The Ghost of Maple Grove Inn

Haunted Alburtis PA Restaurant Features More than One Type of Spirit

Oct 18, 2007

Legend: Innocent man, declared "guilty" by kangaroo court and lynched in the tavern, vowed to remain earthbound. Since then, paranormal phenomena have been documented.

Maple Grove Inn was built in 1783 by John Keifer, who also owned mills and rental homes for his employees. Its original purpose was to provide lodging for suppliers and entertainment for workers. Later, it was a stagecoach stop.

Legend: Thomas Alva Edison used the inn as headquarters when he was doing research and experiments in Pennsylvania. These involved Berks County iron deposits, not electricity.
Legend: A guest was murdered in a closet on the second floor.
Legend: A Native American was lynched for having an affair with a willing white woman who became pregnant. The townspeople proceeded with a kangaroo court and found the man guilty. He was hanged in front of the inn’s dining room fireplace. In one version he was buried under the fireplace; in the other, his body was interred in the basement’s dirt floor. The victim vowed to stay earthbound to prove his innocence.

Now the establishment is a fine dining restaurant and bar which was bought by the Heffley family in 1977. They called the ghost Charlie and created a drink, the Floating Cloud Cocktail, in his memory. The restaurant has changed owners.

Paranormal Incidents

The family moved into the upstairs rooms shortly after the eatery opened. Colin Heffley detailed the phenomena.

A huge iron crane in the fireplace shook.
Ghostly whistling is heard near the fireplace.
Witnesses hear phantom footsteps.
Rapping sounds occur.
Colin’s calculator levitated.
A heavy chandelier swings on its own.
People have seen a phantom white dove flutter in the dining room.

Colin’s wife woke him one night, saying someone was in their bedroom. The door, which had been securely closed, was open. The room felt icy. The hall light, which was kept on, was off. As they tried to find a logical explanation, the door slammed shut.

One evening patrons paid their bill and left. Shortly thereafter, Colin heard rapping on the main door. The restaurant was open and the door was left unlocked. When he checked it, he discovered the slip bolts were in the locked position.

An employee tried to move a bar stool, but couldn’t. She gave up, only to see it slide across the floor.

Guests and a reporter experienced strange phenomena.

Lights dim without normal causation. Drinks mysteriously fall from tables. Customers have been pushed out of chairs by an unseen force. Diners saw a salt shaker rise about five inches above their table, then open and pour salt on one of their laps.

A neighbor gave the Heffleys a ceramic ghost. “The Spirit of Maple Grove” was etched on it.

A Morning Call reporter was writing an article about the restaurant. When she tried to take a picture of the figurine, the batteries in the flash attachment were dead, although they had enough energy to work when previously checked. She bought new batteries, then returned to take the photos. When the pictures were developed, light in the shape of a string of pearls was in the background. The odd illumination wasn’t seen when the photograph was taken.

Eric Wade, a subsequent owner of the Maple Grove Inn, took a snapshot of the fireplace. Those present when the picture was taken saw no light or reflection in the hearth. When the photo was developed, there was a glow in the structure.