History & local legend
The Merwinsburg Hotel near Effort was an old stagecoach stop with guest rooms upstairs. A Pennsylvania haunting directory preserved in 2004 recorded stories of distant-sounding music on the second floor and bright white figures in a bedroom and hallway. Local tradition associated the figures with the Merwin family.
The building’s past also resurfaced in a more tangible way during a historical society tour on May 17, 2014. Someone opened a drawer and found letters, postcards and vacation brochures, including an unopened letter from 1917 and an unused birthday card.
Ghost hunter Ron Ely attended that tour and discussed stories connected with the hotel.
Sources
- Pennsylvania investigator’s directory, archived 2004, Merwinsburg Hotel entry
- Elsa Kerschner, Times News, June 20, 2014, historical society tour and Ron Ely
- Times News, November 23, 2012, former innkeepers Bill and Barbara Shiffer describe the property
- Monroe County, 2025 public notice identifying 517 Merwinsburg Road
- Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office, Merwinsburg Hotel survey record
