HGB Ep. 572 - Seelbach Hotel

Moment in Oddity - The Skeleton Flower (Suggested by: Duey Oxberger)

There is a lovely little Asian plant that blooms early to mid summer. It is commonly known as the Asian umbrella leaf, umbrella leaf, or skeleton flower. The plant is native to Japan and can be found in the mountainous regions of both Japan and China.  They prefer cool temperatures and partial to complete shade and can be grown in zones 4 through 9. Its delicate white blooms with yellow centers do not look like anything too unusual. There is something that makes this plant very unique however. Any time the flowers become wet, they become transparent like glass, then, once they dry out, they return to their normal white color again. They are a lovely whimsical choice for the correct growing environments. They are a slow growing, deciduous perennial. We of course had to research these plants for home growing with a name like skeleton flower. Sadly, where we live in Florida, the summers are just too hot and humid which would stress these plants.  They can be ordered online for those avid gardeners who have the correct environment. These distinctive, delicate flowers that can turn to glass with some droplets of water, certainly are odd.

This Month in History - King Henry VIII Marries Anne Boleyn

In the month of January, on the 25th, in 1533, King Henry VIII married his second wife Anne Boleyn. During this time, Henry broke away from the Church and he declared himself the head of the Church of England. This allowed him to divorce his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, and marry his mistress Anne Boleyn. Catherine of Aragon had provided King Henry six children, but only a daughter survived. Henry wanted a son and Catherine's longest living son had only survived 52 days. The divorce happened in January 1533 and shortly thereafter, Anne was married to the King. Her coronation would come in May of that year, but a male heir from her would never come to fruition. In 1536, Anne was arrested on false charges of heresy, adultery and treason. She was thrown into the Tower to await execution. She was executed on Tower Hill. Henry VIII also had the fifth of his six wives executed. In addition, King Henry imprisoned Sir Thomas Moore and Bishop Fisher of Rochester in the Tower and they were executed because they refused to acknowledge him as the head of the Church of England. Many people were arrested under his monarchy due to religious and political reasons. During his reign, the Tower of London would come to be known as the Bloody Tower. 

Seelbach Hotel

The Seelbach Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky was so beautiful and iconic that it inspired F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby." Stepping inside the lobby, takes one back to an earlier time with its lavish decor. The Rathskellar down in the belly of the hotel gives flashes of the Prohibition era and it wouldn't be surprising to spy Al Capone sitting at a corner table. There are several ghost stories connected to this Louisville treasure that we will share with you here. Join us for the history and hauntings of the Seelbach Hotel.

I have been inside this iconic hotel several times. The first time was on a ghost tour. The second time, I met up with a fellow podcaster who was staying there and we did some exploring. This most recent time, Kelly and I decided that we couldn't pass up the chance to actually stay overnight ourselves. The lobby is breathtaking with its grand staircase, imported European marble, large murals and carved wood. The hotel sits near the West Main Street Historic District and at the time that Louisville was starting as a settlement, the state of Kentucky was still part of the state of Virginia. A rudimentary fort would be the first bit of civilization and was established by Lieutenant Colonel George Rogers Clark in 1778. Louisville would receive its town charter in 1784 and was named for King Louis XVI, who had helped the United States defeat Great Britain during the Revolutionary War. Louisville became a main point of trade since it was near the Ohio River. The railroad arriving in the mid-1850s helped with that growth as well. 

The outbreak of the Civil War found Kentucky declaring itself neutral and it spent much of the war under Union occupation. After the war ended, Louisville experienced enough growth to become an economic powerhouse. The downtown was transformed with new buildings. And this brought entrepreneurs. Otto and Louis Seelbach were brothers who grew up in Frankenthal, Germany, which was a small town in Bavaria. Louis immigrated to United States in 1869, when he was seventeen. He traveled to Louisville to learn the hotel business. Louis settled into work at the Galt House Hotel and he saved up his money so that he could open the Seelbach Bar & Grill in 1874. The restaurant did very well and Louis used some of his money to bring his brother Otto to Louisville in 1891. Otto helped Louis to open the first rendition of the Seelbach Hotel above the bar and grill that same year.  

