The history of the General Lafayette Inn goes back centuries to the colonial period in America. For most of that time, it was an operating inn. And, as I am sure you know, these places can be ripe for a haunting, or at least a good ghost story or two.
The Inn’s resident brewer Russ Czajka, a man who does brilliant work producing some great beers, told us a couple of stores he had no explanation for.
“I’ve had a couple of experiences, but just hearing things. I was here one morning, early, by myself. Actually there was one person in the kitchen. And I had gone up into the attic to get some stuff for a beer festival. When you come out of the attic there is a swinging door and a long hallway before you come down the back kitchen steps. I came out of the door and down the hallway. And when I made the turn to come down the steps I heard someone walking behind me. I stopped, went back to look in the hallway and there was nobody there.”
He then confirmed with his one co-worker in the kitchen that they were alone. Like most of these experiences, especially when someone is busy at the time, the peculiarity of the situation didn’t hit him until later on.
from the interior of the General Lafayette Inn
But that wasn’t the only unexplained noise the brewer has heard in the creaky old interior of the General Lafayette Inn…
“Another time I was here, around 7:30 in the morning. I saw some chairs were up here. I was in the basement changing my shoes getting ready to brew, when I heard a noise that sounded like one of these chairs had fallen off and hit the floor. I came up stairs…nothing. Everything was in place, nothing on the floor.”
Russ is quick to point out that he hasn’t actually seen anything yet first hand, only noises he can’t explain. For that reason, the only conclusions he can draw is that his experiences have given him some nice spooky stories to tell. That is certainly true.
Posted by: David McBride, Marketing Director/Associate Editor
Subscribe to This Blog
PUB TALK 