Eagle Hotel – History

The Eagle Hotel

32 High Street

Waterford, PA 16441

 

About two hours north of Pittsburgh, PA and much closer to the small town of Erie, PA, this small town was once a main focal point and significant gateway for travelers. The town exploded with numerous inns for those passersby and eventually the hotel became a mainstay for these weary travelers and eventually led to the town’s high points and a time when it was boasted as a high class resort town and the hotel was the epicenter in this small town. The hotel survived economic lows by having business savvy owners who also utilized the ground floor as commercial space which were leased to outside companies ultimately leading to regular and repeated income. As the town began to decline, the hotel still was known as a stop for traveling salesmen and a highly sought after train stop by the 20th century. Naturally, with a building with that much history there has been its fair share of tragedies. This combination of genuine happiness, horrible disasters, and sadness and despair have truly shaped the Eagle Hotel into the unique and beautiful historical building that it is today.

 

 

The Past

 

Even though this hotel looks simplistic and simple compared to today’s standards, when it was constructed in 1826, the Eagle Hotel was a vision of wealth and was even advertised as one of the country’s finest accommodations. The town of Waterford was home of some colonial forts in particular the French’s Fort LeBeouf. It was here that George Washington had commanded the French to abandon their posts in 1753. Come 1759, the French did in fact retreat from these forts only to have the British claim them for their own usage. Less than a year later, the British troops rebuilt the fort and held its ground until 1763 when it was burnt to the ground.

 

This land sat in ruins and vacant until it was purchased in 1826 by Thomas King, a descendent of one of Waterford’s first settlers; Robert King. The hotel business idea came about as the town had an inn shortage and , as train tracks had been recently constructed passing through the town, there was a need for temporary living quarters. The town began to grow and was, at that time, gaining a reputation as a perfect location for settlers to pause before making their long and arduous journeys out west. The town was known for its hospitality and friendliness, despite not having the most wealth or high class citizens. The hotel was the perfect way to capitalize on this perfect storm.

 

 

The hotel along with the Judson House were the first two commercial-type buildings in the brand new commercial district of the town located on High Street. Its exterior was mainly stone which was quarried locally just outside the town. This was one of the very first stone constructed buildings located in western Pennsylvania. To add to the intrigue of this spot, the hotel also included a private stagecoach station and livery stable. While Waterford was more grounded as a blue collar town, the business and commercial district took off economically and pulled in new work to the town and its citizens. The hotel directly reflects this period as it was constructed with glamor and grandiose in mind. This couldn’t be more predominant than the spring ballroom located on the third floor. Between the business boom and the new vision of the town’s classy populace, the hotel became a epicenter for political and even social events and gatherings which propelled the hotel’s prestige that much more. 

 

Up until 1845, the hotel thrived and helped the town shine. However, that fateful year the hotel caught on fire for the first time and was severely damaged. This was the first major event which shocked the hotel and town. Even though the true culprit was never charged, it’s long believed that a former maid only known as Matilda actually set the building ablaze in a rage. The hotel survived this and used the opportunity to renovate and keep up to date. Once more, the Eagle Hotel was back on top and pulling in more money and fame than ever before.

 

Come 1868, a second fire burst through the hotel and once again destroyed a large portion of the stone structure. There was no true reasoning to this but it marked the decline of the building and town’s reputation. Even still, the hotel stayed atop the business district and became quite an important location for salesmen to stay overnight and a hub for their local business. Come the year 1900, this area had a prototypical business plan whereas these salesmen would travel here by train, take a temporary stay at the Eagle Hotel, rented a horse from the nearby stable, and work their sales tactics in the area with a home base inside the hotel. With this, the hotel’s atmosphere changed from glitz and glamor to its new tagline of “A hotel for commercial men.”

 

 

Following its high mark of its life and multiple ownership changes (including Amos Judson, a prominent local whose namesake is taken at a nearby commercial building), the hotel has remained very similar to its original construction and was even given a historic building plaque and documentation in 1933 by the locale of Waterford, PA. Following this, the Eagle Hotel was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. At this time, the building was purchased by the LeBoeuf Historical Society and the restoration efforts commenced almost immediately.

 

 In 1998, the kitchen was fully upgraded but by late that same year, the restaurant Sugar N’ Spice leased the old hotel and operates the restaurant on the first floor to this day.

 

Paranormal Experiences

 

Far before the hotel’s existence, the site where Fort LeBoeuf once stood was said to also encapsulate a former cemetery. There is no pure documentation here, however, many former soldiers housed here and construction crew laid this claim as the former fort was demolished. This included the cemetery which was simply covered up rather than moved, trapping those buried here unceremoniously and their locations truly unknown. This does not link to any particular case but rather a general talk of the area being cursed, bad land, and even a hot spot for otherworldly activity ever since this desecration.

 

Perhaps the most infamous spirit is linked to a real tragedy which occurred in the hotel, one which left it devastated in the past. The maid, Matilda, was released from her services after putting in countless hours making the hotel perfect and so much time spent away from her family and daughter in particular. As she returned home following this news, she found out that her daughter had recently passed away from Cholera. In a rage, she was said to return to the hotel, setting the upper floors on fire in hopes of destroying the hotel the same way her life was destroyed. She was reported as missing following these events and it’s rumored that she perished in the flames, so hot that they didn’t even leave her remains. To this day, claims of the maid being trapped here as a punishment has been made by employees, guests, and even some spiritually gifted individuals. There are well documented reports of cabinets and cupboards opening then slamming shut when no one else is nearby. Phantom voices have been rumored, as if a woman is greeting guests and shoo-ing them along their way; out of her way. Items left out of place, everything from clothes to toiletries, have been put away as if this phantom maid is working overtime, even in the afterlife.

 

 

Other odd noises and shadows have also been recognized here but not necessarily as well known or documented as the maid. Some have witnessed a soldier, gun resting on his shoulder, marching on the grounds and even phantom shouts and commands have been heard echoing around the premises. Others have claimed to hear a baby crying on the second floor, as if completely inconsolable. Aside from these more specific claims, phantom footsteps, voices, and even cold spots have been reported on more regular occasions.

 

While some hotels have the energy left over from simple activities and visitors coming and going, the Eagle Hotel has more than just those overtly cliché and baseless claims. The spirits said to reside here stem back from whence the forts were still active and the cemetery was packed tight. These spirits have been at a seeming unrest ever since, allowing some of this energy and activity to seep over into this world and take up a permanent residence in the Eagle Hotel.