Crescent Hotel in Eureka Springs nominated for ‘best haunted hotel’ award

EUREKA SPRINGS, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — A Northwest Arkansas hotel is in the running for “best haunted hotel” as a part of national polls conducted by USA Today .

People can vote for the 1886 Crescent Hotel & Spa to be featured in the USA TODAY 10 Best Readers’ Choice Awards.

The hotel is one of 20 in the running for the 10 best in the category. As of September 12, The Crescent Hotel is in first place in the voting.

“Some believe that the property has gained a few ghostly residents over the years, especially considering the fact that the hotel used to be a cancer hospital run by a corrupt con,” USA Today said.

USA Today continued by saying that during stays, guests have reported hearing rattling furniture late at night, slamming doors, and the occasional nurse pushing a gurney down the hallway.

The hotel opened in 1886 but closed in the 1930s because of the economy. A few years later, con-man Norman Baker purchased the building and turned it into the Baker’s Cancer Curing Hospital.

Baker claimed he had cancer-curing treatments but they were a scam and many people died under his care .

The building was transformed back into a hotel in 1946 and restored to its former glory. However, the ghosts of Baker’s former patients and other spirits are rumored to roam The Crescent.

Voting closes at 11 a.m. CT on October 21. USA TODAY will announce the winners of the competition on October 28.

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