The Carolina Inn

The Carolina Inn has been open since 1924 and it has served as a hospitable and cheerful hotel to travellers who are looking for pleasure or business. The hotel was built by a prominent alumnus of the University of Carolina, John Sprunt Hill.
The hotel was designed by award winning architect, Arthur C. Nash. Hill donated the inn to the university in 1935 with the provision that the hotel’s profits will be donated to the university to help in the upkeep of the University Library. The hotel has been through five major renovations since it was built. There have been three major additions and another renovation is currently underway.
The hotel has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places and it is also a member of the National Trust’s Historic Hotels of America. The hotel is furnished with mostly antiques and most of the furniture was made in North Carolina. The hotel opens its doors to tourists and gives them a share of tradition and four-star diamond service.
They say that when you stay in The Carolina Inn, you will never want to leave. Apparently, this is also the same way the ghostly residents feel. One of the most famous ghosts of the hotel is Dr. William Jacocks. He was once the longest resident of the inn, having lived there for almost 20 years, from 1948 to 1965, when he died. Room 252 was his room (now 256). He was reported to be a kind man who was friendly with a good sense of humor. His playful ghost has been reported playing pranks on the hotel’s guests. He has been known to lock them out occasionally, mainly out of the room he once called home. One time it was that difficult to unlock the door that the hinges had to be removed.
Guests who have stayed in his room have also reported curtains opening of their own accord, and the shower mat becoming crumpled as if someone is getting out of the shower.
A ghost investigator also reported that while he was using the sink, both handles of the sink fixture just suddenly fell off leaving the water spraying everywhere. There was also a report of a couple who stayed in room 256 who heard a loud swoosh at night, emanating from the opposite side of the room to where the ventilation shaft is. The man also felt his feet become inexplicably icy suddenly during the middle of the night.
Elsewhere in the hotel guests and staff alike have reported the sighting of an well dressed portly man walking the halls. He’s reported to walk the halls looking for an open door. He tries each door knob rattling each one. When guests have opened their doors they see the man at the end of the hallway, when they attempt to shout him he disappears.
Although the hotel is convinced it has a resident ghost, nobody feels as though it’s a threat. The good doctor was a kind man in life, he’s now as harmless as he ever was, and he seems to rather enjoy playing the odd prank or two on guests, especially in the Carolina Inns’ room 256.