Morbid - Episode 689: The Crescent Hotel

Episode Date: July 14, 2025

Get ready to check in with us to the Crescent Hotel! Ash brings us to Eureka Springs, Arkansas where the opulent palatial property serves as a resort and spa destination for guests who don't mind the posibility of bumping into its spectral inhabitants! Ash dives into the history of this incredible place, and gives accounts of people's experiences with people from beyond the veil! Want to visit https://crescent-hotel.com/ to book your experience NOW!Also, don't forget to listen to the new podcast Papi Killed Mommy, which premiers on July 9th at 8 PM. be sure to follow the upcoming podcast by visiting https://open.spotify.com/show/4oAGV2etlX6XV1EuZfGI6T?si=2143aafa3b9c4294Stay in the know - wondery.fm/morbid-wonderySee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hey, weirdos, Elena here. If you're looking to kick back and relax with Morbid, Wondery Plus is the way to go. It's like having a cozy seat in our haunted mansion, no ads, just you, and early access to new episodes. You can join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or in Apple Podcasts or Spotify. You're listening to a Morbid Network podcast. The latest installment of the hit Audible original series, Oracle, is out now. Oracle 3, Murder at the Grand View.

Agent Nate Russo is back on the case. When a reunion of friends at an abandoned island hotel ends in tragedy, Nate must unravel the truth. Was it an accident or a cold-blooded murder? And what else is lurking at the Grand View Hotel? Narrated by Joshua Jackson, it is a bone-chilling and thrilling performance. If you love thrillers and dabble in the supernatural, Oracle is for you. It's the perfect time to start the series. You can listen to one, two, and then three on Audible right now without having to wait.

Don't let your fears take hold. Listen now on Audible. Orbit is sponsored by Squarespace. Squarespace is the all-in-one website platform for entrepreneurs to stand out and succeed online. With Squarespace's collection of cutting-edge design tools, anyone can build a bespoke online presence that perfectly fits their brand or their business. Start with Blueprint AI, Squarespace's AI-enhanced website builder, or get a fully customizable

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It's morbid. It is. [♪ music playing. Fades out. Fades in. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Fades out. Facts. Facts. And figures. So. No, no, no about that. Oh, no. That transported me back to math class and I started twitching.

Oh, man. I'm sorry I made you twitch. Thanks. I apologize. She's literally twitching. I wish you could see her eye is twitching. She's just losing it. So we have a spooky episode today, which I'm very excited about because it's this,

and we'll get into it. Obviously, Ash is going to tell us the story, but I will. This it's the Crescent Hotel in Arkansas, in Arkansas. And you got Boston and then Southern. Arkansas. I think I was trying to do both accidentally, or I was trying to do Southern and Boston came up. Boston is who you are.

It's just in my soul. But what's funny about this is I have been following the Crescent Hotel and TikTok forever, like since I got on TikTok. And they followed me back and they were like, oh, we always listen to Morbid. Like the staff is like, holy shit, you gotta come. And I was like, oh my God, I love this.

I love that this hotel and us are friends. And when you brought it Like the staff is like, holy shit, you gotta come. And I was like, oh my God, I love this. I love that this hotel and us are friends. And when you brought it up, I was like, holy shit. Like we gotta go there now. Oh, finna go there. So I think we're gonna try, we're gonna figure out when we can, but we gotta go. We must. We gotta go. It looks so, and just wait until you're here.

And honestly, shout out to the staff of the Crescent Hotel because you guys are hilarious on TikTok and I love you. It's true. I started following them. Yeah, see? And they'll love it. And speaking of recommendations for who to follow on TikTok, you should follow the Crescent Hotel. And we're always giving you like recommendations, you know,

like we were talking about, you know, Richard Chismar's book, Widow's Point the other day. Talked about Grady Hendrickson's book the other day. We're always telling you like, hey, this is what I'm doing. And they're all genuine, because if I like something, I want you guys to like it too. And there's one that just came about that we would like to throw your way, but I think is a really, really good one. Yes, I agree.

So this is a podcast. It's a podcast that was created by a family member of a true crime case, a very close family member of a true crime case. So I'm gonna give you a quick little background of the case and then we're gonna show you a quick little short trailer for their new podcast. And I really think you should give it a listen. Definitely.

So the case comes from July 9th, 1993, when Stephanie Wassilichian died from a gunshot wound to her neck. She had two daughters and her daughter, Nikki, is a fierce advocate for her mother's case now, which has unbelievably gone cold for over 30 years. Yeah, I think it's 32 years now. And when you hear the details of this case, the 911 call alone, which you will hear part of it during this trailer,

and it's not like graphics, don't worry, this trailer. But when you hear the details of this case, it's unbelievable that it has gone cold. It's wild. I totally get why Nikki is like, let's get this fucking open again. We're gonna be covering this case on an episode of Morbid, but we really want you to take a look at Nikki's new podcast

because she has launched a podcast about her mother's case. So she has, I think a few episodes out by the time this comes out. There's a few like a little mini bonus episodes right now, but the first episode is premiering on July 9th. And it's going to premiere on July 9th at 8 p.m. And there's a very special reason why it's going to premiere at that specific time on that specific day,

because that is the last time she and her mother said goodnight. Which is heartbreaking. Which literally shatters my heart into a million different pieces. I can't even, like, the ball in my throat is just like, ugh. Yeah. But honestly, in this podcast, you're going to get a firsthand perspective from Stephanie's daughter, which, like, you can't get a closer perspective than that. Nikki's a badass.

I fully believe that she's going to get this case solved. I think with everyone's help and with everyone's ears on the case and people spreading the information and getting it looked at again, that's what this is all about. These things go cold and it's because no one's willing to look at them again. Right. Here's a clue. Exactly. Make. Right. So here's a- Yeah, make some noise.

Exactly. Make some noise. Put your ear to it. Just listen and spread it. Here's a quick trailer for her podcast, Poppy Killed Mommy. 911, what's your emergency? My mother's death was ruled a homicide. The man who called 911, he admitted he might have killed her.

I don't know. You don't know who shot her? I might have. She might have killed her. I don't know. You don't know who shot her? I might have. She might have shot herself. But the county attorney said there wasn't enough evidence. No trial, no charges, no justice. I'm Nikki. I'm the daughter of a murdered woman and I'm done staying quiet.

Join me for the launch of Poppy Killed Mommy, a true crime podcast, premiering July 9th, because if the system won't fight for her, I will. So yeah, just that, but the trailer alone, chilling. Yeah. No, she's done an amazing job with it. I know that she's, she's been working on it with Sarah Turney as well with help. We love Sarah. Sarah Roll couldn't have a better person helping you with this. And yeah, we highly recommend you can follow Nikki on TikTok. We'll share her handle and stuff in our show notes so that you guys can follow along because she's always updating. So yeah, definitely. And then look out for our coverage on the case after she does a couple episodes.

Yeah. And thanks. Thank you to Nikki for trusting us with the trailer and to do an episode. Yeah, we appreciate that a lot. And when this goes wide, check out our socials because we'll share, you know, Nikki's key art, a link to the episode, her episode. So we'll send you that way. Yes. But without further ado.

