The History and Haunting of the Stanley Hotel

by Rebecca F. Pittman

The History and Haunting of the Stanley Hotel, 2nd Edition is a comprehensive look at one of the most-haunted venues in the world. Created by F.O. Stanley, the genius behind the Stanley Steamer Motor Car, the 1909 hotel inspired horror writer Stephen King in 1974 to write his blockbuster book, The Shining, which later spawned two movie versions. With new interviews, an expanded section on King's thoughts about the hotel and his works, current stories about the paranormal activity occurring at the Stanley Hotel on a daily basis, and ghost photos that will surprise you, this is one-stop shopping for all things Stanley. Also included is a Ghost Hunter's Guide and a section about what constitutes a haunting, today's ghost hunting technology and more.

Genres: History, Paranormal, Nonfiction

440 pages, Paperback

First published July 9, 2015

About the author

Rebecca Pittman grew up literally on a runway. Her mother was teaching fashion modeling before she was born.

Rebecca took to the catwalk at the age of 5 and was teaching modeling by the young age of 16. From there she began designing stage sets for fashion shows, upscale weddings and special events, along with pursuing her love of art and journalism.

She created Wonderland Productions and has been painting wall murals around the country for the past 33 years. In that time she published four books and has no intention of slowing down. Her first book, "How to Start a Faux Painting or Mural Business" went into a 2nd edition October, 2010. "Scrapbooking for Profit" was published in 2005.

Her journalistic interest took a sharp turn when she decided to write about the haunted location of The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado, including the personal history of its ghosts. After living only 45 minutes away from the historical site for 33 years, her love of its history and her experiences there with things unexplained and paranormal led to her to write the book, The History and Haunting of the Stanley Hotel, released in July, 2011.

Ms. Pittman is currently researching The Myrtles Plantation in St. Francisville, Louisiana. The plantation is touted as the most-haunted home in America. That book will be followed by The History and Haunting of the Tower of London and the paranormal goings-on in Salem. She is also working on a children's adventure book and a screenplay about Edgar A. Poe.

Rebecca makes her home in Loveland, Colorado where she indulges her love of golf, boating, the arts and travel. She is the proud mother of 4 sons and their extended families.

"Show me a good mystery and I will want to solve it. It's the puzzle that fascinates me ... the clues, and the answers that tumble into place like a combination lock giving up its hold."

Reviews

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the Ghost stories and learning the history of the Stanley, however, there were a lot of formatting and grammar issues that really bothered me.

[Dale · Rating 4 out of 5]

I rated this book 4 stars because it was such a fun read. However, I found the editing to be irritating. The use of "there" for "their" and such, drives me crazy. The Stanley Hotel was built by F.O. Stanley, who created the Stanley Steamer automobile. It is supposed to be where Stephen King got the inspiration for The Shining, and he did, in fact, shoot the television miniseries there. There is a lot of interesting history surrounding the hotel and the Stanley family, and I have always liked the concept of ghosts. I was at the Stanley Hotel about 20 years ago, but did not experience any contacts with spirits. The second half of the book was made up of numerous testimonials from past patrons and staff who had a variety of experiences. Anyway, who knows. As Hamlet said: "There are more things in Heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy."

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book in the gift shop after staying at the Stanley Hotel back in 2018. I had an eerie experience with a shadow in an empty hallway. My daughter got several pictures of orbs. She shot on live so you could actually see them move. I don't know what I believe about the supernatural, but ghosts fascinate me.

There is a lot of good information in this book and some awesome photos. The problem is there is a great deal of repeated information. I liked learning about the history of the hotel. The most interesting part are the reported ghost sightings.

The book could use some better editing, but the ghost stories will give you the chills.

[Amber · Rating 1 out of 5]

Editing/grammar is awful and full passages are obviously cut/pasted which, to me, felt incredibly lazy. Felt it did deserve some recognition, however, due to the fact that it contained more information than the recent tour that we took at the Stanley. Apparently "Scary Mary" is gone and new tour guides have a very superficial knowledge of the hotel history, and much of their information contradicted this book. The book seems more credible and I am glad that I did fight my way through, as I was able to make the tour more interesting for my daughter since the guide seemed indifferent.

[Brenda Ozog · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most people know of the Stanley Hotel based on the movie with Jack Nicholson and Shelly Duval in the Shining. However, this book is not about that movie and focuses on the history of how the hotel started, it’s challenges and how it’s come to be. I bought the book at the Stanley and read it on my way home back to Detroit. It was a good read and a great view of the West and how it was getting started. I actually have been able to meet the author at a later time due to purchasing more of her books.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting history, some fun ghost stories. Seriously needed better editing due to: redundant information repeated in several sections, a multitude of typos and grammatical errors, and some formatting errors they should have been noticed long before publishing, to name a few.

[Linda Swick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is interesting. A lot of information on Estes Park and the Stanley Hotel.