Within the town of Concord, Massachusetts, history is everywhere. Whether it be sites related to literary icons or the famed battles, it seems like almost every street corner has a story to tell. That includes the Colonial Inn, a renowned establishment once owned by Henry David Thoreau’s family, and, according to some, haunted by guests of centuries past.
The Colonial Inn today is comprised of three historic homes that were combined together in 1897. The original structure was built in 1716 by James Minot, and his family later sold it to John Thoreau, the maternal grandfather of Henry David Thoreau, in 1799. The property remained in the Thoreau family for many years, and it’s where the famed writer and poet resided while he attended Harvard. It later came to be known as the Thoreau House and was purchased at auction by John Maynard Keyes, who combined it with two other homes to form its current structure.
Perhaps the most iconic aspect of the Colonial Inn’s history is the role it played during the very first battles of the American Revolution in 1775. The central section of the main building was used as a storehouse for arms and ammunition for the Concord Minutemen. However, when the smoke cleared and the guns fell silent, the Colonial Inn found itself at the center of a much more gruesome spectacle. Many injured soldiers required medical care, and the local doctor, Timothy Minot Jr., grandson of the original builder, had them taken to the inn. Dr. Minot converted one room into a makeshift operating room, and given the limited understanding of battlefield medicine at the time, many died. Another room was converted into a morgue.
Some guests of the inn have since reported that these rooms, in particular, possess a creepy, unsettling atmosphere.
The first documented record of paranormal activity occurred in 1966, when Mrs. Judith Fellenz wrote to innkeeper after she celebrated her wedding night with her husband. Fellenz recalled how she was awoken in the middle of the night seeing a grayish figure at the side of her bed, which stood still for a moment, then slowly floated to the foot of the bed in front of the fireplace. Strange activity isn’t limited to these two rooms, however; both visitors and staff have reported seeing various apparitions on the premises, including an older woman and a slim man sitting in the Liberty Room, which some theorize might be Thoreau and his aunt keeping the area company. Another reported phenomenon are items mysteriously vanishing, only to reappear sometime later in unusual and strange locations.
Whether you are a history enthusiast, a fan of Thoreau, or have in interest in the supernatural, Concord’s Colonial Inn is certainly worth a visit.