Rider’s Inn Investigation

Rider’s Inn Investigation

792 Mentor Ave – Painesville, OH

01.16.24

I first heard about Rider’s Inn through a post on the North East Ohio Ghost Hunters Facebook page. A group was heading there for an investigation, and I jumped at the chance to check out this place with such a spooky reputation.

Rider’s Inn has been around a long time. Construction started in 1810, and by 1812 they were already taking in guests. Joseph Rider, a toolmaker from Connecticut, built it after his wife Suzanne got tired of having strangers sleeping in their house all the time. Over the years it became a stop for soldiers during the War of 1812, a stagecoach stop, and later a meeting spot for abolitionists. People say it was even part of the Underground Railroad. During Prohibition, it ran as a speakeasy. The place has lived a lot of lives before it got its haunted label.

In 2023, a new owner, Kaela Alex, took over the inn. I got the chance to talk with her before my investigation. Kaela said people have seen things all over the building—the bathrooms, guest rooms, even near the stage—but the kitchen and dining room seem to be the hot spots. Her daughter once saw a man in his twenties or thirties in the dining room. He didn’t say anything, just appeared, and other people have seen him too. Nobody knows who he is, but for some reason he hangs around that part of the inn.

Guests and employees also talk about Room One, where the spirits of a young boy and girl are said to linger. Jordan, one of the employees, told me he once saw a face form out of nowhere in a corner behind the stage where bands set up. People in the bar have seen bottles fly off shelves without explanation.

When it was time to start the investigation, Kaela shut the place down at midnight and left me with the run of the inn, except for the attic and basement. After the others left, I decided to spend the night alone. Having the whole place to myself was both exciting and unsettling.

I walked the halls for hours with my camera and EMF meter. Most of my time was spent in the dining room, especially near the corner where the man is supposed to appear. I didn’t get anything on the equipment, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was being pulled toward another corner of the room, just a few feet away. Hard to explain—it wasn’t like a presence, more like a tug on my attention. Nothing showed up in the photos or audio, though.

For sleeping quarters, I chose Room Eleven—Suzanne Rider’s old room. She died under suspicious circumstances, and some still say she was murdered. People claim her spirit never left. I set up my recorder and took a bunch of photos, hoping for something, but the night was quiet. No voices, no figures, no cold spots. Just silence.

Even though I didn’t capture anything concrete, Rider’s Inn still feels heavy with history. Between the ghost stories, the building’s past, and the atmosphere, it’s the kind of place worth visiting whether you’re hunting spirits or just stopping in for food.

References

• Cleveland.com – New Owner of Rider’s Inn Respects the Past

• News-Herald – Rider’s Inn’s Long History Honored

• Only in Your State – Haunted Hotel in Ohio

• Bing Search – Why Did Joseph Rider Open Rider’s Inn?

• Wandercuse – Haunted Rider’s Inn

• Article originally published on cryptiparanormal.com

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