Let's talk about the Crescent Hotel, man. Yeah, let's go. This is a crazy ass place. It is. Let me just tell you that. It is, I've said this many, many a time, it is said to be one of America's most haunted hotels. I think it's America's most haunted hotel.

I think this one stands on business. Facts. I really do think it does, because I really do think it does, is what I just said. Why does that sound so wrong? I really do think it does, because I really do think it does, is what I just said. Why does that sound so wrong? I really do think it does. I don't know why that sounded weird when it came out. I think it's the do and does, but that's a normal thing to say.

But I noticed it when I went through their TikToks that they were like, you know, most haunted hotel in America, and I was like, I'll be the judge of that. And then you said yes. I started seeing things they were talking about. They were going through the history a little bit and all that good stuff and talking about different and people were coming out with their different experiences. And I was like, I think they're right. The history is bonkers dot com. Yeah, there I did actually end up getting a lot of information from a documentary

that was just released, I want to say last year, came out two years ago, 2023. I'm still in 2024 in my mind. You know, aren't we all? But it's Tales from the Crescent Hotel. It's on Prime. I think I rented it for like four bucks. I might buy it because I want to watch it again. It's a really cool documentary. I recommend it. Another recommendation. Hey. But yeah, so I got a lot of information from there. I got a lot of information from their hotel's website. Their hotel's website has almost everything you need to know. I love that. And then just like some local news outlets. But this hotel is in Eureka Springs, Arkansas,

which hundreds and hundreds of years ago was discovered by Native Americans. And in Eureka Springs, there are more than 60 natural occurring springs within the city limits. Damn. Which is just fucking bonkers. Eureka! Yeah! Maybe that's why they named it that. And for all those hundreds of years, people believed that these springs had healing properties.

Like the water, if you drank it, if you put it on a wound, if you sniffed it, you'd be healed. Stand next to it. Good things would happen. So word started spreading once English settlers started coming over here and soon everybody was trying to get out to Eureka to be near these springs, get a drink of them, the whole nine.

Now, Powell Clayton, one of the earliest governors, I think the ninth governor of Arkansas, obviously he knew all the legends because he was living out there. Hell yeah. And he knew about the springs, their healing properties. So he and his associates formed the Eureka Improvement Company. And they really decided they were gonna start building up the town. They had railroads built to bring in more people in

and really got the downtown area together. They built up different shops, really nice buildings. He was hoping especially that wealthy people. Wealthy people, he was hoping that. He was hoping especially wealthy people would see all the people he was hoping that he was hoping, especially wealthy people would see all the work going into the area. Obviously he knew that they had extra money to spend. And that's kind of where he got the idea to get a wellness retreat up and running.

Wellness retreats were kind of like just starting to become a bigger thing. The cool hip thing. Yeah. And obviously, wealthy elite people were all about them. So he was like, okay, well, that's the perfect place for them to spend their money. Yeah. So his idea was put into motion and the hotel started being built in 1884. Architect Isaac S. Taylor built the hotel in a Romanesque revival style,

which I think you would love. Oh, yeah. I started kind of looking into the characteristics of that and I said, Alaina, Alaina, Alaina, Alaina. I was like, can I live in that? Yeah, picture like lots of, just like for you guys, Alaina's already picturing it. Lots of round arches, brick and stone, towers.

And then I saw this asymmetrical designs. That's your middle name. Let's go. Whenever I try to make anything symmetrical in this room, she's like, no, asymmetrical. Doesn't need to be balanced. I don't like always balancing. But the building sits on top of Crescent Mountain

and it really like towers over the area, which makes it somehow look even more majestic from all the angles and everything. And of course, leads to beautiful views from essentially every room on the property. Which is pretty badass. It is badass. It was and still is to this day, stunning. By the time the hotel was complete in 1886,

it cost in today's money, $10 million. Damn. But because it costs that much, it offered some of the finest luxuries at that time, electricity. Oh! Edison light bulbs were everywhere. Oh shit.

I love an Edison light bulb. I do too. It had steam heat, elevators, running water. Get the fuck out of here. And not just regular Schmegular running water. It was the water from the healing springs being pumped into the hotel. Oh, so you're getting fancy water. So of course that was only bringing in more tourists because they said, heal me.

Yeah, heal me. Let's go. Let's fucking go. So, the grand opening... The grand opening! Grand opening was held on May 20th, 1886. And most people had actually been personally invited to come stay. I was. It wasn't just like anybody could go stay.

Alina in a past life was invited. I guess I wasn't. But there was people from all over the country that rode the train into Eureka Springs. When they got to the train station there, they were met with a band that was like, let's fucking go. And then they were transported up the mountain to the hotel. The Daily Times Echo reported that day, with the opening of the grandiose Crescent Hotel,

Eureka Springs enters a new and exciting era. Notables from afar are arriving in our fair city, and soon many others will follow. The Crescent Springs, built by Eureka Springs Improvement Company and the Frisco Railroad, is America's most luxurious resort hotel. Featuring large, airy rooms and comfortably furnished, the Crescent offers the visiting vacationer an opulence unmatched in convenience and service. They continued, tonight's opening ball will find in attendance many leaders in business and society. Including me. Including Elena. That sounds badass.

Sounds opulent as fuck. That sounds so opulent. I love the word opulent. Not only does it like bring forth images that are very pleasant. It has a great mouth feel. Great mouth feel. Opulent. Opulent.

It's that like op, op, and then you land. I love it. I really like it. I'm obsessed with it. I really like it. This place kind of looks like the Stanley. It does sort of look like the Stanley. It's got those vibes to it.

I've been to Stanley. It does sort of look like the Stanley. It's got those vibes to it. I've been to Stanley. It's fucking freaky. But there was a big welcome party in the grand ballroom, which now is the Crystal Dining Room. And the governor himself interviewed a lot of notable guest speakers who were like political people at the time. Things went beautifully for years and years. But by 1908, they were having some money problems.

It's a big place. It had a lot of accommodations that it was offering. So obviously it cost a lot to run and people weren't coming out as often. And especially the winter months were pretty dead. That makes sense. So to bring in some extra money and keep things up and running, it was decided that during the winter months, the hotel would be run as a women's college, like during that off season. And then in the summer months, it would go back to being open to the public.

