10/30/2009 2:55:03 PM

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By Aleta Capelle

Post-Bulletin, Rochester MN 

LEROY -- John Savage recalls the trip he and other members of the Minnesota Paranormal Investigators made to LeRoy a few years ago to investigate reports of a ghost residing in one of the city's businesses.

	Sweet's Hotel The original Sweet's Hotel was built in 1898 by William W. Sweet. A businessman and political figure, Sweet served as the city's mayor, deputy sheriff, assessor and county commissioner and was a Civil War veteran.

"When we went to LeRoy, I think it was a Saturday, there was a tornado warning just across the (Minnesota-Iowa) border. Then there was a sign at the side of the road, a religious sign, it said, 'Prepare to meet thy maker for the end is soon.'"

Despite, the warnings, the group continued on to what is now Sweet's Hotel, Restaurant and Lounge.

Women in the group reported the sensation of someone staring at them, Savage said. Some said they felt someone pulling their hair from the back.

Savage explained that he is a member of the Paranormal Investigators group because he believes as a medium he has a gift that obligates him help "those bothered by those who haven't crossed over."

Savage said it wasn't clear who the ghost had been in life, but he suspects because of his attitude toward women, he may have been a man who managed and profited from women in a brothel. For that trait, the group named him "The Enforcer." Savage, who claims to have seen the man's image in the basement, said the entity appeared to be quite thin and wearing a top hat. Thus, he was given a second name, "Top Hat."

"He was not a nice guy," Savage said. But interestingly, that may also be why that particular entity won't move on to the afterlife, Savage said. If he had any religious leanings, it's possible that he is afraid what his afterlife might hold. "He had to be a bitter person in life."

The group also detected, through electronic voice phenomenon (EVP), audio from some of the ghosts of the hotel, Savage said. One of the entities seemed to be saying "help me," Savage said.

They also captured what he called "unusual" photographic evidence of the entities that reside in the hotel. Unfortunately, Savage said, the pictures from the hotel were lost in a Sept. 30 fire in his garage.

Savage said he received information from entities in the hotel about a bad train accident near LeRoy in the early 1900s that resulted in the basement of the hotel being used as a temporary morgue. He said, however, that he has not been able to verify that information.

Other entities residing in the hotel include the ghost of a man who died in a fire there after he fell asleep while smoking.

"We were able to confirm that afterward," Savage said. Also residing in the hotel were ghosts of call girls, he said, and a woman who committed suicide.

"It was neat to see how different people perceived the entity that was there."

Hotel is rooted in LeRoy's history

Many individuals have either owned or managed the business over the years. In 1921, the name of Cy Thompson and Jay Hormel appear on the property abstract, according to current owner Rick Lamon, a LeRoy native and longtime Lanesboro Public Schools superintendent who retired five years ago.

Lamon said it was also in 1921 that Thompson was caught and jailed for embezzling from Hormel, where he worked as a comptroller. As a result, ownership of the hotel returned to Sweet.

The hotel reopened last fall after extensive remodeling, overseen by Lamon.

"We tried to recreate it in as authentic a way as we could," Lamon said. The hotel's original 35 rooms have been reconfigured into eight suites and rooms.

All the original walls and door openings remain, but some door openings are now "dummy doors," and in place to retain the original look of the hotel's hallways, Lamon said.

According to information on the hotel's Web site, www.sweetshotel.com, some believe the hotel is haunted by Frank Sweet, the son of W.W. Sweet, and his wife, Matilda.

For restaurant reservations, call (507) 324-9546; hotel reservations, 1-877-869-6076.

Many have reported strange occurences at LeRoy hotel

Real estate agent Colleen Jennings recalls the time a few years back when she was leading a tour of the LeRoy hotel that she was selling for the owner.

The group, which included about 10 adults and children, was fascinated by stories circulating in the community that the hotel was haunted, Jennings said. A member of the tour group said, "If this place is really haunted, give us a sign."

At that, a jukebox started playing, and its "pages" started flipping as if someone where paging through the songs it had to offer. Also about that same time, a fan inexplicably started blowing.

Former LeRoy Mayor Ed Koppen is a former owner of what is now Sweet's Hotel, Restaurant and Lounge. Though he says he wasn't aware of ghosts in the building, "there were times when things were a little out of order. ... I just blamed it on being tired."

Koppen said at times he would find doors unlatched the he was sure he had latched. Other times, he heard unusual sounds in the building, but because it was being remodeled at the time, he attributed the sounds to that activity.

Rick Lamon, the current owner of Sweet's Hotel, also reports an occurrence during remodeling.

"All I can say is when we were working here on the second floor it seemed very warm. Then we went up to the third floor and it was very cool. That just goes against the scientific principle of heat rising," Lamon said. Yet, he adds, "I'm probably not one that's a big believer."

Aleta Capelle of Spring Valley is a former Post-Bulletin reporter and copy editor.

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