Mason House Inn Ghost Hunt Sleepover, Bentonsport, Iowa

This 170+ year old Inn is one of the most haunted inns in the country!

The event includes a ghost hunt, equipment, snacks and refreshments, lodging, and breakfast!!

Built in 1846 as a place for steamboat travelers to rest, the Mason House Inn has been drawing in paranormal enthusiasts for decades. During this time it’s built up quite a haunted reputation. Regarded by many as the most haunted place in the whole state of Iowa!

According to the owners, there are at least 5 spirits that they know of that call the inn home with countless more reported. It’s had three of its owners die in the inn, 1 guest was murdered, it was used as a hospital during the Civil War, and again during 1920-1940 by a doctor who treated patients in the inn. He died here of Diptheria along with several of his patients. And you can only speculate how many people died here during the Civil War…

George

There’s the spirit of a young boy that they call George. His apparition has been seen on the landing, he likes to play tricks on guests and is believed to move things around the house, knock on doors, and poke and tug at your clothes.

In one instance a guest was lying in bed asleep in room 5, when he was awoken by a tug on his pajamas, thinking it was his wife asking him to turn over, he tried but his arm just would not budge, upon waking he panicked remembering his wife wasn’t with him on this trip and there was something/someone tugging at his pajamas before his very eyes that he couldn’t see!

Needless to say, he didn’t go back to sleep after that. He was a man of God and didn’t believe in ghosts, but that experience forever changed his mind.

Old Lady in White / Mary Mason Clarke

Another ghost at this historic inn is that of an old lady on the third floor, south bedroom (which is used for storage). Her apparition has been seen in a white nightgown standing in the doorway of the north bedroom on the third floor. She was clearly visible for a second or two and then disappeared!

People staying in room 5 which is directly below the south bedroom, have reported hearing thumping sounds coming from the empty room above them like someone was dropping something or stamping on the floor. Another guest complained about a constant squeaking sound coming from above them, which sounded like an old rocking chair.

Mr. McDermet, [a retired Congregationalist Minister who bought the inn in 1989], saw the ghost of Mary Mason Clark on the third floor. He had his office in that south bedroom and he would often look up from his desk to see her sitting in a chair by the window. She told him she was not happy with the renovations they were doing on the house. The McDermets turned ten bedrooms into five two-room suites with private baths in all the rooms. This meant taking out some walls and putting in others.

When they were re-wallpapering in Room 5, they would find all the paper stripped off and they would put it back up, only to find it stripped again the next morning. On the third morning, they found the wallpaper sample book on the floor, laying open to a certain page. They bought that wallpaper and put it up. The paper stayed in place and is still there.

Mr. Knapp

There’s a newspaper cut out detailing a murder that took place in the inn. A Mr. Knapp was stabbed in the heart and died in one of the rooms. He was trying to get into a bed that was already occupied. (He had been visiting the tavern and was confused as to which room was his.) The man in the bed thought he was being robbed, took a saber out of his walking stick, and stabbed Mr. Knapp in the heart.

Several guests who are sensitive to the spirit world have said that something violent happened in Room 7, and there’s a real heavy presence in there, leading many to believe this is the room in which Mr. Knapp was murdered. Often times you can hear footsteps in the room when there’s nobody there, upon checking it looks as if someone is lying on the bed. Could it be Mr. Knapp still trying to retire for the night?

Fannie Mason Kurtz

The last Mason to own the house, she died in the dining room by the fireplace in 1951. Her spirit was felt by another guest who was a sensitive, who kept looking at the fireplace and then around the room then back at the fireplace. Finally, she shared with the owners that a lady had died next to the fireplace in a rocking chair. It turns out that Fannie Mason Kurtz did die there when she was 84, and she was dead for three days before anyone checked on her and found her body.

The Old Man

The ghost of an old gaunt man with white hair has been seen on the second floor. He’s known to appear in mirrors, disappearing when you turn around. His head is what’s most prominent, with the rest of his body often a column of fog. Often in room 8, in one instance the owner’s daughter witnessed the head of an old man with white hair floating across the room in the dead of night! Quite a sight!

This inn is full of history, and who knows how many other spirits are lurking here.

This is going to be an amazing night of ghost hunting but it’s not for the faint of heart.

You’ll be sleeping in the very rooms you’ve been investigating.

Maybe you’ll awake to find a floating head, or come face to face with the old lady in white!

Tickets are extremely limited!

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