Research suggests that reports of unusual activity in rooms #9 and #10, Jerusha’s private suite, did not begin until the late-20th century, more than 100 years after her death. Stories from guests about objects inexplicably moving from one location to another, the lingering scent of oranges, and the feeling of a phantom presence, appear to coincide with the start of the Secret Drawer Society in the late 20th-century. Online access to magazine articles and book receipts from the late-19th century about “Jerusha Howe, Spinster” (Hunnemann) and romanticized tales of her long-lost English fiancé (van Schaick) perpetuate these stories, fueling the lore of Jerusha as a lovelorn ghost haunting the Inn.

The Wayside Inn does not have any primary sources in its collections to support the stories of a beau, English or otherwise. While there is no doubt that Jerusha had a love interest (or two) in her lifetime, there currently is no concrete evidence of a specific someone. And the ghost stories? It is up to guests to decide whether or not to believe.