The Story Behind Rochester’s Kahler Hotel Ghost Haunting is Something Out of the Movies
After finding out that there's a trolley tour that takes you to all the haunted spots in Rochester, I was shocked to find out that the Kahler Hotel wasn't on there. Haunted Rooms claims that the Kahler Hotel is the 8th Most haunted hotel in Minnesota. Why is that? Well, it was opened on the original site of the Mayo Clinic and there seems to be one spirit that stuck around.
Who is the spirit that haunts the Kahler Hotel in Rochester?
Her name is Hellen Voorhesse. She was originally from Chicago and came to the Mayo Clinic for a checkup in 1977, according to HauntedHouses.com. She was a wealthy lady who lost her husband. At this time, horse races were a huge deal and she spent a lot of her wealth on horses.
So why is Hellen Voorhesse haunting the Kahler Hotel?
Well, she was murdered, but that wasn't found out until years after she disappeared. The website said she was last seen buying stuff at the Kahler gift shop after her check-up. As the story goes, she was going to turn in a gang for some illegal activity and they didn't want to get caught. Helen vanished and was never seen again. Authorities were never able to find her body or any evidence that she was murdered. They officially declared her dead seven years later in 1984. So why does her spirit stick around? Experts think she stays because she can't come to terms with her murder.
How do we know she's still haunting the Kahler Hotel?
Guests claim that they have seen a "ghostly figure" in the elevator as they travel to their room and all of a sudden she disappears. Those sightings have slowed down since 2004, according to the website. Even so, other things have been happening that point to the hotel still being haunted. According to Haunted Rooms, people have complained about sudden temperature changes and noises as they sleep. They also have had instances when areas of the hotel will smell bad for no reason. But is it Hellen, or are there other ghosts haunting the hotel? That's for you to decide! Not me!