Hartford Elks Lodge

A historic fraternal organization building on Prospect Street that has served the Hartford community for over a century. The lodge maintains traditions dating back to the late 1800s while also maintaining some supernatural residents.

The Hartford Elks Lodge stands as one of Connecticut's most actively haunted fraternal buildings, where the spirits of deceased members appear reluctant to surrender their membership even in death. Built in 1903 as the first structure in America constructed exclusively as an Elks Lodge, this yellow-brick Classical Revival building on Prospect Street harbors over four decades of documented paranormal activity that has unsettled members and investigators alike.

The haunting's roots may extend even further back than the lodge itself. During a kitchen remodel approximately fifteen years ago, workers discovered the stone foundation of a nineteenth-century home that once occupied the site—a house that reportedly burned down before the Elks acquired the property. Some believe the spirits predate the fraternal order entirely, originating from that earlier tragedy.

The most prominent suspected ghost is Samuel D. Chamberlain, one of the key founders who inspired the lodge's construction. Chamberlain, president of S. D. Chamberlain & Sons, passed away in 1938, but his presence allegedly lingers in the building he helped create. The lodge's grand ballroom bears his name in tribute. According to investigators, Chamberlain's spirit appears particularly displeased with modern changes to Elks membership rules—specifically the admission of women, which the formerly all-male organization now permits. This hostility toward female visitors manifests in disturbing ways: a bartender named Kelly Wolf reported feeling someone standing directly behind her while counting money, prompting her to plead aloud, "Please get away from me, you're scaring me." Her hair has been pulled by unseen hands. In August of one recent year, a member's sixteen-year-old daughter was "tapped" by an invisible force near the jukebox.

The most chilling account came from a young girl who encountered an apparition that aggressively commanded her to "Get out!" All reported voices have been distinctly male.

A second suspected spirit dates to a 1970s tragedy. Newspaper clippings from that era document a twenty-six-year-old man who fell to his death from the fire escape—some sources identify him as Robert Taylor, who died in 1972. Whether he fell, was pushed, or jumped remains officially unclear, adding another layer of mystery to the lodge's dark history.

The paranormal activity pervades multiple floors. In the basement, members report feeling cold hands touch them and sensing an unseen presence. The bar area has witnessed glasses flying off the counter "as if being thrown at the bartender." Throughout the building, members hear footsteps in empty hallways, observe tables moving without explanation, and see lights switching on and off spontaneously. Dark shadows slide along walls near the bar. Many members refuse to venture into the basement or upstairs alone.

The lodge gained national attention on November 30, 2011, when TAPS (The Atlantic Paranormal Society) featured it on Ghost Hunters Season 7, Episode 24, titled "Membership Denied." Investigators Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson heard disembodied voices in the basement, with Jason distinctly hearing his own name called by an unknown entity. The most compelling evidence emerged when team members Steve Gonsalves and Dave Tango discovered a letter written by Samuel Chamberlain's widow on the fifth floor. As they read the letter aloud, an electromagnetic field detector spiked dramatically—directly beneath a plaque bearing Samuel's name. When they read the letter again, the same spike occurred, suggesting a direct response from beyond the grave.

Psychic Medium Karen Hollis of the Ghosts of New England Research Society (G.O.N.E.R.S.) has conducted multiple investigations at the lodge. Her team captured EVP recordings, including a voice responding "secret" when asked about the password to enter the lodge room. Hollis concluded that many former Elks members remain "because they find it a welcoming environment and they liked it here and quite frankly they want to remain members."

A former member from the 1980s recalled ascending to the second-floor meeting room during a quiet moment: "I went up there once when there was no one there and had an un-welcoming feeling so needless to say I ran back down stairs." The quasi-octagonal lodge room, with its high domed ceiling, gilded moldings, and architectural flourishes designed by Hartford architect John J. Dwyer, apparently hosts more than just living members.

Today, the Hartford Elks Lodge No. 19 continues serving its 700-plus members across from the Wadsworth Atheneum, its elegant interiors virtually unchanged since 1903. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1984, the building preserves not only architectural heritage but seemingly the spirits of those who loved it most in life—fraternal brothers who refuse to relinquish their eternal membership.