Haunting at the Ivy House Inn

By: Melanie Billings

"We didn't believe in ghosts or hauntings until we moved into this place," says Tom Johnson, owner of the Ivy House Inn.

Tom and his wife Kathy soon changed their minds when they began renovating the turn-of-the century Cape Cod Bed and Breakfast Inn in Casper, Wyoming. The previous owner, Mrs. White, lived to age 93. Unable to afford to pay for repairs on her home, she instead hired friends to help and paid them in freshly-baked cookies. Obviously, this meant the repairs left a lot to be desired. Tom and Kathy had their work cut out for them. Their work stirred up much more than dust, it seems.

The paranormal activity started up soon after the renovations began. "There are literally places where our Sheltie dog would not walk. He would not go to the basement without coaxing," Tom explains. "Things disappeared. Electrical plugs pulled out of the walls. Doors opened and closed. Footsteps could be heard walking on floors where nobody was."

Most of the activity seemed to be aimed at Tom during the renovations and he was the subject of several bizarre occurrences. On one occasion, boards flew at him from across the room. "I pulled off the 2X4s and placed them in a corner. I turned around in time to watch one of the smaller 2x4s come through the air at me. That was over 19 feet. I left that day."

On another occasion, a drill unplugged itself while Tom was up on a ladder. "When the drill didn't work I turned around to look at the plug that was pulled out of the wall, and it appeared to be hanging in midair before it dropped to the floor. We began to think that Mrs. White didn't want her house fixed."

Strange odors began to turn up in odd places. The scents of burning rubber, mentholatum, talcum powder and even the smell of dead fish came and went with no rational explanation. Still not completely convinced they were sharing their home with ghosts, the Johnson's began taking photos of the renovations. They were shocked at what turned up on film. "Vortices showed up at the front door, in front of a family heirloom dresser, and another one in front of one of the five fireplaces in the home," Tom says. "We have what we now know as ectoplasm that formed right in front of our eyes."

The Johnson's have numerous photos that show ectoplasm, orbs and faces, and even full apparitions. The investigative team from Denver Haunted History has captured several anomalies in photographs and a TV crew once caught orbs on tape.

The ghostly residents have made themselves known in many ways but the most unusual way, by far, is by setting off car alarms. There is a certain spot in the Johnson's driveway that seems to have a constant ghostly presence, Tom says. "It doesn't matter which car is parked there, if the alarm is on, it will be set off. Our alarms have gone off at all hours of the day and night."

Guests sleeping in the Blue Rose Room are sometimes visited during the night by something unseen. "Guests often hear knocking at the door after they retire," Tom explains. "If they freeze in bed or do nothing, then the knock happens again. If they still do nothing, the door knob turns. All our guests that have told us about this have had the door dead bolted. Nobody has entered so far."

There's also a guest room in the Inn that seems to have a vortex present in many photographs that are taken. One guest even reports that the room energizes her much like Sedona, Arizona does. Another room also has a weird effect on people. "There is a place in one of our suites where you can feel cold electricity that travels through your body. It goes back and forth in front of the bathroom door, to a window, and into a closet."

The Johnsons firmly believe that Mrs. White is one of their ghosts-in-residence. "I think that Mrs. White doesn't believe that she is dead. This house was her life. She cared for it, and even the year before she died at 92, she got on ladders and climbed eighteen feet to clean out gutters," Tom explains.

Mrs. White also had a reputation for being a bit nosy which might explain the nature of some of the paranormal activity. According to Tom, "She walked in on her tenants at any time of the day or night to make sure that they were not abusing her house and she is still nosy enough to check up on who is in her home. Especially in the Blue Rose Room where there are knockings on the door."

The apparition of an old lady has been witnessed in the Inn by several different people, including family members, friends and guests. A dinner party guest saw a short old lady with red hair staring at her in the bathroom. Another guest at the Inn witnessed an old lady walking down the hallway. The Johnson's own son had a sighting of his own recently, spotting an old woman powdering her face and then disappearing.

But Mrs. White doesn't seem to be the only ghost occupying the Ivy House Inn. Witnesses have also reported seeing the apparition of a young man. The Johnson's daughter has witnessed this apparition more than once in her bedroom. "He wears flannel plaid shirts and has a crew cut. He carries a 1x6 kind of a board like bookshelves are made of. His shoulders come up just above her pillow, because he is not walking on our floor but on a floor below our floor," Tom explains. "He begins by walking close to her bed on the left side to the footboard, turns to the right and walks around her bed, where he disappears. He walks the same path each time. He just walks and then disappears."

After researching the history of the Ivy House Inn, the Johnsons have a theory as to why there might be more than one spirit occupying the Inn. They found out that the house has exchanged hands many times over the years. Between the years of 1902 and 1940, there were no less than twenty six different owners and the town of Casper itself also has an interesting history, as Tom explains. "Casper sits on several trails. The Mormon Trail, California Trail, Oregon Trail, Pony Express, and cattle trails all come through here and probably through this property. Perhaps somebody that is here is because of the trails."

The ghosts do not frighten Tom and Kathy. In fact, they have made the haunting part of their lives at the Inn, even hosting a "Haunted Slumber Party" each Halloween.  Want to experience the hauntings at the Ivy House Inn for yourself? Contact Tom and Kathy at www.ivyhouseinn.com for more information.

PHOTOS FROM THE IVY INN

Copyright © 2005 Melanie Billings