The Mudlavia Project: The Ghostbuster

James and I were at a party and someone asked me what I did for a living. James immediately jumped in and said, "She's a writer." This led to, "Oh, what do you write?" I explained that I was currently working on a historical fiction about Mudlavia.

Another person said, "Wait, isn't that the haunted hotel in the middle of nowhere?"

If I had a dollar for every time I've heard about the "haunted hotel in the middle of nowhere," I would probably be able to pay off my student loans.

Even in the age of the "great and powerful" internet, it's hard to find good and reliable information on Mudlavia, and there's many a tale of ghost sightings and séances associated with it.

The structure of Mudlavia is rotting and falling apart, but the crying shame is that the rich and magnificent history is fading and being lost to a bunch of ghost stories.

Before I write any other posts about Mudlavia, I want to set something straight... I am not writing a ghost story. In fact, I'd like to consider myself a ghost buster.

Here are a few claims on the internet I'd like to bust-

1) One ghost account mentions that there are thirteen trees that line the road that leads to Mudlavia...

Out of curiosity, I parked along the side of the road and walked it, counting each and every one of those big trees. I'd like to inform you that there are twenty-one trees that line the road, and that does not include the ones that are rotted and tipped over. Thank you very much.

2) The ghosts of the people that died in the fire haunt the hotel

All it takes is a little research to bust this one. The Historical Society has primary resources that specifically say that NO ONE died in the Mudlavia fire.

3) It's an old building, so it MUST be haunted!

Just because it's an old building doesn't mean it's haunted. I took pictures from the road (as James said, "How brave of you." But I didn't go onto the property because I hadn't asked the owners for permission yet) on Friday the 13th... If there's ever a good time for ghosts to show up, Friday the 13th would be a good day, wouldn't you say? Anyhow, there was nothing except a slight breeze and warm sunshine.

My goal with my novel is to restore Mudlavia's glory, not brick by brick, but word by word. I hope that instead of seeing rubble or hearing ghosts, that people will be able to imagine the elegance and romance of the era that Mudlavia once thrived in. Mudlavia springs operated at the turn of the century and held the magnificence, beauty and romance that Titanic and The Great Gatsby offer.

I hope someday instead of knowing it as just a haunted hotel in the middle of nowhere, people will know that it had stunning gardens, a striking marble fountain bubbling in the hotel lobby, a wishing well, elaborate farm to table menus, and a Queen Anne-style chapel where worship services, concerts, and weddings took place. It was a place nestled in what people called "Peaceful Valley" and it claimed to restore ones life and soul through it's magic mud and beautiful surroundings.

So let's begin the tale of Mudlavia, of its rich history and beauty...