Haunted hotel guide · Marietta, Ohio
The Haunted Hackett Hotel, Marietta: Charlotte and The Galley
Five rooms above a busy restaurant in an 1899 brick block, and a ghost the staff downstairs have named Charlotte. Here is what is reported and what to know before you stay.
The Hackett Hotel occupies the upper floor of an 1899 brick building at Second Street and Tiber Way in historic downtown Marietta. Col. John H. Riley put it up, the building was renovated in the 1980s, and the space above The Galley restaurant opened as The Hackett, a five-room boutique hotel, in 2012. The Galley and the Adelphia Music Hall share the building.
Most of the ghost stories come from downstairs. Staff at The Galley describe bottles crashing to the floor, glasses flying off shelves and chairs scraping across empty rooms, so often that they decided one ghost must be responsible and named her Charlotte. Overnight guests upstairs have reported figures too. In 2024 TourismOhio included the Hackett on its Haunted Ohio list of 24 must-visit places, alongside the Lafayette Hotel a few blocks away.
The Hackett at a glance
Haunted Rooms Score
- Address 203 Second Street, Marietta, OH 45750
- Built 1899, by Col. John H. Riley; hotel opened 2012
- Most haunted spots The Galley restaurant and bar, and the upstairs guest rooms
- Best-known ghost A woman the staff call Charlotte
- Booking Book on the hotel’s website or call 740.374.8278. No room is sold as haunted
- Good to know No front desk: you get key instructions in advance. Rooms are up a flight of stairs, not ADA compliant, no pets
The ghosts of The Hackett Hotel
Charlotte
The Hackett’s ghost is known only by the name the staff gave her. According to the Marietta Times, activity in The Galley began after the restaurant opened in the 1980s and has carried on since. Staff describe bottles crashing to the floor, glasses flying off shelves and chairs screeching across empty rooms. There was so much of it that they came to believe a single ghost was responsible, and they called her Charlotte.
There is no historical woman linked to the name, and no story of how she might have died in the building. She is a nickname for a pattern of odd events, which is honest, and quite rare in haunted hotel lore.
Figures upstairs
The Marietta Times also reports that overnight guests at the Hackett have seen spectral figures. Details are scarce, and the hotel itself does not promote ghost stories on its website, so treat this as a light, occasional report rather than a famous haunting.
The most haunted rooms and places to look
- The Riley Suite: The largest room, 550 square feet with a king bed, named for Col. John H. Riley, who built the building.
- The Barker Room: Named for Col. Joseph Barker, the master builder behind many of Marietta’s finest early houses. About 320 square feet, with a queen bed and sofa bed.
- The Hildreth, Williams and Ward rooms: Named for physician Samuel P. Hildreth, frontier ranger Isaac Williams and mayor Nahum Ward. Each has a queen bed, and the Hildreth also has a sofa bed. They run from about 350 to 380 square feet.
- The Galley: The restaurant and bar downstairs, where nearly all the Charlotte stories come from. Have a drink there in the evening.
History of The Hackett Hotel
Col. John H. Riley (1842 to 1919), a lawyer and politician who moved to Marietta in 1882 and is also remembered as an oilman, built this brick block on Second Street at Tiber Way in 1899.
The building was renovated in the 1980s, when The Galley restaurant opened on the ground floor. In 2012 the floor above was renovated again and opened as The Hackett, a small hotel that mixes early 1900s decor with modern rooms.
Each of the five rooms is named for a figure from Marietta’s past: Riley himself; Joseph Barker, the builder; Samuel P. Hildreth, the physician and naturalist who pushed through Ohio’s first medical practice law; Isaac Williams, the frontier ranger who founded Williamstown across the river; and Nahum Ward, land speculator and mayor from 1833 to 1835.
The Galley and the Adelphia Music Hall share the 203 Second Street address, so the Hackett is lively on weekend nights.
Tips for a haunted stay
- Check-in is between 3 pm and 8 pm through a private entrance; tell the hotel in advance if you will arrive outside those hours.
- All rooms are up a flight of stairs and the hotel is not ADA compliant.
- Pets are not allowed.
- Book a weekday if you want quiet, since live music runs in the building on weekends.
- Stay for a late drink in The Galley, where the Charlotte stories come from, and walk to the Lafayette Hotel on Front Street for a second haunted hotel.
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.
- Mortuary Manor Ghost Hunt, Toledo: Investigate a former funeral home in Toledo with the Haunted Rooms team.
- Haunted Grand Midway Hotel Ghost Hunt and Sleepover, Windber, PA: Ghost hunt in a historic hotel, then stay the night.
More haunted hotels nearby
- The Lafayette Hotel, Marietta: A 1918 river hotel haunted by former owner Durward Hoag, a few blocks away
- The Blennerhassett Hotel, Parkersburg: A haunted 1889 hotel across the river in West Virginia
- Haunted places in West Virginia: More ghost stories just over the river
- Haunted hotels in Ohio
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 Hackett Hotel haunted?
Staff at The Galley restaurant downstairs report bottles crashing, glasses flying off shelves and chairs moving, and overnight guests have reported figures. TourismOhio included it on its 2024 Haunted Ohio list.
Who is Charlotte at the Hackett Hotel?
Charlotte is the name staff gave to the ghost they blame for the activity in The Galley. No historical person has been linked to her.
How many rooms does the Hackett Hotel have?
Five: the Riley Suite and the Barker, Hildreth, Williams and Ward rooms.
Does the Hackett Hotel allow pets?
No, pets are not permitted.
Is there an elevator at the Hackett Hotel?
No. Rooms are reached by stairs and the hotel is not recommended for guests who have difficulty with stairs.
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.
- The Hackett Hotel (official site)
- The Hackett Hotel: Accommodations
- The Hackett Hotel: Policies
- Marietta Times: Two Marietta hotels make Haunted Ohio must-visit list (2024)
- TourismOhio: Haunted Ohio 2024 (PDF)
- Wikipedia: List of mayors of Marietta, Ohio
- Marietta Main Street: The Adelphia Music Hall
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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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