History & local legend
Milo and Clara Arnold opened the Arnold House hotel in Linesville with a ball on January 12, 1882. The building later became the Knickerbocker Hotel, where Peg and Myrle Knickerbocker developed a tradition of recreating its Victorian social life.
At a September 2011 event, Mark Painter dressed as Milo Arnold and thanked the guests for coming. According to the account later shared by Peg, he then saw a man behind him wearing similar period clothing. The figure seemed to emerge from a wall, with a wavering appearance compared to heat rising from pavement, and then disappeared into it again. The resemblance between the costumed host and the unexpected figure made the episode a story about two Milos at the same gathering.
Peg described another experience in the dining room, where a figure appeared to peer around a corner.
Sources
- America’s Most Haunted, interview with host Peg Knickerbocker about the 2011 opening ball reenactment
- Kenny Biddle, Skeptical Inquirer, onsite account and hotel name history
- Library of Congress, September 1898 fire insurance map identifying the Arlington Hotel next to the opera house
- Rotary District 7280, Linesville hotel addressUnavailable ·
- Esri, 115 West Erie Street
