Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw

Henry James, an American
writer who spent most of his career in Britain, published this classic story as a novella in 1898. The Turn of the Screw is one of the most famous ghost tales ever written. 

James once said that his interest in ghost stories evolved from the fact that “the strange and sinister appear to be normal and easy.”

He achieved this with great success in telling the story of an innocent, naive young woman who is persuaded by a handsome, rich bachelor to travel to a remote serene country mansion in Essex. She is to take charge of his niece and nephew as their governess.

James masterfully makes his main character--the governess, the narrator of this tale. So the story is told in a confiding confidential manner where the reader is only exposed to one biased view.

In contrast, James never names this young woman--she is always referred to as just “the governess.” This technique ensures that the state of her character remains a mystery to the reader.

Early in the story, the governess encounters two ghosts. James presents these scenes in eerie silence, which makes them creepier. The governess becomes convinced that these supernatural forces are there to corrupt her two young pupils. As the story unfolds, she struggles to keep these dark forces from harming her charges.

Her efforts become even more fanatical when she fears the children are communicating with these ghosts-- whom they knew when they were alive. She believes this even though they and the rest of the household claim never to have seen the spirits.

James uses this uncertainty to keep the reader wondering if there is a haunting or if the governess is just crazy.

He also keeps the reader on edge by not clarifying plot twists, e.g., when the nephew comes home because he was kicked out of his school--the only reason given is vague-- leaving the reader to wonder if the boy is at fault or not.

James’ two main themes: the corruption of innocence and the destruction of heroism play out throughout this story.

Many feel that the fears the governess holds for the children symbolize her own fear of the outside world e.g., sex, love, and responsibility. They also point to her role as a protector of the children being just her delusional attempt to impress their uncle, a ladies man who never actually visits the estate.

In the end, the niece is so afraid of the governess that the housekeeper intervenes and whisks her away from the estate. This leaves the governess with the nephew and the ghosts she believes haunt him…

The ending to The Turn of the Screw is not only a surprise but also a shock to the reader.

Here is a link to a reading of the story on YouTube with the written text, it is broken into 3 parts. 

Virginia’s Woodlawn Plantation

George Washington never slept at this home but his ghost is seen on the property.

The first president of the U.S. never had children of his own but after he married Martha Custis he became a devoted stepfather to her 2 children, Patsy and Jackie from a previous marriage.

Jackie as a young adult married and gave George and Martha 4 grandchildren. Her youngest daughter Eleanor nicknamed “Nelly” was only 4 and half months old when George and Martha brought Nelly and another young sibling to Mt. Vernon to raise.

Eleanor "Nelly" Lewis

When Nelly grew up, to the delight of the entire family she married George Washington’s nephew, Major Lawrence Lewis. George gave the newlyweds a gift of 2,000 acres from his 8,000-acre estate. Washington arranged for a distinguished architect, Dr. William Thornton to design a home for the young couple.

Nelly and Lewis had this grand home built on a hill overlooking Mt. Vernon, between 1800-1805. * Washington spent a lot of time supervising this construction--it became his favorite pet project. But he died before the home was complete so he never saw it finished. 

The Lewis' furnished their new home lavishly and immediately started to throw elegant parties. The couple had 8 children of which only 3 survived past childhood. The rest died at Woodlawn.

Major Lawrence Lewis

When Lawrence died in 1839 Nelly left Woodlawn and went to live with her only surviving son at a plantation called Audley.

The plantation then was bought and sold several times. In 1896 the home was damaged by a hurricane--after this it sat empty for 6 years.

The home was restored and in the mid 20^th century the National Trust for Historic Places acquired the property. Today only 127 acres of the original 2,000 remain. The home is a museum and hosts thousands of visitors each year.

* Woodlawn is just south of Alexandria, Virginia.

The Hauntings

Before and since the home was restored in the 20^th century there have been reports of ghost sightings.

This activity occurs throughout the home but a lot of it is concentrated on the south side--where an open basement well is located. Many believe wells are portals or natural entryways for ghosts. It is felt this well located beneath the kitchen allows spirits to enter the home. * 

Witnesses over the years have reported being disturbed by footsteps, slamming doors, banging sounds and whispers without any known source.

