HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena — as catalogued
An 1868 Fredonia landmark reopened in 2024, long marketed for resident spirits and the host of ticketed paranormal investigations.
52 East Main Street, Fredonia, NY 14063
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$
Overnight rooms and dining at standard hotel rates; ticketed paranormal investigation events priced separately. Check the inn's site for current event schedule and pricing.
Access
Wheelchair OK
Restored multi-story village inn; main floor accessible, upper floors via stairs
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1868 · 1868 White family residence, converted to an inn around 1920 · Restored and reopened in 2024 with Empire State Development backing · Long-standing Fredonia Main Street landmark
The building at 52 East Main Street in the village of Fredonia was constructed in 1868 as a private residence for members of the White family. At roughly 25,000 square feet, the structure was among the larger homes in Chautauqua County, and around 1920 it was converted into an inn serving travelers along the corridor between Buffalo, New York and Erie, Pennsylvania.
For much of the twentieth century the White Inn operated as a full-service hotel and restaurant. SUNY Fredonia professors David Briant and David Palmer owned the property for a period and spent more than a decade on refurbishment and renovation. Later owners Robert Contiguglia and Kathleen Dennison continued the lodging and food operations and leaned into the building's reputation for paranormal activity as a draw for guests.
The inn eventually fell vacant, and its future was uncertain for several years. A multi-million-dollar restoration project, supported by Empire State Development, rehabilitated the previously empty building into an upper-scale hotel with 24 rooms, a lounge, and event space. Empire State Development announced the grand reopening of the restored landmark, and the White Inn returned to operation in 2024.
The inn remains a fixture of Fredonia's Main Street and is listed on regional visitor directories as a historic lodging and dining destination.
Sources
The White Inn's reputation for paranormal activity predates its recent restoration. Guests and staff over the years have reported unexplained noises, doors slamming without a draft, and figures glimpsed in the inn's hallways and rooms. Accounts collected in regional paranormal writeups describe more than one presence associated with the building.
Under owners Robert Contiguglia and Kathleen Dennison, the inn used its haunted reputation as a way to draw interest, and that framing has continued to attach to the property. The building's age and its long run as a hotel give the stories a deep well of former guests and residents to draw on.
The inn has hosted ticketed evening paranormal investigations open to the public, sold through the inn and third-party event platforms. These events let visitors explore the building after dark and look for the activity that guests have reported. Anyone interested should confirm the current event schedule directly with the inn, as dates vary by season.
Notable Entities
The restored inn offers 24 guest rooms. Guests over the years have reported unexplained noises, doors slamming on their own, and figures glimpsed in the hallways. The building reopened in 2024 after a multi-million-dollar Empire State Development-backed restoration of the previously vacant property.
The inn has hosted ticketed evening paranormal investigations open to the public, drawing on its long-standing reputation for resident spirits. Events run on selected dates; tickets are sold through the inn and third-party event platforms. Confirm the current schedule before traveling.
The inn's restaurant and lounge are open to non-guests. The 25,000-square-foot building dates to 1868 and was built as a private residence by the White family before becoming an inn around 1920.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
Gasport, NY
Land on this property was acquired by Silas Newcomb starting in 1833. The present Victorian mansion was built in 1865 by a subsequent owner, and the Root family—wealthy thoroughbred breeders—later operated Roots Trotting Park, a quarter-mile racetrack on the adjacent grounds. Curtis Root died in March 1889 from injuries sustained involving one of his prized racehorses, Playboy.
New York, NY
The Algonquin Hotel opened in 1902 on West 44th Street and quickly became a gathering place for the New York literary community. Beginning in 1919, writers and critics including Dorothy Parker, Alexander Woollcott, Robert Benchley, and George S. Kaufman met daily for lunch at what became known as the Round Table. Harold Ross founded The New Yorker at one of these lunches in 1925. Parker lived in the hotel periodically during the 1920s.
Rhinebeck, NY
The Beekman Arms traces its founding to 1766 when it operated as a tavern serving travelers on the Albany Post Road. During the Revolutionary War the inn hosted a range of figures including George Washington, who used it as a headquarters on multiple occasions. It is recognized as the oldest continuously operating inn in the United States by Historic Hotels of America.