IOLA -- Until the ghost decided to watch TV with him a few months ago, Frank Omlor had always been skeptical about the supernatural.

But that experience, in which he sensed a presence behind him while he watched a boxing match, has turned him into something of a believer.

Frank and Kathy Omlor have owned and operated the Hotel Iola for more than a decade, and say that the building has been haunted the entire time they've been there.

In fact, said Kathy, conversations she's had with previous occupants suggest that the hotel probably hosted a paranormal infestation long before they arrived.

About a dozen people, including the Omlors, say they've witnessed supernatural occurrences of one kind or another at the site.

Most of them, including patron Mellissa

Fought and bartender Liz Farr, say they're used to people not believing them.

"People tell us we're crazy," said 26-year-old Farr, laughing.

Nonetheless, Fought, Farr and the Omlors remain convinced of the reality of the haunting.

They've even brought local ghost expert Kevin Tersavige in to examine the premises.

Farr said Tersavige referred to the situation as a "classic haunting," and expressed concerns that two upstairs mirrors were acting as a spiritual/dimensional portal, allowing ghosts easy access to the old inn.

Haunted hotel
The hauntings take a number of forms, according to witnesses.

Most of the time, there is something visible, such as wraith-like figures. But loud noises and odd vibrations can also be part of the visitations.

Kathy said she's seen dark, shadowy forms flit back and forth across the kitchen.

She's also spotted booted feet and the hem of a dress disappearing around the bend of the hotel's staircase on more than one occasion.

Fought, 22, said she and several other customers once saw a corner barstool begin to wobble noisily. No one was near it.

When she and other onlookers tested the evenness of the legs and the balance of the stool, they couldn't find any problems that could reasonably account for the rocking.

Perhaps most dramatic of all, Farr said she once saw a ghostly face reflected in a barroom mirror.

She was fetching a beer for a customer at the time. When she happened to glance up at the mirror, what she saw made her stop dead in her tracks, she recalled.

Farr said that even though the only other people in the room with her were four elderly men, she clearly saw a female face that wasn't her own reflected in the mirror.

She described the ghostly woman as looking to be in her late 20s to early 30s, with thin features, light brown or blonde hair, and a white shirt with a Victorian-style collar.

Not mean spirits
Although she was startled by the episode, Farr said, she has seldom felt threatened by any of the supernatural occurrences at the hotel.

The Omlors and Fought agreed.

Fought said that some of the phenomena she's witnessed "scare the bejeebies out of you," but added that she's never felt that the ghosts are malevolent.

Kathy and Frank said they've never really believed the spirits have hostile intentions, either.

Farr did ultimately admit that one paranormal event she experienced at the hotel managed to frighten her a little more than the rest.

While playing video games with a friend after closing time, she said, she suddenly heard a loud and violent series of creaking and slamming noises.

"It was the only time I was absolutely terrified," she said.

She told her friend, "I don't know about you, but I'm getting out of here."

• Story originally published by:
The Press Enterprise, Bloomsburg / PA | Jason Lublinski - Jan 21.02

All Copyrights© are acknowledged.
Material reproduced here is for
educational and research purposes only.