Georgetown, Kent County, Maryland
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| Photo: Wikipedia |
High above the Sassafras River in Georgetown, Maryland, stands a historic brick inn with a remarkable story. Its windows overlook the water, its rooms have welcomed generations of travelers, and its walls survived an attack that destroyed much of the surrounding town more than two centuries ago.
Today, the building is known as the Kitty Knight House, named for a courageous woman who reportedly stood between British soldiers and the flames threatening her neighbors' homes during the War of 1812.
But according to the stories told by guests, employees, and paranormal investigators, Kitty's connection to the house may not have ended with her death.
Some believe she never really left.
On May 6, 1813, British forces under Rear Admiral George Cockburn attacked the neighboring communities of Fredericktown and Georgetown along Maryland's Sassafras River. The raid was part of a larger British campaign against settlements, shipping, and supplies throughout the Chesapeake Bay.
Local militiamen attempted to resist the advancing troops but were quickly overwhelmed. British soldiers burned much of Fredericktown before crossing the river and setting fires in Georgetown.
As smoke filled the streets and residents fled their homes, Catherine "Kitty" Knight reportedly refused to abandon an elderly, ill woman who could not escape.
According to local tradition, British soldiers approached two brick houses on a hill overlooking the river. One sheltered the woman Kitty was determined to protect.
Kitty confronted the soldiers and pleaded with them to spare the buildings. When they threatened to continue, she reportedly declared that they would have to burn her along with the house.
Some versions of the story describe her using a broom to extinguish flames as soldiers repeatedly attempted to set the building ablaze.
Eventually, the British relented.
The two houses survived while much of Georgetown burned around them.
The broad outline of the British attack is historically documented, but the precise details of Kitty's confrontation belong partly to local tradition. The earliest known written account of her heroic actions appeared in her obituary in 1855, more than forty years after the raid.
Nevertheless, the survival of the buildings gave the story a powerful and lasting presence in Maryland history.
Kitty later purchased the home she had been renting in 1836 and remained associated with the property until late in her life. She died in 1855 and was buried at the historic St. Francis Xavier churchyard in Cecil County.
Her courage became part of the region's identity. Historical markers commemorated her actions, and the buildings she helped save eventually became the foundation of an inn bearing her name.
Over time, the two surviving houses were joined to form the present historic property, which overlooks the same river that carried British raiders into Georgetown.
And somewhere along the way, the stories of Kitty's bravery acquired a supernatural chapter.
Guests and employees have reported doors opening and closing unexpectedly, footsteps in apparently empty hallways, and voices heard when nobody seems to be nearby.
Some believe these disturbances are caused by Kitty herself, still watching over the house she once fought so fiercely to protect.
One of the most unusual accounts appeared in an October 1992 article in The Washington Post. During the inn's earlier years, the manager's husband reportedly experienced something extraordinary after taking a shower.
He was alone in the building when he discovered that the bathroom door would not open.
After struggling to push his way out, he found that a large television had somehow been positioned against the other side of the door.
How the heavy television came to be there was never satisfactorily explained in the published account.
The incident became one of the inn's most frequently repeated ghost stories.
Other visitors have described doors that seemed to open on their own and unsettling sounds during the night. Some report hearing voices or movement in adjoining rooms, only to discover that nobody was there.
More recent paranormal investigations have focused particularly on the room associated with Kitty Knight and the hallway outside it.
Members of the Mid-Atlantic Paranormal Project have investigated the property over a period of years. The group's founder, Tony Avallone, has publicly described experiences he believes may indicate the presence of Kitty's spirit.
During one overnight investigation, Avallone reported awakening in Kitty's former bedroom to an unusually cold room and the sensation of something tugging at him. He said the temperature appeared to have dropped dramatically, although the rest of the inn remained comfortable.
Investigators later reviewed their recordings and reported finding no evidence that anyone had adjusted the thermostat.
The experience remains an unexplained personal account, not scientific proof of a haunting. Nevertheless, it strengthened the investigators' belief that something unusual might be occurring in the building.
Other reports have involved mysterious sounds resembling children laughing or crying, particularly in the older sections of the property. Investigators have also described unusual movements of objects during their visits.
Interestingly, Kitty's supposed spirit is not generally portrayed as threatening.
Unlike the angry apparitions associated with some haunted inns, the presence described at Kitty Knight House is often characterized as welcoming, curious, or protective.
That interpretation seems fitting for a woman whose most famous act involved protecting another person from danger.
Of course, there are ordinary explanations worth considering. Historic buildings settle and shift with temperature changes. Old doors may swing because of uneven frames or air pressure, while plumbing, neighboring rooms, and activity elsewhere in a building can produce surprisingly convincing sounds.
Cold spots, unusual sensations, and mysterious recordings are also open to several interpretations.
None of the reported incidents establishes that Kitty Knight or any other deceased person remains inside the inn.
Yet the stories have endured, partly because the property possesses something many haunted locations lack: a remarkable historical figure whose life already seems larger than legend.
Kitty Knight was not remembered for suffering a terrible fate inside her home. She was remembered for refusing to surrender when armed soldiers threatened the people around her.
Her story is one of determination, courage, and compassion during a frightening moment in American history.
More than two hundred years after the British raid, the brick houses still stand above the Sassafras River. Visitors can admire the waterfront views and imagine the smoke rising from Georgetown as Kitty confronted the soldiers advancing toward the hill.
Perhaps the unexplained footsteps are simply the familiar noises of an old inn.
Perhaps the doors have minds of their own only because their hinges have endured generations of changing weather.
Or perhaps the woman who once refused to let her home burn still considers herself responsible for watching over it.
Whatever the truth behind the haunting, one thing is certain.
The British could not drive Kitty Knight away from Georgetown in 1813.
And according to the ghost stories, even death may not have persuaded her to leave.
Visitor Information:
Kitty Knight Inn
Georgetown, Kent County, Maryland
Overlooking the Sassafras River
The historic property operates as an inn and hospitality destination. Accommodations, dining services, and special events may vary by season. Visitors should confirm current availability, hours, and reservation requirements before traveling.
Official website: Kitty Knight Inn.
