They say that fear heightens your senses. Perhaps that’s why dining at one of Massachusetts’ most haunted restaurants is so frightfully delicious.
Concord’s Colonial Inn is one of the oldest restaurants in the state and has racked up quite a haunted reputation over its 300-year history.
Concord’s Colonial Inn was first built in 1716. It was used as a storehouse for arms and supplies during the Revolutionary War. In fact, the famed first battle of the Revolution kicked off when British troops came to seize provisions from the building and Minutemen troops fought them at Concord’s North Bridge. The structure went on to become a variety store and boarding house. Henry David Thoreau actually stayed at the inn while attending Harvard from 1835 to 1837. By 1889, the building had transformed into the inn as it is today.
Stories of hauntings seem to stem from the inn’s part in a Revolutionary War battle and center around one particular part of the inn: Room 24.
At the time of the conflict, the building was owned by a Dr. Timothy Minot, a local doctor. After the battle at North Bridge on April 19, 1775, the wounded soldiers were carted back to the inn. Many of the wounded were said to have died in the halls and rooms of the building as Dr. Minot fought to save their lives. Some people who have experienced paranormal events at the inn claim to have heard wails of pain or the sound of hurried footsteps.
Room 24 seems to have the most pronounced paranormal activity. One guest reportedly was so terrified by ghostly happenings in the room that she fled downstairs and spent the evening sleeping on the lobby sofa in her nightgown. When the staff couldn’t guarantee that she wouldn’t be bothered by spirits in another room, the woman checked herself into a local Best Western instead.
In 1966, M.P. and Judith Fellenz of Highland Falls, New York stayed at the inn on their honeymoon. The morning after their first night at the inn, the owner of the inn noticed the new bride looking a bit ill. Two weeks later, the inn received a letter detailing the horrifying vision the newlyweds had beheld in the night. Mrs. Fellenz stated that on the night of June 14, she had awoken to find a greyish, shadowy figure seated on the side of the bed. After a moment, it rose and floated to the foot of the bed before melting away.
Of course, there’s more to this spot than ghostly sightings. Concord’s Colonial Inn is a truly fantastic restaurant that resurrects all the flavors of the classic New England cooking and presents them in fresh, appealing dishes that delight.
While diners aren’t guaranteed to see any haunted happenings (in truth, you’ll likely be too concentrated on the delicious fare on the table to notice much else) there have been a few reports of creepy occurrences in the restaurant itself. Online reviewers note occurrences such as the feeling of ghostly hands on their shoulders as they dine and spying the seated figures of people dressed in old-fashioned clothing. Could it be the influence of the inn’s superb wine and beer selection? Perhaps, but paranormal experts seem to agree that something ghostly is afoot at this historic Concord inn.
To make reservations at this haunted restaurant, click here. For more devilishly good dining in Massachusetts, check out these eleven incredible breakfast spots .
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