It’s no surprise this hotel is haunted given that the name comes from a Belgian cemetery where soldiers were buried from WWI. Built in 1922, The Flanders Hotel set the tone for Ocean City, New Jersey. Every establishment after the construction of The Flanders Hotel followed the theme of a Spanish Mission Revival.
In 1927, a fire on the boardwalk destroyed everything except the hotel. It’s a miracle that the building still stands today. After the fire, the front of the hotel was given an addition along with a pool.
Flanders Hotel has welcomed celebrities such as Vice President Charles Curtis, Al Capp, Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelly.
The Catacombs
In the basement of the hotel there are seven or eight extensive rooms. Since this area was built below sea level, it was important to keep the water from intruding upon the property. A pumping system was installed during the construction of the hotel.
Around the time the hotel was opened in 1923, the country was facing an elevated spree of crime. The catacombs of this very hotel were used as a meeting place for organized crime leaders of New York , Pennsylvania and Atlantic City, New Jersey.
I bet you can guess that speakeasies were no surprise at this time. Illegal bars were also set up in the catacombs.
The Lady in White
Every old hotel has its own ghost story, and The Flanders Hotel has a few about the ghost of Emily. One story reveals that Emily was an abandoned spirit in the hotel because her boyfriend never returned from WWI. A different story claims that Emily used to work at the hotel and ended up taking her own life.
Emily portrays a whimsical mood at The Flanders, unlike a traditional spooky ghost story. She isn’t the type of ghost to wake you up in the middle of the night by banging on the walls. Instead, she likes to be mischievous with visitors.
Emily has been seen in the catacombs of the hotel as well as in mirrors and even guest’s wedding photos. She is such a large part of the hotel that there is a painting of her supposed portrait in the hotel lobby.
If you ever stay in the historic building of The Flanders Hotel, be sure to keep an eye out for a woman walking around barefoot in a white gown!
Requiem: A Hymn for the Dead 