Is the Tarpon Inn in Port Aransas haunted? Employees say it’s a ‘hotbed’ for the paranormal – Corpus Christi Caller-Times

As AmieeVan Winkle opened the door to Room 40, she took a step back and vowed she would notenter the vacantroom inside the Tarpon Inn in Port Aransas.

"You'll never see me step foot inside that room," Van Winkle said. Her shoulders tensed up at the thought of the idea.

From the outside looking in, the vacant room looked like any other. It was quaint and only big enough for a queen-sized bed, two nightstands,a small dresser and an intimate bathroom.

According to Tarpon Inn employee Amiee Van Winkle, room 40 is the most haunted in the hotel, as seen Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020. Stories of ghosts and supernatural activity are reported to Van Winkle and the hotel staff.(Photo: Annie Rice/Caller-Times)

Ithad beautifulCoastal dcor thatfelt like an invitationfor any guestto enter.But for Van Winkle, the room's eerie presence was anything but inviting.

"When I walk in here, I get a heaviness in my chest," she said. "I don't like the feeling. I get this feeling of dread it's just uncomfortable for me. I know there's something here."

Van Winkle,who has worked for the inn and restaurant since 2008, said she believes the hotel is a "hotbed" for the paranormal due tothe property's rich history and the land it sits on.

Tarpon Inn owner Lee Roy Hoskins points to historical images of the hotel, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020, in Port Aransas. Hoskins has owned the hotel since 2008. (Photo: Annie Rice/Caller-Times)

Lee-Roy Hoskins, who has owned the Tarpon Inn since 2008, said the hotel has been around in Port Aransas since before it was a town.

In 1862, the inn was first establishedasmilitary barracks for Union soldiers who were stationed on the island during the Civil War. At the time, the Union had control over the port.

"We don't really have anything written as to where the Tarpon Inn came from, but what makes the most senseis that the earliest photo we have of the hotellooks like any other wooden barracks that were built around that time," Hoskins said.

He said the beach town was once called Ropesville. It wasn't much of a town and only includedthe barracks of the military campground.

But when the Cotter family officially opened theTarpon Innin 1886, a town was eventually built around it.

After 1889, the town was renamed Tarpon until it was permanently named Port Aransas in 1911.

Hoskins said after the beach town's establishment, it grew to become the center, and possibly the birthplace,of American sportsman fishing.

Tarpon fish scales are seen on the walls of Port Aransas' Tarpon Inn, as seen Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020. There are four "haunted" rooms in the hotel where guests can stay.(Photo: Annie Rice/Caller-Times)

Many fisherman from across the country, including President Franklin D. Roosevelt, made their way to the beach town to catch fish, especially tarpon.

Those who caught a grand catchwould earn their name onthe inn's tarpon fish scale trophy wall, which is still on display today in the reception area.

But while the inn has entertained travelers for over 134 years in Port Aransas, it has also faced many tribulations.

During the turn of the 20thcentury, the inn caught on fire a couple times. The once two-story building that sat behind the innlost its second story to a blaze. Today, the building still stands, but as a one-story building. It is used now to host special events.

In 1919, the Tarpon Inn lost two buildings tothe Category 4 hurricane, whichdevastated the entire Corpus Christi area.

During that time, the Cotter family went bankrupt and sold the inn to the Ellis family, Hoskins said. The hotelwas then rebuiltand reopened in 1922.

Sometime later, the hotel's restaurant also caught fire and a few floors in the inn burned down. A few sections were rebuilt, which included new rooms, offices and the owner's quarters. Today, the hotel reflects these new renovations.

But fires and natural disasters aren't the only tribulations the hotel has faced; othersinclude suicide and murder.

Historical images hang in the Tarpon Inn, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020, in Port Aransas. There are four "haunted" rooms in the hotel where guests can stay on the property, which used to be a Union soldier barracks during the Civil War. (Photo: Annie Rice/Caller-Times)

Hoskins said one story that has been passed down by employees and past owners is a possible murder that may haveoccurred at the inn's event's center around the early 1900s.

