The Jameson Hotel – Haunted Hotel in Wallace, Idaho

The Jameson Hotel stands as a silent sentinel in the heart of Wallace, Idaho’s historic downtown district. This Victorian-era establishment has witnessed over a century of Silver Valley history, and many believe its walls still echo with the presence of those who never checked out.

Visitors to this historic building report unexplained footsteps in empty hallways and the lingering scent of vintage perfume. The hotel’s reputation for paranormal activity draws ghost hunters and curious travelers from across the Pacific Northwest. What began as whispered rumors among staff has evolved into documented accounts of supernatural encounters that continue to this day.

The building’s checkered past includes tales of forbidden romance, tragic deaths, and the lingering spirits of miners seeking rest. Local historians note that Wallace itself was a rough frontier town where violence and vice were commonplace. The Jameson Hotel, situated in the center of this chaos, absorbed the energy of countless dramatic events throughout its operational years.

Historical Background

The Jameson Hotel opened its doors in 1889 during the height of the Coeur d’Alene mining boom. Thomas Jameson, a wealthy mining investor from San Francisco, constructed the three-story brick building to accommodate the flood of prospectors and businessmen pouring into Wallace. The hotel represented the pinnacle of luxury in the remote Idaho mountains, featuring indoor plumbing and gas lighting that seemed miraculous to most frontier visitors.

The structure survived Wallace’s devastating 1890 fire that destroyed much of the downtown business district. Jameson himself perished in a mining accident just two years after the hotel’s grand opening, leaving the property to his widow. Margaret Jameson operated the establishment until 1910, maintaining its reputation as the finest accommodation between Spokane and Missoula.

The hotel witnessed numerous violent incidents during Wallace’s wild frontier days when mining disputes often ended in bloodshed. In 1892, a card game in Room 28 ended with a fatal shooting that left gambler William “Red” Morrison dead. Three years later, a tubercular patient named Elizabeth Cordell died alone in Room 7 after being quarantined there for six weeks. The building also served as temporary housing for displaced families during the catastrophic 1910 wildfires that ravaged northern Idaho.

During Prohibition, the Jameson became a known speak-easy with secret rooms built into the basement level. Federal raids in 1927 uncovered an elaborate tunnel system connecting the hotel to neighboring buildings on 6th Street. The hotel’s association with bootlegging and organized crime continued through the 1930s, bringing additional violence and mysterious disappearances to the property’s dark history.

The building ceased hotel operations in 1958 but remained partially occupied with various retail tenants and apartments. Decades of neglect followed before preservation efforts began in the 1990s to restore the historic structure. Today, the Jameson operates as a boutique hotel once again, with owners who acknowledge and even embrace the building’s haunted reputation.

Paranormal Activity Summary

Guests and staff at the Jameson Hotel consistently report hearing phantom footsteps pacing the third-floor hallway between midnight and 3 AM. These footsteps follow a distinct pattern, starting at the stairwell and proceeding to Room 28 before stopping abruptly. No physical source for these sounds has ever been identified despite numerous investigations and security camera installations.

The overwhelming scent of rose perfume appears suddenly in various rooms, particularly in the second-floor hallway near Room 7. This fragrance manifests even when windows are closed and no perfume products are present in the building. Guests describe the smell as old-fashioned and cloying, reminiscent of Victorian-era fragrances that would have been popular in the 1890s.

Door handles rattle violently in unoccupied rooms, and locked doors have been found standing wide open with no explanation. Room 28 experiences the most frequent door-related phenomena, with guests reporting their door shaking as if someone is trying to force entry. Security checks invariably find empty hallways and no evidence of any living person attempting to access the rooms.

Cold spots appear without warning in specific locations throughout the building, dropping temperatures by 15-20 degrees within a three-foot radius. These anomalies move slowly through rooms and dissipate after several minutes, leaving no scientific explanation for their occurrence. Thermal imaging cameras have captured these temperature variations, documenting the phenomenon that guests have reported for decades.

Several apparitions have been observed regularly enough to be considered resident ghosts by staff and paranormal researchers. A woman in a burgundy Victorian dress appears most frequently in the second-floor hallway and lobby area. A shadowy male figure wearing what appears to be mining clothes has been seen in the basement and first-floor bar area. Most disturbingly, guests in Room 28 report seeing a man’s face reflected in mirrors and windows even when they’re alone.

