Before reading the following true stories, potential guests should note that if in fact a past Innkeeper is actually roaming our halls, he is partial to one specific room and NEVER visits during the festival season. We suspect that, just like the rest of us, he gets restless through the winter and becomes a little anxious for company. After all....it's a LONG WINTER!!!!

1. Early one January morning the Innkeeper was called to the phone by an unhappy house guest on the third floor who claimed he had been kept awake through the night by a violin playing directly below his room. Puzzled, the Innkeeper attempted to explain that there were no other house guests, either directly below or beside the room occupied by this house guest. When the guest advised the music was still playing, the Innkeeper went to investigate....only to find that the music mysteriously stopped, and true enough, there were NO OTHER HOUSE GUESTS in the vicinity of this guest's room. Interesting to note, the guest room directly below is the room that was occupied by a previous innkeeper for many years prior to his death.

2. Like an old house, continuous renovations occur through the winter months, often only reaching completion days (or hours) prior to the beginning of the festival season. One cold, quiet winter, Innkeepers Barb and Larry were staying in the Inn and had just started to drift off to sleep when they were awakened to a loud, prolonged 'swooshing' noise, followed by a recurring 'banging' of doors. Barb, getting up to investigate (leaving Larry carefully tucked "under the covers") could find nothing to validate this occurrence, but surmised it must have been a gust of wind that had caused the guest room doors (all padlocked open to air out from paint) to open and then bang shut simultaneously. Who knows....it could be?

3. One cold night in February, a guest stirred in her sleep, and half-awake, was startled to find a man in her room....or at least an image of a man in the full length mirror attached to the door of her bathroom. Quickly waking up her sister in the bed beside her, she found assurance in that, in fact, it was only an image....later identified by a description as a past Innkeeper, who perhaps, following his untimely death, decided to stay at the Inn that had been his home for a good portion of his life.

The original Queen's Arms hotel established in 1858, by William Johnston. At that time, most hotels in Stratford were graceful, wooden structures painted a serviceable colour such as ochre or grey with contrasting trim and white window sashes.
A portion of the original Queen's being moved to a new location to be converted into a house. It was replaced by the current brick structure. Photo circa 1902
On the right, the A.H. Goetz blacksmith's shop on Ontario Street opposite the Queen's. On the left the Wilson Carriage and Wagon. Sign reads "Wilson Carriage and Wagon Shock Repairing & Jobbing. Photo date unknown but believed to be pre 1900.
The "new" Queen's Hotel around 1908. Just 3 years old, the new building boasted stone facing and ornamental tinwork on the exterior. The lobby, office and bar floors were covered with fancy inlaid tile. This was a real "family hotel" and was especially famous for its cuisine. "Dinner at the Queen's" was definitely a special occasion (as it is today).