A Haunting at The Crown Hotel
– Victor Harbor
 |
| Crown Hotel - 1880 |
Victor Harbor was originally known as Port Victor. In 1865,
George Missen opened the Crown Inn there, at 2 Ocean Street.[1]
Missen had previously had the license to the Fountain Inn at Encounter Bay (another
allegedly haunted location you can read about here: https://hauntedadelaide.blogspot.com/2014/07/the-fountain-inn-hotel.html)
Missen sold the hotel in 1866 to Mr
James Greenfield of Mount Barker.[2]
Despite persistent rumours, Mr Missen did not commit suicide in the hotel. He
moved to Melton, Victoria, where he died.[3]
In 1876, Licensee,
John Hart added a balcony. In 1927, under the ownership of Mr Jacobs, a vacant
lot next to the hotel, facing Railway Terrace, was utilised for extensions to
the hotel. A few years later, the original hotel was demolished, and a new one was built to match the 1927 extensions.[4]
In 1935, renovations saw the construction of balconies that spanned from Railway
Terrace to Ocean Street.
The Crown Inn at
Victor Harbor is allegedly haunted by a ghost named George. He is believed to be
the first manager of the hotel. People report hearing disembodied footsteps in
this hotel, and seeing locked doors, unlock, and open of their own volition.
A staff member claims to have been
working behind the bar and witnessed a beer glass levitate off the bar, and
smash onto the floor.
It has also been claimed, (much like the
North Kapunda Hotel), that staff would lay out a room for functions the night
prior, lock the doors and leave. The next morning, they would return, and all
the menus placed the night prior, would be upside down, or chairs, cutlery or
tables would have been moved. This is despite no one being inside the building.
The building is locked and has a security alarm that detects movement!
So, if it is not George Missen that haunts the hotel, then who could it be?
I would love to hear your experiences, contact me in the comments below, or via Facebook!
Photos:
Crown Hotel, Victor Harbor 1880 - SLSA [B 8312].
Crown Hotel, Victor Harbor 1866 - SLSA [B 5688]
© 2022 Researched and
written by Allen Tiller
[1] J.L. Hoad, Hotels and Publicans in South Australia,
(1986) p. 149.
[2] Donovan and Associates, Victor
Harbor Heritage Survey, City of Victor Harbor, (1997), p. 227.
[3] George F Missen (1808 - 1883), WikiTree,
https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Missen-16.
[4]
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