Haunted hotel guide · Bedford, Pennsylvania

The Haunted Omni Bedford Springs Resort: Buchanan's Summer White House and Its Ghosts

A mineral springs resort in the Allegheny foothills that hosted 11 presidents, trained Navy radio operators and held Japanese diplomats in World War II. Omni says it has ghosts, and it runs a tour to prove it.

By The Haunted Rooms Team · Updated November 2026 · How we rate hotels

3.5/5Haunted Rooms Score
1806Stone House built
216Guest rooms

Check availabilityMeet the ghosts

Omni Bedford Springs Resort sits in a valley just south of Bedford, about two hours east of Pittsburgh, around the mineral springs that drew visitors here from the 1790s. Its long white wings and tiers of verandas are among the grandest resort buildings in Pennsylvania, and the hotel, golf course and springs together form a National Historic Landmark district.

Unusually for a resort of this size, the hotel is open about its ghosts. Omni’s own blog lists Bedford Springs among its haunted hotels, mentioning soldiers and small children who appear in guests’ vacation photos and a figure staff have seen typing in the reservations office. The resort also runs an after-dark Haunted History Tour. That makes it one of the easiest places in the state to combine a luxury stay with a ghost story, and a strong pick among the haunted hotels in Pennsylvania.

Omni Bedford Springs at a glance

3.5/5
Haunted Rooms Score
Haunted reputation3
History5
Ghost hunter access3
$$$ · Over $300Ghost tours or eventsHotel embraces its ghostsPet friendly
  • Address 2138 Business 220, Bedford, PA 15522, just south of the town of Bedford, close to the Pennsylvania Turnpike
  • Opened As a springs resort in 1806; the oldest surviving building, the Stone House, dates from that year
  • Most haunted spots The historic hotel wings, guest-room showers, the indoor pool and the reservations office
  • Best-known ghosts Soldiers and small children in guests’ photos, a young girl’s voice, and an unseen typist
  • Booking the haunted room No single room is singled out, so book any room in the historic wings and join the Haunted History Tour.
  • Good to know 216 rooms, a spa, golf course and indoor pool. The resort is pet friendly; check the current pet policy. Ask at the front desk for tour times, which change by season.

Check availability

The ghosts of Omni Bedford Springs Resort

Soldiers and children in the photos

The resort’s best-known ghost story comes straight from Omni. Its blog says many travelers have found the spirits of soldiers and small children appearing in their vacation pictures. Bedford Springs has had a military side to its history, from the presidents and generals who stayed here to the thousands of Navy sailors who trained on site in World War II, so it is easy to see why people connect the figures to the past.

The typist in the reservations office

Employees say they have seen a ghost sitting in a cubicle in the reservations office, typing heavily at a computer keyboard. It is one of the odder hotel ghost stories in the state, and Omni tells it itself.

A young girl's voice and the pool

Guests interviewed by the Tribune-Democrat in 2017 said a young girl’s voice sometimes echoes through different parts of the resort. The resort’s director of sales and marketing told the paper that people relaxing at the indoor pool sometimes hear a voice when nobody is there. He said he was not a believer himself but found the accounts fascinating, and he linked them to the springs that have drawn visitors for centuries.

The showers and the feeling of a presence

Other guests describe something less dramatic: the feeling that someone else is in the room, and odd behavior from the showers in their rooms. These are the kind of stories you hear at the bar on a Saturday night, which, according to the resort, is exactly when curiosity about the ghosts runs highest.

The most haunted rooms and places to look

  • The historic wings: The 19th century hotel buildings with their tiered verandas. Most of the guest stories come from rooms here.
  • The indoor pool: Spring-fed and added in 1905, said to be one of the first indoor pools at an American resort. Guests report hearing a voice here with nobody around.
  • The Stone House: The 1806 building from the resort’s first years, now a tavern. It is the oldest part of the property.
  • The Barclay House: Built in 1924 and used in 1945 to hold Japanese diplomats, including General Hiroshi Oshima.
  • The reservations office: Not a guest space, but the setting for the resort’s typing ghost.