So, they invited the Crescent College and Conservatory for young ladies to stay there. Ooh. [♪ Music Plays – Jingle Bells – Jingle Bells – Jingle Bells – Jingle Bells – Jingle Bells – Jingle Bells – Jingle Bells – Jingle Bells – Jingle Bells – Jingle Bells – Jingle Bells – Jingle Bells – Jingle Bells – Jingle Bells – Jingle Bells – Jingle Bells – Jingle Bells – Jingle Bells – Jingle Bells – Jingle Bells – Jingle Bells – Jingle Bells – Jingle Bells – Jingle Bells – Jingle Bells – Jingle Bells – Jingle Bells – Jingle Bells – Jingle Bells – Jingle Bells – Jingle Bells – Jingle Bells – Jingle Bells – Jingle Bells – Jingle Bells – Jingle Bells – Jingle Bells – Jingle Bells – Jingle Bells – Jingle Bells – Jingle Bells – Jingle Bells – Jingle Bells – Jingle Bells – Jingle Bells – Jingle Bells – Jingle Bells – Jingle Bells – Jingle Bells – Jingle Bells – Jingle Bells – Jingle Bells – Jingle Bells – Jingle Bells – Jingle Bells – Jingle Bells – Jingle Bells – Jingle Bells – Jingle Bells – Jingle Bells – Jingle Bells – Jingle Bells – Jingle Bells – Jingle Bells – Jingle Bells – Jingle Bells – Jingle Bells – Jingle Bells – Jingle Bells – Jingle Bells – Jingle Bells – Jingle Bells – Jingle Bells – Jingle Bells – I have something embarrassing to admit to you people. I found out that I was paying for a subscription that I completely forgot about, and I was still getting charged for it every single month. The only reason that I was actually able to find it and take action was because I have Rocket Money! Rocket Money is a personal finance app that helps find and cancel your unwanted subscriptions, monitors your spending, and helps lower your bills so that you can grow your savings. And on top of all of that, Rocket Money will even try to negotiate to lower your bills for you.

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We'll all love Rocket Money. Cancel your unwanted subscriptions and reach your financial goals faster with Rocket Money. Go to rocketmoney.com slash morbid today. That's rocketmoney.com slash morbid rocketmoney.com slash morbid. This is an ad by BetterHelp. Workplace stress is now one of the top causes of declining mental health, with 61% of the global workforce experiencing higher than normal levels of stress. To battle stress, most of us can't just wave goodbye to work, obviously, but we can start with, you know, small steps and focus on wellness.

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[♪ Piano Music Playing And Foghorn Blaring In The Background. [♪ Piano Music Playing And Foghorn Blaring In The Background. [♪ Piano Music Playing And Foghorn Blaring In The Background. [♪ Piano Music Playing And Foghorn Blaring In The Background. [♪ Piano Music Playing And Foghorn Blaring In The Background. [♪ Piano Music Playing And Foghorn Blaring In The Background. [♪ Piano Music Playing And Foghorn Blaring In The Background. [♪ Piano Music Playing And Foghorn Blaring In The Background.

[♪ Piano Music Playing And Foghorn Blaring In The Background. [♪ Piano Music Playing And Foghorn Blaring In The Background. [♪ Piano Music Playing And Foghorn Blaring In The Background. [♪ Piano Music Playing And Foghorn Blaring In The Background. [♪ Piano Music Playing And Foghorn Blaring In The Background. these women was very ahead of its time. Because remember, this is 1908. Women were not being taught like the same as men were back then. But at the Crescent, they were. Some of the courses that women took there in 1908 are still being taught in curriculums today. Which is actually, wow. But that also seems to be when the first reports of haunting started.

Which actually does make sense, because during the original construction there was already tragedy and a few more followed throughout the college years. So one of the masons working on the building, like when it was originally built, was believed to be an Irish man named Michael. And apparently while he was constructing his little section of the hotel, he fell to his death. Ooh, I knew I had a feeling something like that was going to happen. his little section of the hotel, he fell to his death. Ooh. Yeah. Ooh, I knew, I had a feeling something like that was gonna happen. Yeah.

Legend has it he specifically haunts room 218, and he really favors the ladies. Oh. Yeah, he's a hunk of burnin' love. Oh, look at this. So imagine how happy he was when this building became an all-girls school. Oh, he's like, hell yeah.

He said, I am living again. It's great. People, but especially women who have stayed in room 218, which is the most requested room, by the way. I get it. I don't think I would request this room. I would. Don't speak too soon.

They say that they get tapped on the shoulder. Okay. Or that the shower curtain has been pulled back while they're showering in the room completely alone. Okay. Not alone. Okay. Not cool. Okay. Not cool, Michael.

There's something called consent, Michael. There sure is. I would be pissed. I would put them up. Oh, but the dukes would come right up. Square up with me. Oh, no, because I'm in a zone in the shower. That's the thing.

So like, don't fuck it up. Yeah. Also, people have said in this specific room, there's been reports of an apparition of hands coming out of the mirror in the bathroom. Okay, Michael. Like fuck that. Yeah. People also have reported hearing a man scream in this room or around this room. And if you're in this room, people say they've seen Michael's ghost like basically fall through the ceiling and then just completely dissipate. Okay, I want that. Yeah. I want to go to there.

I'm not gonna shower there. I'll hold my hand on the shower curtain. I'm not gonna make you in that room. No. You would give me a glass door instead of a shower curtain. Maybe. There you go. But, so yeah, that's wild. Damn. The falling through into the room

and then disappearing is shaking me to my core. And hearing a man scream. I feel like haunts are usually like a shrill woman scream. Yeah. You know? Like an angry bride or something. Yeah. A man screaming? Yeah, that's a whole different...

I can't even picture that. It's like... Ah! Wow, you nailed that. Scary. I thought there was a man in here screaming. Maybe there was. Well, people doing ghost tours know what the famous rooms are

and the ghosts that go along with each one of them, so they try to catch a glimpse of these ghosts if they can, which is exactly what we're gonna do. Hell yeah. On one ghost tour, a woman knew about Michael and she really wanted to make contact with him. So she and her group went into room 218 and they started playing Irish folk music,

just to get him. Cause why not? Get him in his happy place. They also poured shots of Irish whiskey. And everybody in the room suddenly saw one of the dresser drawers slowly being pulled open as they were like prompting him with questions. Holy shit.

And they tried to see if they could recreate it, explain it away. They like jumped up and down. They were like banging the sides of the dresser and it didn't happen again. Ooh. Yeah, weird. That's spooky.

It is. Now in the early 1900s, the college was being run by President Richard Breckenridge, who was a teacher there for many years before he became president, and his wife was also a teacher there. She taught French and hygiene. And hygiene, I'd say. French and hygiene.

All right. I don't know. Okay. She knew a lot about a lot. Yeah. Wash the bottom of your feet. Yeah. Always.

You know, people don't do that. I wonder why you specifically said that. Yeah, I'm, you know. Let's talk about it. This is who I am. Some people don't think, like they just are like, I'm in the shower, there's water. No.

I heard this discussion somewhere and I can't remember where, but I was like, you don't wash the bottom of your, like, what? Like that's wild to me. Do you wash the bottom of your feet? Yeah, of course he does. You wash yours, obviously.

Of course I do. I wash mine, yeah. No. There's a lot you need to do. Actually Beach Gem gives a really good... Does she? Yeah. Beach Gem.

Dr. Beach Gem on TikTok. Because you think the bottom of your feet is bad. It's going to get explicit in here real quick. Oh no. Some people don't wash their bumholes. You don't. their bum holes. BeachChem said, I saw a video and she was saying you need to explain to like your kids that they have to watch their bum hole. That's wild.

