Biltmore Hotel

The Biltmore Hotel, a National Historic Landmark completed in 1926, served as a military hospital during and after World War II before returning to hotel use. Its best-documented ghost story is Thomas "Fatty" Walsh, a mobster shot dead on the 13th floor on March 7, 1929, during a gambling dispute with his partner over money; guests and staff have long reported a portly man in period dress on that floor, along with sounds of laughter recalling the wild parties Walsh once hosted there. Construction and renovation crews have also long described unease in the building, and staff and guests report an elevator that occasionally opens on a disused floor on its own. A separate, less-documented local legend tells of a heartbroken bride who took her own life after being jilted at the altar, said to wander the halls in her gown.