The Basin Park Hotel serves as a luxury getaway for people in northern Arkansas, its surrounding areas and from throughout the country. The large building dates to 1905 and gets its name from the natural spring nearby that some believed had healing powers. It could be the spirits of some of those looking for a miracle cure to their ailments who still wander the halls of the Basin Park Hotel, and tour guide Diane Newcomb has made a career out of collecting evidence of the paranormal activity there. This episode dives into the history of the historic hotel and the unique way in which the hotel and Diane conduct ongoing investigations to try to identify the ghosts who still seem to call the hotel home.

BASIN PARK HOTEL

I grew up in the Midwest and I remember as a child taking a vacation to Eureka Springs, Arkansas. I was in elementary school at the time but remember how excited I was to be in an area surrounded by mountains and natural springs.

I was also very familiar with the history of that part of the country, from Lewis and Clark stories to the Trail of Tears, I learned a lot about exploration and tragedy in the Midwest. So it came as no surprise when I stumbled across the Basin Park Hotel as a paranormal hotspot.

This hotel, which I have not yet visited in person, is in Eureka Springs and is said to be one of two very haunted hotels in the small town of about 2,000 people. It’s storied past certainly supports that haunted theory.

The city was known as a gambling mecca for decades and attracted cowboys, outlaws and others to it throughout the 1800s. With that popularity came plenty of tragedy.

When it was “discovered” that the mineral springs under the city had healing powers, the town transformed and soon became a last-ditch vacation destination for those hoping for a miraculous cure for a wide range of maladies. Many of those souls, unfortunately, likely did not find the cure they had hoped for.

I was thrilled to see that not only did the Basin Park Hotel offer tours, but that their resident tour guide, Diane Newcomb, was easily accessible and available for interviews. When I emailed her, she got back to me almost immediately and was happy to share the history of the hotel and some of her experiences with the entities that are said to still haunt its halls.

I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I enjoyed creating it. Diane is a wealth of knowledge and I encourage you if you are ever in the Eureka Springs area to look her up and take her tour. You won’t regret it.