I like how you're whispering that. It's a weird thing to say. It's a naughty word. It's a weird thing to say. It's such a weird thing. You're like, this is so... It's a naughty word. This is so random. But it is so random. Why would you not wash your bum hole?

You should wash your whole body in the shower, everybody. It's so... Thick lather. It feels great too. If you do a pre-scrub with an exfoliant, maybe like once, twice a week, and then you follow that up with your scrub, you're're gonna feel like a brand new bitch. And then make sure you moisturize afterwards and you're gonna feel great. I remember when I was little like knowing that I had to wash my feet because if you

don't wash your feet and then dry them properly like in between your toes you can get gang green. How? Or like something. Well, it's just yucky. Yeah. So wash your feet. So yeah, wash your feet. That's a, she was teaching hygiene. She was telling people to wash the bottom of your feet. Mary's the original beach gem. She said, wash your feet, wash your bumhole. So they-

She also whispered it. She did. Oh, she didn't even say bumhole. She said, you're behind. She said your, your, your end parts. Yes. That's what she said. He said, what? Well, anyway, they had a four year old son, Clifton, who they talk good things like that. Yeah. And everybody called him Brecky because their last name is Breckenridge.

That's cute. But unfortunately, Brecky passed away at the hotel after complications with appendicitis. No, Brecky. It's so sad. But ever since then, and even to this day, people say that they see a little boy, especially in the hallway on the second floor, and they always see him playing with a ball. Oh my goodness. And hotel guests who have children, their kids will come to them and be like, I played

with this little boy and he says he lives here, but like he was dressed so differently. And they'll ask their kids to explain what he was dressed like and he's dressed like a Victorian child Oh my goodness, and that's when you return your child Man I would that would that would be something that would fuck me. Yeah, that really would I'm so sad I hate it There's also the ghost of Dr. John Fremont Ellis, who served as the in-house doctor during the very early hotel days. People saying in room 212 will smell cherry scented tobacco, which sounds nice.

I like it. All right. Yeah. I can take that. My grandfather smoked a pipe, like a tobacco pipe. And it was always a comforting smell when I was little. I could see that. Definitely. So cherry is an interesting.

Yeah. Well, room 212 used to be his office where he was known to smoke his pipe a lot. Oh, there you go. So, it makes sense. People also see him kind of like out and about in the hotel. And they say if you see a man in a top hat and very nicely dressed, chances are it's probably Dr. John Fremont Ellis. He sounds like a handsome guy.

He kind of does. If you see him, don't hit on him. He's a ghost. Kind of sounds like a zad guy. He kind of does. If you see him, don't hit on him. He's a ghost. Kind of sounds like a zaddy. Hey, ghosts should get hit on too. He should feel good about himself too. Yeah. You know what?

I take it back. He's a ghost. So it's very likely, obviously, even with just those few spirits that the girls at Crescent Conservatory had experiences of their own. One of the hotel workers who was featured in the documentary, she actually said that girls would send postcards to their family asking their family to send their Ouija boards to school so that they could try to figure out like who they had seen or who they were talking to. Hell yeah girls. Yeah and that's like back in the early 1900s. Yeah that's just

girls being girls. Yeah and again like I already said it at the top, but definitely go watch the documentary because they feature a ton of photos throughout from back then. Like there's tons of photos of when it was a woman's college and like just the old timey girls. Yeah. Crazy. I love that. It's so cool.

I can't. We're going here. Yeah, we're going. Yeah. I never thought I would go to Arkansas. I know I never really had a reason to go to Arkansas. I don't, we're going here. Yeah, we're going. Yeah. I never thought I would go to Arkansas. I know, I never really had a reason to go to Arkansas, I don't think. But apparently Eureka Springs is cool as fuck. Yeah, let's go. Their town motto is like,

we're misfits go to fit. Oh, I love it. Yeah. Eureka Springs. Like we're even misfits fit, something like that. Oh, see, this makes sense. I love it. Because the staff of that hotel

sounds like a bunch of fucking awesome peeps. And yeah, I was trying to think of a peeps and peeps, specters, specterals. So yeah, peeps and ghouls. Ghouls. There you go. Yeah. Well, unfortunately, sorry to bring this down a notch. By 1934, pretty well into the Great Depression, people obviously didn't have a ton of money to spend, and they definitely weren't sending their daughters to college. And no woman educated. We don't have a ton of money to spend and they definitely weren't sending their daughters to college anymore.

No. A woman educated. We don't have the money for that. No. So the college closed down and the Crescent kind of stayed in limbo for the next three years. But in 1938, a very wealthy man with a very checkered past decided that he was going to buy the hotel and turn it into a hospital specifically for cancer patients, who he said he could cure without surgery, radium, or

x-ray, which were all what cancer was treated with at the time. Yeah. And as we know in 2025, he didn't. No. So this is probably not going to end well. But he said he could cure cancer with the power of a determined mind in something called Formula 5.

He would have been an excellent grifter on social media. Yeah, he essentially was the OG grifter. Yeah. The OG, if you will. But more on Formula 5 and all that in a minute. Let's get into who this guy was and where the fuck he came from The fuck is this guy? This guy is Norman Baker. He was born in Muscatine, Iowa, but by all accounts He was a really smart kid. He had really big aspirations from the time. He was little little

Even from the time he was really young. He had a great mind for engineering which made sense because his father was an inventor Actually, I guess his father had something like 126 patents throughout his lifetime for just different inventions. Yeah. And his father also owned a machine shop. So, Norman would go in and learn about all the different machines, how they worked, all the ins and outs. And the older he got, he would go into factories to show them how to improve their production.

He'd be like, redesign this layout, move this over here, put this here, and everything will work better. So he had a lot of promise. And it did. And like, he was just this kid who would walk in like that. Damn. But the one driving force in his life was that he did not want to end up poor. So in his late teens, while he was still kind of figuring out his path in life, how he was going to make all this money, and what he really wanted to do, he was diagnosed with tuberculosis. The doctors actually didn't expect him to live long at all. They thought maybe he had a very limited amount of time, like

possibly years, maybe even not. But somehow he defied the odds and he survived. And during the time he was sick, he was reading a lot of books about how your mindset can cure you of an ailment if you, you know, just think positively and really, really work your mind on getting better. Yeah. That's all it takes. That's it. Yeah. Modern medicine. Who's that? Yeah. So when his condition improved, he accredited the improvement to that and only that a positive determined mindset. So now he had shown himself that he could avoid death with just the power of his mind, and he knew that he could make money the same way. And there is no denying that he did in fact make a lot of money. The first of that money came when he came up with his own Vaudeville Act after watching a performance and kind of becoming fixated on it. He learned how to hypnotize people

and do all kinds of different magic tricks. And he actually spent the next 10 years doing that with a troop of people who banded together and just went around the country doing this vaudeville act. No matter who the performer was, he always had a woman who was like a quote unquote mind reader. And she always went by the name Pearl Tangley. Pearl Tangley. Pearl Tangley. Okay.

