The Wayside Inn in Sudbury is a beautiful location in a rural area where visitors can spend a day or more enjoying fine food and taking in the Colonial period atmosphere. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places, this property dates back to 1686. Early American history is well preserved here and lives on in this establishment. When it was owned by the Howe family in the 1700’s, it was known as Howe’s Tavern and it was a stagecoach stop back in the day. During the Revolutionary War, the Inn became a meeting place for the militia to meet and prepare on their way to fight in Concord in 1775. There is even a legend that George Washington may have stayed there.
In 1862, the poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow stayed at the Inn and was inspired to write a book called Tales of the Wayside Inn. He described the place as “Old Hobgoblin Hall, with weather stains upon the wall, and stairways worn, and crazy doors, and creaking and uneven floors, and chimneys huge, and tiled and tall.” Over time the Inn eventually became known as the Wayside Inn. After the Howe family passed on, the Inn had a long continued history of ownership, including even Henry Ford. When he died, he willed the property to a charitable trust. Now it is run by the Wayside Inn Foundation, a non-profit that cares for this historic location.
Today the Inn has historically accurate rooms for guests, and has an excellent restaurant, which I do recommend… and, oh, yeah… of course the place is haunted!
Young, beautiful Jerusha Howe was the sister of one of the tavern’s original owners. She helped her brother run the place and took care of the Inn’s guests. She was said to be musically talented, and owned the first piano to arrive in the town where the Inn is located. She could be heard entertaining guests playing the piano, and was happy with her life in the New England countryside, taking care of the Inn and its visitors. She was then known as the “Belle of Sudbury.”
But then one day came an Englishman looking to stay in a room at the Inn. Soon, the gentleman began to court the fair maiden Jerusha. It was said that it was “love at first sight” for the lovely Jerusha. And he told her they would marry, but first he needed to travel back to England, but that he would return for her as soon as he could.
Well… he didn’t return. He was never heard from again. Yet she waited forever for him. Maybe he was lost at sea, maybe the ship was set upon by pirates? Maybe he met another young lady during his travels? Or… maybe he already had a wife? Either way, he just never returned for her. Jerusha continued to help run the Inn and never married. Some say she never gave up hope that he would finally return for her, and that she pined away for him. She forever waited for him. She died at age forty-five, and some say she died of a broken heart.
And now there are those who say she still waits for him, and that she never quite left the Wayside Inn. At the Inn, even today, a presence is felt. Guests of the Inn continue to report “experiences” and “encounters” with the ghost of lonely Jerusha. People sometimes hear the ghostly lilt of her piano playing, or catch a scent of her perfume. These events especially occur in the room where she resided long ago during her earthly existence, Room 9. Male guests especially have been disturbed by this feminine presence, such as an “embrace from behind.”
Some people have even reported seeing the apparition of a young lady who vanishes before them. Other people have felt someone “sitting on their bed.” Green orbs are seen passing through doors, and the sound of footsteps have been heard. People say they feel a presence sweep by them on the stairs. One person claimed to have seen a woman in Colonial dress go down a flight of stairs and then disappear into a closed door. Others have said they have witnessed the “foggy” shapes of people around the place. They say that the lights flicker (well, it could be a loose electrical wire!). There are sounds of “voices, rappings, and sobbing,” and there are also “shadow people.” A paranormal investigator says that, “There’s something going on.” There may be other spirits remaining at the Inn besides Jerusha. Another paranormal investigator claimed to see “the shadow outline of a man on a wall.”
So many people left written notes describing their experiences, the staff had trouble keeping up, so the “Secret Drawer Society” was formed – guests are encouraged to leave notes about any apparitions they encounter in the desk drawers in Room 9 for future guests to read and enjoy.
And so it does seem that well into these modern times there remains a spectral presence at the Wayside Inn, as if she still waits…
Unfortunately I did not see any ghosts when I visited the Wayside Inn, but the food is great and it’s a nice place to visit. Don’t forget to visit the gift shop.
If you want to know more about the ghost of Jerusha Howe, the lonely Belle of Sudbury, check out these sources:
1. Farnsworth, Cheri, Haunted Massachusetts, Globe Pequot, 2020
2. Burns, Heather, Hauntings All Over Massachusetts, Not Just Salem, HomeNewsHere. com, October 27, 2018
3. Article From the Website for the Wayside Inn, Beyond the Belle Exhibit.
4. Horrocks, Alyson, The Wayside Inn Ghost / Real or Imagined? New England Today, March 7, 2022
5. From Find a Grave .com, Jerusha Howe Find a Grave Memorial
