The Carolina Inn

This Colonial Revival hotel has sat next to the UNC campus since 1924 and has been named one of the ten most haunted hotels in America. The building fits right in with the historic university grounds — and apparently one former guest has never left.

The Carolina Inn was built in 1924 on the hill for which Chapel Hill was named, funded by a gift from alumnus John Sprunt Hill to provide the University of North Carolina with a first-class hotel for visiting alumni, parents, and dignitaries. The Colonial Revival building quickly became the social center of campus life, hosting formal events, reunions, and generations of Tar Heel tradition. It also became home to one of the most beloved ghosts in North Carolina.

Dr. William Jacocks was a retired physician with a reputation as a fun-loving man with a witty sense of humor. In 1948, he checked into Room 252 at the Carolina Inn and decided to stay. For seventeen years, Suite 252 served as his permanent residence, and Jacocks became a fixture of the inn's daily life -- a gentleman resident known for his charm and his pranks. When he died in 1965, guests and staff soon discovered that the good doctor had no intention of checking out.

The first reports came from guests assigned to Room 252. They found themselves inexplicably locked out of the suite, sometimes requiring a workman with a ladder to break back in through a window. Bathroom mats would be found rearranged, curtains that had been left closed would be pulled wide open, and the scent of freshly cut flowers would fill the room despite no flowers being present. Guests described the temperature dropping suddenly for no reason. When the Carolina Inn underwent a major renovation in 1990, Jacocks's original suite was partitioned into four separate rooms, with modern electronic locks replacing the old hardware. The renovation did nothing to discourage the ghost. Room 256, which occupies part of the original suite, became the new focal point for the doctor's pranks, and guests staying there continued to report being locked out -- even with electronic key systems that should have made such occurrences impossible.

Jacocks isn't the only spirit said to inhabit the inn. Staff and guests have reported as many as twenty ghosts throughout the building, though the retired physician remains by far the most active and well-documented. His ghostly footsteps echo in the hallways, and doors throughout the inn open and close for no reason. Items left in specific positions are found moved to new locations by morning. Those who have experienced the phenomena describe Jacocks as a benevolent presence -- more prankster than poltergeist -- who seems to enjoy the company of the living and responds well when greeted by name. Staff have learned to acknowledge him when passing through the halls, a small courtesy that appears to keep the mischief in check.

The Carolina Inn continues to operate as a full-service hotel affiliated with the University and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Guests can request Room 256 if they want to test their nerves, though the inn makes no guarantees about what might happen to their door locks, their curtains, or their bath mats once the lights go out.