Items in the home often crash down from shelves and pictures fall off the walls and smash onto the floor. Doors also often lock by themselves.

A ghost is heard thumping loudly up and down the stairs. Some believe this ghost is that of John Mason a previous owner of the estate during the Civil War. Mason had a wooden leg.

The Lafayette room a bedroom upstairs is very active. When candles were still used to light the home they were often found relit after they had been extinguished. Chairs in this room were found rearranged. Since, a ghostly figure is seen at the window of this room when the home is empty.

In the 1930s the owners of the home experienced a terrifying event in this bedroom. The wife put her infant down in his crib for a nap when moments later she heard him crying loudly. When she entered the room she found him lying on top of a tall dresser.

The Lorenzo room another bedroom upstairs also has unusual activity. This was the Lewis’s only surviving son's bedroom. People see the door on an antique armoire open without explanation.

Odd noises are often heard and many people have reported having their shoulders tapped by an unseen hand while in this bedroom.

Downstairs in the master bedroom the lights go on and off mysteriously. Visitors have reported a cold rush of air swoshed passed them in this room.

Both dogs and cats refuse to enter the home’s center hall area.

Floating figures are seen in the home and overnight visitors have been awakened only to see men dressed in old-fashioned clothing walking around.

The ghost of George Washington is seen on moonlit nights outside the home. He is seen riding around the estate and circling the drive on a translucent white horse. Some speculate his ghost still lingers because he never saw his pet project completed.

* The home's kitchen has been converted to the present day gift shop--so the well can be seen here.

The Crescent Hotel’s Ghosts Part ll

In The Crescent Hotel’s Quack Doctor Part I, I share the history of this hotel and the story of the quack doctor who bilked cancer patients out of millions of dollars. 

Sightings of this fake doctor's ghost and a nurse that worked for him are both seen at this fully restored hotel located in Eureka Springs, Arkansas.

There are many other ghosts seen at this hotel.

One apparition seen is that of a red-haired stonemason that the staff at the hotel calls, Michael. This ghost is said to be one of the original craftsmen who built the hotel in 1885. While working on the roof, Michael lost his footing and slipped. He fell to the second floor and was instantly killed.

Today the spot where he fell is Room# 218. This room is one of the active areas in the hotel. Michael is known to turn the room’s lights and television on and off, he also opens and closes the door. Loud knocks are also heard in this area.

One guest saw hands come out of the bathroom mirror, while others have heard the sounds of cries and someone falling from above. Other guests have been shaken awake by unseen hands. A frightened guest was seen running from the room quickly when he was later questioned he stated that he had seen blood on the walls in the room.

The Crystal Dining Room, a large 500-seat room in the hotel is very active. Over the years, many guests and staff have spotted ghosts wearing Victorian style clothing. These apparitions are seen dancing and socializing with others.

One 19^th century man is seen sitting at a table near a window. He has told witnesses that have approached him, “I saw the most beautiful woman here last night, and I am waiting for her to return.” This man is believed to be the ghost of a Dr. John Freemont Ellis who visited the hotel often during its glory days in the late 1800s.

One waitress working in this dining room spotted the image of a bride and groom in the room’s large mirror. When she turned, they were not there. She stated that the groom made eye contact with her, but when she looked again, his image just faded away.

The ghosts in the Crystal Room, like to move items. One Christmas, the staff, returned to the dining room to find that the Christmas Tree and wrapped packages that were placed under it had been moved to the other side of the room. Many of the chairs in the dining room had also been moved. They were found placed in a circle around this Christmas tree.

Yet another time the staff discovered all the dinner menus that had been left neatly stacked, the previous night were now scattered throughout the room.

In the dining room’s kitchen, a ghost of a young boy is seen skipping around. Pots and pans in this area are often found off their hooks without explanation.

Between 1908-1924, the old hotel was used for a woman’s college. One young student either was pushed or jumped to her death off a balcony.  Guests at the hotel today state they have heard her screams as she falls.

Another Victorian dressed gentleman is seen wearing a top hat near the bottom of the stairs in the hotel lobby. He has a full beard and mustache. His ghost is also seen sitting in the hotel’s bar area. When people attempt to talk to him, he doesn’t respond--instead, he just fades away.

