From bloody 19th-century battles and the Great Baltimore Fire to being the final resting ground of one of the world’s most famous mystery writers, Baltimore has deep roots in horror. Among our renowned spooky sites and landmarks is the historic Lord Baltimore Hotel.
Established in 1928, the downtown building has a storied past, having hosted prominent figures such as Babe Ruth, who booked a room on his last visit to Baltimore; Amelia Earhart, who dined at the hotel; and Martin Luther King Jr., who held a press conference there. Throughout nearly a century of the hotel’s existence, guests have reported strange sightings, leading some to distinguish the building as one Baltimore’s most haunted. (It’s also topped national lists of scary sites, published by the likes of Forbes and Reader’s Digest.)
On National Ghost Hunt Day, this Saturday, September 28th, the hotel is teaming up with the Baltimore Paranormal Society for its annual investigation though the hallowed halls.
“Ghost hunting takes place all across the country on this day,” says Lee Johnson-Lowe, the hotel’s longtime director of sales and marketing. “We do this event every year, and it’s a lot of fun.”
For the $45 cost of a ticket—all event proceeds will be donated to the PMJ Foundation, which provides back-to-school supplies to low-income families in the area—attendees will be able to fire up provided ghost-hunting gadgets (think: electromagnetic field meters and electronic voice phenomenon recorders) and follow experts to seek out supernatural activity.
“We were really excited when the Lord Baltimore Hotel reached out and asked to partner up on this,” says Brian Pierce, the founder and lead investigator of the Baltimore Paranormal Society. “The hotel is notorious among the paranormal community in Maryland. It’s one of the more desirable places for investigations, but it’s also harder to get into because it’s an operating hotel. My team is excited to finally get in there to lead an investigation.”
Aside from seeking spirits, the Baltimore Paranormal Society—a fully volunteer team of investigators—hopes to help inform the public about what a ghost hunt is really like. Of course, they also want to make sure everyone has a good time.
“At the end of the day, we’re just excited to educate the guests on ghost hunting,” Pierce says. “If we get some decent activity, that’s just an added bonus.”
In advance of the hunt, Johnson-Lowe gave us some insight about the hotel’s spookiest spaces. If you attend, here are the areas that will likely send chills up your spine:
The 19th Floor
During the Great Depression, the hotel was one of the tallest buildings in the city. In an era of financial crisis, it became host to “over 22 documented 19th-floor jumpers” whose spirits allegedly haunt the hotel. In the years since, guests have reported eerie sightings in the rooms of this floor, including the ghost of a little girl named Molly, “who runs around the hotel with a red ball, looking for her parents who jumped from the 19th floor,” according to Johnson-Lowe.
Versailles Ballroom Speakeasy
Nestled behind a hidden door in the corner of the Lord Baltimore’s grand Versailles Ballroom is an intimate speakeasy featuring plush couches and a warm fireplace. During the Prohibition era, the hideaway was fully functional, and remnants of its history can still be found in reported spectral activity. As Johnson-Lowe says, “we have had investigators claim that they’ve made a connection to spirits here.”
Calvert Ballroom
Among the hotel’s numerous paranormal investigations, many ghost hunters have reported seeing a couple that actually dances in the hotel’s Calvert Ballroom. Beneath antique crystal chandeliers, the incorporeal pair floats across the ballroom floor in a shadowy waltz. Johnson-Lowe adds that, according to the investigators, these two dancers are “not the parents of the little girl Molly” and they “do not like to be bothered.”
Mezzanine Level & Guest Room Floors
Overlooking the hotel’s spacious lobby is the mezzanine level, an open space with a view of the ornate ceiling used for a variety of events. Although it’s difficult to anticipate what activity might occur on the night of the ghost hunt, past instances on this level and beyond have included ghostly voices, cold spots, moving objects, and even full-body apparitions. In addition to the mezzanine, Johnson-Lowe hopes to open investigations on one of the guest room floors, which ghost hunters have reported otherwordly energy emanating from.