Captain Grant's 1754 Inn

Built in 1754, this historic inn sheltered both soldiers and escaped slaves throughout its history. The property has been featured on paranormal television shows including "28 Days Haunted" and "Psychic Kids."

In 1754, Captain William Grant built this stately home in Poquetanuck Village for his wife Mercy Adelaide and their children, never imagining it would become Connecticut's most haunted inn. The captain's fate was sealed at sea, leaving Mercy Adelaide to wait in vain for his return. She lived into her eighties, never abandoning hope, and when death finally came, her spirit refused to leave. Today, guests report seeing her apparition in Colonial-era clothing, often accompanied by two ghostly children, standing at the foot of beds in the room that bears her name.

The Adelaide Room has become the epicenter of paranormal activity. Shower curtains have been forcibly pulled down so many times that owners have resorted to gluing and nailing them to the rod—to no avail. Televisions switch on and off without explanation. Guests have awakened to the sensation of invisible hands caressing their faces. One visitor reported waking at 2 AM to find a woman in 18th-century dress holding hands with two small children, staring silently from beside the bed.

But Adelaide is not alone. The property sits adjacent to Old Poquetanuck Cemetery, one of the oldest burial grounds in the region, with graves dating to the 1700s. Among those interred is Deborah Adams, a young girl whose spirit startled an inn employee by walking directly through her—an encounter that converted a skeptic into a firm believer. Investigators have documented EVP recordings capturing a young girl's voice, presumably Deborah's. A four-year-old boy named John Mason, who died in 1865, has also made contact during paranormal sessions, allegedly responding to questions directed at him.

The inn's history runs deep with tragedy and service. During the Revolutionary War, Continental Army soldiers were garrisoned within these walls. During the Civil War, it served as a stop on the Underground Railroad, sheltering escaped slaves seeking freedom. Owner Carol Matsumoto, who purchased and renovated the dilapidated property in the mid-1990s, claims to have catalogued over 300 spirits connected to the inn. She documented her experiences in "The Ghosts of Captain Grant's Inn," describing twelve primary spirits who communicate through dowsing rods and crystals.

The paranormal reputation has attracted major television productions. Netflix's "28 Days Haunted" (2022) featured investigators Sean Austin and Aaron Thompson living in the inn for 28 days straight, following theories developed by Ed and Lorraine Warren. Thompson later admitted he "truly questioned if he'd ever leave the house alive." The investigators captured what they called "some of the best EVP" they had ever recorded, along with significant spirit box communications. Travel Channel's "Portals to Hell" with Jack Osbourne and Katrina Weidman documented an unprecedented experiment in which Matsumoto appeared to channel multiple entities, leaving the investigators "speechless." The inn also appeared on A&E's "Psychic Kids: Children of the Paranormal" in 2010.

Phenomena extend beyond the Adelaide Room. Phantom footsteps echo from the attic. Doors open and close on their own. Objects vanish and reappear in impossible locations. Loud bangs reverberate through empty hallways. Children's laughter rings out around 4 AM—the documented peak hour for activity. During one investigation, when researchers asked about Captain Grant's ship, two distinct thuds followed by footsteps emanated from the second floor, though no one was present.

The current owners describe their spectral residents as "protective" spirits who have never caused harm. The inn has been featured in Yankee Magazine, listed as a haunted destination by CNN and USA Today, and was designated a contributing building to the Poquetanuck Village Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. For those brave enough to stay, the Adelaide Room awaits—though guests should know that the shower curtain has a tendency to fall, the television may have a mind of its own, and they might not be sleeping alone.