And he himself went with the name Charles Welch. Charles Welch. 10 years Tangley. Okay. And he himself went with the name Charles Welch. Charles Welch. And he spent 10 years doing that. Okay. He briefly married one of them, but they ended up annulling the marriage a short time later. One of the pearls. One of the pearls and he just moved on to the next pearl. He was actually making a decent amount of money, but obviously he wanted more. And that's when he started working on his invention called the Kaliophone. It was an instrument that was kind of like an organ.

It ran on compressed air. But you could like ride around with it, like on the back of a bicycle or something. So it became really popular at fairs and circuses, because you could kind of like drive it around and the air would make it make different sounds. Yeah, okay. I feel like I've seen this kind of vibe. Yeah, we'll post a picture of it because it's hard to describe. But once you see it, you can kind of get an idea of what it was.

Yeah. So he came up with that using the like that specific Kaliophone using compressed air. Previously, they had used steam and it didn't make a lot of sense. They like exploded a lot. Yeah, you know that could happen. So he ended up making a shit ton of money on that because it was really in demand for those kind of performances. But then by the end of his vaudeville days, radio broadcasting really started to take off and he wanted in on that.

He saw a lot of money in that future, kind of like what we're doing right now. Radio broadcast. Radio broadcast. It's a little different, though. But he thought it was going to be a lucrative business. But the problem he faced was that you needed to get back then certain equipment from the government if you wanted to start your own radio station. Okay, so he went to these different people and was like, Hey, government, can I have approval? And the government said no. Which is tough. It can happen. It's tough when the government says no, when the government just is like,

no, no, you can't have that. I think they didn't love his ideas. Yeah, they said not cool. But he said, fuck y'all. And he figured out how to make the equipment on his own. Wow. He made his own radio broadcasting equipment. Because you asked for forgiveness, not permission.

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on some random hillside in Muscatine, Iowa. Jesus. There's pictures on it. You got to look it up. He named his controversial radio station KTNT, which was short for Know the Naked Truth. We all know who this kind of guy is. In the beginning, he was mostly talking about like small town issues going on within Muscatine and you know, he's going after other radio stations. But then he started talking and ranting like it was just him on this radio station.

He would rant for hours. And he started ranting about, you know, more broadly, like different political and social issues like vaccines, bovine TB testing, obviously, and the upcoming 1928 election where he was backing Hoover. Here we go. He actually even ended up meeting Hoover and they like kind of brod out. Whoa. Yeah, it's wild. Damn, this guy. Yeah, he also like ran for Senate at one point. Holy shit. He lost thankfully. Yeah. But eventually he started denouncing real medical doctors. That's where you, you know, you fall out of line there. Yeah. And he also denounced the American Medical Association.

Oof. Yeah, and that was when he heard that a man in Kansas City had come up with his own cure for cancer. Now, this was like the very first time that he had heard about this. Oh, boy. So he himself said he would sponsor, essentially, five patients to go to Kansas City

and try this miracle cure. He would pay for all of their, whatever the cure costs, because of course the cure costs money, and whatever expenses they would incur while traveling down there, he'd cover all of it. Okay. Just to kind of see what happened. He gathered them all up, he sent them all down there, and they all got the cure, and it did not cure them. Unfortunately, every single person within that study passed away He gathered them all up, he sent them all down there and they all got the cure and it did not cure them.

Unfortunately, every single person within that study passed away after not being cured at all. But this didn't phase him. Instead, he started publishing his own paper claiming the cure as his own in this like crazy medical advancement in science and medicine. Wow. Yeah. Okay, I see what you mean with the grifter. Yeah, and it. Wow. Yeah. Okay.

I see what you mean with the grifter. Yeah. And it didn't stop there. In 1930, he just said, you know what? I'm going to open up my own hospital because I have this miracle cure. I'm super qualified to do that. Yeah. Even though I don't have a medical license.

So yeah, he opened the Baker Institute using the paper in his radio station. He had a paper at this point too, and a radio station to promote it. And again, he didn't have a license to practice medicine or any kind of medical experience at all. But in big letters on the side of this Baker Institute, he advertised cancer is curable. In like huge letters. Wow. Wow. The conditions within his hospital were terrible. Of course they were. The documentary really goes into it, but it was not a hospital so much as just an old building with too many patients and too little resources.

Just leaving them to... Yeah, like they were washing themselves with bedpans. Oh my god. Nothing was sterilized properly. It was overcrowded. There also weren't real fucking doctors that worked there. That's the thing. And you're going thinking that this is a miracle cure. Yeah.

And of course, like, I can't imagine being diagnosed with cancer. You would do, especially back then when we didn't have a lot of information on cancer, you would do anything to be cured. Of course. And this guy is saying he has the cure. You're going to go there. Yeah. But instead of hiring actual doctors, he hired people with what were called eclectic degrees,

which this is when you go to two terms of medical school. And in some states, they allow you with this degree to diagnose right prescriptions and death certificates. Oh. But certainly not treat cancer patients. Yeah, that's a whole different level, I would say. But this is who he was bringing into the hospital. So the whole time he's, you know,

sitting there claiming to cure cancer at the Baker Institute, he was also going against the American Medical Association on his broadcast and in his paper. So they were getting rightfully pissed. Yeah. And eventually things escalated to the point where the American Medical Association

went to the Federal Radio Commission and was like, you need to shut this down. He's sitting there saying he has this miracle cure to cancer. Like, this is illegal. He can't be doing this. So Baker's radio station did shut down in 1930. And that's when the American Medical Association started going after the hospital. Quote-unquote hospital. Oh. Quote unquote hospital.

Quote unquote. So now he was going to be facing charges of practicing without a medical license. So he shut down the hospital and ran away to Mexico for like a couple years. Holy shit! Yeah. He went full send. He went full send. He spent this time in Mexico and he figured out how to make a radio station there as well.

Of course he did. Which was also broadcasted like throughout the world. Some of the waste of a brain. That's the thing because he you can't argue is a very smart. Yeah, that's what's upsetting. He could have done great things if he actually did great things. He could have. Yeah. But he so he builds a radio station there. People are listening all over the world and he's still claiming that he knows this cure. People are writing him from all over the world, wanting to know what it is, how do they get it.

Yeah. But he's facing these charges in the US, so he's kind of stuck where he is. So things in Mexico were getting kind of bad at this point. They were facing civil war. So he came back and really had no choice but to go clear things up in Muscatine if he wanted to start over somewhere else. So he, this whole big trial happened, the judge ordered him to pay a thousand dollar fine

and spend one day in jail, and he was free to go. Are you kidding me? Yeah, which also, he had been charging people for this cure, like absurd amounts of money. So he's completely ripping people off. Not only is he completely ripping people off, a thousand dollars was nothing to him. Yeah. Like, that was easy. Yeah, he could ripping people off. Not only is he completely ripping people off, a thousand dollars was nothing to him. Like that was easy.

Yeah, he could easily do that. So that is how he ended up picking up and moving to Eureka Springs where he purchased the then and limbo Crescent Hotel. Eureka Springs actually seemed happy to have him. They knew he was a wealthy man. They knew he was going to bring money back into the town. So they kind of took everything that they heard about him with a grain of salt. Oh, don't do that.

