“We didn’t believe in ghosts or hauntings until we moved into this place,” says Tom Johnson, owner of the Ivy House Inn. Tom and his wife, Kathy, soon changed their minds when they began renovating the turn-of-the century Cape Cod bed and breakfast inn in Casper, Wyoming.
The paranormal activity started up soon after the renovations began. Strange odors began to turn up in odd places. The scents of burning rubber, mentholatum, talcum powder, and even the smell of dead fish came and went with no rational explanation. “Things disappeared.
Electrical plugs pulled out of the walls. Doors opened and closed. Footsteps could be heard walking on floors where nobody was,” Tom explained. Still not completely convinced they were sharing their home with ghosts, the Johnsons began taking photos of the renovations.
They were shocked at what turned up on film. The Johnsons have numerous photos that show Ectoplasm, orbs, faces, and even full apparitions. The investigative team from Denver Haunted History has captured several anomalies in photographs and a TV crew once caught orbs on tape.
The Johnsons firmly believe that Mrs. White, the former owner of the house, is one of their ghosts-in-residence. “I think that Mrs. White doesn’t believe that she is dead,” Tom said. “This house was her life. She cared for it, and even the year before she died at age 92, she got on ladders and climbed 18 feet to clean out gutters.”
Mrs. White also had a reputation for being a bit nosy, which might explain the nature of some of the paranormal activity. According to Tom, “She walked in on her tenants at any time of the day or night to make sure that they were not abusing her house, and she is still nosy enough to check up on who is in her home.
Especially in the Blue Rose Room, where there are knockings on the door.” The apparition of an old lady has been witnessed in the inn by several different people, including family members, friends, and guests. A dinner party guest saw a short old lady with red hair staring at her in the bathroom.
Another guest at the inn witnessed an old lady walking down the hallway. After researching the history of the Ivy House Inn, the Johnsons have a theory as to why there might be more than one spirit occupying the inn. Between the years of 1902 and 1940, there were no less than 26 different owners, and the town of Casper itself also has an interesting history, as Tom explained:
“Casper sits on several trails. The Mormon Trail, California Trail, Oregon Trail, Pony Express, and cattle trails all come through here and probably through this property.”
Perhaps some of the spirits present are there because they once traveled along these trails and thought Casper was a good spot for a rest. The ghosts do not frighten Tom and Kathy. In fact, they have made the haunting part of their lives at the inn, even hosting a “Haunted Slumber Party” each Halloween.
Written by — Melanie Billings Writer/Paranormal Investigator
IVY HOUSE INN BED AND BREAKFAST
815 SOUTH ASH
CASPER, WYOMING 82601
TEL: 1 (307) 265-0974
WEBSITE: www.ivyhouseinn.com
Taken from the: Encyclopedia of Haunted Places -Ghostly Locales from around the World – Compiled & Edited by Jeff Belanger – Copyright 2005 by Jeff Belanger