New Hampshire doesn’t have traditional ghost towns where you can stay overnight, but you’ll find something even better: historic haunted inns where spirits never checked out. The Beal House Inn in Littleton echoes with phantom footsteps through its 1833 halls, while Hotel Portsmouth’s Room 204 locks guests out mysteriously. The Notchland Inn sits in tiny Hart’s Location, where Nancy Barton’s ghost leaves flowers in rooms. The Nutmeg Inn’s spirit “Charlie” watches over guests in Meredith’s 1748 homestead, once an Underground Railroad safe house. Each property offers documented paranormal activity, period architecture, and supernatural experiences that’ll reveal why these living buildings surpass any abandoned ghost town.
Key Takeaways
- Hart’s Location, New Hampshire’s smallest incorporated town with fewer than ten residents, offers overnight stays at the historic Notchland Inn.
- The Notchland Inn, built in the 1860s, sits on 15,000 acres of wilderness with documented paranormal activity throughout.
- Hotel Portsmouth at 40 Court Street features Room 204, known for decades of supernatural incidents and overnight guest experiences.
- The Beal House Inn, built in 1833, operates as a seven-room accommodation with reported ghostly voices and footsteps.
- The Nutmeg Inn in Meredith offers lodging at a 1748 homestead with paranormal activity and Underground Railroad history.
The Beal House Inn: Littleton’s 1880S Farmhouse With Unexplained Voices
Perched on a rise at the edge of Littleton, New Hampshire, the Beal House Inn commands attention with its pristine Georgian symmetry—twin chimneys flanking a center entrance, six-over-six windows marching in perfect order across white clapboards. Built in 1833, this farmhouse has witnessed generations of families before Mrs. Beal transformed it into a rooming house during the Depression.
Today, you’ll find seven guest rooms where unexplained voices drift through unoccupied spaces and phantom footsteps thunder across haunted bedways. The accommodations range from standard rooms to luxurious suites featuring in-room jet tubs and fireplaces, with three of the suites offering crackling hearths for atmospheric evening retreats.
The former barn and carriage house now serve as spectral dining venues, offering 250 martinis alongside seasonal menus sourced from local farms. Under the Alderin family’s stewardship since December 2015, the property balances its supernatural reputation with culinary excellence. Doors slam without cause, conversations echo from empty rooms—testament to the friendly spirits who’ve claimed this historic property as their eternal home.
The Deep Sleep Inn: New Hampshire’s First “Dead and Breakfast” in Haverhill
What happens when a historic 1850s mansion trades traditional charm for coffin-shaped signs and blood-red curtains? You’ll discover New Hampshire’s first “dead and breakfast” at Deep Sleep Inn in Haverhill. This Greek Revival beauty, built by Frederick Towle after the 1848 great fire, now embraces its darker side with six macabre-themed rooms featuring raven-colored walls and Victorian witchy decor.
You’ll sleep in spaces like the Witchy Room with its clawfoot tub and tarot cards, or the Edgar Allan Poe-inspired Raven Room.
The historical architecture remains intact while local legends come alive through creaky pianos and mysterious house whispers. Located on Route 10, you’re minutes from River Road Cemetery’s 1772 headstones and White Mountain adventures. Breakfast features local ingredients served overlooking Vermont’s peaks. The inn serves skull-shaped pancakes as a signature dish alongside other homemade, seasonal menu items. The property sits in the Haverhill Corner Historic District, tucked along the Connecticut River near bridges and historic sites.
The Notchland Inn: Paranormal Encounters in Hart’s Location
You’ll find Hart’s Location holds the distinction of being New Hampshire’s smallest incorporated town, with a year-round population that barely reaches double digits.
Despite its diminutive size, the historic Notchland Inn has attracted attention for documented reports of supernatural activity within its 1860s granite walls.
The inn capitalizes on its eerie reputation by hosting an annual “Ghosts and Goblins Getaway,” inviting you to experience the paranormal phenomena that guests and staff have reported throughout the decades.
This granite mansion was originally built by Dr. Samuel Bemis in 1870 and showcases distinctive Arts and Crafts architecture that has been preserved for modern guests.
The property includes 15,000 acres that were inherited by George H. Morey following Dr. Bemis’s death in May 1881.
Smallest Town in New Hampshire
Tucked into the southern end of Crawford Notch, Hart’s Location holds the distinction of being New Hampshire’s smallest township—yet its 15,000 acres of wilderness have witnessed nearly two centuries of dramatic transformation.
What once bustled with 300-500 residents during the railroad boom has dwindled dramatically, leaving behind whispers of local legends and structures that tell tales of frontier ambition.
