The Chalfonte Hotel

The oldest operating hotel in Cape May, the Chalfonte has been welcoming guests since 1876. The sprawling Victorian structure maintains its historic character with minimal modern updates, creating an authentic 19th-century atmosphere.

The Chalfonte Hotel stands as Cape May's oldest continuously operating hotel, a sprawling Victorian landmark built in 1876 by Civil War hero Colonel Henry Washington Sawyer. The colonel's dramatic history includes being captured at the Battle of Brandy Station in 1863 and imprisoned at the infamous Libby Prison in Richmond, where he was selected for execution in a "Lottery of Death." After President Lincoln negotiated a prisoner exchange involving the son of General Robert E. Lee, Sawyer returned to Cape May and built the boarding house that would become the Chalfonte.

The hotel's most famous ghost story begins with a heroic act. On the morning of November 9, 1878, Sawyer climbed to the belvedere cupola as was his daily habit. From this perch, he spotted smoke pouring from the Ocean House on Washington Street and rang the fire alarm. The blaze would consume 35 acres of Cape May in what became the city's most devastating fire, but Sawyer's early warning saved countless lives. Old habits die hard, even for the dead—visitors on the street below the hotel still report the unmistakable sensation of being watched from above, as if the colonel continues his morning vigil.

The basement harbors the spirit of Mr. Johnson, a former custodian who worked at the hotel for many years. Staff and guests report encountering his apparition going about his maintenance duties as if still employed. Mr. Johnson appears dedicated to his work in death as he was in life, described as a gentle presence who seems unaware that his employment ended long ago. His figure has been spotted multiple times, carefully attending to the building he loved.

The cupola—the same vantage point from which Sawyer spotted the 1878 fire—has a more sorrowful haunting. The apparition of a woman clutching a baby has been seen gazing out at the sea from this tower perch. Her identity remains unknown, though some speculate a connection to Rose Satterfield, who purchased the hotel in 1911 after fleeing Richmond following the drowning death of her daughter in the James River.

Paranormal investigator and author Craig McManus, considered the premier ghost hunter in Cape May, has documented extensive activity at the Chalfonte. During his research for "The Ghosts of Cape May," McManus captured EVP recordings in the hotel's hallways that he described as "both plentiful and colorful." One hostile entity recorded the message "mad as hell" directed at investigators, demonstrating that not all spirits at the Chalfonte are as peaceful as Mr. Johnson.

Guest experiences at the Chalfonte have earned the hotel a reputation for restless nights. Visitors report waking in unexpected places within their rooms, being shaken awake by unseen hands, and hearing footsteps in empty corridors. One documented account describes a couple who entered a side room during the off-season when the hotel was otherwise empty; they heard the distinct sound of someone sitting down on a wicker sofa despite no one being present.

The Satterfields, who owned the Chalfonte from 1911 to 1978, transformed it into a retreat of Southern hospitality, importing staff from Virginia and North Carolina. Clementine Young served as head chambermaid for 60 years, and her daughter Helen Dickerson ran the kitchen for over 40 years. The hotel became a place where families returned for generations, creating deep emotional attachments that may explain why some choose never to leave. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated a National Historic Landmark, the Chalfonte continues welcoming guests—both living and dead—to America's first seaside resort.