Strange New England

A Compendium of History, Folklore, and Evidence of the Unexplained

If you have the taste of such a thing, you and your loved one can spend the night in the region’s latest boutique hotel. People are just dying to get a room there. Really. Or at least, they used to be. The room in question was once part of the rectory of St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Lewiston, Maine. Owner Andrew Knight claims that his establishment is the only one of its kind in all of the United States. What The Inn at the Agora offers the visitor is nothing less than a stay in a crypt. That’s right, a real, honest to goodness crypt verified by the fact that the remains of Monsignor Thomas Wallace rested within it for over 100 years. Of course, they’ve spruced things up a bit. Instead of cobwebs and brickwork enshrouded in darkness, the room is small but comfortable and offers amenities like a big screen television, a library of sixty horror movies, a small sitting area where you can romance the love of your life in the ambiance of what used to be eternal night. Don’t worry. There’s a vent in the east wall that releases the gases of decomposition, but should that need arise, its probably time to check out anyway.

Monsignor Thomas Wallace was the first priest of St. Patrick’s and he oversaw every brick laid down, investing his soul into the lives of his flock and eventually his body to the small mortuary chapel he had built so that he never had to actually leave. In 2009, St. Patrick’s closed and Monsignor Wallace had to go. If you are interested in spending the night in the Priest’s Crypt, it isn’t cheap, but it should be less than the folks to paid $760 on ebay for the opportunity to be the first guests. The room normally goes for much less than that.  Be aware, there is no toilet in the room so you have to book it along with another room in the hotel, as it is licensed by the state for ‘entertainment’ use only. If you do decide to invite the love of your life for an overnight, it comes with a two hour trip north to Bangor to drive by Stephen King’s house in Bangor.

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SOURCE: World’s First Crypt Hotel Room – CNN

Photo Credit: Courtesy of the Hotel Crypt/ Inn at the Agora

Tom Burby

Thomas Burby is the owner of strangenewengland.com and the author of THE LAST BOY ON EARTH and THE SEVEN O'CLOCK MAN, both available on Amazon.com. Mr. Burby has a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Maine and an MSEd in the Science of Education from the University of New England. He loves a good scary story...

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