Yeah. And Arkansas, at least back then, was one of those states that allowed people to practice with an eclectic degree. Eek. So this was perfect for Norman. Oh, yeah, he loved this. So he moved into the hotel, he renovated the entire place, I think it took him like six months. And he moved all of his patients from Muscatine into the hotel that was now, you know, renovated. And he started advertising to cancer patients in Eureka Springs saying he could help them with no surgery, no x-rays,

no radium. Now, instead, like I mentioned earlier, he had this miracle cure that he called Formula 5. Yes. So this Formula 5 was a mixture of glycerin, watermelon seeds, corn silk, carboic acid, and spring water now from the local springs. He would have patients and staff, I won't even say medical staff because they were just staff, inject this mixture into their bodies up to seven times a day. What the fuck? And he specifically recommended that it be injected into their chests.

What? He also, there was no balance, like there was no certain amount of carbolic acid or watermelon seeds, everything varied from tincture to tincture. It was just whatever your vibe was that day? Yeah, and carbolic acid or watermelon seeds, everything varied from tincture to tincture. Which is whatever your vibe was that day. And carbolic acid is incredibly dangerous. Oh my God, it's insane.

Yeah, it's wild. Holy shit. And having them inject it into their chests. And up to seven times a day. Up to seven times a day. And then on top of that, because there weren't any actual medical doctors working here, and because he didn't really believe in prescription pain medication, there was no pain medication.

So these people are going through cancer. Like you see photos of some of these people with like massive growths on their body who should be being treated in an actual medical facility. And they believe that they are, but they're not at all. They're just injecting whatever this is. Poison into their... Basically poison into their system. Holy shit.

And other than, quote unquote, formula five, patients were given a list of mental exercises to go through, to keep their mind fighting. Yeah, because that's the important part. Yeah. Because you just have to be positive. Yeah, that's it. Needless to say, a lot of people died under his quote unquote care. At least 42 people were picked up by the mortuary, but there were countless more whose

deaths went undocumented. Yeah. And he dark, he really didn't keep any medical records, but any that he did were destroyed in a fire. Oh, convenient. Yes, small fire. Yeah. And there were also people that he said were cured, who just got sent home, but obviously were not cured. Yeah. And there was also people like they would come in and think they had cancer. There were people who didn't even have an actual cancer diagnosis that he would diagnose with cancer and then treat. And then start injecting them with this shit? Yeah. Holy. Yeah. So when people- He's diabolical.

He is diabolical. When people died at the hotel or at this time, the hospital, they were taken down to the basement where there used to be a kitchen. And he turned it into a morgue and used the walk-in freezer to store the dead bodies of these people. Wow. So now when people go on ghost tours of that specific area,

because the morgue is still, like, sort of intact, like, you can go down there. That's awesome. It's wild. They will feel everything from lightheadedness, a tightness in their chest, to feelings of just, like, fear and dread. Yeah.

People see crazy shit in this area. People staying overnight usually hear the sounds of wheels squeaking around, around midnight midnight or later they say, gurneys. And that's because this was usually when bodies were taken down to the morgue. It makes sense. He was trying to hide it. He was trying to hide it. Exactly. Sneaking him past. So people will wake up in the night and hear wheels squeaking past their room. And it's the sound of gurneys. Dead bodies being carried down to the morgue. And people have even claimed to see a nurse wheeling a gurney down a hall. Holy shit.

And think like, oh no, like a medical emergency happened. It's very like Silent Hill. And then they'll ask and someone will be like, oh no, like there was no medical emergency. Luckily, but you saw a ghost. Like you saw an early 1900s nurse wheeling a gurney down the wall. Isn't that nuts? That's so scary. So he did a lot of damage.

Yeah. He only ended up running the Creston Hotel as his hospital for about six months before the mayor at the time got fed up with what was going on. For him, man. And he basically set up a takedown. He's like, fuck this guy. Norman kind of started going into like different political circles. Yeah, it sounds like it.

Because again, like even back when he was in Muscatine, he wanted to run for like Senate and all this stuff. He stepped on the toes of the mayor and was basically being like, Oh, you don't need the mayor. You have me. Like he said that he also at one point said the town wasn't big enough for both of them. So he's like pissing off the wrong people.

Yeah. So Claude Fuller, the mayor of Eureka Springs in 1930, he had a brother who worked at the post office. And basically, they found out and sort of set up Norman. He was writing all these letters to prospective, quote unquote, patients or really clients, promising to cure their ailments for a fee. So, they were able to get him on mail fraud.

Oh, shit. Because you can't make, you can't like send out all these letters promising to cure someone's cancer for a price. I love when they can get somebody on that smaller charge just to get him in. Yeah. Technically I don't, like I don't think they'd probably be able to get him on this one because they set up a kind of scheme, but it worked out then. But it worked then.

So on September 1st, 1939, he was arrested by the FBI because mail fraud is a federal crime. Yeah, sure is. So he ended up being sentenced to four years in jail and got a $4,000 fine this time. I think he spent a little more than three years in jail this time. Wow. And he ended up going to Leavenworth Prison. And when he got out of prison, he retired in Florida, where he spent the rest of his life on a yacht that he bought.

Okay. Until he died in 1958 of cirrhosis of the liver. Oh. But many people wonder if it was actually liver cancer. Oh. Yeah. Shit. Yeah.

Now, strangely, someone lays purple flowers at his grave every single year on his anniversary. And I forgot to mention, in life, he was obsessed with the color purple, to the point where he drove a purple car. Wow. He wore at least a purple tie, but sometimes a full purple suit. Interesting. He wrote in a purple pen.

And when he renovated the hotel, almost everything was painted purple. You can actually still to this day on the side of the chimneys of the hotel, see that they were painted purple. Shut up! Like the purple paint. Oh, that's so cool. Like the paint has worn away. Yeah.

But underneath is the purple paint. Is the original purple that you put. Yes. Oh my God, that's creepy. And nobody knows who this is that leaves the purple flowers. Yeah. Who are you? I don't know, but I want to.

Wait, why do you do that? Why do you do that? So now, fast forward to 2019. Susan Benson, the grounds manager and head gardener at the hotel at that time, was just overseeing some landscaping on the background. She's an incredible landscaper. She's won like countless awards for just her work. Just keeping grounds.

Just keeping grounds and like planting like these beautiful gardens and everything. Yeah, it's gorgeous when you look at it. Like look at pictures of it. It's crazy. Stunning. It's stunning. Hi, I'm Lindsay Graham, the host of Wondry's podcast American Scandal. We bring to life some of the biggest controversies in U.S. history.

Events that have shaped who we are as a country and that continue to define the American experience. American Scandal tells marquee stories about American politics, like the break-in at the Watergate Hotel, an event that led to the downfall of a president and raised questions about the future of American democracy. We go behind the scenes looking at devastating financial crimes, like the fraud committed at Enron and Bernie Madoff's Ponzi scheme. And we tell stories of complicated public figures like Edward Snowden and Monica Lewinsky, people who found themselves thrust into the spotlight and who spurred debates about the future of the country.

