Before the war of 1812, this small town was a very popular tourist destination. People would travel from all across the country on horseback to stay at the newly established William Hotel and Resort.
The William family, being the wealthiest family to live in the area, owned and operated most of the town. Almost every building, except for the towns church, was built for and by the William family.
The William Hotel wasn’t just your average building. It was, for the time, a super building. With 4 floors, 3 kitchens, 613 bedrooms and 2 entertainment areas, the hotel was a masterpiece.
But that wasn’t the reason people travelled such far distances to book a room at the hotel. In fact, it was rare for over 30 rooms to be booked at any given time.
The William Hotel was constructed by 679 people, over a time period of 13 months. Out of the 679 people, 666 of them died on the job, and their bodies were buried on hotel property. The remaining 13 workers claimed to have had visions of fire, could smell burning flesh, and could hear children crying. The ‘final 13’ were then accused for practicing witchcraft, and were hung on October 31st, 1813.