Haunted hotel guide · Buffalo, Wyoming
The Haunted Mansion House Inn, Buffalo: Knocking Doors in Dr. Lott's Victorian House
A frontier doctor built this Queen Anne house for his bride, and she kept it going by taking in boarders. More than a century later it still takes in travelers, and some of them say the doors have a mind of their own.
The Mansion House Inn is a white Victorian house on Main Street in Buffalo, a short walk up from the famous Occidental Hotel. The original house has a motel wing beside it, and the property is listed under several names, including the Historic Mansion House Inn and the Mansion House Motel. It is a small, inexpensive and little-known stop among the haunted hotels in Wyoming.
Its ghost stories are simple and persistent: doors that slam, keys that turn in locks, and loud knocking on room doors with nobody outside. Those come from guest accounts gathered for our earlier guide. A local history feature on the inn adds that guests and staff tell consistent stories of a blonde girl and of unusual smells. None of this has been investigated in print, so treat it as guest lore. Here is what is known about the house and the doctor who built it.
Mansion House Inn at a glance
Haunted Rooms Score
- Address 313 N Main St, Buffalo, WY 82834
- Built 1903 for Dr. Howard Lott, according to the inn; Buffalo’s historic places guide says 1906
- Most haunted spots The guest rooms in the original Victorian house
- Best-known ghosts A blonde girl and unusual smells; slamming doors, turning keys and knocking on doors
- Booking the haunted room There is no named haunted room. Ask for a room in the original house, not the motel wing.
- Good to know Budget friendly. Individually decorated Victorian rooms with private baths in the old house, 11 motel rooms beside it, and a hot breakfast served in the historic inn. Phone (307) 684-2218.
The ghosts of the Mansion House Inn
Doors that slam on their own
The most common report is doors slamming shut by themselves, in rooms and hallways where nobody is moving. In an old house a draft is the obvious explanation, but guests have reported it often enough for the story to stick.
Keys turning in the locks
Guests have also described keys being turned in their door locks by unseen hands. It is the story people remember most, because it is hard to explain away.
Knocking with nobody there
The strongest reports are of aggressive knocking or pounding on guest room doors. When the guest opens the door, the hall is empty. It has happened often enough to become the house’s signature story.
The blonde girl
A one-page history of the inn, written while the Schuman family owned it, says guests and staff consistently describe a blonde girl ghost and unusual smells in the house. It gives no name, no room and no story behind her, and we found no record of a child dying here. She is the only figure anyone has described, which makes her the closest thing the Mansion House has to a resident ghost.
Who could it be?
No one has put a name to the activity. The house’s history offers a few candidates: Dr. Howard Lott, the doctor who built it, his wife Ella, who outlived him and kept the house going, or one of the railroad families, teachers and bachelors who boarded here. That is speculation, not a documented story, but it makes the history worth knowing.
The most haunted rooms and places to look
- Rooms in the original house: Where the door and key stories come from; Victorian decor and the most atmosphere.
- The upstairs hallway: Listen for knocking and footsteps late at night.
- The motel wing: Comfortable and practical, but outside the old house where the stories are set.
History of The Mansion House Inn
Dr. Howard Lott came to Buffalo in 1879 as a physician at Fort McKinney, the Army post near town, and became one of the first doctors to settle there. The inn describes him as a retired Army surgeon.
He built this house for his family and his medical practice. The inn and its sale listings give the date as 1903 and the cost as about $5,000; Buffalo’s historic places guide says 1906. It is a two-and-a-half-story Queen Anne house with hand-carved oak mantels, original leaded glass windows and an oak staircase.
Dr. Lott died in 1913, leaving his wife Ella with little but the big house. She made a living by taking in boarders: railroad families, local teachers and bachelors, who came for her home cooking. When the town schoolhouse burned, she even made room for classes. After Mrs. Lott died, a local buyer opened the house as an inn in the mid-1940s, and Buffalo’s historic places guide notes that it has been taking in travelers ever since.
A motel wing with 11 rooms was later added beside the house. Paul and Lara Schuman and Mary Lett bought the property in 2018. Today the old house offers Victorian-style rooms with private bathrooms, and it sits within walking distance of the Occidental Hotel and the rest of Buffalo’s historic Main Street.
Tips for a haunted stay
- Ask for a room in the original house when you book, and confirm it at check-in.
- Walk down Main Street to the Occidental’s saloon for the evening, then come back to the house when it is quiet.
- Keep a note of the time if you hear knocking, and check the hallway straight away.
- Buffalo is right off I-25 and I-90, so the inn makes an easy, inexpensive overnight on a road trip.
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.
- Old St. James Hospital Ghost Hunt, Butte, Montana: the nearest Haunted Rooms investigation with dates on sale
- Fairweather Inn Ghost Hunt & Sleepover, Virginia City, Montana: an overnight ghost hunt in an 1860s gold rush hotel
More haunted hotels nearby
- The Occidental Hotel, Buffalo: Emily and the Bordello Suite, down the street
- The Sheridan Inn: Miss Kate’s room, 35 miles north
- Hotel Higgins, Glenrock: Edith and Josephine, south on I-25
- Haunted hotels in Wyoming
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 Mansion House Inn in Buffalo haunted?
Guests have reported doors slamming on their own, keys turning in locks and loud knocking on doors with nobody outside, and a local history of the inn mentions a blonde girl and unusual smells. There is no named ghost and nothing documented behind it, so treat it as guest lore.
Who built the Mansion House in Buffalo?
Dr. Howard Lott, a physician who came to Fort McKinney in 1879, built it as his family home and medical practice. After he died in 1913 his wife Ella ran it as a boarding house.
When was the Mansion House Inn built?
The inn says 1903. Buffalo’s historic places guide gives 1906.
How long has the Mansion House been an inn?
Since the mid-1940s, when a local buyer opened it to travelers after Mrs. Lott’s death. Before that it had been a boarding house for decades.
Is the Mansion House Inn near the Occidental Hotel?
Yes. Both are on Main Street in Buffalo, a short walk apart, so you can visit the Occidental’s saloon and sleep at the Mansion House.
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.
- Buffalo, Wyoming: Historic places
- The Mansion House Inn (official site)
- OldHouses.com: 1903 Queen Anne Victorian, Mansion House Inn listing
- History and Hauntings of Mansion House Inn (Scribd)
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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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