There was first a saloon and trading post serving farmers and loggers who were staking claims on the tidelands and upriver. Eventually, a wharf was built to make it possible for steamboats to dock along the waterfront. In the 1880s, the area was surrounded by logging camps and shingle mills. Many businesses were established, making it a more full-service town. Then a fire in 1892 destroyed 13 buil
dings. The Stanwood Hotel was built in the late 1890s, and is one of the oldest buildings in town. Although it has been changed and added to, it is essentially the same structure that housed loggers, mill workers, hunters and tourists for many years. The mill workers purchased meal cards to eat there. It became a tavern with a card room after Prohibition..................................................................................................
Stanwood Hotel and Saloon
For those of you unaware of the Stanwood Hotel and Saloon, I hope you make a trip to Stanwood WA. to bask in the towns charm and open friendliness. The Stanwood Hotel and Saloon stands in the old section of the small town of Stanwood WA. The locals that grew up around Stanwood know it's haunted. The paranormal Investigators that frequent the Hotel and Saloon agree. This quant establishment is very haunted. BOOO - Bellingham Observers of the Odd and Obscure along with Spookwoods Paranormal Investigations and Western Paranormal Investigators have documented over 10 investigations this year alone. What brought in paranormal researchers to investigate the Stanwood Hotel and Saloon was the many reports of staff and patrons whom frequent this Historic building. They tell of footsteps being heard upstairs when no one else is in the building. A long time employee witnessed an apparition accompanied by an odd smell. Employees and patrons as well have witnessed the apparition of a woman wearing period clothing. All whom have seen or felt her agree that her presence is that of someone overseeing or protecting the premises. Although a little somewhat of a skeptic herself, the current owner and manager Marilyn Guthrie has experienced and witnessed firsthand accounts of paranormal activity. She captured what appears to be an apparition type cloud moving behind the bar as seen on her surveillance system. Some of the locals that know the Hotel claim that there is a male presence upstairs that paces around from room to room. The bartenders refer to a woman's spirit that likes to brush her bosom up against men while they set at the bar. Men tell of feeling the sensation of a woman walking up and pressing her breasts ever so flirty onto their back, only to turn and find no one there. Investigators have recorded countless class "A" EVPs along with EMF meter readings that indicate intelligent spirit energy that attempts to communicate by recording energy fluctuations in response to questions. Mediums working with the teams have gathered some names to go with the spirits that have chosen to stay on in the cheery Saloon and now deserted upstairs Hotel. Marshall was channeled by Barbara Magbie on our first investigation into the Saloon. He is thought to be the first owner and barkeeper of the Saloon. During her channeling other investigators watched on in amazement as she (Marshall) poured drinks in an attempt to serve up the investigators who were setting at the bar. He is described by one Medium as being of average build wearing a 3 piece black suite with dark hair and a dark mustache. During the investigation he was seen setting at a table while playing solitaire, watching investigators as they worked in the Saloon. Female staff report having glimpses of him wearing the black pants, tie, black vest over a white shirt with garters on his sleeves.(See the picture above.) Mediums agree he is very handsome. Some of the female bartenders report having their hair stroked lovingly while working behind the bar. There is also evidence of a mist forming and moving behind the bar that was captured on Saloon surveillance equipment. Margret another spirit that is often channeled may have been the Hotel's Manager and/or Madam to some of the women working as ladies of the evening in the earlier days of the upper class Hotel. Margret is seen as a tall blonde mature woman whom presents herself as being very business minded while having that air of distinguished Mani`erisme. She connects with the Mediums visiting the Hotel and Saloon so much that she has begun to help mediums in locating other spirits in the building. Margret also has a loving respect for Marilyn, present Owner and Manager of the Saloon. Margret is not an intrusive spirit and Mediums believe she spends many hours in the orginal Old Hotel Lobby now turned into an office, while Marilyn is working. Charlie Gibbons a regular of the Saloon in the 1970's. Mediums believe he died in a motor cycle crash when his bike hit a slick spot on the highway between Mt. Vernon and Stanwood. When he is channeled, he sounds like he hasn't let the party end and loves being in his neighborhood bar. He also considers himself to be a ladies' man. We have an EVP of him stating his name. We have looped this file for you 3 times... This file is unedited except for the loop and volume making it a Class "A" EVP. Charlie Howell Gibbons
Carl, a young red headed man, lets himself be known when he comes though Mediums displaying a sulking mood. Investigators and Mediums believe he may have suffered a head injury. He also has difficulty walking while being channeled. Carl was first channeled on the dance floor of the Saloon. He especially loves the young pretty girls that frequent the establishment. Female staff has reported that feeling of not being alone while working in the backroom storage area just off the dance floor. This area is also next to the ladies room. Mediums believe him to be the whistler responsible for the ladies powder-room EVP. Whistling Do you recognize the tune? Lily a very young beautiful woman with long flowing dark hair was an early resident and working girl that made her living in the front upstairs of the Hotel, known as the white section. Near the back of the Hotel it was said to be called the dark section, possibly referring to housing Native and Black woman whom also worked long grueling hours to service the many loggers, miners, sailors and fishermen whom frequented the Saloon as well. Mediums have found a strong mob connection with the downstairs back building area where bootleg whiskey was probably brought in while girls used the stairs toward the back of the building to take paying customers to and from their rooms. It is believed that there has been much unreported violence in the Hotel and Saloon which may account for the many haunting. Room 9 is the room that Intutive's during walk-throughs have reported feeling uncomfortable as if the room harbors an distrubing presence. Our team and those that have investigated with us have not felt the uneasiness associated with room 9. It lies directly over the large walk-in refrigerator in the Saloon. Our technical Investigators would expect large amounts of EMF interference, only there are no readings that register on investigative equipment. There are two schools of thought on this. First, high EMF reading are responsible for people feeling uncomfortable with the area. Possibly imagining things and feeling sick. Secondly it may help with spirits using electric charged areas to manifest. In room 9 our equipment will not register high enough EMF to support either of these theories. Still we have captured EVPs of rappings and spirit voices in the room. Could the spirits have chosen to stay on because they had fun in the Saloon or is it due to the familiarity they had with the Old Historic Establishment. We can't tell you what makes the Hotel and Saloon so haunted, but we can explore long thought theories that speculate that the present day remodeling that upsets the original structure may have something to do with it. All I can say is we ghost hunters are just so happy to have the opportunity to investigate such an active building. Stanwood EVP Page
Special thanks to Bellinghams Boo Website for this information!! ALL EVP'S ON THIS WEBSITE ARE THE SOLE PROPERTY OF THE
"STANWOOD HOTEL & SALOON AND NOT TO BE COPIED IN ANY WAY