The Notchland Inn stands as a testament to this evolution, its historic architecture preserving Dr. Samuel Bemis’s 1860s granite mansion.
You’ll find Gustav Stickley’s Arts and Crafts influence in the front parlor, while wood-burning fireplaces warm each of the fifteen guest rooms.
The inn’s historical significance is documented in archival materials held by the New Hampshire Historical Society, including a 1997 newsletter that preserves the property’s role in the local hospitality industry.
The Crawford family’s legacy permeates these mountains—Abel Crawford established the first settlement in 1793, building accommodations that would eventually fall to foreclosure under Bemis’s ownership. Abel and Hannah Crawford now rest in eternal peace at Notchland itself, their burial at the inn marking the site where they once called home.
Documented Supernatural Activity Reports
Since 1778, the wilderness surrounding Hart’s Location has harbored one of New Hampshire’s most enduring ghost stories—the tragic tale of Nancy Barton, whose frozen body was discovered beside a brook after she perished pursuing her faithless fiancé through a brutal snowstorm. Today, you’ll encounter her presence throughout Notchland Inn, where guests report messages written in steamy bathroom mirrors and flowers materializing in empty rooms.
Suite 204 serves as the paranormal epicenter—entities manipulate the ice machine, lock doors mysteriously, and send rocking chairs into motion without cause. Spectral footprints appear along the grounds while unseen whispers drift through corridors.
You might feel someone slide into bed beside you or watch objects launch across rooms. Nancy’s tombstone stands in the parlor, marking centuries of documented supernatural encounters across this haunted terrain. Nancy died during a snowstorm while seeking the lover who had betrayed her, and her spirit has remained restless ever since. The haunted land itself continues to generate paranormal phenomena beyond the inn’s walls, with ghostly manifestations reported throughout the property’s historic grounds.
Ghosts and Goblins Getaway
Beyond Nancy Barton’s haunting presence, the Notchland Inn embraces its supernatural reputation through the annual “Ghosts and Goblins Getaway”—a curated experience that transforms paranormal encounters into an immersive weekend adventure.
You’ll explore the 1862 granite structure while learning local folklore from owners Ed Butler and Les Schoof, who’ve documented unexplained phenomena since acquiring the property in the mid-1990s. The experience includes guided tours through Samuel Bemis’s original rooms, where guests have reported flickering shadows near wood-burning fireplaces and mysterious footsteps echoing through hallways.
You’ll investigate haunted legends surrounding Crawford Notch while enjoying chef-prepared four-course dinners. The intimate weekend combines ghost hunting equipment, storytelling sessions in Gustav Stickley’s Arts and Crafts parlor, and professional paranormal investigators who’ll teach you techniques for documenting supernatural activity throughout this historic Hart’s Location estate.
Hotel Portsmouth: Room 204 and Coastal Hauntings
At 40 Court Street in Portsmouth, the historic Hotel Portsmouth has earned its reputation as one of New Hampshire’s most haunted accommodations through decades of unexplained incidents centered on Room 204.
Room 204 at Hotel Portsmouth has become legendary for paranormal activity spanning decades, with guests reporting locked doors and vanishing keys.
This Queen Anne mansion from 1881 stands where sea spray once touched merchant sailors, now harboring playful spirits who lock guests out at 2 AM and create mysterious ice trails.
Legend whispers of an innkeeper’s affair turned deadly, though like lighthouse lore along these coasts, truth blurs with storytelling.
What You’ll Encounter:
- Keys vanishing from Room 204, only to be mailed back anonymously
- Cleaning staff physically grabbed by unseen hands near closets
- Ice cubes mysteriously arranged from machine to room threshold
- Two-hour lockouts requiring locksmiths—who face no resistance entering
The entities feel protective rather than threatening, creating their own safe haven in Suite 204.
The Nutmeg Inn: Meet Charlie in Historic Meredith
You’ll find Charlie, the Nutmeg Inn’s resident spirit, has been making his presence known for over 260 years in this 1748 homestead on Lake Winnipesaukee’s shores.
The Georgian post-and-beam structure served a noble secret purpose as an Underground Railroad safe house, where Charlie allegedly helped shelter freedom-seekers on their journey north.
Today’s guests report unexplained footsteps, mysterious cold spots, and the sensation of a protective presence watching over the inn’s ten guest rooms and historic common areas.
Charlie’s 260-Year Haunting History
While the Nutmeg Inn’s marketing invites you to “Meet Charlie,” the historical records reveal no documented evidence of this spectral resident’s existence.
The property’s genuine history spans 260 years of architectural styles and ownership changes, from Eliphalet Rawlings’s 1748 land grant through its transformation into New Hampshire’s largest Girl Scout camp.