Ghost Stories & Reports

The spirit known as “The Lady in Burgundy” is believed to be Margaret Jameson herself, eternally watching over her beloved hotel. She appears as a solid, three-dimensional figure rather than a transparent ghost, often mistaken for a living person until she vanishes. Witnesses describe her as a woman in her forties wearing an elaborate burgundy dress with leg-of-mutton sleeves and a high collar typical of 1890s fashion.

Margaret’s apparition has been seen descending the main staircase as if inspecting her property during evening rounds. She allegedly appears most frequently when renovations or changes are being made to the building, as if monitoring the alterations. Several contractors working on restoration projects have reported seeing her watching them from doorways, and one electrician refused to return after she appeared beside him in an empty room.

Elizabeth Cordell, the tubercular patient who died in Room 7, is believed responsible for the rose perfume phenomenon. Historical records indicate Elizabeth requested rose water be sprayed in her room to mask the smell of her illness. Guests staying in Room 7 report not only the perfume scent but also the sound of labored breathing and occasional coughing fits. Some visitors have fled the room in the middle of the night, claiming they felt they couldn’t breathe.

The most violent spirit is thought to be William “Red” Morrison, the gambler shot to death in Room 28. His presence manifests as an angry, aggressive energy that makes guests feel unwelcome and threatened in that particular room. Men seem particularly targeted by this entity, reporting being shoved, having objects thrown at them, and experiencing overwhelming feelings of rage. The mirror phenomena in Room 28 is attributed to Morrison, who allegedly sees the room as still his and resents intruders.

A ghost known simply as “The Miner” haunts the basement and the tunnel entrances that once connected to the prohibition-era speak-easy. This figure appears as a dark silhouette wearing a helmet with a carbide lamp that sometimes glows with actual light. He’s been photographed numerous times, appearing as a shadow figure that seems aware of observers and deliberately avoids direct confrontation. Some researchers believe this entity may be Thomas Jameson himself, checking on his property from beyond the grave.

Staff members have reported encounters with a child spirit, though no records exist of children dying in the hotel. This young girl, estimated to be around seven years old, has been seen in the third-floor hallway and occasionally in the lobby. She appears to be playing, sometimes bouncing a ball that makes no sound when it hits the floor. Witnesses describe her as wearing a white nightgown and having long dark hair, and she vanishes when directly approached.

Most Haunted Spot

Room 28 consistently ranks as the most haunted location within the Jameson Hotel, with paranormal activity reported during nearly every overnight stay. This third-floor corner room was the site of the 1892 fatal shooting and continues to emanate hostile energy. Guests frequently request room changes within hours of checking in, citing feelings of being watched, touched, and threatened by an unseen presence.

The room’s mirrors have been replaced multiple times, yet the phenomenon of seeing a man’s face persists regardless of the mirror’s age. Electronic devices malfunction with unusual frequency in Room 28, with cameras draining batteries instantly and cell phones turning on and off spontaneously. Several paranormal investigation teams have documented voice phenomena in this room, capturing what sounds like angry muttering and the phrase “get out” spoken in a gruff male voice.

The third-floor hallway outside Room 28 serves as a close second for paranormal activity concentration. The phantom footsteps are loudest here, and the feeling of being followed intensifies as one approaches Morrison’s former room. Temperature drops of up to 20 degrees occur regularly in this hallway, even during summer months when the rest of the building remains warm.

Can You Visit?

The Jameson Hotel is open to the public as a functioning boutique hotel where guests can book overnight stays. Room rates vary seasonally, with Room 28 and Room 7 sometimes offered at discounted rates due to their haunted reputations. Guests can request specifically to stay in the most active rooms, though management requires visitors to sign a waiver acknowledging the paranormal activity reports.

The hotel offers guided paranormal tours on Friday and Saturday nights at 9 PM from May through October. These two-hour tours cost $35 per person and include access to Room 28, the basement tunnels, and other active areas. Advanced reservations are required as tours are limited to 12 participants and frequently sell out weeks in advance.

Photography and video recording are encouraged throughout the property, with the hotel maintaining a gallery of guest-submitted paranormal evidence. The lobby features a display of the most compelling photographs and EVP recordings captured by visitors over the years. Self-guided exploration of public areas is permitted during daytime hours, though access to guest room floors requires an overnight booking or tour ticket.

