Haunted hotel guide · Atlanta, Indiana

The Haunted Roads Hotel, Atlanta, Indiana: Overnight Ghost Hunts in an 1893 Railroad Hotel

A Queen Anne railroad hotel in a tiny Hamilton County town, where three members of the family who ran it died under its roof. It no longer takes ordinary guests: you stay the night as a ghost hunter.

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

4.0/5Haunted Rooms Score
1893Built
No. 5USA Today 10Best haunted places, 2024

Visit hotel websiteMeet the ghosts

The Roads Hotel stands at 150 East Main Street in Atlanta, a small railroad town in Hamilton County just north of Noblesville. Built in 1893 as a layover hotel for rail passengers, it is a two-story Queen Anne frame building with tall double porches, and it has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1987.

It is also one of the most visited haunted hotels in Indiana. In 2024 USA Today readers voted it fifth among the best haunted places in the United States. It no longer runs as a normal hotel: instead you book a public or private overnight paranormal investigation, and the money goes toward preserving the building.

Roads Hotel at a glance

4.0/5
Haunted Rooms Score
Haunted reputation4
History3
Ghost hunter access5
$ · Under $150Haunted room bookableGhost tours or eventsHotel embraces its ghostsNo pets
  • Address 150 East Main Street, Atlanta, IN 46031
  • Built 1893, by Abraham Kauffman for Newton and Clara Roads; National Register 1987
  • Most haunted spots The doll room, the upstairs bedrooms and the staircase
  • Best-known ghosts Everett, Clara and Newton Roads, who died in the hotel; apparitions of men, women and children
  • Booking the haunted room Book a public or private overnight investigation through the hotel’s own website. Visits are by appointment only.
  • Good to know This is a paranormal venue, not a staffed hotel. Proceeds go to upkeep and restoration.

Visit hotel website

The ghosts of the Roads Hotel

Everett Roads

The saddest story in the house belongs to Everett, the son of Newton and Clara Roads. Fox 59 reported that he was diagnosed with tuberculosis at 19 and kept in isolation inside the hotel until he died.

Many visitors assume that some of the activity upstairs is Everett, still in the rooms where he spent his last months.

Clara and Newton

Clara Roads ran the hotel while her husband Newton traveled for work. The hotel’s own history says both of them died in the building, and that their funerals were held there too. In 2017 Fox 59 added a fourth name, Catherine, described as Everett’s stepmother; the hotel’s own page confirms three deaths, Clara, Newton and Everett.

With family funerals held in the house and a family who lived and died here, it is easy to see why people believe the Roads family never left.

The doll room

One upstairs room is filled with dozens of dolls, and it is the room visitors talk about most. Fox 59 called it the creepiest room in the hotel and said guests have captured unsettling EVP recordings there.

Men, women and children

Beyond the family, visitors report apparitions of men, women and children around the house. Lights switch on by themselves, doors open on their own, and people describe hearing footsteps and what sound like conversations between guests who are no longer there.

USA Today summed up the reports as disembodied voices, footsteps and flickering lights.

Gangsters and a speakeasy

Local stories say the hotel became a brothel and speakeasy after Atlanta’s natural gas boom faded, and Fox 59 repeated the claim that John Dillinger and Al Capone passed through as railroad travelers. The hotel itself only says the brothel and speakeasy years are alleged and does not mention the gangsters, and nobody has proved the famous guests, so treat both as legend.

The most haunted rooms and places to look

  • The doll room: The most talked-about room, where visitors say they have recorded voices.
  • The upstairs bedrooms: Where Everett is said to have spent his final illness, and where many apparitions are reported.
  • The staircase and halls: Where footsteps and doors opening on their own are reported.

History of Historic Roads Hotel

The hotel’s own history says Abraham Kauffman built it in 1893 for Newton and Clara Roads. Atlanta was a railroad layover town, and central Indiana was riding the natural gas boom, so a hotel by the tracks made sense. The National Register nomination calls the building a strong reminder of the sudden burst of prosperity central Indiana enjoyed in the late 1800s, and it is one of the most intact buildings from that period left in Atlanta.

It is a two-story Queen Anne frame building about 36 feet wide and 60 feet deep, with a two-story front porch, a cross gable, jigsaw braces and ornate porch turnings. Clara ran it while Newton traveled for work. When the gas boom faded, she had to find creative ways to keep the doors open.

The building worked as a hotel until the 1920s and was later divided into apartments. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 30, 1987.

Today the hotel is owned by Crystal Couch. Her brother Mike Couch is the main tour guide, helped by investigators who know the house well. All money from investigations, merchandise and donations goes toward upkeep and renovation. In 2017 Fox 59 reported tickets from $50; check the hotel’s site for current prices.

Tips for a haunted stay

  • Book a private investigation if you want the house to yourselves, or a public investigation if you are new to ghost hunting.
  • Use the contact form on the hotel’s website, email info@roadshotel.com or call or text (317) 832-7692, and check your spam folder for the reply.
  • Spend time in the doll room with an audio recorder running.
  • Remember it is a historic house, not a hotel. Bring what you need for a night of investigating.
  • Atlanta is a short drive north of Noblesville and Indianapolis, so it pairs well with other haunted places around the city.

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.

See all Indiana ghost hunts

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Frequently asked questions

Is the Roads Hotel haunted?

It is one of Indiana’s best-known haunted buildings. Visitors report apparitions of men, women and children, voices, footsteps, lights switching on and doors opening, and USA Today readers ranked it fifth among US haunted places in 2024.

Can you stay overnight at the Roads Hotel?

Yes, but only as a ghost hunter. It no longer operates as a regular hotel; you book a public or private overnight investigation through its website.

Who died at the Roads Hotel?

The hotel says Clara and Newton Roads and their son Everett died there. Fox 59 reported that Everett had tuberculosis and was isolated in the hotel until his death.

Did Al Capone and John Dillinger stay at the Roads Hotel?

That is a local rumor. Nobody has proved it.

Where is the Roads Hotel?

At 150 East Main Street in Atlanta, Indiana, a small town in Hamilton County just north of Noblesville.

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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