THE CRESCENT HOTEL

Photo courtesy of the Eureka Springs Historical Museum This picture is of the Crescent Hotel when it was first built in 1886.

Ghosts Live Here

Inspired by true events

This photo is of Theodora, a cancer patient of Dr. Baker’s, whose ghost is said to roam the halls of the Crescent Hotel.

Schyrlet Cameron found an old sign at the Crescent Hotel that shows the building’s history as a cancer hospital.

Schyrlet Cameron and Kathy Brown are the co-authors of numerous books, including one in the works called Ghosts Live Here.

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Instagram: author_ccbrown

The ghosts who live at the Eureka Springs’ Crescent Hotel, the ‘Castle in the Air’

CC Brown is at it again.

After publishing the Ghosts of Perry House in 2021, a new book is in the works with hopes of publishing in fall of 2023.

CC Brown is a pseudonym for two sisters, Schyrlet Cameron and Kathy Brown. The duo grew up in the Ozarks and have been interested in the supernatural all their lives.

A town that started because of the power of its healing waters slowly turned into one of the most haunted towns in America. Drawing people from all over the world, Eureka Springs, Ark. has Victorian homes, a historic downtown district, and multiple hotels with magnificent yet grim histories.

Eureka Springs was built on natural springs that surround the city, and with a population of nearly 2,000, it draws more than 750,000 visitors annually.

Ghosts Live Here is a supernatural thriller that takes place in the haunted halls of the Crescent Hotel.

Ghosts Live Here follows Nicole and her two friends who check into the historic 1886 Crescent Hotel ahead of the weeklong “Fall Festival” celebration.

“Rumors that the hotel is haunted prompt the three to take a late-night ghost tour, a journey of the hotel’s colorful past as the ‘Baker Cancer Hospital,’ and a visit to the most thrilling paranormal site in Eureka Springs, the Crescent Hotel Morgue,” Schyrlet said. “Determined to discover an explanation for the unexplainable, an investigation into the hotel’s dark history spells trouble for the three amateur ghost hunters. The trio soon become entangled in a mystery filled with ghost, hauntings, and terrifying secrets.”

The Crescent Hotel has quite a history filled with interesting and unique moments, specifically those stories from when it was Doctor Baker’s Cancer Hospital, which is what the book is largely focused on.

“In 1937, Norman Baker purchased the Crescent Hotel and remodeled it into the Baker Cancer Clinic,” Schyrlet said. “This was during the Great Depression, and the people of Eureka Springs saw Dr. Baker as a savior for bringing much needed jobs to the town. “During his running of the Crescent, Baker remodeled much of the hotel, painting the inside lavender, his favorite color. He wore lavender suits, the shirts orchid, and the ties purple. Even his car was purple.”

Norman Baker made millions in today’s dollars from his patients claiming to have a cure for cancer.

“He referred to the Crescent as the ‘Castle in the Air,’ broadcasting over the radio that he could cure cancer without carving patients up,” she said. “The very expensive cure consisted of injections of a mix of common substances including corn silk, watermelon seeds, clover, water, and carbolic acid.

“His method of gaining patients led to his undoing. In 1940, he was jailed for mail fraud. Ironically, he died in 1958 from cancer.”

Schyrlet and Kathy have made many trips to the Crescent Hotel for research on their new book, and they have experienced some hauntings of their own within the walls of this magnificent property.

“Room 218 is where Michael, an Irish stonemason who fell to his death when building the hotel, is known to hang out,” she said. “He pulled the shower curtain back when we stayed in the room and playfully touched our backs.”

Schyrlet said Theodora, a cancer patient of Dr. Baker’s, is known to be seen fumbling for her keys outside Room 419 and tidying up for guests when they leave the room.

“We left a hand full of coins on the coffee table and went to dinner,” she said. “When we returned, the coins were all neatly stacked in a row in the correct denominations.”

Another known ghost is Breckie, a 4-year-old child of Richard & Mary Breckenridge Thompson, who died in the hotel due to complications from appendicitis.

“He has been seen throughout the hotel often bouncing a ball,” Schyrlet said. “On a late-night investigation on our own, Kathy and I heard a ball bouncing in the hall on the third floor. Kathy had what felt like a small child’s hand grab her hand.

“This was interesting because Kathy’s son passed away when he was young.”

Schyrlet said Dr. John Freemont Ellis, the hotel’s in-house doctor circa the late 19th century, is most often seen - or his cherry pipe tobacco is smelled near his office, which is now room 212.

“We have smelled the pipe tobacco on several occasions, once on a ghost tour,” she said. “Morris, the famed hotel cat, was known as the Hotel General Manager for 21 years, and later buried on the hotel property, is regularly seen and heard.

“This ghost cat is a pest. He has rubbed up against my ankles on more than one occasion.”

Schyrlet was a teacher for 34 years, and she has co-authored more than 50 teacher resource books. Kathy has been the owner and operator of Hickory Kids Day Care for 15 years.

Schyrlet and Kathy began writing together in 2011 and have co-authored three fiction books and six cookbooks.

Supernatural thrillers by CC Brown include Ghosts of Perry House, Black Widow Society, and Wolf Stone.

“No one believes in ghosts, but everyone is afraid of them,” Schyrlet said. n

This is a photo of Dr. Norman Baker for when he ran for Governor of Iowa in 1932.

