Phantom Guests in Rooms 222 and 211
The historic Blennerhassett Hotel in Parkersburg, West Virginia, ranks among the most haunted hotels in North America. Resident medium Adra Johnson recalls her very first visit back in 2017, when she experienced unsettling paranormal activity right in broad daylight. While taking a bath around midday in room 222, the bathroom door handle suddenly began violently rattling on its own while her roommate was completely outside the building. That very night, her roommate woke up at 3:00 AM to a male voice shouting directly into their ear to get out, all while Adra remained inexplicably impossible to wake. Over the years, front desk staff noticed this exact phenomenon happening repeatedly across rooms 222, 224, and 226.
The hotel’s second floor holds even darker energy in room 211. During one investigation, an investigator attempted to provoke activity by tying a bathrobe tie to the bed post. Moments later, Adra felt dizzy, stepped outside, and discovered unexplained bleeding scratches across her face. In another session inside the same room’s bathroom, a battery-powered camera resting on the sink recorded a glowing orb floating out of the tub before the camera was violently shoved across the counter.
“Out of the gate, I just had the craziest experience in room 222. While I was bathing, the door handle just starts going crazy.”
The Vanishing Mistress of Blennerhassett Island
Nestled in the Ohio River, Blennerhassett Island boasts a rich history spanning thousands of years, long before Harmon and Margaret Blennerhassett built their mansion there in the early 1800s. Today, Margaret Blennerhassett remains the most frequently cited spirit on the island grounds. Staff and visitors regularly report encounters with apparitions matching her historical attire.
In one intriguing account, a visitor riding his bicycle past the mansion toward the horse pastures approached a woman wearing a scarlet riding habit and a white riding hat. Thinking she was a costumed tour guide, he asked her to take a picture of him using his digital camera, which she did. When he asked to take a picture of her in return, she silently nodded. The moment he turned around after taking the shot, she vanished completely despite being in an open field with nowhere to hide. When the cyclist later checked his camera, his photo was clearly recorded, but the picture of the mysterious woman came out pitch black.
“He takes a picture of her, turns around, turns back, and she’s gone. When he goes to look at his camera again later, the picture of him is there, and the picture of her was totally black.”
When Spirits Break Through the Physical Realm
Adra often uses positive provocation methods, such as playing period-accurate music or wearing vintage clothing, to invite respectful communication from historic spirits. While mopping the mansion’s ballroom alone at 7:00 AM, she played 1800s Irish music over the speakers. Suddenly, a loud bang echoed from the family library. Upon checking the room, she discovered that a heavy wooden panel on a historic book cabinet, which had been locked shut for years, was physically splintered and punched out from the inside out while the lock remained completely intact.
Similar unexplainable physical events have occurred during paranormal investigations throughout Parkersburg. In another instance on the island, a spirit box device suddenly switched languages to quote Homer’s Odyssey in Greek right after Adra mentioned Harmon Blennerhassett’s talent for reciting the poem from memory. From mysterious photos capturing shadow figures near carriage house floodlights to unexplainable physical movements, these experiences offer fascinating glimpses into energy that lingers long after life ends.
“I was across the ballroom mopping and I just heard this bang come out of the family library. Locked book cabinets that have been locked for several years, and this was punched out, it looked like, or pushed out from the inside out.”
Ready for More Appalachian Hauntings?
If you want to hear every spine-tingling story, learn about the historic prohibition tunnels under the city, and dive deep into West Virginia’s eerie paranormal lore, make sure to watch the full episode. Grab your favorite warm drink, dim the lights, and step into the mysterious world of Appalachian spirits!
