The Princess Awaits Your Arrival - Mount Washington Hotel in New Hampshire (Updated Article)

 

Image by Ken Stampfer 

When you think of hotels, you may think of suites, a free breakfast, maybe even an indoor pool. From someone who’s worked in hotels for a few years, that’s commonplace, but some hotels come with extra amenities. Take the Mount Washington Hotel, for example. Beautiful on the inside, as well as out. A hotel rich in history as well as those who’ve called it home for a few days in life and forever in death. This is the story of the Mount Washington Hotel - where most guests have checked out, but not all. 

Joseph Stickney - our story starts with this gentleman

Our story takes place in the beautiful scenery of Carroll, NH. Joseph Stickney, born on May 31st, 1840 in Concord, NH collected a vast amount of wealth by investing in coal mining and was rich by the time he was only 30. In 1881, Joseph, along with business partner, John Conyngham, purchased the Mount Pleasant Hotel, which has since been torn down and a motel currently resides in its former place. Stickney had a vision and that vision was very close by, only across the street where his grand contribution to New Hampshire will be. Due to Stickney’s hard work and dedication of giving his guests the best hotel experience he can, he made Mount Pleasant a success. In 1894, he would buy out his business partners and become the lone owner of the Mt. Pleasant.

Mount Pleasant House - Stickney's first hotel

However, Stickney had a vision, a grander revelation of what he could do if he could build a hotel from scratch and that vision was very close by, only across the street from the Mount Pleasant. This plot of land would be where his grand contribution to New Hampshire will be - his legacy was just within arms reach. Work began in 1901 and was designed by architect Charles Alling Gifford to look like a “Spanish Renaissance Revival”. The future New Hampshire icon would cost 1.7 million dollars and was completed in 1902. 

Charles Alling Gifford - the architect of what would be the beautiful Mount Washington Hotel

Joseph’s wife, Carolyn Foster Stickney, fell in love with the new hotel. Unfortunately, their time spent in the hotel together would be short, because only one year after completion, Joseph would die on December 21st, 1903 at the age of 63. Carolyn was heartbroken over the passing of Joseph, but would soon remarry to a French nobleman Aymon de Faucigny-Lucinge in 1913. Aymon owned hotels in Switzerland and France. They would spend their summers in New Hampshire and winters in Paris. He would also help Carolyn run the Mount Washington.

Carolyn Foster - The Princess of the Mount Washington Hotel 


Prince  Aymon de Faucigny-Lucinge

                        

Carolyn would soon have to grieve for the death of another husband. Prince Aymon would die on August 1st, 1922 in France at the age of 60. Carolyn moved back to the place she loved the most, her prize possession, the Mount Washington Hotel. She would continue running the Mount Washington Hotel and spending time there until her death at the age of 69 on November 2nd, 1936. Her nephew Foster Reynolds took ownership of the Mount Washington upon her death. Carolyn is buried in the Stickney mausoleum next to her first husband, Joseph at Old North Cemetery in Concord, NH. Due to her being married to a Prince, she was nicknamed the Princess of Mount Washington and even though she died in Rhode Island, some say her spirit currently resides in her home sweet home at the hotel. 

She watches over the guests as the check in to the hotel, greeting them. 
(Photo: Aimee Seavey) 

Watching over the many new faces who inhabit her former hotel every year. Some eye witnesses who have stayed at the hotel say you can see a woman that’s description strikingly resembles Carolyn watching over everyone from the balcony. Some have reported hearing a romantic, but ghostly melody from the depths of the hotel. In the “Tower Suites”, television channels will switch and tubs run by themselves. Scents of perfumes and strange lights can be seen. 

Carolyn can be seen in Room 314, nicknamed “The Princess Room“, her personal quarters when she was in the hotel. She can be seen sitting on the edge of the bed that she shared with her husband, brushing her hair.

In 2015, a staff photo was taken, and some people say you can see a lady in a Victorian era dress in the window of one of the rooms. Strangely enough, the window is directly below Room 314. Is it the Princess joining the photo? You be the judge. 

Is this a person or the spirit of the Princess? You be the judge. 
(Found this photo on: thehauntedplaces.com)

Other ghostly sights and sounds are: a baby can be heard crying in the ballroom.  Photographs get mysteriously slashed by unseen fingernails. A woman can be seen walking through walls. And, if you’re not of the ghostly kind and don’t like to be spooked, guests have said to watch out for rooms: 206, 217, 237, 425, and of course “The Princess Room”(Room 314). All of this has lead the higher ups of the Mt. Washington Hotel telling their workers not to tell ghost stories, but they do hint that some strange activity does go on to guests.

Question is, who can be haunting the hotel when neither Joseph Stickey nor “The Princess' ' died even remotely close to the hotel? Records show that some other guests have checked in, but never checked out. Such as: Daniel Willis James, a wealthy metal merchant from New York, had his last stay at the hotel, dying at the age of 75 on September 13th, 1907 due a heart attack. Almost ten years, right on date, a guest by the name of Alfred N. Beadleston died at the age of 69 due to intestinal hemorrhages.

The hotel played host to many famous individuals, such as suspense and psychological thriller film maker, Alfred Hitchcock(best known for the 1960 thriller, Psycho). Inventor and businessman, Thomas Edison. And, Major League Baseball legend, Babe Ruth. For you gamers out there, the Mount Washington Hotel is mentioned in Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood in Rift: Cluster 3 - which is basically unlocking secrets in the game. I remember playing this and  feeling excited about New Hampshire playing a role in Assassin’s Creed lore. Course it’s not uplifting as it was actually a secret meeting for the game's antagonists, the Templars.  

On February 6th, 2008 the popular Sci-Fi Network show, Ghost Hunters, visited the hotel for a paranormal investigation. The results were astounding to say the least. When the team went up to Room 314 to do an EVP session, they asked the simple question, “Princess…Are you here?” What they got was this simple question back, “Of course I’m in here. Where are you?” Now, I saw this episode and all the things that happened THAT was pretty neat. 

For those of you who want to stay in one of New Hampshire’s most beautiful hotels, then yes, the Mount Washington hotel is a great destination for you, but if you're looking for a “surprise” or two around the corner, and maybe don’t mind sharing your room with a spirit or two, then this is definitely the place for you. The Princess of the Mount Washington Hotel will be eagerly awaiting for your arrival and perhaps watching you from the balcony. 

References/Photos (this includes those used in the video on top): 

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/45059309/carolyn-salome-stickney

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/45059161/joseph-stickney

https://spookt.com/person/carolyn_stickney

https://thehauntedplaces.com/mount-washington-hotel-ghost-picture/

https://whitemountainhistory.org/Mount_Washington_Hotel.html 

https://whitemountainhistory.org/Mt._Pleasant_House.html 

https://www.ancestry.com/genealogy/records/aymon-de-faucigny-lucinge-24-4yr1vb