The Bush House – Index

The Bush House Country Inn, established in 1898, is nestled in the scenic town of Index on the Skykomish River and encircled by the Cascade Mountain range. This historic hotel served the small community of Index during the time of active mining and lumber operations in the Pacific Northwest.

Situated in one of the most beautiful areas in Washington State, the hotel is open for guests during the summer months, offering generous meals and lodging, but, according to accounts, it never closes for some of its past inhabitants and visitors. Staff and guests have reported numerous unexplained phenomena in the hotel. The odors of cigars and perfume have been experienced on the second floor guest accommodations area when no guests are present. One guest reported that after reorganizing some of the furnishings in his room to allow for a more comfortable extended stay, he left the hotel briefly, and when he returned, he was unable to open the door to his room. Once the door was opened with assistance from the staff, a strong gust of wind rushed out the door and past the bewildered guest and staff. The furniture he had so carefully arranged earlier was now in a complete state of disarray. He immediately cancelled his planned extended stay.

During an investigation by members of the Evergreen Paranormal Group, a number of anomalies were captured on film and video tape. The second floor guest area also produced many variations in the electromagnetic field meters brought along for the investigation, and more than a few chills were experienced by the group on the landing and in the third-floor attic space. The staff refused to talk about the third-floor space or allow entry to it. Some had been shaken by experiences they could not explain in that area.

The staff offered the explanation that the activity was due to Anabelle, a onetime extended guest of the hotel who had received news that her lover, a local miner, had been killed. She committed suicide by hanging herself in room number 9. A medium in attendance at the investigation claimed that her name was Alice and that she still resides in her room, occasionally walking the second-floor corridor. It was in room 9 that the guest who had rearranged the furniture met with an unwelcome site when he returned to his room.

As if the sounds, scents, and unaccountedfor movements of furniture and kitchen utensils were not enough to interest a skeptical guest, the cottage next to the Bush House is full of its own unusual events. Even though it is no longer regularly offered for guest quarters, the investigators were offered a chance to walk through it and visit the small chapel on the second floor that the family maintained. Though no one had been in the cottage recently, a large crucifix appeared to have been thrown across the floor and broken. The hotel staff recounted the story of a group of young skiers who had attempted to stay in the home, only to leave midway into the night with little explanation as to the reason for their departure. A film documentary was also made based around the appearance of two children in the window of the cottage when it was locked and empty.

Written by — Henry Bailey Independent Investigator, Conjecture.com

THE BUSH HOUSE
300 FIFTH STREET
INDEX, WASHINGTON 98256
TEL: 1 (360) 793-2312

Taken from the: Encyclopedia of Haunted Places -Ghostly Locales from around the World – Compiled & Edited by Jeff Belanger – Copyright 2005 by Jeff Belanger

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