Historic General Stanton Inn Ghost Hunt & Overnight VIP Experience, Charlestown, Rhode Island

Historic General Stanton Inn Ghost Hunt & Overnight Experience

Exclusive after-hours access to one of America’s oldest inns, where the General himself is said to still walk the second floor

Three Centuries of History

The story begins in 1667, when the Narragansett gifted Thomas Stanton a small colonial dwelling for rescuing a kidnapped Niantic princess from Block Island. In the 1690s he turned it into one of the first Native American schoolhouses in the colonies, and its original beams and beehive oven still stand today. By 1740 the property was receiving travellers on the road between New London and Boston, and it has never really stopped.

During the Revolution, Joseph Stanton III, a member of the Sons of Liberty, used the tavern as a covert meeting place for George Washington’s spies. In the 1840s the Stanton family sheltered escaping enslaved people as a stop on the Underground Railroad. Then came the inn’s lawless years: an illegal gambling house in the 1870s, a roulette table hidden in the ceiling that was lowered each evening and raised whenever the constable called, and a Prohibition-era speakeasy that entertained Al Capone, John Rockefeller and Diamond Jim Brady. Four presidents are known to have visited, from George Washington to George H.W. Bush.

General Joseph Stanton died inside the inn on December 15, 1821. He is buried in the family cemetery on the east lot of the property, a short walk from the rooms you will be investigating.

The Hauntings

The General is the most frequently reported presence, particularly on the second floor. Guests describe being tapped on the shoulder from behind, bartenders have watched doorknobs turn as they approached empty rooms, and housekeepers report cold breezes in the upstairs hallway on warm summer nights. One workman who ignored the tapping reportedly had an object thrown at him.

A young girl in an 18th-century white bonnet is seen peeking around corners and playing with the lights in guest bedrooms. She is believed to be a Stanton daughter who fell down the steep servants’ staircase and died in her second-floor bedroom.

In the Narragansett dining room, staff and guests have seen a white cat that does not exist, felt it brush against their ankles, and heard distant meows with no animal in sight. The Washington Room and Williamsburg Room are hotspots for physical contact. The inn was investigated by TAPS on Ghost Hunters in 2007, and the activity has continued through the inn’s recent restoration.

Your Investigation

With exclusive use of the entire property, our team will guide you through the colonial rooms, the second-floor hallways, the Prohibition Room, the 1667 schoolhouse and the dining rooms.

You will use professional equipment including EMF meters, spirit boxes and REM pods, and join EVP sessions run by our team, in small groups during the structured vigils, which run until around midnight. The final two hours are free roam: investigate wherever you choose, on your own or with a team member on hand, with the option to take part in Estes Method sessions.

Your Room

Overnight guests take part in the full investigation, then, once the general admission guests have gone home at 2AM, have the whole inn to themselves to carry on investigating for as long as they like before sleeping in the very rooms where the activity is reported. All room prices are per couple and include the full investigation and your room for the night.

Colonial Rooms (original 1667 to 1740 building)

These are the rooms the General knew. Low ceilings, exposed hand-hewn beams, original fireplaces and the 1740 staircase that leads to the second-floor hallway where most encounters are reported. No televisions, no refrigerators, nothing to break the spell. This is where you stay if you want the strongest chance of a personal experience.

• The General’s Quarters – $549. Second floor. The room said to have been General Joseph Stanton’s own bedroom. Full bed, sleeps 2.
• Colonial King – $499. Second floor. The largest room in the inn, with a traditional fireplace. King bed, sleeps 2.
• 1740 King – $479. First floor. One of the largest rooms in the inn, with its original stone fireplace. King bed, sleeps 2.
• Colonial Queen – $449. Room 3 with original ceiling beams, Room 5 with its own small fireplace. Queen bed, sleeps 2.
• Colonial Superior – $449. First and second floor. Full bed, sleeps 2.
• Colonial Two-Bedroom Suite – $449. Second floor. Two connecting bedrooms with a private bath between them, the most space of any room in the original building. Sold to one party only. One full bed in each bedroom, sleeps 2 with room for up to 2 more.

Stanton Rooms (western wing)

Renovated rooms on the western side of the inn with private keyless entry, beach-house styling and televisions. Ideal for guests who want the full overnight investigation with a modern room to retreat to, or for anyone who would rather avoid the steep 1740 staircase. Same exclusive access, same after-hours investigation, same haunted grounds.

• Stanton King, $399. King bed, sleeps 2.
• Stanton Double, $399. Two full beds, sleeps 2 with room for up to 2 more.

Additional guests – Only the Stanton Doubles and the Colonial Two-Bedroom Suite can take up to 2 additional guests, at $149 per person. Book your room first, then email us and we will arrange payment for the extra places. Additional guests receive the full investigation and a bed for the night. All other rooms are couples only.

Rooms are allocated on a first-come basis. The lead booker must be 21 or over and all attendees must be 16 or over.

What’s Included

• A full night of ghost hunting with the Haunted Rooms America team.
• Exclusive access to the General Stanton Inn, including the colonial guest rooms, the second-floor hallway, the 1667 schoolhouse, the Prohibition Room, the dining rooms and the tavern.
• Full history and ghost briefing on arrival.
• Group vigils and experiments, guided by our experienced team.
• Use of our professional ghost hunting equipment.
• Free time to investigate at the end of the night.
• Snacks and refreshments provided at intervals throughout the night.
• **Overnight Guests – Your room for the night in the inn itself, with every guest sleeping where activity is reported.
• **Breakfast – A continental breakfast will be served to all overnight guests between 9 AM and 11 AM.
• **Late Check-out – Check-out extended to 11 AM for overnight guests.

Equipment and recording: Guests are welcome to bring their own ghost hunting equipment (EMF meters, spirit boxes, REM pods and similar). For the privacy of other guests and venue security, photography, video and audio recording are not permitted at any point during the event.

Sleep Where the General Sleeps

The General died in this building on a December night in 1821 and, by every account since, never really left. But he’s far from alone. A girl in a white bonnet peers around corners in the guest rooms. A cat that isn’t there brushes past ankles in the dining room. Doorknobs turn, shoulders are tapped, and the schoolhouse beams that have stood since 1667 have seen more than anyone has written down.

On November 22 the inn is ours for the night: no other guests, no restaurant patrons, just our team, a small group of investigators, and every room in the building. Choose your room or your general admission ticket above. When the lights go out, you’ll be glad you did.

The lead booker must be 21 or over. All attendees must be 16 or over.