The Pfister Hotel is arguably Wisconsin’s fanciest hotel. They’re celebrating their 125th anniversary this year. Sat right in the middle of downtown Milwaukee, this hotel is ornate and beautiful and houses the largest Victorian art collection of any hotel in the world. It cost $1 million dollars to build 125 years ago, which equates to about $26 million in today’s money. It’s a stunningly ornate and beautiful spot. And it’s one of the most haunted places not just in Wisconsin, but in the country.
As Milwaukee’s premier hotel, the Pfister is the spot where traveling sports teams stay and the goings on in the middle of the night have made it the most infamous spot that MLB and NBA players visit.
The ghost stories of the Pfister are many and varied. The legend is that the ghost that haunts the hotel is the man who built it, Charles Pfister.
Flickr/JimBauer
The ghost is described as a portly gentlemen with a smile, here to make sure that his brand of hospitality still exists within the hotel today.
Flickr/PaulSabelman
Of course, it’s difficult to reconcile the idea of making sure the hotel is great to its guests with the many stories of unsettling stays at the Pfister.
Flickr/JohnZacherle
The Pfister is well-nigh legendary at this point for it’s ghost stories. From floating orbs of light to the feeling of a presence, phantom voices to things shutting on and off, the stories of abnormal happenings at the Pfister are commonplace.
Facebook/ThePfisterHotel
The Pfister is beyond infamous in Major League Baseball - so much so that players like Pablo Sandoval, Jason Heyward and Justin Upton have paid their own way to stay in a different hotel and avoid the Pfister altogether. The players report stomping footsteps in their room, a moving light, the air conditioning and tv turning on and off and mysterious voices.
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Bryce Harper reports having laid out clothes on the settee at the end of the bed and waking up in the morning to find the clothes on the floor and the settee moved all the way across the room. There have players that leave their rooms in the middle of the night to sleep in the lobby, some that pair up in the rooms to have a witness for the activities and others that just plain refuse to stay there anymore.
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One manager reports having to calm down a player in the middle of the night and convince him that ghosts don’t exist.
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The Pfister is unique and it’s interesting to combine the opulence and high reputation of this hotel with the stories of ghosts and scared guests. But the stories come every year as people continue to feel like they’re experiencing paranormal activity.
Facebook/ThePfisterHotel
The Pfister is a stunning turn-of-the-century hotel that you’ll want to visit just to experience it’s gorgeouness, but you should be aware that you might not be the only one in your room at night.
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The Pfister is located at 424 E Wisconsin Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53202.
Flickr/JimBauer
Flickr/PaulSabelman
Flickr/JohnZacherle
Facebook/ThePfisterHotel
Flickr/WBURBoston
Flickr/Sarah
TripAdvisor/GracePitt1013
Flickr/YelpInc
Looking for more Wisconsin ghost stories? Check out These 11 Haunted Cemeteries In Wisconsin Are Not For the Faint of Heart.
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