Haunted hotel guide · Norfolk, Connecticut
Haunted Blackberry River Inn, Norfolk: Francis, the Lady in White
A colonial house begun in 1763 in the Litchfield Hills, where a calm Lady in White, said to be named Francis, is seen on the second floor.
The Blackberry River Inn sits on Route 44 outside Norfolk, in the quiet northwest corner of Connecticut. It is the Moseley House-Farm, a house begun in 1763, remodeled in the 1920s and run as an inn since around 1939. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Its ghost is a gentle one. Connecticut’s tourism office describes a peaceful, protective spirit known as the Lady in White, believed to be named Francis, often seen wandering the second floor, with guests and staff saying they feel calm around her. Add basement tunnels that local tradition links to the Underground Railroad, and it is a lovely place for a quiet haunted weekend. For the rest of the state, see our guide to haunted hotels in Connecticut.
Blackberry River Inn at a glance
Haunted Rooms Score
- Address 538 Greenwoods Road West, Norfolk, CT 06058
- Opened House begun 1763; an inn since about 1939
- Most haunted spots The second-floor hallways of the main house, the grounds behind it and the basement tunnels
- Best-known ghosts Francis, a calm Lady in White
- Booking the haunted room No room is named. Book a Main House suite or premium room to sleep in the 1763 building.
- Good to know Main House suites and rooms, 12 Carriage House rooms and a separate cottage; made-to-order breakfast is included.
The ghosts of Blackberry River Inn
Francis, the Lady in White
The inn’s ghost is a woman in white, said to be named Francis. She is seen mostly in the second-floor hallways of the main house, and one ghost listing adds that she has been seen walking toward an empty house at the back of the property.
Nobody knows who she was. Connecticut’s tourism office says locals have guessed she was a former resident, or a traveler who used the tunnels below the house long ago.
A sense of calm
What sets Francis apart is how people feel when they see her. She is not described as frightening; witnesses talk about a strong sense of calm, and the tourism office calls her peaceful and protective.
The basement tunnels
There are tunnels in the basement, and local tradition says the house was a stop on the Underground Railroad. That tradition has not been documented, and many New England houses carry similar stories. The tunnels are part of the inn’s lore, not proof of its history.
The most haunted rooms and places to look
- Main House Suites: Suites in the 1763 house, on the floors where Francis is said to walk.
- Main House Premium Rooms: Rooms in the historic main house, the best choice for the ghost story.
- Carriage House Deluxe Rooms: Twelve rooms in the building behind the main house, quieter and more modern.
- The Cottage: A free-standing house for families or groups.
History of Blackberry River Inn
The first parts of the house were built in 1763, when Norfolk was a frontier farming town in the hills. Over two centuries it became the Moseley House-Farm, a working farm known as Blackberry River Farm.
In the 1920s New York architect Alfredo S.G. Taylor, who summered in Norfolk and remodeled many of its houses, reworked it so thoroughly that little of its original appearance shows. His semi-elliptical arches are still part of the house. Its last farming owner, Seth H. Moseley, also owned the Collingwood Hotel in New York City (today the Hotel Metro); he died on December 7, 1938, and the farm ended in 1939.
After Moseley’s death Dorothea and James Schwarzhaupt bought the property and turned it into an inn. On July 19, 1971 they sold it to a local company that modernized it and added a pool, and the current owners bought it on June 21, 1993.
The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on February 17, 1984, as the Moseley House-Farm, with about 9 acres in Norfolk and 1 acre in North Canaan. Today it runs as a bed and breakfast with a made-to-order breakfast, served 8am to 10am, featuring Connecticut blueberries and local organic herbs.
Tips for a haunted stay
- Book a Main House room, not the Carriage House, to sleep in the 1763 building.
- Ask about the basement and the grounds behind the house; staff can tell you what is open to guests.
- Norfolk is beautiful in fall foliage season; book early for October.
- Dudleytown, the abandoned settlement in nearby Cornwall, is on private land closed to visitors, so read about it rather than trespass.
- Breakfast runs from 8am to 10am; tell the inn about dietary needs in advance.
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.
- Captain Grant's 1754 Inn Ghost Hunt and Sleepover, Preston, CT: Our Connecticut event: investigate 8PM to 2AM, then sleep in a named room.
- Mid-Orange Correctional Facility Ghost Hunt, Warwick, NY: A former prison in New York’s Hudson Valley.
- General Stanton Inn Ghost Hunt and Overnight VIP, Charlestown, RI: After-hours access to an inn dating to 1740, with rooms to sleep in.
More haunted hotels nearby
- 1754 House, Woodbury: Connecticut’s oldest inn and its Room 16
- Captain Grant's, 1754, Preston: Connecticut’s best-known haunted inn and a Haunted Rooms venue
- Dudleytown, Cornwall: the abandoned ‘village of the damned’ in the Litchfield Hills
- Haunted hotels in Connecticut
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 Blackberry River Inn haunted?
It has a gentle ghost story. Connecticut’s tourism office describes a peaceful Lady in White, said to be named Francis, seen on the second floor, who makes guests and staff feel calm.
Who is the ghost at the Blackberry River Inn?
She is known as Francis, the Lady in White. Her identity is unknown; locals guess she was a former resident or a traveler who used the basement tunnels.
Was the Blackberry River Inn on the Underground Railroad?
Local tradition says so, and there are tunnels in the basement, but the link has not been documented.
How old is the Blackberry River Inn?
The first parts of the house were built in 1763. It was a farm until 1939 and has been an inn since about then.
Where is the Blackberry River Inn?
At 538 Greenwoods Road West (Route 44) in Norfolk, in Connecticut’s Litchfield Hills.
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.
- Wikipedia: Blackberry River Inn
- Blackberry River Inn (official site)
- CTvisit: Haunted hotels
- CTvisit (Spanish): Hoteles embrujados
- FrightFind: Blackberry River Inn, Moseley House-Farm
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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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