Ghosts of Perry House is the latest published work of CC Brown.

by Pam Wormington

Moo-ving Mountains

Iwas looking forward to a weekend of God and girls at a Grounded Faith conference in Springfield, followed by a week of camping at the Pines in Arkansas. I planned the work and was working the plan to accomplish all the things that needed to be done before I left town, when I heard the back door open and the dreaded “We’ve got a problem!” Of course, I didn’t know what the problem was but knew I was a part of ‘we’ and about to be enlightened. “We” have a 600-pound steer in the northeast corner of the farm with pneumonia. “We” need to get him closer to the house, aka corral. Without thinking, I grabbed some jeans and rubber boots and out the door I hustled. I was then informed that the rancher had no plan as to how we were going to accomplish this task. The steer was too fast to catch, too big to rope and well we couldn’t just tell him “Go to the house!” That’s when I wanted to say, “when you figure it out, let me know… I’ve got things to do” but the divine duct tape was on my mouth and so when he paused, I suggested we go access the situation and make a plan. I am all about plans whether it be A, B or even D sometimes Z. We get to the paddock where the cattle are happily grazing and quickly spot the big boy and his momma and immediately act upon no plan, opening gates and herding them toward the corral. I might add that when cattle are intensive grazed getting them to travel to a previous paddock is virtually impossible. Kind of like eating a good salad one day and then being given the left overs the next day and expecting enthusiastic eating. The unplanned plan was working. Open a gate, momma and baby walk through. Three paddocks later, they are losing their “enthusiasm” and began to balk. If you have ever tried to run in rubber boots through a recently grazed pasture, you know that things can get a little slippery. For some reason sliding down a hill on recycled “grass and water” can cause every muscle but the bladder to tighten. Momma and baby were scared to come any closer to me and my screeching and headed to the next paddock. It was at this point that I wished I had my new “sign-on bonus” gift from my boss. I’m not exactly sure what it’s called but I refer to it as the cattle paddle. It looks good on the porch but not very effective there. So, the journey continues, as I walk with my two-blue electric fence post and my arms outstretched trying to be large and in charge as the boss follows along on the four-wheeler. The divine duct tape is wearing thin as I am instructed to not rush the steer because he has pneumonia and we don’t want him to breathe heavily. All I can think about is I need to leave town shortly and I am not even packed, showered or remotely ready. I began to pray for all those things that I am supposed to be at his moment with the exception of ‘on time’. I guess you would say I prayer walked our farm along with a little cardio and resistance training, I began to think I was using my time for a little more than ranch work. Once in the corral, my man gave me the go ahead to take the day off and he’d finish up. I had to laugh as he sighed, “that went way better than I ever thought it would.” I walked off the job with the following resignation: “I serve a God that not only can move mountains, he can move cows too” and then show up at a Women’s conference. I am just so in awe of Him every day! n

by Meagan Ruffing

Meagan Ruffing is a parenting journalist and Mental Health Counselor. You can find her sitting on her patio sipping coffee this fall.

Pumpkin Spice & All Things Nice

October is one of my favorite months of the year. I think it’s the crispness of the air that does it for me. I think it’s the dew on the grass and the sound of buses heading to school. I think it’s the early morning fog, rushed moments, and weighted down backpacks. I think it’s the season of fall. I think it’s heading to work and going home. But most of all, I think it’s the Pumpkin Spice coffee I get to drink every morning on my way to see clients and at 2pm when I need a pick-me-up. I think October is one of the most special months of the year. I hope this month brings you as much joy as it does to me and my kids. See how many of these things you can do on this list and come up with some of your own. Winter will be here before you know it so enjoy the season of life you’re in now. n Because this month is so fun to me, I try to make it special for my kids, too. Here’s how: 1. I buy fun things for my girls’ lunchboxes like Halloween-themed cupcake liners. I cut up fruit to put inside of them and they fit perfectly. I also wrap their sandwiches in witch hat printed parchment paper and close it up with a cute sticker. 2. I decorate the house in fall-themed décor because it’s aesthetically pleasing but I also know that my kids love it because it feels like home. I usually hang some orange-colored garland over the fireplace and place candy-corn shaped blocks on the mantle. 3. I always make my kids watch “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” when it comes on the television this time of year. I remember watching it when I was a kid and it has become a tradition that we all look forward to. I make popcorn mixed with orange and black M&Ms and we make a big pallet in the living room to cozy up on. 4. The kids and I head to the children’s resale store to look for costumes. I love doing it this way because you never know what you’re going to find and you can’t beat the prices. If we absolutely have to, we’ll go to a big-box store but the kids are apt to have the same costume as the trick-or-treater in front of them so we prefer to try and find something that’s one-of-a-kind. 5. I love buying those cute little treat bags for Halloween and putting multiple pieces of candy inside. I remember trick-or-treating as a little kid and loving the houses that had these types of treats. 6. There’s nothing quite as delicious-smelling as mulled cider. Making this on the stovetop makes your whole house smell like fall and it tastes good, too! 7. S’mores by our fire pit is the perfect way to either cap off a long day or kick-off the weekend. My son and I take turns on who can get the fire going while the girls set up our chairs and lay out the graham crackers, marshmallows, and chocolate. I love eating them but my favorite part is when the four of us are sitting there in the dark just talking about random things. 8. Playing in leaf piles is a great way to get each other laughing. There’s something about the red, yellow, and orange leaves that make me feel like everything is right in the world. It never fails that one of us will bring a leaf home because it’s the biggest, most beautiful one we’ve ever seen. 9. If I’m in the baking mood, I’ll make my Grandma Shirley’s apple pie. Her secret tip to every pie crust is a small bottle of water in the fridge with the words “pie water” written in Sharpie. This is the water you use and only this water. 10. Who doesn’t love a good casserole? I know I do! This the perfect way to send the message to your kids that, “This is home.” I like to try new recipes and even come up with my own. My favorite part is knowing that dinner is already made and all I have to do when I get home from work is pop it in the oven. I can do this while I change into my lounge clothes. Once the kids and I are cleaned up and ready to eat, dinner is ready.