The brothers decided they wanted to build their own hotel and they chose a spot at the corner of 4th and Walnut Street to do just that. Walnut Street would actually change its name to Muhammad Ali Boulevard in 1978 in honor of the boxing great who grew up in Louisville. Construction on the hotel began in 1905 and was designed by W.J. Dodd and F.M. Andrews in a turn-of-the-century Beaux-Arts architectural style. The goal was to give it a luxurious and opulent feel in the style of Parisian hotels. As we said, the lobby is just breathtaking and one reason is that it is topped by a vaulted dome of 800 glass panels. The floors and columns were formed from imported marble from Italy and Switzerland and this is trimmed with beautifully carved mahogany and bronze that has a Renaissance styling. On the upper walls encircling the lobby are murals featuring pioneer scenes from Kentucky's history that were painted by artist Conrad Arthur Thomas. He was most well known for his paintings of Native American culture. Turkish and Persian rugs were laid throughout. Guests exit the lobby via a grand staircase that leads to the mezzanine with elevators, a 3,400 square foot ballroom and the Walnut Room. The hotel also features conference rooms the Fitzgerald Suite, a Grand Ballroom, the Presidential Suite, the Seelbach Suite and 321 guest rooms. When the hotel originally opened, there were 150 rooms.
 
When the Seelbach had its grand opening in May of 1905, it was billed as "the only fireproof hotel in the city." Twenty-five thousand people attended the grand opening. The Seelbach brothers couldn't believe how popular their hotel had become and they decided that they should immediately start building a 154-room addition, which they began in the fall. In 1907, that expansion was completed and probably the coolest part of the hotel was added during that expansion, the Rathskeller. When Diane visited the second time, she did a live video for the Spooktacular Crew. We'll pull that and post it again on YouTube and Facebook. It was locked when we visited this time, so Kelly only got to experience it through windows, but it still is mind-blowing when viewed from the outside. The walls are decorated with rare Rookwood Pottery and this is the world's only room made with this pottery. The patterns were hand drawn on the soft clay before being fired. The zodiac is preeminent in this space. Not only is there a zodiac clock mounted outside of the Rathskellar, but all twelve zodiac signs are featured on the ceiling of the space. There are many pelicans found around the room and it is thought this was to symbolize death. This is an event space today and most likely hosted a variety of things in the past. Definitely a few gangsters here and there, which would have included Lucky Luciano and Dutch Schultz, who was known as the "Beer Baron of the Bronx." Another member of alcohol royalty would be George Remus, who was known as "The King of the Bootleggers" and he hailed from the mob in Cincinnati. 

Al Capone also enjoyed the Seelbach. His favorite spot was The Oakroom and he enjoyed dining in there and guests can still dine in a small alcove in the room. Capone also enjoyed blackjack, poker and bootlegging here. The room is gorgeous with lots of hand-carved American Oak paneling on the walls and columns. The large mirror in this room was a gift from Capone. This wasn't just from the goodness of his heart, but rather so that he could watch his back. This is a very male space and was meant to be that way. When the hotel opened, this was known as a gentlemen’s billiard hall and featured a private bar and card room. There are still cue racks on the south wall. The room also harbors a secret. There was an escape route for the gangsters. A boarded-up panel on the southwest wall hides what had been the doorway to a secret staircase that led to the Rathskellar, which led down to the Sub Basement and into a tunnel system with two exit paths leading into the city. 

There were many famous people who stayed here as well. Writer F. Scott Fitzgerald loved the Seelbach and he enjoyed bourbon and cigars while there. One time he had too much bourbon and was banned for a bit. He met some of the gangsters too and was very taken by George Remus whom many believe inspired the character of Jay Gatsby in his novel "The Great Gatsby." The Grand Ballroom was the backdrop for Tom and Daisy Buchanan's wedding reception in the book. The whole hotel really served as inspiration and the restaurant off the lobby features that with its name, Gatsby's on Fourth. They had a great breakfast buffet and our hostess Monica regaled us with ghost stories from her house. Carlos was great too - he was our waiter - and he said that he had worked there 24 years and never experienced anything weird. (Kelly comments on the staff.) Several US Presidents have stayed here including William Howard Taft, Woodrow Wilson, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Jimmy Carter, and Bill Clinton. Billy Joel stayed here when he was on tour with Elton John and he played the piano and sang in the Old Seelbach Bar. Heather French Henry, Miss America 2000, held her wedding reception at the hotel. Two movies have shot at the location, "The Hustler," starring Paul Newman and Jackie Gleason and the 2013 movie "The Great Gatsby."

