Haunted hotel guide · Key West, Florida
The Haunted Chelsea House, Key West
A wife who said her husband went back to Cuba, a deathbed confession, and a front porch nobody has ever dug up.
The Chelsea House sits on Truman Avenue in Old Town Key West, a few minutes’ walk from Duval Street. It is made up of two Queen Anne style houses, the George L. Lowe house of 1891 and the Peter H. Hanlon house of 1905, with a pool and gardens behind. For years it was a separate inn run by Historic Key West Inns. It is now part of Winslow’s Bungalows, a larger Old Town property that still lists the Chelsea House name.
Its ghost story is one of the darkest in Key West. Local legend says the man of the house vanished, his wife claimed he had gone back to Cuba, and years later, on her deathbed, she confessed that she had killed him and buried him under the front porch. No body has been found and no record backs the tale, but guests still report a man’s figure and the smell of smoke, especially in Room 018.
Chelsea House at a glance
Haunted Rooms Score
- Address 709 Truman Avenue, Key West, FL 33040, now part of Winslow’s Bungalows
- Built 1891 and 1905, two Queen Anne style houses
- Most haunted spots Room 018 and the front porch
- Best-known ghosts A man said to have been murdered by his wife
- Booking the haunted room Book Winslow’s Bungalows and ask whether Room 018 in the Chelsea House is available.
- Good to know Heated pools, gardens and breakfast; check current pet and fee policies with Winslow’s Bungalows before you book.
The ghosts of the Chelsea House
The husband under the porch
The story, as Key West tellers give it, is that the couple who lived here were prosperous in the cigar trade. One day the husband simply disappeared. His wife told everyone he had gone back to Cuba, and nobody questioned it.
Years later, the legend says, she confessed on her deathbed that she had killed him and buried his body under the front porch. The body was never found. Older versions, including the earlier version of this page, name the family as the Delgados; the houses’ recorded builders were George L. Lowe and Peter H. Hanlon, so the name is best taken as part of the legend.
The man in Room 018
Guests say the murdered husband still walks the house. Many people believe he is the apparition of a man reported in guest rooms, and Room 018 is named most often as the place he appears.
Pipe and cigar smoke
The most common report is the smell of tobacco. Guests in Room 018 describe pipe or cigar smoke that drifts in when nobody is smoking and fades after a few moments. For a story built on the cigar trade, it is a fitting calling card.
The most haunted rooms and places to look
- Room 018: The room most linked to the smell of smoke and the man’s apparition. Ask the front desk whether it is still in use under the Winslow’s Bungalows setup.
- The front porch: Where the body is said to lie. Look, but no digging.
- The pool and gardens: A pleasant place to sit at night between the two old houses.
History of Chelsea House Pool & Gardens
The Chelsea House is two Old Town homes from Key West’s Victorian era: the George L. Lowe house, built in 1891, and the Peter H. Hanlon house, built in 1905, both in the Queen Anne style.
The houses were converted into an inn and became part of the Historic Key West Inns group, which turned several old single-family homes in Old Town into guest houses. The Chelsea House was renovated in 2005 and became known for its heated pool, tropical gardens and poolside breakfast.
Today the Chelsea House name lives on within Winslow’s Bungalows, Key West Historic Inns, a property of around 85 rooms on Truman Avenue that also took in the former Key Lime Inn at 725 Truman. Travel listings still show the Chelsea House as an alternate name, but the setup and room numbering may have changed, so check before you count on Room 018.
Tips for a haunted stay
- Call before you book and ask whether the Chelsea House rooms, and Room 018, are available under the Winslow’s Bungalows name.
- Sit on the porch at dusk. It is the heart of the legend.
- Walk to the Hemingway Home and the lighthouse. Both are a few blocks away.
- Take a ghost walk. Key West ghost tours run nightly in Old Town.
- Browse our haunted hotels in Key West for more stays nearby.
More haunted hotels nearby
- Marrero's Guest Mansion, Key West: Enriquetta’s vow and Key West’s best-known haunted inn
- The Biltmore Hotel, Coral Gables: Miami’s most haunted hotel, on the way to or from the Keys
- Haunted places in Miami: for a night on the mainland
- Haunted hotels in Florida
- Haunted hotels in Key West
Stayed in one of these hotels? Tell us what happened
We collect first-hand accounts from guests and add the best ones to our guides, with your first name and the date of your stay. We read every story before it’s published.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Chelsea House in Key West haunted?
It has a well-known local legend. Guests report a man’s apparition and the smell of pipe or cigar smoke, most often in Room 018. The story behind it, a husband murdered and buried under the porch, has never been backed by records.
What is the Chelsea House ghost story?
Legend says the husband disappeared, his wife claimed he had gone back to Cuba, and on her deathbed she confessed she had killed him and buried him under the front porch. No body has been found.
Which room is haunted at the Chelsea House?
Room 018 is named most often, for the smell of smoke and sightings of a man.
Is the Chelsea House still open?
The Chelsea House is now part of Winslow’s Bungalows, Key West Historic Inns, on Truman Avenue. Book through Winslow’s Bungalows and confirm which building your room is in.
How old is the Chelsea House?
It is made up of two Queen Anne style houses, built in 1891 and 1905.
Sources
Facts on this page are checked against the hotel’s own website, historic records and news coverage. Ghost stories are reported as guests, staff and local historians tell them. Read how we rate haunted hotels.
- Roadtrippers: Ghost Guide to Key West
- Oyster: Chelsea House Hotel, Key West
- Tripadvisor: Winslow's Bungalows, Key West Historic Inns
- Hotel Scoop: Winslow's Bungalows, formerly Chelsea House
- Michelin Guide: Winslow's Bungalows
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About the authors
The Haunted Rooms Team runs public ghost hunts and overnight investigations at historic venues across the United States. We research every hotel in our guides using hotel histories, local archives, news coverage and the accounts of guests and staff, and we review each guide regularly so you are not booking a hotel that has closed or changed its name. Spotted something out of date? Let us know.
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