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The Yankee Pedlar Inn is a historic hotel located in Torrington, Connecticut. The inn, which now has 52 rooms, was built for its original owners Frank and Alice Conley in 1891. It was originally given a colonial New England architectural style.
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The Yankee Pedlar Inn remains one of the oldest non-franchised hotels in Connecticut that is still in operation today.
History
In November 1890, Frank Conley brought a 100 ft (30 m) by 214 ft (65 m) lot on the corner of Main Street and Maiden Lane for $8,000. His wife, Alice was a native of New England while he had emigrated to the United States from Ireland.
The couple used $40,000 to open the Conley Hotel. Alice was the manager while Frank worked as the hotel's operator. Throughout much of the first half of the 20th century, it was managed as a family business.
After the couple died, the hotel was taken over by their niece. It was later expanded and renovated after it was sold by the Conley family. Since then the inn has had many managers, owners, and employees including:Albert E.Rubens, Arthur Rubens, Carlo Pilatti, Alfred B. Siegrist, and E.J. Kovak.
The business did not receive its name "The Yankee Pedlar Inn" until March 1, 1956 when the hotel was combined with the restaurant. Along with the restaurant, the hotel also has a pub called Bogey's.
Paranormal activity
The Yankee Pedlar Inn is notable for having many associations with the supernatural, particularly hauntings in various rooms of the establishment. One of inn's the most haunted room is supposed to be room 353 where Alice Conley - the original owner - died. Rumors of paranormal activity has made the hotel popular with visitors. Although members of the Northwest Connecticut Paranormal Society have visited the hotel, taking statements from some of the staff and housekeepers who had claimed to have made ghost sightings, the group found nothing.
Due to the notoriety of the inn, filmmaker Ti West shot the horror film The Innkeepers at the hotel. Which was based entirely around the inn's paranormal activity.