About This Location
The Oliver House is the oldest building in downtown Toledo, originally opened as a hotel by William Oliver in 1859. Renowned American architect Isaiah Rogers designed the elegant structure. During the Spanish-American War, the building served as a medical center for wounded soldiers. The basement contains a bricked-over archway - the entrance to a tunnel once used to transport escaped slaves to boats on the Maumee River bound for Canada. Today, the building houses the Maumee Bay Brewing Company.
The Ghost Story
Multiple spirits haunt the Oliver House. The most frequently seen is "The Captain," a soldier in full military uniform who appears throughout the building, believed to be from the Spanish-American War era when wounded men were treated here. Staff describe him as a benign, jovial spirit who seems pleased with renovations to his former hospital. A woman in a white dress also appears to guests and diners. Perhaps most significant is the discovery of a Native American burial ground beneath the property - when renovations disturbed a warrior chief's grave, a tribe from the west was brought to perform a reburial ceremony. A protective female spirit guards the restaurant area, while a murdered servant woman and the ghosts of children running through the banquet room have also been reported. The smell of cigar smoke drifts through rooms where no one is smoking.
