'Eliza Willard's Haunted Hotel' shows spirits above, behind the bar
Built in 1860, The Willard, a longtime Franklin staple, is certainly old enough to be haunted.
The building is proud of its history too. It is printed on the front and back of each of the menus on tables dotting the dining room and patio. In this historical account of the building, one will find Ms. Eliza Patterson Willard, a former owner, from whom the business takes its name, who transformed it from a private residence into the Willard Hotel. It is in Eliza that Timothy Barger has found his muse.
Barger is the designer and operator of The Willard’s "Eliza Willard’s Haunted Hotel," an intricate walk-through haunted house that occupies the second floor each fall and runs tonight and Saturday starting at 7 p.m. The Haunted Hotel, which Barger began work on in August, is a deeply imaginative affair with a rich fictional history all its own. Barger created the history like almost everything else.
It tells a tale of Eliza, a single entrepreneur and active prohibitionist – ironically. Eliza falls in love with a man named Bob and they enter engagement.Tragedy strikes, when Bob falls in love with Eliza’s younger sister. When Eliza finds out, her rage spurs her to end both adulterers’ lives.
"Unrequited love results in a double homicide," said Barger, "You know… the same story you hear all the time."
Hearing Barger tell the story of these tragic figures shows how much passion he truly has for his art. What is more: he believes.
"Stories of this place being haunted are certainly nothing new," Barger said, as he shared stories of things mysteriously going awry.
Tales of broken props, misplaced objects and other mischief turned toward the Haunted Hotel flow from Barger like the ales from The Willard’s taps. The tormenters seem most keen on dismantling the rooms’ decorations. He says that on three separate occasions, decorations have been somehow torn down when he has arrived to work on his creation. This, of course, spurred Barger to ask the employees and even the owner if they were unhappy with what he was doing upstairs. None of those he asked knew anything about the vandalism.
"It is always the window dressings," he said, which makes him think a woman does the haunting.
Barger’s tales of lively spirits makes his tour of the hotel all the more exciting. He has designed each room to tell in great detail his tale of love and murder. He even set aside a room where those brave enough may experience what goes on in Eliza Willard’s tormented mind.
Several members of his family help Barger operate the Haunted Hotel; it’s one of the things he loves most about it. He insists his family members share his enthusiasm and many are just as ‘demented’ as he.
"It is a big family reunion," Barger said. "It’s like Christmas, only with more blood and gore."
As he walked through the hotel during a recent afternoon, more brightly lit than when paying customers experience it, he pointed out little things that are working really well and things he wants to add next year.
"I’m really looking forward to finding the next level with all of this," Barger said when describing up-and-coming scare technology.
He has plans to develop his world of Eliza more and more.
"Some people like the story behind the whole thing," Barger said, "Some people want to just come, scream and leave."
Something that he promises happens every night.
