Haunted Hotel: The Lady in Blue at Mount Washington in NH

I didn’t mean to become a haunted hotel guy; it just sort of happened. Years ago, I spent Halloween night at the Stanley Hotel, the real-life inspiration behind "The Shining" by Maine's Stephen King.

Ever since that night, I’ve had a soft spot for local legends and ghost stories, especially the ones that feel more personal than terrifying.

That's how I ended up fascinated by one of New Hampshire’s most talked about spirits: The Lady in Blue of the Mount Washington Hotel in Bretton Woods.

Who is 'The Lady in Blue' at the Mount Washington Hotel in Bretton Woods, NH?

According to the Washington Hotel website, The hotel is about two hours north of Portsmouth and was owned by Joseph Stickney in the early 1900s. Apparently, as the story goes, he died unexpectedly from a heart attack. His wife, Carolyn, who remarried years later to a prince from France, would return to Mount Washington and stay in room 314 every summer.

That's the same room that she would stay in with Joseph.

Guests say that she could be seen in the hotel wearing light blue dresses. The prince died a decade later, and Princess Carolyn came back to the hotel, where she lived until her death.

Now, to this day, guests and staﬀ of the hotel say she is still there. She could check out but never leave. I guess you could say it's like Hotel California.

Looking at The Yankee Magazine, there are reports of a woman in a pale blue Victorian gown wandering around or standing quietly on the balcony. Some say they have seen lights flicker, but only in room 314. Guests have commented that they have woken up to find suitcases unpacked.

Everyone who has felt her presence insists she is waiting for someone. Others have said she’s not a violent ghost but more like an elegant aunt.

Sure... that makes me feel better. I mean… not really, I’m just less scared to stay in 314 now.

When I was in Colorado, I visited and stayed the night at the Stanley Hotel on Halloween. This is the hotel that was the inspiration for “The Shining” by Stephen King per the Stanley Hotel website. I was in room 217. The exact room where a major event happened in that book and is believed to be the most haunted room in the hotel. It's also where Stephen and his wife stayed as the only guests in the hotel back in 1974.

The wind was blowing, and there were tree limbs that kept brushing against the single-pane windows. It didn’t help that I had done a ghost tour at the hotel earlier. I didn’t sleep a wink that night. That was years ago.

The Stanley Hotel - Colorado

I plan on making a trip to visit the Lady in Blue at Mount Washington and see if I too feel her presence. Peaceful as it may sound, I might sleep a little better knowing that she is there. Just maybe… she will neatly unpack my suitcase.