Railroad House Inn

History & local legend

The Railroad House Inn in Marietta has hosted generations of travelers beside the Susquehanna River. Guitarist Ted Drozdowski recalled an unusual night there after performing with his blues duo, Scissormen. He and drummer R. L. Hulsman stayed after the show and took drinks onto the second-floor porch.

Looking through an uncurtained window, Drozdowski saw a gray figure in a bonnet, long skirt and frilled blouse pass through the room. He initially said nothing. About twenty minutes later, Hulsman pointed toward the same window and began to ask whether he had seen something. The musicians went inside, checking the closet and beneath the bed, but found nobody. Drozdowski published the experience in 2024.

Room 9 has a different tradition, associated with railroad president Thomas Alexander Scott. Former owners Rick and Donna Chambers reportedly discovered a beer-and-wine invoice bearing his name during renovations. It was dated May 17, 1900—nineteen years after Scott’s death. The apparent mismatch became another of the inn’s stories about guests who had stayed beyond their time.