An 1890 Italianate hotel and saloon in Chadron that served as General Nelson Miles's headquarters after the Wounded Knee Massacre, now an NRHP-listed inn famous for its prankish resident ghost "Jack."
115 Main St, Chadron, NE 69337
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$
Historic bed-and-breakfast with an on-site bar and restaurant. Room rates apply for overnight stays; the saloon and dining areas are open to the public. As of mid-2025 the property was listed for sale; confirm current operating status before visiting.
Access
Limited Access
Historic two-story 1890 hotel with stairs to guest rooms
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1890 · National Register of Historic Places (listed 2002, ref. 02000859) · Headquarters of General Nelson A. Miles during the Wounded Knee investigation (Dec. 1890) · 1890 Italianate hotel built by the O'Hanlon family · One of Nebraska's most-cited haunted hotels
The Hotel Chadron opened its doors on August 8, 1890, replacing an earlier Chadron hotel that had burned. Built in the Italianate style by Peter and Margaret O'Hanlon, the three-story brick building anchored the young railroad town of Chadron in northwest Nebraska.
The hotel earned its place in history almost immediately. On December 30, 1890 — one day after the Wounded Knee Massacre of December 29 — General Nelson A. Miles arrived and used the hotel as his headquarters while investigating the events at the Pine Ridge Reservation. From the hotel Miles worked to identify the factors that had contributed to the tragedy. The building's role in that grim chapter of American history is the central reason for its later historical recognition.
Over the following century the building operated under several names, including a stint as a Railroad YMCA, before becoming the Olde Main Street Inn. It has functioned as a bed-and-breakfast with an attached saloon and restaurant. The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 15, 2002 (reference number 02000859).
In July 2025 the historic inn and saloon were placed up for sale, prompting regional news coverage from outlets including the Nebraska Examiner and Nebraska Public Media. Visitors should confirm the inn's current operating status and ownership before planning a stay.
Sources
The inn's resident ghosts have been named by its owners and woven into local tradition. The most famous is "Jack," associated with the building's Irish founder Jack (Peter) O'Hanlon. According to longtime owner Jeanne Goetzinger, Jack was a prankster in life, and the spirit credited to him keeps up the habit: guests and staff report objects moved from where they were left, doors slamming, and disembodied footsteps on the stairs. A frequently retold example involves a couple who set a water glass on a nightstand only to find it the next morning on a counter in another room.
A second spirit, "Anna," is said to appear in a red satin dress. The owner has connected the names to old graffiti scratched into brick on the building, including a name with backwards letters. The inn leans into its reputation, and its ghosts are a regular feature of regional ghost-tourism coverage.
The inn's paranormal reputation is documented across Nebraska tourism listings, regional news, and ghost-travel publications, and the property has been featured by Nebraska Public Media. The named spirits are owner-attributed folklore rather than documented historical individuals; we present them as the inn's living oral tradition.
Notable Entities
Media Appearances
Stay overnight in the 1890 Olde Main Street Inn, an Italianate hotel that hosted General Nelson Miles during the Wounded Knee investigation. Guests report footsteps on the stairs and objects moved by the inn's well-known resident spirit, "Jack."
Visit the inn's historic bar and restaurant. The saloon is part of the original 1890 building and is open to the public; staff and patrons share the inn's ghost stories.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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