Hotel Saxonburg

History & local legend

Hotel Saxonburg on West Main Street has roots in the town's nineteenth-century history. Originally called the Vogeley House, it was bought and remodeled by Francis Laube in 1875. Saxonburg itself was founded in 1832 by German settlers led by the Roebling brothers; John Roebling later designed the Brooklyn Bridge.

During a dinner and ghost hunt at the hotel, sisters Suzanne and Jean Vincent used dowsing rods as part of their attempt to communicate with spirits. Suzanne's account says the rods began spinning as the group moved through the building. The sisters interpreted that movement as contact with John Roebling, connecting their experience to one of Saxonburg's founders.