HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena, as catalogued
1926 hotel and restaurant on the site of two earlier inns
458 S Main St, Montrose, PA 18801
Research updated May 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$
Hotel rates from approximately $130/night; restaurant pricing standard American casual
Access
Wheelchair OK
Paved
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1926 · Pennsylvania Historic Inn · Twice-Rebuilt After Fire
The Inn at Montrose stands at 458 South Main Street in Montrose, Pennsylvania, the seat of Susquehanna County. Isaac P. Foster built the original house here in 1812 with a tannery behind it; the property soon became the Keeler Hotel, and its basement served as the town's first jail. The hotel and tannery were sold at administrator's sale around 1874 following Mr. Keeler's death and changed hands repeatedly over the following decades. By 1918 the building operated as John Burke's Exchange Hotel. That July, an oil stove used to thaw frozen water pipes set the building on fire; period headlines reported that two occupants leaped from a window in their nightclothes and that no one was hurt. Burke began rebuilding immediately, and the replacement structure also burned, this time during construction, before the version that stands today was completed in 1929.
The Inn at Montrose now operates as a combined hotel and restaurant offering 29 hotel rooms, including king and double accommodations with private bathrooms and small kitchens, plus furnished one- to five-bedroom suites and apartments. The American-fare restaurant and pub occupy the ground floor. Notice on the venue site indicates the inn pub has been undergoing transition; visitors should confirm current restaurant hours directly with the property.
Sources
Long-standing inn lore identifies two recurring presences. The upstairs figure is described as a young boy who favors Room 5. Multiple guest accounts describe knocking on the door with no one in the hall when opened, window shades found neatly folded on the bed despite the window being seven feet away, and alarm-clock arm settings changed overnight — the alarm clock in Room 5 has reportedly been replaced more than once after repeated complaints. One guest reportedly saw the figure crouched in a corner with his hands over his eyes, giggling, as if mid-game of hide and seek.
The downstairs figure is described as a man seen walking past the front office and into the coat closet, where he does not reappear. Staff have reported the figure walking toward the locked tavern area after closing, and customers have reportedly felt him pass behind them at checkout. The back dining room has reportedly had objects move during the equinoxes.
These accounts come from inn staff and guest reports rather than independent investigation; they are folklore tied to the building's repeated rebuildings rather than to a documented historical event.
Notable Entities
Stay at the Inn at Montrose, a 1926 hotel built on the foundations of two earlier inns that burned in the mid-1920s. The property has 29 hotel rooms and additional furnished suites. Local lore concentrates on Room 5, where guests have reported knocking on the door, window shades found removed and folded, and alarm clocks reset overnight.
Dine in the inn's restaurant, an American-fare pub setting. The dining room and tavern are part of the 1926 building constructed after the two earlier fires; staff and guests have described a male figure walking past the front office toward the coat closet and through to the tavern after closing.
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