There is a tombstone in our front parlor! It says, "1778. Nancy Barton. Died in a snowstorm in pursuit of her faithless lover." One border of our property is the Nancy Brook, which comes from Nancy Pond, which is atop Nancy Mountain -- all named after Nancy Barton. This story is documented many times in histories of this region:
Nancy was betrothed, but her husband-to-be ran off with her dowry. Knowing the route he usually took on trips to Portland and Boston, she followed him on foot. The feckless gentleman often camped where our inn now stands. Nancy found that he had made a stop here but had already moved on. Nancy may have been tired and slept for awhile or for some other reason got caught in a snowstorm at this spot. Friends found her frozen body lying next to the brook that now carries her name.
Besides that somewhat eerie story, we have had guests tell us about a couple of encounters with "spirits."
One couple took a nap in mid-afternoon, and when they awoke the name "Abigail" was written in the steam on the mirror in their bathroom. But no one had taken a shower or bath in that room for several hours!
Another guest, the husband of a couple who have stayed with us several times, woke up after an afternoon nap and noticed that someone had brought fresh flowers into the room while he was napping. He went into the bathroom, and someone had written "Happy Anniversary" on the mirror in lipstick. He went back into the bedroom, but the flowers were gone. He turned back into the bathroom, and the writing on the mirror had disappeared!
We have some guests who say they have felt a presence in their guest room. But all of these presences must be of the friendly variety because we have never had any unpleasant experiences -- if there are, indeed, ghosts at the Notchland Inn.
