The Davenport Hotel
By Tom McArthur

A persistent ghost story has haunted the Davenport Hotel for decades. Guests have reported seeing a woman, dressed in 1920's fashion, wandering the mezzanine, peering over the railing as though looking for someone in the lobby below. A recent search through the city's newspaper archive has revealed that the ghost may be that of Mrs. Ellen McNamara who fell to her death through the lobby skylights on Tuesday evening, August 17, 1920. Her final words, spoken to a physician in the hotel that night, were "Where did I go?" It seems she is still seeking an answer to this question.

Mysterious encounters are reported regularly in this 90 year old hotel, many of which are attributed to the hotel's original proprietor and namesake, Louis Davenport, who lived and died in the hotel he loved. The encounters have all been playful and benevolent. You could say the Davenport Hotel still has Mr. Davenport's "spirit of service".

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