The hotel lobby and restaurant are accessible to non-guests from 7 AM to 10 PM daily without charge. Paranormal investigation equipment is available for rent, including EMF detectors, digital voice recorders, and infrared thermometers. The hotel requests that visitors show respect for both the living guests and the spirits who call the Jameson home.

Best Time to Visit

Paranormal activity at the Jameson Hotel peaks during the late autumn and winter months, particularly October through February. Staff and regular visitors report the most frequent apparitions and physical phenomena during this period when nights are longest. Many theorize that the spirits are more active during the darker months, or perhaps the reduced number of guests allows the entities to manifest more freely.

The hours between midnight and 4 AM yield the most consistent supernatural experiences regardless of season. The phantom footsteps on the third floor follow a predictable schedule, most commonly occurring between 2 and 3 AM. Guests hoping for paranormal encounters are advised to remain awake during these prime hours, though activity can occur at any time of day or night.

First-Hand Accounts & Eyewitness Reports

Sarah Mitchell, a schoolteacher from Boise, documented her 2019 stay in Room 7 in a detailed blog post. She described waking at 2:30 AM to the sound of someone struggling to breathe in the corner of her room. When she turned on the light, the overwhelming scent of roses filled the space, and she felt an icy cold presence move past her bed toward the bathroom.

James and Carol Peterson celebrated their anniversary at the Jameson in 2021 and requested Room 28 specifically for its haunted reputation. James reported being pushed toward the door at 3 AM by invisible hands while his wife photographed a dark mist forming in the corner. Their camera captured what appears to be a man’s face in the mirror behind James moments before the shove occurred.

Former hotel manager David Russo worked at the Jameson from 2015 to 2020 and experienced numerous paranormal events. He reported seeing Margaret Jameson’s apparition at least a dozen times, always in the same burgundy dress, watching from the second-floor landing. Russo noted that she appeared most frequently during renovation projects, and construction problems would mysteriously resolve themselves after her appearances, as if she was ensuring the work was done correctly.

Paranormal investigator Rebecca Thorn spent three nights at the hotel in 2018 conducting extensive EVP sessions and environmental monitoring. Her team recorded over 40 distinct voice phenomena, including clear responses to questions asked in empty rooms. The most compelling evidence came from Room 28, where multiple cameras captured the door handle turning and rattling for 45 seconds while sensors confirmed no physical presence in the hallway.

Paranormal Investigations & Findings

The Jameson Hotel was featured in a 2017 episode of the regional paranormal series “Pacific Northwest Hauntings.” The investigation team documented significant electromagnetic field fluctuations in Room 28 and the third-floor hallway, with readings spiking to levels typically only seen near electrical panels. These spikes occurred in areas with no electrical wiring or devices that could explain the anomalies.

The Northern Idaho Paranormal Society has conducted annual investigations at the Jameson since 2014, publishing their findings online. Their reports consistently document temperature anomalies, photographic evidence of shadowy figures, and extensive EVP recordings throughout the building. The group’s 2020 investigation captured thermal imaging footage of a human-shaped cold spot moving deliberately through the second-floor hallway, maintaining its form and temperature differential for over three minutes.

In 2019, paranormal researcher Dr. Emily Vance conducted a historical investigation correlating reported phenomena with documented events from the hotel’s past. Her research confirmed that the apparition descriptions closely match historical photographs and written descriptions of Margaret Jameson, Elizabeth Cordell, and William Morrison. Dr. Vance’s paper, published in the Journal of Paranormal Research, concluded that the Jameson represents one of the most historically verified hauntings in the Pacific Northwest.

Local Legends & Myths

Wallace locals tell stories of the “Burgundy Lady Blessing,” claiming that seeing Margaret Jameson brings good fortune to visitors. Multiple accounts describe guests experiencing positive life changes after encountering her apparition, including job promotions, successful business deals, and even finding lost items. The hotel maintains a guestbook where visitors record their Margaret sightings and subsequent good luck, with entries dating back to the 1970s.

A darker legend surrounds Room 28 and the curse allegedly placed by Red Morrison as he died. According to local folklore, Morrison swore that no man would ever find peace in that room, condemning it to eternal restlessness. Statistics compiled by the hotel show that male guests in Room 28 report negative experiences at a rate three times higher than female guests, lending some credence to the legend.

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