The inn’s historical preservation journey includes:
- Colonial origins: William Davis completed construction between 1748-1768, establishing the homestead’s foundation
- Girl Scout legacy: Sarah Louise Arnold converted the 200-acre farm into Clover Ridge Girls Camp in 1927
- Mysterious symbols: Swastika carvings in the oak floor and furniture remain from the camp era
- Modern recognition: Registered as the Eliphalet Rawlings Homestead with New Hampshire’s Historic Places in 2020
You’ll discover authentic history here—ghost stories optional.
Underground Railroad Safe House
According to the Nutmeg Inn’s promotional materials, this 260-year-old homestead served as an Underground Railroad safe house during the antebellum period. Built between 1748-1768, the property originally functioned as a guest house for stagecoach travelers while secretly harboring freedom seekers heading north.
You’ll discover cryptic whispers throughout the post-and-beam structure, where five working fireplaces once warmed desperate souls seeking liberty. The Great Room’s original oak floors witnessed countless brave journeys toward emancipation.
Today, unseen apparitions reportedly linger in the 10 guest rooms and suites, perhaps remnants of those who risked everything for freedom.
The 7,867-square-foot building stands on 7.5 forested acres at 80 Pease Road, its stone walls and historic architecture preserving stories of courage that earned it a place on New Hampshire’s Registry of Historic Places.
Planning Your Haunted New Hampshire Getaway
New Hampshire’s haunted accommodations offer more than just a place to rest your head—they provide portals into the state’s supernatural past. Whether you’re drawn to haunted folklore or ghostly legends, these historic inns deliver authentic experiences without tourist traps or manufactured frights.
Essential Planning Tips:
- Location matters: Choose Deep Sleep Inn for easy access—just 2.5 hours from Boston or Montreal, perfectly positioned between White Mountains adventures and Vermont explorations.
- Book themed experiences: Adventure Suites’ Haunted Castle suite accommodates 18 guests for group ghost hunting.
- Time it right: Visit Thornton Gore’s abandoned homesteads May through October when Tripoli Road Camping Area operates ($25 nightly).
- Combine attractions: Pair your haunted stay with covered bridges, museums, and the lantern-lit Russell-Colbath House for maximum supernatural immersion.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are These Haunted Hotels Suitable for Children and Families?
You’ll find 25-30 families praised Tilton Inn on TripAdvisor, proving haunted folklore doesn’t exclude family-friendly stays. However, you should carefully choose properties—some emphasize dark themes while others offer historic charm that’ll captivate adventurous kids seeking freedom.
Do I Need Special Equipment to Experience Paranormal Activity?
You don’t need special equipment to experience paranormal activity—historical evidence shows spirits manifest through unexplained sounds, temperature drops, and eerie feelings. However, EMF meters and EVP recorders help document encounters, transforming your ghost-hunting adventure into tangible proof.
What Should I Pack for a Haunted Hotel Stay?
You’ll need enough layers to survive a blizzard indoors! Pack warm clothing, comfortable shoes, a flashlight, and camera. Research historical legends beforehand, bring room safety essentials like medications, and don’t forget your sense of adventure.
Can I Request a Non-Haunted Room if I Change My Mind?
These inns don’t offer non-haunted room switches since they’re marketed for paranormal experiences. You’ll need to contemplate room cancellations and seek alternative accommodations elsewhere if you’re uncomfortable, as haunted themes define these properties’ identities.
Are Paranormal Investigations or Ghost Tours Included With Room Bookings?
Ghost tour inclusion varies by property—most haunted hotels don’t automatically include paranormal investigations with your booking. You’ll typically need to arrange tours separately, though room safety remains standard. Contact properties directly about available ghost tour packages and pricing options.
References
- https://www.islands.com/1969198/new-hampshire-deep-sleep-inn-first-dead-breakfast-gothic-getaway-charming-macabre/
- https://newenglandwanderlust.com/haunted-hotels-in-new-hampshire/
- https://deepsleepinn.com
- https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g1771609-d116060-r147313918-The_Notchland_Inn-Hart_s_Location_New_Hampshire.html
- https://www.travelmyth.ie/New-Hampshire/Hotels/haunted-historic
- https://www.adventuresuites.com
- https://www.chutters.com/blog/the-beal-house-making-dreams-come-true
- https://tournewengland.com/item/littleton-beal-house-inn/
- https://www.museum.littletonco.gov/Research/Littleton-History/Other-Topics/Early-Hotels
- https://www.chowdaheadz.com/blogs/news/the-most-haunted-hotel-in-each-new-england-state
