Ben Lomond Hotel

I was born in Ogden and spent a great deal of my growing up years there so I am quite familiar with the Ben Lomond Hotel, I had not however stayed there before this year when we traveled to attend my grandfathers funeral.
The Ben Lomond started out as the Reed Hotel from 1891 to 1926 then in 1927 the hotel was rebuilt with additional stories added and named the Bigelow Hotel.  Marriner S. Eccles purchased the hotel in 1933 and renamed it the Ben Lomond Hotel.
The Ben Lomond Hotel was one of three grand hotels in Utah, the other two the Hotel Utah ( that I stayed in as a child) and the Newhouse are no longer operating as hotels, with the Newhouse being demolished and the Hotel Utah turned into church offices.
The Ben Lomand as well as the city of Ogden have a very colorful past, the hotel is located at the top of 25th street with Union Station at the bottom. Prohibition began in Utah earlier than the rest of the nation, and it is believed that there may be a series of tunnels that run under 25th street between Union Station and the Ben Lomond Hotel. It is also believed that if these tunnels do indeed exist they were likely used to move liquor and prostitutes as well as giving easy access to gambling and other illegal activities.  25th street was dubbed " A two bit street" and it has been said that Al Capone viewed it as to wild even for him. If Al Capone came to Utah he likely stayed at the Ben Lomond as legend suggest.

I have long heard the rumors that a bride killed herself on her wedding night and that a mother who found out her son had died in the war also killed herself, both are said to have happened on the 11th floor. I have not however been able to find any reputable evidence to support either of these claims, so perhaps they are true or perhaps they are just stories made up to explain some of the strange occurrences that seem to transpire on the 11th floor.

(View from the "haunted 11th floor)

There are records to substantiate a worker at the hotel fell down the elevator shaft to his death in 1921, in 1929 Dan Rowland was trying to escort Edward Spellman back to the hotel lobby after discovering him trying to attack an unconscious women in one of the rooms, As they approached the elevators Edward attempted to strike Dan and missed, Dan in return hit him and Edward fell backwards hitting his head and dying almost instantly ( Dan Rowland was charged and acquitted in Edward Spellman's death, it was discovered that Edward died from a ruptured artery ). In 1939 two young men arrived at the hotel and made their way to the top floor where they jumped to their deaths one right after the other. In 1951 a local teacher jumped from the ninth floor and died and in 1976 A desk clerk was found brutally murdered having been stabbed 44 times by what turned out to be a 15 year old boy. The desk clerk was Henry Topping, his daughter was my neighbor when I lived in Ogden, I recall when this murder happened.
There have also been plenty of natural deaths at the hotel over the years and even though she did not die there Mrs. Eccles is said to have loved the hotel so much that she stayed there often while her husband was traveling and now she continues to haunt it probably in order to make sure things are still running smoothly. Guests have reported the elevator going on its own to the 5th floor and the smell of lilacs in the elevators and on the 5th floor, these are attributed to Mrs. Eccles ghost.
After we arrived for our stay at the hotel Richard grabbed the side entrance door to open it and it was  pulled back out of his hand.  We proceeded to get checked in and headed to the elevators. There are two elevators side by side in the corner of the lobby, one was standing open as if waiting for us. We walked in and I pushed the button to our floor, nothing happened, I pushed the button again and again nothing happened after the third time I was convinced that the elevator was broken and that was why the door had been open. I walked out to try the other elevator and as I exited the door Richard pushed the button and the door began to close. It is notable that I had continued troubles with both elevators during our several day stay as did my sister once she arrived, yet Richard and my brother in law seemed to have no trouble. Along with elevator mischief my sister also reports a "poltergeist" playing with the TV in her room. I found a box on the bed that was on the dresser when I left the room and I might add the maid had not cleaned our room yet and I smelled strong perfume in the elevator, but not lilac scented.
We pulled back in one evening and I looked over to see a women all dressed in 1920's attire, I half jokingly asked Richard " can you see that lady or is it a ghost". It turns out she was very much alive, there was a wedding going on and the theme was 1920 so we ended up seeing many guests dressed in period costumes, it was really rather fun to see them wandering around the hotel giving us a greater sense of what it must have looked like back in this hotels early days.