Shenanigan's/Shoreham Hotel

Allegedly one of the most paranormally active buildings in Ocean City, this boardwalk location has a triad of ghastly specters connected to its long history of entertaining beach visitors.

The Shoreham Hotel stands as one of Ocean City's oldest surviving hotel buildings, a boardwalk landmark that has witnessed over a century of seaside hospitality since opening on April 15, 1923. Built by Josephine Hastings, a prolific hotelier who had previously constructed the New Avalon Hotel (1903) and Hastings Hotel (1916), the Shoreham was originally designed with forty rooms featuring private baths, marketed as "Ocean City's most up-to-date hotel." Dr. Horace O. Cropper and his wife Amanda purchased the property in 1926, expanding it over the following years. Amanda was the granddaughter of Isaac Coffin, who in 1869 opened the first lodging establishment in what would become Ocean City, giving the hotel deep roots in the town's founding families.

But it is not the hotel's distinguished history that draws paranormal investigators and ghost tour groups. The Shoreham is one of only two locations on Maryland's Eastern Shore to have achieved the "Haunted Trifecta" - a murder, a suicide, and an accidental death all within the same building - creating what researchers believe is an unusually concentrated nexus of supernatural activity.

The oldest spirit is said to be a writer who took his own life at the hotel during the 1930s. Details about this individual have been lost to time, though his presence is still felt throughout the upper floors where guests have reported unexplained disturbances and an overwhelming sense of melancholy in certain rooms.

The most violent death occurred in the late 1970s when the basement housed the Sazarac Pub, a bar operated by the Janulewicz brothers from 1969 to 1979. According to local accounts, a man was killed by a Navy SEAL in the basement during a violent altercation. Today, this basement space - now used for storage - generates the most intense paranormal activity. Employees are reportedly terrified to enter. Boxes inexplicably launch themselves off shelves. Lights flicker on and off independently of the electrical system. Many who venture below describe sudden rushes of cold air even when all doors remain sealed. The spirit here is described as "very mischievous - if not angry," perhaps the most malevolent presence in all of Ocean City. A paranormal investigative team from Pittsburgh once conducted an examination of the basement, and according to tour founder Mindie Burgoyne, "The team leader deliberately locked himself in the basement that night. He ended up panicking, screaming and begging to be let out."

The third ghost is Betsey, a woman who jumped to her death from a third-floor window in the summer of 1983. Her spirit is most strongly associated with Seasonal Room 6, which exhibits phenomena that defies explanation. Staff members report that this room always appears immaculately clean, even after guests depart - housekeeping never needs to perform deep cleaning because the room mysteriously maintains itself in pristine condition. Guests who stay in Room 6 consistently complain about electrical disturbances: air conditioners switching on and off, lights flickering, televisions changing channels or powering down unexpectedly. Management has repeatedly investigated these issues and found no electrical problems.

A paranormal group from Pennsylvania conducted a formal investigation of the Shoreham and documented significant evidence of supernatural activity in both the basement and Seasonal Room 6. Their findings confirmed what staff and guests had reported for decades: the Shoreham is a hub for paranormal activity.

Today, the hotel operates alongside Shenanigan's Irish Pub and Seafood House, which opened in 1989 after the Sazarac and several other establishments (including Surf & Suds, Mugsy's Speakeasy, and McGee's) came and went. The Shoreham remains a featured stop on the Ocean City Ghost Walk, a 1.5-mile tour through the historic district operated by Chesapeake Ghost Tours. As travel writer Mindie Burgoyne, who has authored "Haunted Ocean City and Berlin" and founded the ghost walks, explains: of all the towns she covers, Ocean City is home to her favorite spooky stories - and the Shoreham Hotel sits at the dark heart of those tales.