A maid’s cart constantly roams up and down the halls of The Skirvin Hotel, yet, no maid is in sight. A baby cries in the night and insomnia is what visitors receive. The visitors ask the clerk, but no one stayed on the floor with a baby. Could it be all in their minds, or is it more?
Well known for its historical importance, The Skirvin Hotel is renowned as being the most innovative hotel in the Southwest.
Built by oil tycoon W.B. Skirvin, and located at 1 Park Avenue in Oklahoma City, The Skirvin Hotel was most famous in the early 1900’s for three reasons: W.B. Skirvin’s daughter, Pearl Mesta was the ambassadress to Luxembourg, which put the Skirvin hotel on the national map. Pearl Mesta also brought business and intrigue to the hotel because of her travels abroad. The hotel was one of only a few buildings in Oklahoma City to have all the most modern and luxurious amenities available for the time. Those amenities included air conditioning, a large 500-seat ballroom, and running water in every one of the 224 rooms.
The legend of “Effie”
During the time of prohibition and speakeasies, The Skirvin Hotel became a hub of commotion and scandal. W.B. Skirvin was rumored to have had an affair with an employee of the Skirvin Hotel, and impregnated her. Although the name of the room maid was never known, the former employees of The Skirvin Hotel call her “Effie.”
It is legend that Mr. Skirvin locked Effie away in a room at the top of the 14 story during and after her pregnancy to keep Effie from speaking out about the atrocity that Mr. Skirvin bestowed upon her and her child. No matter how she banged on the door or screamed, no one came to her aid. Speculators state that Effie was near insanity when she took her child in her arms, stepped out onto the ledge of the Skirvin Hotel, and along with the secret of the love affair, Effie plunged to her death.
Experiences at The Skirvin Hotel
Although the 525 rooms in the haunted hotel closed to the public in the 1980’s due to the decrepit state the hotel was in, re-opened in 2007 after an extensive renovation. Former guests of the hotel have some very vivid details of their stay at the Skirvin Hotel. Some claim that they hear a baby crying for hours. Others recall a hearing and seeing a maid’s cart rolling down the hallway, without anyone pushing it. Graphic encounters with the ghosts entail a woman’s voice talking to them in a seductive manner, a naked figure of a woman while men stay in the room, and even more explicit, one man claims that Effie actually assaulted him sexually.
If the famous “Ghost Hunters” from the Sci-Fi channel is looking for a good place to hunt, Might I recommend the Skirvin? Since Most of the “Ghost Hunters” team comprises of men, Effie will surely show herself if her presence is still haunting the halls of the Skirvin hotel.