History of Omni Bedford Springs Resort

In 1796 Dr. John Anderson bought land south of Bedford that held a group of mineral springs. Local legend says Native Americans had long used the waters for healing. Anderson built simple bathing facilities for his patients, and by 1809 he had three permanent lodging buildings, including the limestone Stone House of 1806, which still stands. By 1824 a national magazine was calling the resort the “Montpelier of America”.

Presidents came for the waters, among them William Henry Harrison, James K. Polk and Zachary Taylor, and Omni counts 11 presidential visitors in all. James Buchanan came more than any other and used the resort as his Summer White House from 1857 to 1861. In August 1858 he received Queen Victoria’s message over the first transatlantic telegraph cable here, and replied from the hotel.

Railroad stops in the 1870s brought more visitors. A spring-fed indoor pool and a double-decked colonnade were added in 1905, and the golf course, first laid out in 1895, was redesigned by A.W. Tillinghast and then by Donald Ross in 1923. In the 1930s doctors prescribed the three-week “Bedford Cure”.

Weeks after Pearl Harbor, the Navy took over the resort as a radio operating school, and more than 6,000 sailors trained here before it closed in 1944. In 1945 the State Department used the hotel to hold high-ranking Japanese diplomats captured in Germany, most of them in the Barclay House, including Japan’s ambassador to Germany, General Hiroshi Oshima.

The resort was designated a National Historic Landmark district in 1984 but closed in 1986, and a flash flood in 1988 badly damaged several buildings. After years of decline it was bought by Bedford Resort Partners, restored, and reopened to overnight guests on July 12, 2007. Omni took over in January 2009, and today the resort has 216 rooms, a spa built around the springs and the restored Ross golf course.

Tips for a haunted stay

  • Book the resort’s Haunted History Tour, a guided after-dark walk through the ghost stories, and ask at the front desk for the season’s schedule.
  • Take the free self-guided history tour by day; its audio stops include Buchanan’s desk and the First Ladies Lounge.
  • Ask for a room in the historic wings rather than the newer parts of the resort.
  • Take a photo or two on the verandas after dark, given the resort’s stories about figures turning up in guests’ pictures.
  • Bring the dog if you like: the resort is pet friendly, but check the current pet rules when you book.
  • Pair your stay with a Haunted Rooms ghost hunt at the Grand Midway Hotel in Windber or the Cresson Sanatorium, both within an hour or so.

Want to investigate, not just sleep?

Sleeping in a haunted hotel is one thing. Investigating one after dark is another. On a Haunted Rooms ghost hunt our team takes you through the building with professional ghost hunting equipment, runs EVP sessions and lets you explore on your own during free roam.

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Frequently asked questions

Is the Omni Bedford Springs Resort haunted?

Omni itself says the resort has several ghosts. Guests report soldiers and children appearing in their photos, a young girl’s voice and voices at the pool, and staff describe a ghost typing in the reservations office. These are reported experiences rather than proven events.

Does Omni Bedford Springs have a ghost tour?

Yes. The resort runs a Haunted History Tour after dark, along with presidential history tours and a free self-guided history tour. Check times at the front desk, as the schedule changes by season.

Which president stayed at Bedford Springs?

James Buchanan used it as his Summer White House from 1857 to 1861. Omni counts 11 presidents who visited, including William Henry Harrison, James K. Polk and Zachary Taylor.

What happened at Bedford Springs during World War II?

The Navy ran a radio school there that trained more than 6,000 sailors, and in 1945 the State Department held Japanese diplomats captured in Germany at the hotel.

When did Omni Bedford Springs reopen?

The resort closed in 1986, reopened to overnight guests on July 12, 2007 after a long restoration, and has been run by Omni since January 2009.

Is Omni Bedford Springs pet friendly?

Yes. The resort is listed as pet friendly; check the current pet policy with the resort when you book.

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.

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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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