.
The Northwest Connecticut Paranormal Society contacted the Yankee Pedlar manager for an interview, who seemed very excited.
Four members of N.W.C.P.S. visited the inn and were welcomed with smiles from all the staff. Upon interviewing the general
manager, she told us of experiences that both the staff and the guests have had. She said that the night clerk had experienced
many times a black mistlike formation walking through the lobby around 1 a.m. He also has experienced knocking on his
office door at different times of the night. When opening the door, it was revealed that no one was to be found.
She told us of the antique rocking chair that was owned by Mrs. Conley (currently displayed in the lobby) that rocks by itself.
She then introduced us to her head housekeeper.
The housekeeper stated that she has worked at the inn for
over four years and, in that time, has experienced many seemingly paranormal occurrences. She told us about room 353
(where Mrs. Conley died) which was now used for storage. This room has upset guests with strong perfume odors.
Guests have requested room changes on occasion for inexplicable reasons, the complaints actually documented in a log book.
Room 295 is also another spot where guests have experienced
perfume smells and strange incidents. She reported that a guest was lying upon a bed when he felt someone climb into
bed with him. He rolled over, expecting to see his wife, but she was still in the bathroom. The general manager
has also seen a figure of a lady which she claims is Mrs. Conley herself. She claims to know this from her pictures
hanging about the inn. She says that she cannot keep staff very long, either, due to these strange happenings.
When we did a walk-through, we were pleased to see how
well an effort had been made to preserve the inn's original appearance. The tavern area gives you the feeling of
stepping back one hundred years in time. At the tavern area, we found the original phone . . . wooden with a crank on
the side. I asked the manager if it was a real phone, to which she replied, "Yes.". Then she added, "Mr. Conley
still uses it."
Reports of a grey-haired gentleman dressed in an old black
suit and spotted using the phone many times have been received by people who have entered this room. Our team did not
experience anything uncomfortable until we entered the basement. There, we were hit with the feeling of being weighed
down. I, myself, was dizzy and seemed to have cement shoes. I didn't feel very comfortable there. The housekeeper
told us that there was a black figure in the basement and that she saw it one night while getting a vacuum. She said
that out of the corner of her eye she saw something and, when she looked, the figure had approached her. She ran for
the stairs and up to the bathroom to escape it. She said that, while closing the door, there was a forcible pressure
holding it open. She was wearing a bracelet with a crucifix on it and it was tugged on as if something wanted it off
her arm. She finally got the door closed and yelled for help as the lights went dead. We wrapped up the interview
with a thank you to all and set a date to investigate. Mandi was able to track down two others who worked as cleaners
in the past at the Pedlar Inn and they, too, had stories to tell, from doors opening by themselves to strange feelings.
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| Management finds it difficult to keep employees in this old inn |
The Investigation
Our team of John, Jayme, Maria, Mandi and guest, Jeff,
met at the Pedlar Inn lobby on May 31, 2006, at 10:30 p.m. We first set up a night vision camcorder in the bar area
and left it. We then divided into two groups. Jayme, John and Jeff went to room 353 with camcorders set up with
infrared boosters, digital recorder, and two helium balloons (to check for drafts). Mandi, Maria and a staff person
headed to the basement to do a sweep with dowsing rods, EMF detector and voice recorder.
While in room 353, we experienced nothing. It was
hot and humid from lack of air conditioning. After thirty minutes, we decided that maybe the girls could get a better
response there and paged them on the walkie-talkies. They told us that they were unsuccessful in the basement in obtaining
any kind of activity. The two girls and Jeff stayed in the room while Jayme and I visited the ballroom.
Upon entering, we noticed a strong sweet floral fragrance.
We attempted to figure out where the odor was coming from. We asked the night clerk and he said that nothing was done
to that area (as in cleaning or shampooing recently). I, myself, got down to smell the floor. We then went to
the basement laundry room where, on our initial visit, we had experienced some dizziness and run-down feelings. On this
visit, we felt nothing.
We did debunk the cleaning woman's story of the door being
forcefully held open. We noticed that the door had a hydraulic piston which resists closing quickly. Then, when
nearly closed, it releases the pressure. Due to two hundred years of dust that had collected in the basement, digital
pics and images from camcorders were not acceptable. We did get the basic dust orbs, but nothing more.
Jeff, Maria and Mandi then set up in room 295 and there
experienced nothing out of the ordinary. In the early hours of the morning, we decided to pack it in. We thanked
the hospitable night clerk, Luke, and headed home.
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| The first owners of the Yankee Pedlar Inn |
The Findings
Our team reviewed hours and hours of video footage and
digital voice recordings and came up with nothing. Aside from the floral smell which could have been from cleaning solutions,
we found no paranormal activity. We debunked the basement door problems and noticed that the lighting was very
poor in the basement, so that shadows could be mistaken for black figures.
As for the reported sightings of Mr. and Mrs. Conley and
the small girl, we have no answers. We were unable to find any results of why a small girl would be there either.
I'd like to thank the staff who were just great people to work with, and also mention that if you're ever in the area of Torrington,
I strongly recommend stopping by the Yankee Pedlar Inn. It is a beautiful place to visit and holds many interesting
pieces of history. Step through the door to an environment that awakens your senses, sending you back in time.
Respectfully Submitted by John Z. (June 2, 2006)
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