Lafayette Hotel

The Lafayette Hotel overlooks the confluence of the Muskingum and Ohio Rivers in downtown Marietta, Ohio's oldest permanent settlement. Originally established as the Bellevue Hotel in 1892, the building was destroyed by fire on April 26, 1916, and rebuilt two years later. The new structure was named the Lafayette Hotel in honor of the Marquis de Lafayette, the French hero of the American Revolution who visited Marietta in 1825 during his farewell tour of the United States. The hotel features 77 rooms with vintage decor, original artifacts including the call bell system once used by guests to communicate with staff, and the Gun Room, a family-style dining hall displaying a collection of handcrafted long rifles built between 1795 and 1880, along with steamboat instruments and World War II Navy pilot wheels.

In the early 1930s, the hotel was purchased by Reno G. Hoag and his son S. Durward Hoag, who demolished an adjacent mansion and built the Hoag addition with 30 additional rooms in 1936. The Hoag family lived primarily on the third floor and owned the hotel until S. Durward sold it in the early 1970s. He died within a decade of the sale, and according to local accounts, he never truly left. General Manager Sheila Rhodes, who served in the role for over 25 years, noted that while she personally had not experienced paranormal activity, many guests and staff believe "it's Mr. Hoag still kind of watching over his hotel and making sure things are as they should be."

The third floor, where the Hoag family once lived, is considered the most actively haunted area of the hotel. Guests have reported waking to see a well-dressed man standing at the foot of their bed before he fades away. In one account, a guest recognized a figure watching from a third-floor window as S. Durward Hoag. An apparition described as a woman in a white dress accompanied by a tall man in a brown suit has been observed strolling through the third-floor hallway, only to vanish when they reach the corner. Housekeeping staff witnessed so many apparitions reflected in a hallway mirror on the third floor that the mirror had to be relocated due to employee discomfort.

The Gun Room restaurant is associated with the ghost of Reno G. Hoag, who is said to have frequented the dining room during his lifetime. Witnesses have reported seeing his apparition seated in the restaurant. Throughout the hotel, guests have described suitcases found turned upside down in their rooms, a sandwich that disappeared overnight only to reappear on the coffee table the next morning, door handles rattling at night, and doors closing despite being left ajar. Elevators have been reported operating independently, traveling to the sixth floor with no one inside.

In the basement, a spirit identified as Thomas, believed to be a young boy, is said to lock doors and turn off lights in the women's restroom. A figure known as the Lady in White, described as wearing Victorian-style clothing with a white sash, has been observed moving through the restaurant and bar areas as though pacing between rooms. A guest conducting a paranormal investigation captured electronic voice phenomena that sounded like a phrase repeated twice, after which he discontinued the session. Sudden temperature drops have been reported by guests in their rooms and in the shower.

Each year, Hidden Marietta hosts a paranormal expo at the Lafayette Hotel culminating in a "Lights-Out Lockdown" where ghost hunters investigate the building using equipment. The hotel also offers public and private historic tours through Hidden Marietta. Rhodes has emphasized that the reported experiences are "innocent or funny" rather than frightening, and the hotel continues to welcome both ordinary guests and paranormal investigators at 101 Front Street.