But all of these
witches and
vampires aren’t the
only spooks wandering
around northern Pennsylvania.
Just a bit further south in Erie is the
small town of Waterford, home to the Fort
LeBoeuf Historical Society, housed in the
Eagle Hotel, along with Sugar ‘n Spice,
one of the best haunted restaurants in
Pennsylvania.
The Eagle Hotel (and much of Waterford)
was built on the former site of Fort
LeBoeuf, which was established in 1753
by the French during the French and
Indian War. George Washington, himself,
visited the fort before it was abandoned
in 1797. The ruins of the fort, as well as
the graves of the soldiers buried there,
acted as a foundation for the town of
Waterford. Today, the people of Waterford
live among the historic buildings of early
American history... and they are also
learning to live with shadows and full-
bodied apparitions that have begun to
plague the entire town. But nowhere in
Waterford is the activity as intense as at
the Eagle Hotel.
Built in 1826, the Eagle Hotel acted as a
rest stop for travellers on the American
frontier and was also a distribution point
for New York’s booming salt industry.
The inside of the hotel was destroyed by
a fire in 1845 but was up and running a
year later. US president, Zachary Taylor,
supposedly stayed in the
hotel in 1848 and over the
last 190 years, it has acted as a
tavern, dance hall, social hall, resort,
stagecoach stop, and today, it is home to
Sugar ‘n Spice, an Amish style restaurant
and bakery.
Sugar ‘n Spice specializes in “Amish
style cooking,” which means it is hearty,
not necessarily healthy, but absolutely
delicious, and made in-house from
scratch. Each day, they have three or four
specials as well as their house staples
that are always found in Amish style
restaurants (and for a good reason).
Unlike so many haunted restaurants, the
prices are not at all high–the priciest
thing on the menu is the prime rib and
steak for $17.99. As if that isn’t wonderful
enough, the portions are absolutely
ridiculous. Almost everyone leaves Sugar
‘n Spice with a to-go bag, and there are
enough leftovers for at least one meal at
home if not two. The only downside to
this warm and welcoming restaurant is
that it is completely dry—no beer, wine,
or cocktails are available to go with your
dinner—but there are plenty of other
spirits roaming the halls to make up for
that.
Even though the bodies of the dead still
lie beneath the Eagle Hotel, the building
feels very much alive. Guests visiting
Sugar ‘n Spice and the history museum
have claimed to hear mysterious noisesin the building, voices calling out their
names, silverware disappears from their
tables, and they even hear a baby crying
on the stairs leading to the second floor.
Tracy, a member of the wait staff, has had
a slew of experiences including seeing
(and photographing) a woman standing
by the checkout counter as well as a man
dressed in 1800s garb leaning against a
pillar in the kitchen watching her. As if
full-bodied apparitions weren’t enough,
one night, she heard music playing and
followed it to the third floor which used to
be the ballroom. The minute she touched
the doorknob, the music stopped. It’s an
unsuspecting haunted restaurant, but a
place where the spirits are not afraid to
get your attention.
Sugar ‘n Spice is located in the Eagle
Hotel at 32 High St., Waterford, PA 16441.
For more information on deliciously
spooky destinations that are available to
the public, be sure to follow along in our
adventures at spookeats.com.Amanda, although US based is over in
the UK sometime in September, if you’re
sat at a table having afternoon tea,
nibbling at your cucumber sandwiches
and you happen to hear an American
voice “oh, we’d love some Fish and
Chips please, by the way, is your eatery
haunted” there’s a good chance it will be
Amanda. Look out for her UK adventures
on social media.