Louis Seelbach died in 1925 and Otto followed him eight years later. The Seelbach Hotel Company couldn't hold itself together and the children of Louis and Otto sold the hotel to Chicago-based businessman Abraham M. Liebling for approximately $2.5 million. He later sold to the Eppley Hotel Company, which owned properties throughout the Midwest. Sheraton Hotels bought the Seelbach in 1956 and eventually changed the name to the Sheraton Hotel. They later sold to Gotham Hotels in 1968 who returned the name to the Seelbach. Unfortunately, the economy took a hit in 1975, the company went bankrupt and the Seelbach closed. In the early 1980s, two other men H.G. Whittenberg, Jr. and Roger Davis, joined in a partnership with the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company to buy the Seelbach and they began an extensive renovation. This cost $28 million to complete. The Metropolitan Life Insurance Company bought out both Whittenberg and Davis. A subsidiary of Radisson Hotels called the “National Hotels Corporation” then managed the Seelbach Hotel until Medallion Hotels, Inc., purchased the building in 1990. Medallion Hotels built the conference center. In 1998, Meristar Hotels and Resorts, bought the Seelbach Hotel. Investcorp International became the new owner in 2007. Rockbridge Capital bought it in 2017 and it is managed as "The Seelbach Hilton Louisville." 

 The Seelbach Hotel is not shy about their spirits. There are several here. The most famous ghost at the Seelbach is the Lady in Blue. This spirit is said to belong to 24-year-old Patricia Wilson. Her body was found in an elevator shaft on July 16, 1936. She gets her nickname from the clothes she was found wearing, a long blue dress. As to how she came to the bottom of the shaft, there are a couple of stories that are told. The first is a story of suicide. Patricia had either been estranged from her husband or gotten a divorce. The couple decided to try to work things out because they still loved each other, so they agreed to meet at the Seelbach. Unfortunately, her husband got in a car accident on the way to the meeting and was killed. Patricia was devastated. As to how she managed to kill herself jumping down the elevator shaft is anybody's guess. The more probable story was discovered by Larry Johnson, the hotel historian.

An article in a 1955 True Detective magazine tells a different story. This article was titled "Bluegrass Justice for the General." The general being referenced was General Henry Denhardt who had been in the Kentucky National Guard and had been a war hero. He had also been lieutenant governor of the state of Kentucky. The General apparently had been staying at the Seelbach where Patricia Wilson was working as a lady of the evening. Apparently, Wilson had joined a traveling salesman boyfriend to Louisville and he abandoned her there. She was destitute and turned to prostitution. The General got in an argument with Wilson and this was witnessed by a guest on the 8th floor. The guest decided to mind his own business and closed his door. Shortly after that, he heard a loud noise and a woman screaming. The guest ran out into the hallway and he saw the general running toward the elevator. It is thought the argument was over his lack of payment for services. Nothing ever happened to the General because nothing could ever be proven.

Larry Johnson is the hotel historian and he joined the Seelbach team as a bellman in 1982. He has written the definitive book on the hotel called, "The Seelbach: A Centennial Salute to Louisville’s Grand Hotel." He found out that Patricia Wilson's real name was Pearl Elliot. The General finally got caught over another crime he committed. He was engaged to a woman named Verna Garr Taylor. The couple were on their way for a shopping trip and got in an argument. The General pulled the car over and Taylor got out. He followed her and shot her to death and this time, a witness saw everything. This was a farmer and the General tried to tell him that his fiance had committed suicide, but the farmer knew better. The General was arrested and put on trial. He was staying at a hotel with his lawyer and they were outside talking when two of Verna Garr Taylor's brothers walked up to him and shot him to death.

