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Ghost Stories |
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Ghost Stories
from the Olde Bryan Inn
Restaurant
and High Rock Spring 1787
Saratoga Springs, NY
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Ghost Stories of The Olde Bryan Inn
I've worked at the Olde Bryan Inn for some time now. As a matter of fact, I'm closing
in on my thirteenth year, for as long as I've been here, I guess I find it a little
strange that I've never seen, heard or felt anything out of the ordinary that could be
considered an Olde Bryan Inn ghost story. Well, maybe the chandelier story would
apply…but I think I'll save that story for later. Although I, personally, have never
seen anything, I have heard countless stories that are very interesting. Many of them are
similar to each other in nature. As I have gone along collecting these stories, I was very
surprised, and a little spooked I might add, to learn that all of the stories I have heard
all seem to connect some how.
As found in the Olde Bryan Inn's history web page, the Native Americans in the area had
called the mineral springs at the bottom of High Rock Hill "the Healing Spring of the
Great Spirit". It seems as though throughout the years there have been a number of
spirits residing at the Olde Bryan Inn.
Years ago, one of many construction projects enclosed our outside patio. The current
manager, John, an archeologist, was digging in the area that is now the dining room called
the Livery. He was working where the double doors used to be and when he looked up, he saw
an apparition of a Revolutionary War soldier.
I was there when the story was being told and John was quite serious while telling this
story. To this day, I have no reason to doubt him as his story coincides with the history
of the Olde Bryan Inn.
By far, the most popular ghost story is the one about Eleanor. There have been many
stories that involve her.
Some stories have involved physical contact with the ghost. For instance, Maryann was
sitting at her computer one day soon after she began working here. She was having a
frustrating day when suddenly she felt a pair of hands on her back, a reassuring touch, as
if to let her know that everything would be okay. Yet there was nobody there.
More recently, Andy, a prep cook at the Olde Bryan Inn, was in the basement getting
towels out of the dryer. He felt someone, or something, brush his arm. Naturally, he
thought it was his friend and coworker, Pete, but when Andy spun around to tell Pete to
stop messing around, he found himself alone.
The bathrooms, located on the second floor, seem to be a hot spot for ghost activity.
One evening, Michelle, a waitress at the Olde Bryan Inn, was brushing her hair in the
ladies room when she felt a hand brush her cheek. Needless to say, Michelle did not stay
in the ladies room for long and ran downstairs.
Could this be Eleanor trying to say hello from the other side? Maybe it was. After all,
there have been many ghost stories that involve a woman in a long, green, Victorian period
dress. Let me tell you some of these stories…
In the summer of 2001, the lead guitarist and the lead singer for the rock band Journey
came to eat with their families the night before their show at SPAC. Apparently, someone
had told them how the area on the second floor by the restrooms was a hot spot for
spiritual activity. They went to the second floor to look around. While investigating,
they ran into Robin, a manager at the Olde Bryan Inn. She explained that the building is
supposedly haunted by a woman in a long, green dress. Journey informed Robin that in the
spirit world, green is a very strong color. My research has also shown this to be true.
On the night that Robin and I sat down and started to create this web page, we were
discussing and listening to many stories about the Olde Bryan Inn ghosts. I was taking
notes and comparing stories. I had already written down "long green dress" and
circled it because it keeps coming up all the time. Another one of our waitresses, Tina,
came outside and asked what we were doing. We told her we were making a ghost story web
page. She replied, "Really? I have a ghost story to tell."
One night Tina saw an elderly woman trying to bring her granddaughter upstairs to the
second floor but the little girl refused to go up the stairs. The young girl said she saw
a woman in a green dress on the other side of the stairs. When Tina finished her story I
was amazed. I pointed to where I had circled "long green dress" on my notes as
chills ran down my spine. There are other stories that are strangely similar, in fact,
many more.
Jill is a bartender at the Olde Bryan Inn. She has been here three more years than I
have. One day a woman came into the tavern from the dining room and promptly asked Jill if
the Olde Bryan Inn had a ghost. Jill replied that the Olde Bryan Inn did in fact have a
ghost. Quickly, another question came from the mysterious woman, "Is it a
woman?" Again, Jill answered that it was a woman. Jill considers herself a spiritual
person and she knew what the visitor was going to say before the woman spoke. The woman
explained that she was a psychic who traveled and gave readings. The psychic even said
that she could smell her sachet that smelled like lavender.
I found it very interesting that all these different people with all these different
ghost stories all seem to connect to Eleanor.., the woman in the long, green Victorian
dress. I have to wonder if she has been responsible for swinging the chandelier late at
night…
A few weeks ago, I was in the break room changing into my clothes after my shift. It
was after midnight and the restaurant had long since closed. I finished changing and went
downstairs. When I got downstairs, I immediately noticed that something was amiss. Robin
and Neil were asking each other why the chandelier was swinging back and forth. There were
a few other people around and they were asking if they were responsible for messing with
the chandelier. Of course, no one admitted to doing it, but why would someone bother
pulling a stunt like that when they are trying to finish a shift and leave.
Besides the only way to get that chandelier to swing back and forth would be to get an
object approximately the length of a broom stick to push it back and forth from any given
floor. If you go to the second floor restrooms you will see what I mean.
The week after that particular incident, it was the same situation for me in a sense. I
had finished my shift and it was after midnight. I changed and filled out my paperwork.
Robin was the closing manager that night. I was waiting for my tip out from the night
Robin ran up to the third floor to run closing reports on the computer. I waited patiently
downstairs under the chandelier for Robin.
I was looking straight up into the lights of the chandelier thinking about how it had
swung back and forth that night. I was staring at the lights when, all of a sudden, the
lights went out.
Robin came rushing down the stairs from the third floor. Hesitantly, I asked Robin as
she was quickly descending the stairs if she had turned off the chandelier lights before
she came downstairs. She replied that she had.
It turned out that Robin had in fact turned the chandelier off. I felt like I had come
so close to my first experience with Eleanor. Maybe Eleanor is waiting for me to do
something in particular for her. I am waiting for her to show herself to me. Maybe she is
waiting for a special occasion to meet me.
There are more stories to come, but I have to talk to more people about their
experiences. In the meantime, I hope you enjoyed these stories and given time I will have
more Olde Bryan Inn ghost stories.
I plan to write more ghost stories of the Olde Bryan Inn, but I will have to do more
research and talk to more people about their experiences. I look forward to continue
writing these stories and I hope to be able to take more time to research.
The history part of our website is also very interesting. There is a lot of
Revolutionary War history that is very informative and readily available just a couple of
clicks away.
So stay tuned ghost hunters… another episode of GHOSTS OF THE OLDE BRYAN INN is in
progress. It is only a matter of time before it is available.
Nathan York Read more about our
Saratoga Ghost |
