HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena, as catalogued
1833 Cayuga Lake Inn at the Inns of Aurora
391 Main Street, Aurora, NY 13026
Research updated September 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$$$
Boutique resort property with rooms, fine dining, and lakeside grounds. Check current room rates at innsofaurora.com.
Access
Wheelchair OK
Mixed: paved village sidewalks, historic interiors with stairs
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1833 · 19th-Century Stagecoach Inn · Wells College Connection · Erie Canal Travel
Colonel Edwin B. Morgan built the Aurora Inn — initially called the Aurora House — in 1833 to serve travelers arriving in the Cayuga Lake village by stagecoach, canal boat, and, later, rail. Morgan, an Aurora native, was a successful merchant operating the Morgan Store with his brothers, and he later became a co-founder of the New York Times. The inn occupied a prominent corner along what would become Main Street, opposite Wells College.
In the early 1840s, William D. Eagles purchased the inn and brought in his uncle, former sea captain John Eagles, to manage it. By mid-century, Aurora had become a significant stop on the Erie Canal, with agricultural products from regional farms moving to New York City. The inn served as a base for travelers, students, and visitors connected to the village's expanding economy.
In 1888, fire destroyed the main building at Wells College, and many displaced students moved temporarily into the Aurora Inn, which was renamed the Wayside Inn during their occupancy. Morgan's grandson-in-law, Robert Zabriskie, deeded the property to Wells College in 1943.
Despite a series of additions and ownership changes, the inn struggled financially through the late 20th century. The Aurora Foundation — a partnership between Wells College and the Pleasant T. Rowland Foundation — undertook a major restoration in the early 2000s, and the inn reopened in May 2003 with ten guest rooms, a restaurant with outdoor dining, and a banquet room. It now serves as the flagship property of the Inns of Aurora resort and spa.
Sources
The folklore around the Aurora Inn divides geographically. Inside the hotel, staff and guests have reported a White Lady — a woman in long, light-colored period dress — seen most often in the lobby and on the upper floors. Servers in the dining room have repeated the story to guests for years, often with the casualness of a detail folded into the routine of work.
Down on the Cayuga Lake shorefront, separate accounts describe two male presences associated with a building that reportedly stood near the water and burned, killing three people. The structure has not been identified by name in available sources, and the date of the fire is not corroborated. The Inns of Aurora restoration in the early 2000s converted some lakeside spaces for restaurant and museum use, and waitstaff have continued to retell the older shoreline stories alongside the more familiar White Lady lore of the main inn.
No formal paranormal investigation reports, named entities beyond the White Lady, or media coverage of the inn's hauntings appeared in available sources.
Notable Entities
The 1833 Aurora Inn anchors the Inns of Aurora resort on the eastern shore of Cayuga Lake. Ten guest rooms occupy the renovated main building, with a restaurant, banquet space, and outdoor dining overlooking the water. The inn was reopened in May 2003 after an extensive Aurora Foundation restoration.
Dine in the lakeside restaurant of the historic 1833 inn. Local Finger Lakes cuisine and a wine list drawn from the Cayuga Lake Wine Trail. Reservations recommended, particularly during peak Wells College and Finger Lakes tourism seasons.
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