The story goes that three couples used to run the hotel.One was a chef, two were waiters and the women were housekeepers. Hoskins said one of the waitstaff began an affair with the chef's wife and the chef retaliated by throwing a meat hatchet at his head, which supposedly killed the man instantly.

"I'm not really a believer of the paranormal, but maybe it's because I haven't heard or seen a thing, but many guests and paranormal investigators who've stayed here have said they've seen a thing or two at the Tarpon," Hoskins said.

According to Tarpon Inn employee Amiee Van Winkle, room 40 is the most haunted in the hotel, as seen on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020. Stories of ghosts and supernatural activity are reported to Van Winkle and the hotel staff.(Photo: Annie Rice/Caller-Times)

Over the years, Van Winkle said guests havereportedhearing children running across the patio late at night, doors closing on their own, unexplained lights flickering, shadow figures appearing in the inn's courtyard on security camera, and unexplainedelectronic voice phenomena.

She said some guests have neverstayed long enough to make it through onenight in some of the inn's rooms -- most notably, rooms 40, 37, 36 and the inn's honeymoon suite.

Some of the unexplained phenomena guests havewitnessed in Room 40 include lights flickering on and off, an apparition of a woman appearing at the edge of the bed in the middle of the night and strange voices.

Van Winkle said she once captured an electronic voice phenomenon (EVP) in theroom around 1 a.m. of a voice saying "We are watching you."

"I'm a believer," Van Winkle said. "I believe there is something here. I think it wants to be here and I think it's friendly. I don't think it's going to hurt us. I think the Tarpon (Inn) is just a happy place for these spirits because it has been a beacon for many for more than a century."

Room 37 is one of the rooms in the hotel that is allegedly haunted, as seen Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020. Stories of ghosts and supernatural activity are reported to the hotel staff.(Photo: Annie Rice/Caller-Times)

After Hurricane Harvey hit the town in2017, Van Winkle said employees were unable to open the door to Room 37. They tried everything to open the door. When they were about to give up on the room,it finally opened on its own one day.

When employees were able to see the room, they noticed it was soaking wet.

"Everything in here was wet. The walls, the furniture and the floor," Van Winkle said. "There were no broken windows and the rooms around it did not have any waterdamage, but this room did. It was very strange."

The hotel isn't the only thing that is haunted on the property. The inn's restaurant, Roosevelt's, has experienced paranormal activity before and after hours.

Some employees have reported anuneasy feeling of being watched when alone at the restaurant, their names being called out of nowhere,unexplained sounds of a person walking and strange apparitions of children appearing on camera in the eatery's outdoor dining area.

The Roosevelt restaurant is on the Tarpon Inn's property, as seen Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020, in Port Aransas. The restaurant is named after President Franklin D. Roosevelt who stayed in the hotel in 1937.(Photo: Annie Rice/Caller-Times)

"We definitely have paranormal activity in the restaurant," Van Winkle said. "I think it definitely has to do with the inn's history."

Van Winkle said guests who are itching to stay in some of the hotel's most haunted rooms will have a chance to do so on Halloween night.

The Tarpon Inn is encouraging guests to stay in six of its mosthaunted rooms, which includes the price of the room and$75. The $75 will covera Halloween swagpackage.

The inn's restaurant, Roosevelt's, will also host a special Halloween-themed dinner on Oct. 30-31 for guests that will include a four-course meal and ghost stories about the haunted location.Tickets start at $75 per person.

"I believe people are in for a real Halloween treat when they stay at the Tarpon this weekend," Van Winkle said. "Whether they see a ghost or not, it's going to be a great time to celebrate the inn's history and the spirit of the season."

For more information on how to reserve a room at the Tarpon Inn, visit thetarponinn.com or call 361-749-5555. To make a reservation at Roosevelt's,call 361-749-1540.

Meagan Falcon covers entertainment, things to do and trending news.Supportmore coverage like this by checking out our subscription options and special offers at Caller.com/subscribe

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Is the Tarpon Inn in Port Aransas haunted? Employees say it's a 'hotbed' for the paranormal - Corpus Christi Caller-Times