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Scribner - The Harder Hotel of 1901

This old abandoned saloon/hotel was built in 1901 and once operated as a restaurant, bar, and hotel is very haunted by victims of murders and/or suicides that took place in the building. Witnesses have reported shadowy figures on the second and third floors, and have heard unexplained voices and felt cold spots.

This old saloon once operated as a restaurant, bar, and hotel is very haunted by victims of murders and/or suicides that took place in the building. Witnesses have reported shadowy figures on the second and third floors, and have heard unexplained voices and felt cold spots.

For many years, haunted mysteries have lingered around one of the oldest buildings in Scribner, Nebraska; The Harder Hotel, or as we know it, The Old Hotel. The Harder Hotel dates back into the turn of the century when it was completed in 1901.

The construction of the building features three main levels. The Harder Hotel served its purpose as a hotel on the second and third floor with a restaurant to enjoy on the main floor for many years. In the early 1900’s the Harder Hotel was considered very modern with its upscale, brick Victorian style architecture which was used to provide a luxurious stay for the passing businessmen traveling through Scribner by railroad.

Due to the prominence of the Harder Hotel throughout the twentieth century, it was declared a historical landmark in 1989. Today, the Harder Hotel is known as The Old Hotel and serves the community as a restaurant and saloon while the upper floors remain vacant.

The Harder Hotel was once a standard hotel but in its later days it became a brothel and bar as well.

Deaths in the Hotel

Multiple deaths occurred in The Old Hotel’s over the previous years when it still provided hotel accommodations. Some of the deaths include one man and one woman that were found dead in separate hotel rooms, and rumors that the man who died was from a self-inflicted gunshot. There were also reports of a man that committed suicide by jumping from the third floor window to the street below.

The spirits continue to reside at The Old Harder Hotel which is now called The Old Hotel.

Although the bodies may have left the building, their spirits still inhabit it. Many individuals, including the owners, have claimed to have personal, yet unexplainable experiences at The Old Hotel. Mr. Ralph Weatherly, one of the owners of The Old Hotel, said, “One day, my wife was sitting at a table in the restaurant when she saw a lady, who was wearing a red dress, walk into the bar. She got up to help who she thought was a customer. When she entered the bar area, there was no one to be found.” Mr. Weatherly, along with a few common customers, have also claimed to have heard piano music play throughout the building. “Sometimes the instances are as small as the coffee pot filter popping out, or finding items that you set in one spot end up in another... when you’re the only one in the building,” Mr. Weatherly said.