On July 3, 1937, The Courier-Journal ran an article with the headline: 'Girl’s Death is Blamed on Denhardt.' The article reported, "Brigadier General Henry H. Denhardt was accused of causing the death of Miss Patricia Wilson, 25, whose broken body was found on the top of an elevator in the Seelbach Hotel, July 14, 1936. In a suit for $70,000 filed Friday in the Jefferson County court by Edward C. Langan, administrator for the girl’s estate.  The petition prepared by James T. Robertson, attorney, charges that General Denhardt assaulted, beat and bruised Patricia Wilson, causing her to fall down an elevator shaft in the hotel. Mr. Robertson said it was hoped that filing of the suit would be delayed until completion of the investigation and preparation of the case but the deadline for filing made it imperative that it be presented without further delay." Robertson had re-opened the case because he received several stories from clients who linked Denhardt to Patricia Wilson’s death. Since Denhardt was murdered, the case was never finished. So the final say was the coroner’s jury, which reported that Wilson had a fractured skull and two broken legs and was discovered by James Embry, an employee of the hotel. He told the coroner’s jury he first noticed a glove sticking out of the top of the dummy elevator that is used for carrying linen. In the end, the coroner’s jury ruled Wilson died due to her own carelessness and negligence.

Interestingly, Larry Johnson told Spectrum News, "I wrote my first book in 2005 on the Seelbach and put the Lady in Blue story in the book. A woman purchased my book and she gave my book to her father. She sent me an email and said, 'You won’t believe this. My father, who was 93-years-old, said I hope you don’t hold this against me, this was before I married your mother, but I think I know the Lady in Blue.' He told her about a house of ill repute and was introduced to this girl named Lucy in 1935 when he was stationed at Fort Knox.  He came back in 1936 with his unit at Fort Knox and went back to the house and asked for Lucy.  He was told that Lucy had died in an elevator shaft at the Seelbach Hotel."

Many staff members and guests have experienced unexplained things and seen actual apparitions. James Scott was working as a chef at the hotel in 1987. He was cooking waffles and omelets for brunch outside of the Oak Room and he had a clear view of the elevators. During a break, he saw a young woman with long dark hair in a long blue dress walk into the elevator. This wouldn't seem strange except the elevator doors were closed. He was unnerved and he called security. They checked the elevator and couldn't get it to work. Engineering came and pried the doors open and they got the elevator to come to the first floor and then it worked perfectly fine after that.  

A housekeeper named Sharon White saw the same woman stepping off the elevator on the eighth floor a few days later. The dress was of an earlier period. That elevator had broken down again and wasn't working, so she ran to tell security. There was no woman in a blue dress found anywhere. Staff at the restaurant reported seeing a woman who looked older, wearing very worn and ragged clothing, peeking from behind a mirror. Anytime an employee approached her, she would disappear. In 2004, a couple was staying on the 8th floor for their honeymoon. They awoke to find a strange man standing by the window. He was looking out at the city. The room got incredibly cold and then the figure disappeared. Other things that have happened include ghosts seen in mirrors, the faint scent of an old perfume, disembodied footsteps and disembodied voices.

A security guard named Patrick Rhodes is referred to as the "ghost whisperer" because the ghosts seem to like him. Many times when people have taken pictures of him on ghost tours, there are weird anomalies in the photos. A couple times could be explained away, but it happens a lot. Not just orbs, but streaks of lights and fuzzy distortions. Rhodes says that when he walks the property at night, checking doors and such, he whispers the Lord's prayer to himself to keep the spirits at bay. Especially near the Rathskellar.

So we had something weird happen during our Spirit Box session. I kept thinking I was getting these great multi-word answers. Here are a few. (Spirit Box I Love You) Same voice (Spirit Box See Them) (Spirit Box Something City) (Spirit Box Woman) But as I looked at the sound waves, they were all the same pattern in these sections and when I calculated the distance between each, the distance was the same. It was a pattern, which says to us, we were picking up either some kind of station frequency on that same part of the band or spirits were able to communicate on that certain band area.

The Seelbach Hotel is not to be missed. We honestly can't wait to stay there again, it was so magnificent. We didn't have anything we would define as ghostly activity, but many people have. Especially around the elevators on the mezzanine. Is the Seelbach Hotel haunted? That is for you to decide!