Seaview Historical Preservation Society
The Shelburne is Washington’s oldest continuously operating hotel.
Continued from Page 6
The elegant landmark is hosting Hallow-
een events through October, as well as serv-
ing cocktails named for spirits like Annie
and George, who apparently make appear-
ances in the hotel and garden.
“We love to decorate the Shelburne,
which in October we call the ‘Hellburne,’”
said Johanna Gustafson, event coordinator
at Adrift Hospitality. “We are very excited
about people being able to celebrate Hallow-
een, in fact coming back at all because of the
pandemic.”
Tarot card readings
Saturday at 5 p.m
Shelburne Hotel & Restaurant
4415 Paciﬁ c Way, Seaview
15+ only
$30 per 10 minute reading
www.shopadrifthospitality.com/events
The Shelburne will also hand out candy
on Sunday for Halloween.
Ira Kitmacher is an attorney and fed-
eral human resources specialist who retired
to the Long Beach Peninsula a few years
ago. His latest book, “Haunted Graveyard
of the Paciﬁ c,” provided the basis for nar-
rated tours to haunted locations on the Long
Beach Trolley in conjunction with the 100th
anniversary of Marsh’s Museum. It will be
on sale at the Shelburne.
In his writings, and in his costumed tours,
Kitmacher tells of the Shelburne’s ﬁ rst
owner Charles Beaver, who named his inn
after a grand hotel in Dublin, Ireland.
“While constructing the hotel, he broke
his arm and was unable to do many of his
hotelier duties,” Kitmacher noted. “Much
of this work fell to his wife and daughter to
handle, until 15 years later when he sold the
hotel.
“According to legend, the workload
which Beaver unintentionally placed upon
his family deeply upset him and his ghost
has remained at the hotel. His ghost has
been reportedly been seen walking the halls,
possibly in search of items needing repair.”
That apparently is not all, according to
Kitmacher. “Other spirits, in addition to
Beaver, as well as knocking, strange tem-
perature changes and doors locking them-
selves, have been reported.”
This month the inn has oﬀ ered visitors a
chance to experience the haunting environ-
ment themselves.
Two events remain in the series, includ-
ing a Victorian seance that will be held
Thursday evening by Seth Howard, who
Adrift folks have dubbed “the seance mas-
ter.” Howard also works at The Magic Shop
and More in Astoria.
“He did some other magic for us and
was great, so it was just the perfect marriage
when we learned he did Victorian seances,”
Gustafson said.
Those interested in attending should con-
tact staﬀ to see if places remain. Attend-
ees, who should be 18 or older, are asked to
wear cocktail attire.
Saturday night tarot readings will be per-
formed by Suzy Olsen, available for anyone
older than 15.
“I was ﬁ rst introduced to tarot when I
was a teen back in the 1990s,” said Olsen,
whose day job is operating Chariot Spirit +
Home retail store in Astoria. “When it was
ﬁ rst presented, I thought it was a way to get
in touch with my intuition.”
A friend’s mother got her started. “She
was a little bit psychic,” Olsen recalled.
Some histories place tarot’s emergence
in Europe as early as the 1500s. Olsen said
it became popular in the 1700s and thereaf-
ter in Paris and elsewhere, often condemned
by church authorities wary of its occult
overtones.
Decks include four suits, which vary
but are commonly cups, swords, clubs and
coins. Traditional face cards are augmented
by solo picture characters, including the
Hanging Man, the Fool and the sometimes
controversial Death card.
She said her readings can help guide peo-
ple with career and relationship decisions;
she has had them signal pregnancies.
“I don’t think it’s telling us exactly how
our future will go, but where are the ener-
gies pointing,” she said. “It gets in touch
with deeper wisdom.”
Legend has it that the ﬁ rst owner of the
Shelburne Inn in Seaview in 1896 was so
upset when his broken arm put the work
burden on his family that he still haunts the
rooms.
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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2021 // 7