HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena, as catalogued
Robert Moran's 1909 Orcas Island mansion, later a Rheem retreat, where staff describe high heels crossing teak floors.
1624 Rosario Road, Eastsound, WA 98245
Research updated September 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$$
Resort lodging runs $200+ seasonally; the marina is run by a separate company, Rosario Harbor, so check with it for dock terms. As of 2026 the historic Moran Mansion, the resort's original main house, museum, and music room, has been closed for renovation since early 2024 under separate ownership from the surrounding resort, with no confirmed reopening date.
Access
Limited Access
Waterfront grounds with paved paths and some stairs; the Moran Mansion itself is currently closed to visitors.
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1909 · Robert Moran's 1906-1909 Arts and Crafts mansion · Donald and Alice Rheem family retreat, 1938-1958 · National Register of Historic Places, 1978 · Moran Mansion closed for renovation since early 2024, ownership split from the resort
Robert Moran, a former Seattle mayor and shipbuilder, moved to Orcas Island for his health and built the Rosario estate between 1906 and 1909 in the Arts and Crafts style, using timber and stone sourced from the island itself. The five-story mansion held a 1913 Aeolian pipe organ with more than 1,900 pipes, a 1900 Steinway grand piano, Tiffany glass, and two libraries across 84 acres. Moran lived there with his wife, Melissa, until her death in 1932; in 1921 he had already donated a large share of his surrounding land to the state, forming what became Moran State Park.
Moran sold the estate in 1938 to Donald Rheem, co-founder of the Rheem Manufacturing water-heater company, who used it as a vacation home for the next two decades while his wife, Alice, lived there full time. The property began operating as Rosario Resort and Spa in 1960 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.
The Bartos family owned and ran the resort for 17 years before selling it in February 2024 to a new, undisclosed ownership group; all 45 staff were laid off in the transition. The historic Moran Mansion, home to the estate's museum, music room, and original dining room, closed for what was announced as a renovation and has not reopened as of 2026, now under ownership separate from the rest of the resort. The surrounding lodging and grounds have continued to operate, with mixed reports from recent guests about service and upkeep during the ownership split. The marina is run by a separate company, Rosario Harbor.
Sources
Donald Rheem bought the Moran estate as a vacation home in 1938, but it was his wife, Alice, who made Rosario her year-round residence and became a memorable figure on Orcas Island, known locally for riding into town to play cards with the neighbors. The Islands' Sounder, the local newspaper, has quoted longtime general manager Christopher Peacock describing a spirit staff associate with Alice: the sound of high heels clicking across the mansion's teak floors, unexplained movement heard on the second floor when the building was closed in 2008, and one employee's account of feeling an invisible hand push in her chair while no one else was in the room.
Peacock has described the presence as playful rather than threatening, in keeping with Alice's reputation in life, and a paranormal investigation conducted at the mansion reportedly registered a high level of activity. The specific identification with Alice Rheem is local tradition rather than documented fact, and the mansion's more than a century of use, first by the Morans and then by generations of Rheem-era staff and guests, leaves room for the activity to be attributed to any number of people who passed through the house. With the mansion closed since 2024, no new reports have been possible to confirm.
Notable Entities
Where this legend is told
Book a waterfront room at the resort built around Robert Moran's 1909 Arts and Crafts mansion. As of 2026 the historic Moran Mansion itself, the building most associated with the resort's ghost stories, is closed for renovation under separate ownership; lodging is available in the resort's other buildings.
Rosario's lodging is spread across roughly 30 waterfront acres, with exterior views of the Moran Mansion even while the building itself is closed. The marina is run by a separate company, Rosario Harbor: boaters coming just for the day should register their vessel in advance or scan the QR code on the dock, and vessels on the breakwater must leave by 3 p.m. or reserve overnight moorage. Ask the resort which grounds are open to visitors who are not staying.
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