HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena, as catalogued
Winchester's 1924 landmark hotel, one of the tallest in the city at its opening and host to Lucille Ball and Jack Dempsey, where guests have reported child footprints in a freshly painted floor and other ghostly activity.
103 East Piccadilly Street, Winchester, VA 22601
Research updated August 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$$
Wyndham Grand hotel room rates; dining at Uno Pizzeria & Grill and The Half Note Lounge available separately.
Access
Wheelchair OK
Full-service downtown hotel with elevator access
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1924 · One of Winchester's Tallest Buildings at Opening (1924) · American Hotels Corporation Colonial Chain · National Register Notable Guests: Lucille Ball, Jack Dempsey, Bob Hope · Wyndham Grand Historic Hotel
The George Washington Hotel was built by the American Hotels Corporation and opened on June 18, 1924, at the corner of East Piccadilly and North Cameron streets. At five stories of steel and concrete, it was one of the tallest buildings in Winchester at the time. The hotel started with 102 guest rooms and expanded to 152 by 1929, benefiting from its location near the B&O railroad station that made it a stopover for wealthy rail travelers.
Its golden decades drew notable guests: Lucille Ball, Bob Hope, Jack Dempsey, Jimmy Cagney, Ed Sullivan, and Colonel Sanders all stayed there. The Secret Service used the hotel when Susan Ford served as Apple Blossom Festival queen in 1975. The property's proximity to rail travel made it central to Winchester's social and commercial life through the mid-20th century.
As Interstate 81 bypassed downtown Winchester and passenger rail declined, the hotel's clientele evaporated. It closed permanently in 1978, converted to the George Washington Home for Adults until 1993, then sat vacant for over a decade. In 2003, a local investment group led by Glen and Kim Burke acquired the property and undertook extensive renovation, reopening it in May 2008 as The George Washington — A Wyndham Grand Hotel. The centennial of the hotel's opening was marked in 2024, covered by the Winchester Star.
Among the site's specific historical associations with its paranormal reputation: Reverend Lewis Eichelberger, a Lutheran pastor, died in 1859 at the site — predating the hotel by 65 years — a figure that paranormal investigators have connected to Room 208 activity.
Sources
The George Washington Hotel's reported paranormal activity centers on a handful of specific incidents rather than one dominant story. Guests staying in Room 301 have reported hearing voices, and other guests have described hearing footsteps on the roof. One account tells of a child's footprints found embedded in the middle of a freshly painted hall floor, with no other footprints leading to or from them. Ballroom doors are known to open and close on their own.
Reverend Lewis Eichelberger, a Lutheran pastor who died in 1859 at the site that preceded the hotel, is the figure most associated with Room 208.
Hotel management has acknowledged the reports publicly, though the Winchester Star's centennial coverage noted that manager Suzi Smith had not personally experienced phenomena — placing the accounts in the staff and guest category rather than management attestation.
Notable Entities
Book a stay at the George Washington — A Wyndham Grand Hotel, a restored 1924 hotel with reported ghost activity including Room 301 voices, roof footsteps, and child footprints in a freshly painted floor. Uno Pizzeria & Grill and The Half Note Lounge are on site for dining.
Eat at Uno Pizzeria & Grill or have a drink at The Half Note Lounge, which features live entertainment on weekends, both inside the hotel. The hotel's reported ghost activity is concentrated in guest rooms and public areas elsewhere in the building, not tied to either outlet specifically.
Some links on this page may earn HauntBound a small commission when you book, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial picks are independent. Full disclosure
See current room rates and availability at George Washington Hotel.
Check rates and bookRates come from booking partners, so a small property may not be listed. Book direct with George Washington Hotel
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
Free Guide
9 verified stops, rated for families, mapped in order. Free.
One email to confirm, then the guide link. Unsubscribe anytime.
Ouray, CO
The Beaumont Hotel opened in Ouray, Colorado on July 25, 1887, built during the silver boom that transformed the San Juan Mountains. The Beaumont hosted Theodore Roosevelt, Herbert Hoover, and a roster of mining-era guests, then sat largely closed from the 1960s until a multi-year restoration returned it to operation in 2003.
Bisbee, AZ
The Oliver House was built in 1909 by Edith Ann Oliver and her husband Henry Oliver to house executives of the Calumet & Arizona Mining Company. The building was converted to a bed and breakfast in 1986 and operates today as a historic inn in Bisbee, Arizona.
Washington, DC
The Willard's hospitality operation traces to 1847, when Henry Willard took over a row of buildings on Pennsylvania Avenue that had been operating as a hotel since 1818. The current Beaux-Arts building, designed by Henry Janeway Hardenbergh (architect of New York's Plaza), opened in 1901. The Willard has hosted nearly every U.S. president since Pierce and is widely associated with Civil War-era diplomacy and Martin Luther King Jr.'s 1963 drafting of the 'I Have a Dream' speech.