One last ghost sighting is a waiter who is seen by guests carrying a tray of butter as he walks through the hotel’s hallways.

The Syfy show Ghost Hunters did an investigation of this hotel in 2005. They caught an image of a man on their thermal imaging camera. Here is one frame of what they captured.

The Crescent Hotel’s Quack Doctor Part I

This hotel designed by Isaac L. Taylor was built atop a mountain in 1885 in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. It was touted as “America’s most luxurious resort hotel.” 

Its purpose was to cater to the many tourists who came to partake of the “healing waters” of the Ozarks. It had a 500-seat dining room, swimming pool, tennis courts, and beautiful gardens. The views from its terraces and rooms are spectacular.

At first, the hotel was a great success, but as time passed people slowly stopped coming to Eureka Springs realizing the healing waters in the area were not as effective as they were made out to be. The hotel no longer able to pay its bills closed.

By 1908, the former hotel was being used as a Women’s College, but by 1924 this school closed down finding student tuitions were not enough to sustain the upkeep on the large building. In 1930 a Junior College took ownership, but they sold the old hotel shortly afterward in 1934.

Normal Baker

In 1937, Norman Baker, a quack doctor who was a con man, bought the building. He reopened the building as a cancer hospital and a health resort. 

He advertised that the combination of the area’s healing waters in conjunction with his “miracle elixirs” could cure cancer without unnecessary tests or surgery.

Cancer patients from all over the country flocked to “Bakers Hospital” to be cured. Unfortunately, Baker was not a real doctor--in fact in 1936, he had been arrested in Iowa for practicing medicine without a license. The Federal authorities becoming aware of his false claims swooped down and arrested him in 1939 on a charge of mail fraud.

“It is said he had each patient write home three times asking for more and more money.”

Baker was also mailing his “miracle elixir” around the country--it was estimated that he had conned 4 million dollars out of desperate cancer patients over the years that he ran Baker Hospital. He served five years in Leavenworth and then moved to Florida where he died in 1958.

He had not cured one patient--instead he managed to shorten the life span of many.

After this, new investors from Chicago bought the quack doctor's hospital and started to restore it, but in 1967 a fire destroyed most of the 4^th story and south wing.

By 1997, when a couple, Marty and Elisa Roenigk purchased the hotel stating they were going to restore the Crescent Hotel to its original glory, not many people in Eureka Springs believed them. 

But within 5 years, and with millions of dollars, they did precisely this. It has been over 100 years since the hotel’s original opening, and the Crescent shines once more.

Today the Crescent Hotel is a popular tourist destination in the Ozarks. An added attraction is the hotel’s large assortment of ghosts.

Norman Baker’s apparition has been seen. Witnesses have spotted him wearing a white linen suit and a brightly colored shirt. He is seen in the hotel’s recreation room in the basement-- it is here where he coaxed patients to write home to request money. 

His ghost is also seen on the 1st-floor stairway. When old photos are shown of Baker, these witnesses state he is the man they saw.

Another ghost is believed to be a staff nurse that worked at the hospital. She is seen in the middle of the night wearing all white on the hotel’s 3^rd floor. Her ghost is seen pushing a gurney on this floor with a deceased patient. Many witnesses stated that she just disappears as she reaches the end of the hall.

Other witnesses have not seen her but heard the gurney’s squeaky wheels as it passed their rooms late at night.

These sightings also fit in with the hotel’s history. Dr. Baker kept a morgue in the basement--and deceased patients were always moved in the middle of the night from their rooms so others would not see them. The hotel still displays the morgue’s autopsy table and freezer.   

Another ghost seen connected to this time is one of Dr. Baker’s unfortunate patients. The hotel’s cleaning staff sees this female ghost. They describe her as a shy elderly woman, oddly dressed, who calls herself “Theodora.” She approaches these staff members, and politely introduces herself then she vanishes right in front of them.

The laundry room on the 3^rd floor is also said to be active. The washers and dryers turn on in the middle of the night without cause.

In Part ll of this post entitled, The Crescent Hotel’s GhostsPart II I share more stories about the ghosts seen at this grand old hotel.