Follow American Scandal wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen ad-free on the Amazon Music or Wondry app. So she had somebody kind of like pushing dirt back in an area in the back of the hotel, and they were just like using some kind of landscaping vehicle. So as that person was finishing up and driving away, she was kind of looking in the area just to see what got done that day. And she said something shiny and the dirt caught her eye. So she got down closer and she was like,

oh, it's like a jar, like what the fuck is this? So she pulled it out. And when she did, she saw that it was a jar, like a small jar filled with a clear fluid and some kind of tissue. Like not Kleenex tissue, like tissue. Like bodily tissue. BODY TISSUE. So pulling out that jar loosened up the earth around it.

And within an hour, she had pulled out a hundred more jars filled with weird ass shit just like that. What? So they called the police and that led to an archaeologist coming out to the property where they discovered more than 500 bottles like this and also an old bone saw that they believe Norman Baker used to cut tumors and God knows what else, what else off of these people. My Yod. Meanwhile, he claimed not to do any surgeries, no knives, no nothing. but tumors and God knows what else off of these people. Oh my God.

Meanwhile, he claimed not to do any surgeries, no knives, no nothing. Oh shit. He was absolutely doing some crazy shit. Wow. That must've been astounding. Yeah, and eventually archeologists determined that at least some of the bottles contained alcohol

and human tissue. Holy shit. Preserving these in alcohol. Oh my God. I can't imagine finding those. Yeah, there was various tumors found that had been cut off of patients. Susan even found a man's scrotum in one jar. Holy shit.

Yep. And she ended up leaving the hotel like she, and she said, she was like, I loved this job. I was going to retire here, but this fucking haunted her. Yeah. She started having awful dreams where hands would come up through her mattress and cover her mouth and grab at her, like, pulling her down into her bed. And she said she never knows when she's gonna have them,

but she has them every single week at least. It could be like two times a week or four times a week. And she said she's worried somehow has them every single week at least. It could be like two times a week or four times a week. And she said she's worried somehow that she upset spirits by moving them from their final resting spot. Oh no, I hope that's not it. Cause she had no idea. Well, she was trying to do the right thing and they got all buried in like a better place. Yeah, like she was just trying to help. Yeah.

But it really messed her up. Holy shit. So, and this is the thing, apparently when Norman was still operating out of the hotel, even though he claimed that he was curing cancer with no surgery, no removal of these tumors or whatever, he would display these jars in the lobby as proof that he was curing people and he also featured them in some of his publications. So you can go and look back and see that there was at least like drawings of jars like this in his publications. Oh shit. And then people, like word of mouth, who had been to the hotel back then or the hospital, saw these jars featured in the lobby.

What the fuck? And then something happened when after he got arrested or before maybe he knew he was getting arrested, they got buried in the back. Holy shit. Yeah. That's crazy. Yeah. And it's actually not very far off to think that he might have been doing experiments on people to make this cure work.

Yeah. I wouldn't be surprised by that. I wouldn't be surprised either. Apparently, there was a restricted area in the hotel where the more sick patients were sent. And Sharon Clemens Teppen told a reporter in 2024, she's a worker at the hotel, she said, he boarded up the windows, made it even more soundproof, put steel doors with a lock from the outside, and he designated this as his pain asylum.

They could scream and yell and do whatever they wanted to do, but that way they didn't disturb anybody else. His pain asylum? Pain asylum. First of all, awesome band name, band name. Great band name. I call it. Pain asylum is an amazing name. Scariest thing I have ever heard in my life and just gave me full chills all the way into the core of my very being thinking about the fact that he was just locking away the people that are in the most pain so they don't disturb the rest of the hospital. Finding anything that belonged to this man would be like life-changing. Like it literally would be

like, holy shit, like I have touched something cursed that has been touched by a diamond. Cursed. Like finding those jars, you'd be like....that has been touched by a diamond. Cursed. Like, finding those jars, you'd be like, he did that. That's the thing, and I think that's why Susan is so messed up by that. Like, it's just like, can't get over that. How do you get over that? Yeah. That area today, that Pain asylum,

what was the Pain asylum back then, is the honeymoon suite today. And people who stay there report seeing some pretty disturbing shit. Sharon told that same reporter, there's a woman who's sometimes seen standing at the end of the bed. She's wearing a white nightgown, probably from the 30s, we think, and is probably one of those cancer victims because she appears not to have a jaw or a chin. And she doesn't do anything or say anything to hurt anyone. She's just there in the middle of the night. You wake up and she's there standing at the end of

the bed. That is horrifying. Can you fucking imagine? The fact that the pain asylum is the honeymoon suite now, like you have to marry a centabyte for that to make sense. You do. Like you sure do. That's wild.

Yeah. To be like, I hate it. We're going to, we're going to stay in the pain asylum. Yeah. I don't know about that. That's a lot. And also knowing now that I know that I'm not going anywhere near there. That's a lot.

That specific room. Do I want to see it? Yeah. Like low key, yeah, but I don't think I could sleep there. But I'm not staying there. No. Not in that room, that's for sure. Now, obviously the darkest entity of all at the hotel is, say it with me, Norman Baker. Oh, absolutely.

So one of the servers and ghost tour guides at the hotel, Aaron Davison, told ABC7 back in 2024, he seems to be the apparition that is the most unfriendly, you might say, and you do not want to provoke him. We know that much. He has been provoked in the past, and it wasn't good. Well, please do tell. That's the most ominous shit I've ever heard. What the fuck do you mean it wasn't good?

I think we have to go there to find out. We have to go to there. But people know Norman when they see his ghost because he's still dressed in one of either his purple suits or a purple tie. And a lot of times people will say that, especially after the jars were found, a lot of people started seeing him in the lobby.

But the manager of the nighttime ghost tours, Deborah the Duchess, said there was an uptick in the activity in the morgue after those jars were found. There were more cold spots than usual. And for the first time, a dark figure was seen in the morgue after those jars were found. There were more cold spots than usual, and for the first time, a dark figure was seen in the morgue that hadn't been seen previously. After the jars discovery. It popped off.

Mm-hmm. Yeah. One of the nicer, and I would say more helpful ghosts, though, is Theodora. Oh, yeah. And she usually stays in room 419. People think that she's possibly one of Norman Baker's patients, is Theodora. Oh, yeah. And she usually stays in room 419. People think that she's possibly one of Norman Baker's patients, or maybe a nurse that was running the hospital,

but more often I saw a patient. She really likes things neat and tidy. If you leave anything scattered around your room, you're going to come back to have everything neatly folded in one spot. OK, I like that. One couple was arguing in that room, and they were like unpacking

as they did it and just kind of left shit everywhere and they came back to their suitcases packed standing by the door. So they stayed in a different room because they were like, I think we upset that spirit. She's like, you know what, don't argue in my room. You're fucking up my vibe. So why don't you guys go figure this out in a different room? She said, get out of here. We don't argue in here. No, we don't. Good for her. There's also been people who stayed overnight in the room and they will go to sleep with scattered change on the dresser

and then they wake up to find it neatly stacked and organized. A lot of people upset that. I would do that. And people see her outside of room 419 and it looks like she's fumbling with a set of keys. So, if you see that, that's Theodora. 419 is the second most requested room. Now, the final ghost that I saw mentioned,

and I have to say, I think it would probably be my favorite ghost of all, is Morris the Cat. Morris the motherfucking cat. In 1973, Morris walked his ass into that hotel one day and he never left. Good for him. And for the next 21 years, he chilled there in the lobby and they all referred to him as the general manager.

