Windber, Pennsylvania - Blair Murphy bought the Grand Midway Hotel about 25 years ago, and it's only gotten creepier over the years! The man from Los Angeles had been looking for a spot for a year-long getaway with friends, and when he learned about the abandoned hotel being up for sale, he bought it for $11,000 to save it from demolition. But there was a spooky secret lurking in its walls...
Murphy still lives with his family in the haunted hotel. "It always felt like the building found me more than we found the building," the 61‑year‑old told People in a recent interview.
When he isn't trying to convince anyone that ghosts exist, he says strange incidents occur almost weekly in the 32‑room house. That's why he regularly invites teams to investigate paranormal activity there.
When Murphy first bought the hotel, unaware of any hauntings, his initial experiences were solitary. He encountered what he calls the"Man in the Hall."
No one was visible, but Murphy felt his presence – always about 10 feet away.
The Canopy Room is said to be especially eerie. The owner suspects something violent happened there long ago.
Murphy describes Grand Midway Hotel's spooky sights
"Whatever's going on in the Canopy Room is kind of locked in the Canopy Room, and it's not an issue in the rest of the building," Murphy explained.
"The spirit… it stops at the doorway with that room."
What started as a few eerie experiences has now become an integral part of the hotel.
Many of the rooms are deliberately designed to be spooky, such as the vampire suite.
On the roof sits a massive Ouija board, and Murphy has even created a cemetery in the outdoor area with artificial tombstones.
However, the rooms are not for rent; Murphy uses the entire hotel privately.
His taste for the macabre was practically ingrained from birth – Murphy's parents were undertakers.
But he still hasn't fully gotten used to the Grand Midway Hotel: "It's really creepy to be alone in there."