Skirvin Hotel

As the elegant classical-like music echoes from the piano, the lighting from the over-sized black chandeliers set an eerie mood; a mood that causes the hairs on the back of my neck to rise. Long, flowing, dark red drapes stretch from the second floor to the ground making the scene look like a picture from the 1920’s.
DING! The bell makes a sound as I press the illuminated number ‘2’ and nothing but a slight screech of metal can be heard. When I asked about the history of this landmark, the front desk associate said, “I’m not allowed to comment. I’m not even supposed to knowledge the fact that it’s haunted.”
Built in 1910, the Skirvin Hotel opened its doors to the Oklahoma City public. The hotel, now owned by the Hilton Corporation, has been a tourist hotspot for decades ever since it re-opened in February 2007. Not many guests are aware of the so-called ‘haunting’ due to the $46.4 million project to renovate the building that stood empty for nearly fifteen years.
The Skirvin Hotel was considered the finest hotel in the Southwest in the early 1900's. As legend has it, W.B. Skirvin, builder of the plush hotel, had an affair with one of the hotel maids. The maid conceived and in order to keep the scandal a secret, she was locked away in a room on the tenth floor of the hotel. She was depressed from being locked up for more than nine months, and even after her child was born, she was still not allowed to leave. After she couldn’t take the torment anymore, she threw herself, along with her child, out of the window to die.
Former Skirvin employees have nicknamed the woman “Effie” and allegedly her ghost still continues to haunt the floors and guests. “I haven’t stayed the night yet, but it does have a creepy feel here! The floors kind of creek when you walk on them,” said University of Arkansas student, Katie Burton, who was a Skirvin guest.
Trying to get information concerning “Effie” or any other kind of abnormal behavior that occurs at the hotel from the current employees was nearly impossible. It’s as if they’ve been trained to keep their mouths sealed so it doesn’t reflect bad business. Responses such as “no comment” and a shrug of the shoulders were common when trying to ask them what they knew about the hotel being haunted. However, two bellhops standing outside did offer some information under the circumstance that their real names were not revealed. Ben* and Brad* told a story about how they heard a lady's voice mumbling behind them as they walked down a hallway. “I’m not sure if it was really something, or just our imagination,” Ben said *.
According to about.com, the New York Knicks basketball team recently stayed at the Skirvin Hotel the night before they played the Oklahoma City Thunder. They gave reports to the New York Daily News that they were unable to sleep. “I definitely believe that there are ghosts in that hotel," center Eddy Curry said. Forward Jared Jefferies added, “The place is haunted. It’s scary.” The team also blamed their poor game performance on the hotel afterwards.
I began to roam the halls where the guests stay and the alleged floor where “Effie” and her child committed suicide. I did not hear a woman’s voice, a baby cry, or see a shadow like some websites have stated. However, it did feel unpleasant and I found myself looking over my shoulder quite often.
The Skirvin Hotel has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since October 1979. The legacy of “Effie” still lives on even through the massive renovation. I had a conversation with a guest that eventually led to the hotel and its “haunted” past. "It's definitely a fun place to be, and I don't believe the fact that it's allegedly haunted hurts business, that's the reason I picked to stay there in the first place, to see for myself." Gina Knowles from Houston said.
If only I had the time and money (dropping over $200 on a room for a night is a little bit out of the question on a college students’ budget) I would love to get a first-hand account myself as well. However, for now, “Effie” is still considered by some to be one of Oklahoma’s vanishing celebrities.





*indicates that names have been changed for protective purposes.