I imagine you're a cat. Yeah, okay. And you are just living outside. Yep. And then you come across this fucking opulent hotel. And you're like, I'm going to, you know, what do I have to lose here? I'm going to take a risk and I'm going to walk in here and I'm going to see if they

tell me to walk my ass back out or not. And they don't. You walk in there and that entire staff goes, what's up Morris? What's up Morris? You want to be a GM? You want a job? And he's like, yeah, I do. And for 21 years you get to live in the life of luxury.

Yeah. What a fucking like talk about the jackpot. Obsessed. Like, truly obsessed. That's amazing. He also had his own special cat door to come and go as he pleased. And when he passed away in 94, 1994, more than 300 people attended Morris' funeral. He is buried on the property on the East Lawn. You can go visit him. Oh, and leave stuff for him. You can. And there's a photo of him in the lobby with a poem that says,

In memory of Morris, the resident cat at the Crescent Hotel, he filled his position exceedingly well. The general manager title he wore was printed right there on his own office door. He acted as a greeter and sometimes as guide. Whatever his duties, he did them with pride. He chose his own hours and set his own pace. The guests were impressed with his manners and grace. Upstairs and down he kept everything nice. They might have had ghosts, but they never had mice. Iconique. I'm obsessed with this hotel and the people that run it. Yeah, I know. To be quite honest, like this is amazing.

They're great. And people on tour say they have felt a cat brush up against their leg, but look down and there's been nothing there. Oh, I love it. Yeah. And now the Crescent Hotel usually has one or more resident cats. They've had tons of cats live with them and stay throughout the years. And they're all mentioned on their site. I think I mentioned all the ghosts, but to give a few more experiences or happenings before we go, the night manager, Stephen Carey, told a reporter that he gets calls from rooms with no one in them. He said, I send my security in, they check and make sure there's no one in there, of course. And then I'll send my bellman up to replace the phone.

And then within an hour later, I'll get a call from that same room that there's no one in. Oh, scary. That's scary. Another woman who stays at the hotel all the time, she was actually featured in the documentary. Her name is Dana. She said that she was sharing a bed with her daughter just sleeping one night, and she felt the bed shift in the middle of the night. So she assumed that her daughter was like getting up or something.

But then she saw someone standing at the foot of her bed and looked over and her daughter was still sleeping beside her. And then she looked back and that shadow person at the end of the bed was still there. Yeah, that would fuck me up. Yeah, I'd probably die. Dana didn't she's a brave ass woman who went back on another visit. Dana. Yeah.

And this time, they've stayed a few times, I think. So this time they got upgraded to the penthouse suite. Hell yeah, Dana should. That's what snaps for that. Hell yeah. She and her daughter Courtney were like just hanging out in their suite. And Courtney all of a sudden saw like lights flash. And then both of them heard footsteps coming down the stairs. And

she said one of like they were like with a big group of people and one of the people had a bottle of Tylenol with them. They heard the footsteps stop in a pill bottle shake almost like somebody was like, what is this? What? And then they felt a sudden shift in temperature it got freezing. So they were like both terrified, but they took, they went around and took a bunch of photos. In Courtney's photo, what like, uh, in at least one of them, there are dozens and dozens of orbs. I was showing it to you. That was a crazy one.

It's nuts. It's in the documentary, so go watch it. And then in Dana's photo, you can see a whole fucking woman in a Victorian-style dress, just sitting straight up in a chair, in Dana's photo, you can see a whole fucking woman in a Victorian style dress just sitting straight up in a chair, hands folded in the lap, just like clear as day. Full body.

It's one of the scariest things I've ever seen. Yeah. Yeah. There's also a portal on the third floor. Yeah. Of course. Yeah, there's also a portal on the third floor. Yeah. Of course. Yeah, there is. Yeah. Yep.

Um, the hotel, it's in an area where the hotel connects to a section built when it was a hospital. So that tells you everything you need to know. And a lot of people on tours will faint in this area. Some have like completely passed out for a minute. Oh. And people get super pale and feel drained or like panicked in that area. I hate that feeling. Even before they know what that specific area is. Wow. Yeah. Energy man, the energy can hit you like a ton of bricks. It can. It's happened to us.

I got mostly everything that I saw, but I'm sure there's more. Go check out that documentary. Go to their website. In 2005, Ghost Hunters aired their investigation. I love Ghost Hunters. And they called the Crescent Hotel the holy grail of ghost hunting. Holy shit. Yeah. I mean, that should tell you. Yeah. And after that, they got like a whole influx of people who go now. Now more than

35,000 people go there a year to ghost hunt. Damn. And stay. Yeah. Holy shit. Go Crescent. So if you want to book a stay, you can head over to crescent-hotel.com slash stay, or you can give a call to 855-725-5720. And tell them morbid sent you. No, literally tell them morbid sent you. I'm trying to get in that penthouse. I know, right? I want to go so badly. We have to go.

I'm so excited. We've got to go. We got to make this a trip now. We do. We got to meet these people. We got to see this hotel. We got to meet these ghosts. We're going to figure it out.

Yeah, we're going to do it. Norman Baker is such a dick. Yeah, what a dick. Yeah. Truly. Yeah. Fuck you. Imagine just being like, oh, I can cure cancer with watermelon seeds and carbolic acid.

That I put into your chest. Like, are you okay with a syringe? Yeah. What the fuck? I think I said carbolic. It's not that. Carbal. No, carbolic. I was right. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You said it right. Yeah. I said it right. You had me second guess. I mean, I second guess myself. Don't second guess yourself. No, You were right. I was right. Norman was wrong. Oh, Norman was wrong. And with that, we leave you. Yeah.

We hope you keep listening. We hope you keep it weird. But not so weird that you claim to have a cure for cancer that is like five ingredients and that you're telling people to inject in their chest because that's just super fucked up. But do keep it so weird that you're a cool ass ghost cat. Yeah. And that you go listen to Nikki's new podcast,

Poppy Killed Mommy. Go listen to Poppy Killed Mommy and go book a stay at the Crescent Hotel and tell them morbid sent ya. Hell yeah. Goodbye. None of this was an ad. It was really not an ad at all. It wasn't.

None. If you like morbid, you can listen early and ad-free right now by joining Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts. Prime members can listen ad-free on Amazon Music. Before you go, tell us about yourself by filling out a short survey at Wondery.com slash survey.