A Ghostly Strikeout
Having a weekend to myself this past weekend, I wanted to make the most of it. I couldn’t think of anything better for me to do than to go ghost hunting and what better place to do that than the famous Manresa Castle Hotel in Port Townsend. I booked one night, Friday the 23rd and asked the staff if they could place me in one of the three most actively haunted rooms on the third floor. Being already booked, I was given the next best thing, which was a room across the hall.
The Manresa Castle was built in 1892 and was at first the home of Charles and Kate Eisenbeis, but in 1925, a lawyer bought the home and had it used as a vacation place for nuns. Later, the Jesuits took over and used it as a training college. Not until 1968 was it finally converted into the hotel that it is today. Bit of a storied past there and considering nuns and priests were involved, one could imagine there may truly be some ghostly things lurking about. Those were the rumors.
Just over four years ago, I had heard about the hotel and wanted to go there on my first ghost pilgrimage. It did not disappoint. Being on the second floor just below one of the haunted rooms on the third, I heard some truly mystifying things. It sounded like a heard of elephants were moving furniture back and forth rapidly from one end of the room to the other for most of the night. The air was eerie, the lights constantly were flickering. It was a fun and frightening experience.
Of course I wanted to experience it again. The 23rd was a Friday and it happened to be karaoke night in the restaurant attached to the hotel. There was quite a bit of terrible singing, but everyone was having a good time. I listened for a bit until dinner was over and then went back to my room to begin to feel the ghostliness of the place. It never happened. The karaoke could be heard from down below and I don’t think the ghosts were impressed. Not one iota of “strange” was remotely about me. No lights flickering, no sightings, no noises. Nothing all night. It was “a ghostly strikeout”. Woke up the next morning, was a little disappointed and I headed home.
But why the fascination with ghosts anyway? Lots of people don’t believe in ghosts and for good reason. Most haven’t had any sort of experience with them. And those who have can never truly prove that anything actually happened. I know I can’t. My first experience at the Manresa Castle probably could have been scientifically solved. Perhaps people were actually upstairs making that racket as a trick. Sure, why not? Perhaps the flickering lights were simply because it was January and in the winter and the electricity wasn’t always functioning properly. The eerie air? That could have simply been my mind perceiving it that way.
Actual ghosts existing as far as I know have never been proved. But why are people so interested in them? Is it just for the fun of being scared? In some cases, sure. But, I think the existence of ghosts would force us to ask questions about our own existence. If a ghost was real, what would it be? Immaterial or material? A thinking thing or just a projection of what was once something? Would it prove that after death something did actually happen? A ghost would perhaps foretell that there was some sort of life after death and the ghost perhaps was caught somehow in the in between. Probably couldn’t be explained, but knowing that a ghost existed I think would take away some of the fear of death.
I think that’s where my fascination derives from. It’s thrilling to have an encounter, but more so, it would be exciting to think of the possibilities and implications of what that would mean for us who all one day must die. For if we knew that something could happen after death, it would suggest that there was a force causing that something.
So, whether you’re out to experience the thrill of ghost hunting or simply wanting a fun place to stay for the night, I definitely recommend the Manresa Castle Hotel. And I would love to hear about any experience you may have had with the place.
I know for me, I will continue my ghost pilgrimage quest. I’ll return to the Manresa Castle one day, perhaps again in winter on a cold, January night.