12/27/2025 Haunted Locations: The Crescent Hotel in Eureka Springs, Arkansas
- Danielle Yvonne
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
Happy Saturday! I hope everyone who celebrated had a wonderful holiday! This is the last Haunted Location for 2025, and I am really excited for this one. It has a hellacious past and is now on my bucket list of places to visit. Enjoy! Oh, and Happy New Year!!!
The Crescent Hotel in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, is known as “America’s Most Haunted Hotel,” and from the research I did on this place, I can see why! From a death during the initial construction to it being a fake hospital, this place has one hell of a history. Let’s just start from the beginning.
Eureka Springs was founded in 1879 and was known for its mineral springs. A doctor even said that the water from these mineral springs cured his son’s eye issues. After that claim, Eureka Springs became inundated with people looking to cure their ailments, believing it was miracle water. Because of the influx of visitors, a hotel was needed, and thus the Crescent Hotel came to be.
During the construction, the first tragedy happened that still haunts the hotel today. It is said that once the “bones” of the building were up, one of the stone masons jumped to his death in what is now room 218. This ghost is referred to as “Michael,” but more about him in a few.
The success of the hotel was short-lived. About 20 years later, interest dwindled, and the hotel was sold. In 1908, the hotel became Crescent College and Conservatory for Young Women. However, it was shut down in 1924 due to a lack of funds. From 1930-1934, it was then Crescent Junior College, but this didn’t work out either during the height of the Great Depression. The next sale is when things take a SUPER ominous turn…
In 1937, Dr. Norman Baker purchased the property and turned it into the Baker Cancer Clinic. He was known for creating what he claimed was a cure for cancer. Patients came from all over the country; some even spent their entire life savings to be cured.
But here’s the thing… Baker wasn’t even a doctor. And the “cure” was just a concoction of random things such as alcohol, ground watermelon seed, clover leaves, and a few others. Nothing that would cure cancer, despite it being injected almost 10 times a day. Not only that, but he also didn’t even come up with the fake elixir himself; he stole it. This man was a con and made a TON of money.
He was held accountable for some of his crimes (kind of) and ended up dying in 1958… on his yacht in Florida. It is unknown the total number of people he “treated” or how many died under his care. The basement kitchen of the hotel was, however, turned into a morgue. Bodies were kept in the walk-in freezer. All that being said, there are so many undocumented deaths under this man’s name.
Once Norman Baker went to jail, the hotel was reopened and offered all-inclusive packages. It began to flourish once again and has been open since 1940. In 1967, there was a fire that took 75% of the hotel with it, but it was rebuilt to replicate the original.
The Hauntings:
There had always been rumors about various hauntings at the hotel, but it wasn’t until 1997 that it was fully embraced by the new owners, who even began offering tours. This helped make the hotel even more popular. The following are the most popular ghosts at the hotel
Michael:
Michael is the stone mason mentioned above who plummeted to his death in what is now room 218. Allegedly, he isn’t seen often, but his spirit is very active, especially with females. Women staying in the room often state that they feel someone touching them on the shoulder, having the shower curtain ripped open, hands coming through the bathroom mirror, and doors opening and closing on their own.
Breckie:
Breckie was a 4-year-old who died at the hotel due to appendicitis. He is said to often be found playing with a ball on the second floor.
Cancer Clinic Spirits:
Many spirits stuck around, given the nature of what happened when the hotel was a “hospital.” One of the popular spirits is a ghost named Thodora. She is a young woman who is said to be in room 419 holding a set of keys. She is also said to be a former patient of Baker.
Staff state that they see a nurse pushing a gurney in the old morgue and that you can hear the wheels squeaking.
Norman Baker is also said to haunt there. People have said that they have seen his ghost in the lobby.
There are a ton of other alleged hauntings, including a girl who can be seen jumping off the balcony, although no records indicate whether she jumped or was pushed. This story, along with many others, can be found in the links below.
According to usghostadventures.com:
The hauntings at the Crescent Hotel have been featured in both television and music. According to the hotel’s website, it has been featured on 17 national and international paranormal investigation shows, including Ghost Hunters and Ghost Adventures.
During the Ghost Adventures investigation, Zak Bagans felt ill in a section of the hotel known as “The Pain Ward” during its time as a hospital. This was where patients would spend their final days before death. The team also believed they made contact with Michael and Dr. Baker, and they heard the gurney squeaking in the morgue.
In 2008, the folk duo Still on the Hill released an album about the Ozarks that featured the song “Ghost of the Crescent Hotel,” which incorporated various ghost stories.
In 2023, a documentary about the hotel was released titled Tales from the Crescent. The documentary covers the history of the Crescent as well as first-hand accounts from staff and guests.
So, tell me. Have you heard of this location before? Have you been there? Would you go? Let me know in the comments. And as always, if you do decide to visit here or any haunted location, respect the property, respect the owners, respect the residents... living or dead.
For more details about this story, how you can visit, and links to the shows, podcasts, documentaries, and resources used for this post can all be found below.
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