In a Victorian village tucked away in the Ozark Mountains of northern Arkansas, the Crescent Hotel is rumored to be the most haunted site in a town famous for ghosts. This vintage hotel crowns the top of one of the highest peaks in the area and dates back to 1884.

Designed as a luxury hotel for the wealthy in the decades before air conditioning made summer bearable, the Crescent Hotel drew guests from all over the United States. In the latter part of the 19th century and early years of the 20th century, those who could afford travel left the hot cities for hotels in the mountains or on the seashore.

Even before the hotel was completed, a worker fell to his death in the area of what is now Room 218. Little is known about the man except that he was an Irish construction worker named Michael but many believe that Michael has never left. Those who stay in Room 218 often report a variety of paranormal activities. Most are prankish but the room stays booked because the curious want to experience Michael for themselves.

The Crescent Hotel opened in May 1886 with gala events and a roster of the then rich and famous. For more than twenty years, the Crescent catered to the hotel trade. Guests came to enjoy the refreshing mountain air, made excursions down the mountain into Eureka Springs, and enjoyed many events including grand balls.

By 1908, however, the grand era of the Crescent Hotel was ending. Harsh winters and very slow off season trade led the hotel to close its' doors. Crescent College, a institution for young ladies, opened its' doors and operated until 1934.

An event during the college years may be the cause of some of the hotel's paranormal events. A young lady is said to have thrown herself off one of the hotel's many balconies, committing suicide because she was jilted by her sweetheart.

After the college closed, the darkest days in the history of the Crescent Hotel began with the arrival of Dr. Norman Baker.

Baker had a checkered past before arriving in Arkansas. Using the new medium of radio, Baker had touted a "cure" for cancer, a non-surgical procedure that relied on a tea made of commonplace ingredients. His first Baker Insitute in Iowa came under fire from the American Medical Association. In 1931, they did not renew his license and soon an arrest warrant for practicing medicine without a license was issued. Baker headed for Mexico and remained for several years.

When he returned to the United States in the late 1930's, he came to Arkansas and bought the former Crescent Hotel. It became the new location for his Baker Hospital and once again he began advertising his "cure" far and wide.

For two years, Baker made vast amounts of money - more than $500,00 per year by some accounts, worth millions today. Although he drew cancer patients from around the country who sought a miracle cure, treatment did nothing for those who were ill and they died in large numbers.

A morgue was established in the basement of the old hotel and bodies were shipped out to the local railroad station by night.

In 1939, Baker was arrested and after trial served time at the Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary. His "hospital" closed and the hotel again sat idle.

Many of the ghosts who roam the halls are believed to date from Baker's era. An apparition that matches Baker's description has been seen in the lobby and in other areas of the hotel.

In 1946, new owners restored the building as a hotel once again. Over the next few decades, the grand old lady of the Ozarks struggled to gain footing as a hotel again and new owners renovated the building again in 1972, a few years after a fire destroyed the fifth floor and most of the fourth.

Although tourism remained constant in Eureka Springs and continues to increase in recent years, foreclosure hit the Crescent in 1992.

Current owners Marty and Elise Roegnigk bought the hotel in 1997 and have completed extensive work on the hotel that will help the Crescent survive into another century.

Today, the Crescent has been restored to a Victorian Era glory. Many guests come to the Crescent to enjoy a stay in a vintage hotel but others come hoping to see the ghosts.

Each evening, a ghost tour is held and those who buy a ticket can tour the entire hotel. Areas normally off limits to guests - including the old morgue - are included in the ghost tour. Those on the tour are encouraged to snap photographs hoping to catch a ghost. Over the years, countless photographs with unexplained images and orbs have been taken at the Crescent.

In 2006, the members of TAPS (The Atlantic Paranormal Society) and producers of the SciFi channel's popular Ghost Hunters program spent almost a week at the Crescent. The program captured one of the show's most shocking images ever, the silhouette of a man captured in the old morgue area. The show has since aired and the segment with the Crescent is included in one of several "Best of Ghost Hunters" DVDs that can be purchased from TAPS or at the Crescent Hotel.

Guests who want to experience a stay in a Victorian hotel or hope to see a ghost will enjoy a stay at The Crescent Hotel in Eureka Springs, Arkansas.