Restless spirits have been known to haunt old landmarks, modern apartments, highways, inns, parks and schools all around our state. Many folks are both skeptical and or fascinated by the paranormal. This article names three haunted places nearby, so get ready to tour Florida in a totally new way!
The Clewiston Inn is home to multiple documented ghost stories, with Room 255 being the most active — a longtime resident named Anita Conklin died there in 1994 and her spirit reportedly remains, causing the switchboard to light up with calls even when the room is vacant. Room 118 is also heavily haunted by a female apparition whose identity remains largely unknown, though her ghost has been photographed by management and seen by the employees. A male spirit allegedly haunts the kitchen area with staff reporting unexplained phenomena like banging pots and cold gusts of air. Some visitors have had the frightening sight in room 118 of an apparition appearing evil wearing 1930s era clothing. Others have felt a cold presence, suffered unexplained headaches and even had earrings fly from their ears in room 118. Book a room in 255 or 118 if you dare, and be prepared for a fright!
Mary’s Ghost: A Sarasota Legend
In 1931, John Ringling purchased a building which housed the College of Art & Design, but the college moved to a larger space, and the old building today houses offices and freshman dorms —and Mary. Either Mary is very angry or she has a wicked sense of humor. Students report that her footsteps echo in the night, and she has been known to throw pictures from walls, lift and move objects around, wander the halls, and levitate in some of the 64 student rooms, particularly on the third floor. Mary was a lady of the evening in the 1920s and it is not known why she hung herself in room 17. It’s been speculated why she did this, but most think one client refused to marry her and left her broken hearted. In room 17 and room 60, students have been known to wake with a figure floating above their heads, and another found his hairbrush floating above his desk. One spirit appeared through a closed bathroom door scaring the cleaning woman so much that she fled the bathroom and never returned to work. If you are a student at the art and design college, be aware and be brave!
Robert the Doll: Child’s Play in Key West
Car crashes, divorce, unemployment, bankruptcy—this is what Robert the Doll supposedly causes to those who displease him. The story of Robert the Doll, a forty inch tall doll stuffed with wool and owned by a child named Robert Gene is very much alive today. Robert the Doll inspired the 1988 movie, Child’s Play, (who can forget Chucky?), and apparently receives fan mail on a daily basis. Robert Gene Otto received the doll when he was four years old from his Bahamian nanny when she was leaving him to return to her home.
Robert Gene loved the doll and for some reason identified himself with it so he named him Robert after himself. Robert’s parents could hear him talking to Robert the Doll—when no one else was in the room and hear another voice answering him. The doll often threw things about the house, but Robert Gene was blamed for it. Robert Gene loved Robert the Doll so much that the doll was his constant companion even after he married his wife Ann. Robert and Ann inherited the Victorian ancestral mansion and lived there with Robert the Doll but Ann put him up in the attic. Robert Gene visited and conversed with him often. If Ann went up to the attic to retrieve an item she needed, she felt cold air and was sure Robert the Doll’s expression changed and stared at her.
Ann and Robert Gene died two years apart in the 1970’s. The house was sold and turned into a guesthouse where workers and tenants began to hear strange noises, unexplained footsteps, as well as an occasional chuckle from the attic.
When the guesthouse owner sold the place, she took Robert the Doll with her. Unsurprisingly, he refused to behave so she turned him over to the Fort East Martello Museum. When a photographer arrived to do a story, his camera malfunctioned. The story grew, and when tourists came to see Robert the Doll, many times, their cameras didn’t work either. The visitors all agreed that if they didn’t ask Robert the Doll’s permission and treat him with respect that terrible things would befall them. Tourists started bringing him offerings such as coins or candy and, on occasion, a marijuana cigarette. (After all, it is Key West!)
If you are looking for something different to do, check out these three places. Also you can ask at your local library for more information about the many haunted places in Florida.
After visiting some of these haunts, ask yourself—now, do I believe in ghosts?? Enjoy.
