Life in the Motel Office
Linda grew up in Ravenswood, West Virginia, a small town with a population of about 5,000 to 6,000 people. Her parents were in the motel business, owning and operating the Washington Motel when she was growing up, which served as their “second home”. The motel itself was located on Washington Street, drawing its name from the significant local history tied to George Washington, who had surveyed the land. The Washington Motel was originally built around the 1950s. The office section of the building was the only part that had a second floor, and Linda spent all her childhood time in that upper level, which she considered her sanctuary and playroom. Linda’s family ran the business and raised their children there; they ate dinner, sometimes spent the night, and left for school from the motel, making it feel like a regular home. Unfortunately, the motel was eventually sold out of the family in 2005 after Linda’s father passed away, and it was ultimately torn down in 2021 following a fire.
“My parents owned and operated when I was growing up and it was basically our second home. We pretty much lived there”
When Remodeling Stirs Up Trouble
While there were always minor scary occurrences, like slamming doors, the paranormal activity really started to become noticeable around 1988. This escalation coincided with a major renovation. Linda’s father remodeled and renovated the upstairs office into a separate, private apartment, accessible both from inside the office and via a new private entrance. Although the renovation wasn’t a total strip down, it included painting, putting in new carpet, and adding walls. Linda noted that people often say remodeling and renovating can “stir up” paranormal activity. The first unusual thing Linda and her sister noticed after the apartment was established was faint music playing, which seemed to come from inside the walls. Linda’s mother confirmed that she and her husband used to hear the exact same music when they slept upstairs.
“I think probably part of the reason things kicked up was due to the renovation They say a lot of times that happens when you start remodeling renovating tearing things out that it can stir up paranormal activity”
George’s Greatest Hits: Voice Mimicry and Footsteps
Because the family got so used to the strange occurrences in the apartment, they decided to name the entity George, due to the motel being the Washington Motel. George was generally considered mischievous and playful, never threatening or malevolent. The family would jokingly tell him, “Settle down George,” when activity flared up, and things would quiet down. One of George’s distinct and frequent behaviors was imitating voices. On two separate occasions, nine years apart, Linda and her family members were upstairs and clearly heard Linda’s mother calling their names from the bottom of the indoor stairs, only to discover the office was locked and deserted. The activity was certainly specific and unique. Another strange incident occurred when a brand new HVAC system, installed as part of the renovation, abruptly stopped working just three months after installation. The repairman discovered that a pink fleece blanket had been intentionally stuffed into the heating system’s “guts”. However, the most definitive proof came late one night when Linda’s boyfriend doubted the ghost’s existence. As soon as he finished voicing his disbelief, the sound of footsteps started coming down the inner 14 steps. They both listened as the footsteps came out of the hallway, walked behind him, and went into the kitchen, followed by the sound of the linoleum. When the boyfriend checked the empty kitchen five minutes later, he came back shocked and promised Linda he would never doubt her again.
“It was never violent, never felt malevolent, we never felt threatened by it. We were so used to it that we named it… George”
Want to hear Linda Nichols detail all of George’s antics and share more about the history of Ravenswood? Dive into the full conversation right here!
