Guests have trouble sleeping
at this bed and breakfast located in Guthrie, Oklahoma. A small child often
bothers them.
In 1907, F.E. Houghton had
this 3-story, 8,000 square foot home built for his wife and six children. Once
they moved in, the Houghton’s had six more children.
Tragedy struck his family when their 8-year-old daughter contracted whooping cough. This young girl,
Augusta was bedridden and despondent.
She was given the only
medicine used at the time. It was cough syrup laced with codeine and opium.
The nurse accidentally gave her
too much, and she died.
The Houghton family leased
the house in the 1920s, to an undertaker, who used it as a funeral home for
eight years.
The Houghton’s moved back
into the house in the 1930s. Mr. Houghton died of a stroke in 1943. Mrs.
Houghton, her children grown, then ran the home as a “boarding house” until her
death in 1958.
Stone Lion Inn |
By 1986, Becky Luker turned the
building into a B&B. The renovations made on the old home, during this time,
stirred the paranormal activity up.
But ghosts were present
before this.
F.E. Houghton is believed to
haunt the home as well as a dark, intimidating male presence in the basement. This
mysterious entity is connected to this room because it was once used as the morgue.
Embalming table. |
The embalming table used,
still remains in the home.
But the ghost at Stone Lion
that is seen the most is Augusta. She is a mischievous presence.
At first, Luker and her sons,
hearing footsteps on a nightly basis, called the police—afraid of intruders.
But these officers never found anyone.
On the third floor is a toy
chest that once belonged to the Houghton children. The new owners often found
the toys strewn about in the morning.
The remaining Houghton family
members reassured them not to be concerned. It was just Augusta playing—as she
had done for years, after her death.
Augusta is also heard running
up and down the back staircase as well as running around the third floor. She
is often heard giggling.
Many guests at this inn have
reported encounters with this little girl.
Guest room. |
They have seen her small
figure tucking them into bed at night, and she often strokes people’s faces
to wake them up in the morning.
She likes to squeeze guests toes as they sleep.
She likes to squeeze guests toes as they sleep.
Other guests have complained
that they couldn’t rest because Augusta played on their bed all night. Or that
she bounced a wooden ball throughout the night.
Paranormal teams that have
investigated this B&B have picked up cold spots throughout the inn, as well
as EVPs of both a child’s voice and a male voice.
The Stone Lion Inn has a fascinating history. The staircase behind the embalming table is really unique. I wonder if that's a mirror or a small window? It looks like a window, but I'm not sure. Anyway, the Houghton family was brave to move back in after the house had been used as a funeral home and morgue for 8 years. Augusta sounds playful and sweet, like Casper, the Friendly Ghost. I would love to stay at this lovely and haunted inn. 😎
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