When I rolled into Strawberry Point, Iowa, last summer, I was looking for one thing: the world’s largest strawberry.
To be clear, it’s not a real strawberry, as my daughter constantly points out to me. It’s a 15-foot-tall fiberglass replica of a strawberry, the brainchild of an ad agency in the 1960’s. It’s been a tourist attraction for decades, and I wanted to see it.
Thankfully, it’s hard to miss and it came into view after just a few blocks.
I parked across the street and walked over, noting the group of motorcycle riders nearby. I briefly wondered if they had come to see the strawberry, too.
After taking a few pictures of the not-strawberry – selfie included – I allowed myself a few moments to bask in the glow of a genuine roadside attraction that would have been worthy of the famous Route 66. It was a nice day, so I began to walk north into their downtown.
While the town was famous for it’s giant faux strawberry, Strawberry Point is also known for one other thing: the Franklin Hotel, one of Iowa’s haunted hotels that you’ve probably never heard of.
The Franklin Hotel dominates it’s corner of Strawberry Point. Nestled in the main section of town, it stands at the junction of Highway 3 and 13. Once upon a time, when these roads were still made from mud and dirt, stagecoaches hauled passengers from place to place across the country.
Stagecoaches were kind of like the long-haul bus services of today, but with fewer people and even less comfortable.
Just like those buses, the driver and passengers had to stop every so often and stretch their legs and get a bite to eat. Enterprising individuals along the stagecoach routes took advantage of this, knowing that they could make steady income by becoming a regular stop on a stagecoach road.
In Strawberry Point, that was an Indiana-born businessman named Alexander Blake Jr. In 1854, he built the Blake Hotel – modestly named after himself – at the corner of East Mission and Elkader Streets. But all good things come to an end, and by the dawn of the 20th century new times had brought new needs.
Stagecoach travel had been replaced by trains and, soon after, the automobile. To meet these new demands, the Blake was torn down, and the two-story, 36-room Franklin Hotel was erected in its place. This was a new hotel for a new age, one that would accommodate the needs of the next generations to come.
Travelers coming in by train used the hotel, as well as workers for the highway. Later tourists would stay there as they explored the outdoor areas around Strawberry Point.
In addition to continuing to be a convenient place to stay for people travelling through the area, it became a home for various other businesses over the years, including a laundry, local newspaper, barbershop, bar, and event venue.
Walking from the World’s Largest Strawberry in front of city hall to Strawberry Point’s downtown, I couldn’t help but notice the Franklin.
Although the brick architecture mirrors the surrounding buildings, the Franklin still stands out.
Unlike the other buildings whose entire front side faces the street directly, the Franklin’s front door is situated at an angle, with the point of the front two walls facing Elkader Street. It feels off, but not in a bad way. Instead, it draws the eye and commands your attention.
A set of rounded stone stairs lead up to single entry door, which serves as the hotel’s main entrance. As I crossed the wide front porch, I couldn’t help but feel connected to an older time. That feeling continued as I made my way inside.
Everything was clean and well-kept; the décor and design evoked the feel of the early 20th century.
The lobby felt much cozier than the carefully cultivated distant professionalism I felt in other historical hotels I’d been in over the years. It was like an old-fashioned country parlor: more than good enough for your best house guests, yet still comfortable enough to sit and watch television with the family on a Saturday night.
In 1989, the Franklin was sold to Kris and Doug Schmidt by Kris’ parents, Lu and Charlie Eck.
For Kris it was a piece of her childhood. A local, she had grown up in and around the hotel. Doug, who had been raised in St. Paul, Minnesota, was immediately reminded of the old brick buildings he had seen in that city’s downtown growing up.
He had watched as they were torn down, their history erased forever. Doug felt that places like the Franklin were worth preserving and was looking forward to taking care of the old hotel.
Little by little, Doug and Kris fixed up the building, gradually replacing the wiring, electrical, and plumbing. One by one, the guest rooms were updated and expanded, bringing the original 36 rooms down to just 9.
The Schmidt’s were also careful to maintain the old-world charm of the building, retaining features such as the original call box for the rooms. They even went to lengths to find and restore the original front desk.
Eventually, the Schmidt’s learned that there were some unexpected accessories that came with hotel, as well.
One night, Doug was by himself in the lobby. As he worked, he noticed a woman walking towards the dining room. He called out to her that the dining room was closed for the night, but she ignored him and kept walking.
When she didn’t walk back into the lobby after a little while, Doug decided to go looking for her. Maybe she hadn’t heard him and was sitting in the dining room, waiting for someone to help her.
But when he got there, the dining room was empty.
So was the hallway and the lobby. There was no way that she could have gotten past him; there was no other way to go. And Doug knew that he had clearly seen a woman wearing a lavender gown. She had seemingly vanished into thin air.
According to his mother-in-law, Lu Eck, a couple who were travelling through the area stopped at the Franklin one Sunday for brunch. After being there for a while, the woman approached Lu and told her that she was a psychic. She explained that the spirit of a woman who had lived at the hotel had approached her, explaining that the mirror from the room that used to be hers had been moved, and she wasn’t happy about it.
Lu wasn’t quite sure what to say about that one, but she was sure to tell her family about it later. Curious, Doug did some research to see if there was anything that could back up the psychic’s claim. Unfortunately, he didn’t find anything.
Regardless, guests claimed to run into her from time to time. One was Leo Gallagher.
While technically a guest, Leo had lived at the Franklin for over forty years. Legally blind since he was a young man, Leo ran a laundromat near the hotel. He was a kind, friendly man who loved to bring joy to everyone around him.
When asked, he said that he had met the ghost more than once and was even friends with her. He said he called her Lillie.
The name stuck, and she’s been Lillie ever after.
Popular lore says that she was a prostitute at the hotel in the 1920’s, but there is no factual evidence to support the claim.
Regardless, many guests have claimed to have heard a woman screaming in the hotel over the years. When investigated, the sound has no identifiable source. Other times the woman is singing or moaning.
In case Lillie really were a prostitute, we just won’t think much about why she’s moaning.
Another ghost that reportedly haunts the Franklin is none other than Leo himself.
Leo passed away in 2004 from lung cancer, and some contend that his spirit came back to the hotel.
When he was alive, Leo had a customized bell system installed in his room that allowed him to ring a bell in the front lobby. If he ever needed anything, all he had to do was ring it.
Some people have claimed to have heard the bell system ringing, like someone was activating it on the other end. When they go and investigate, there’s never anyone there.
As someone who loved a good joke, Leo apparently still can’t help to put on a good gag now and then.
Walking into the well-lit, spacious dining room, I was greeted by some very friendly staff members. I wanted to visit a few other things in that part of the state, so I ordered a coffee to go.
A little while later I was walking back toward my car, thinking about the hotel.
I didn’t see a woman in lavender or hear any bells, and, thankfully, I didn’t hear any moaning either.
But I did get to see a beautiful hotel that has served it’s community for over 120 years. Preserving it’s legacy has been a labor of love for people like the Schmidt’s for several years, allowing people to enjoy what it has to offer.
The hotel went up for sale again last year. I hope the new owners take as much care with it as the previous owners have. I guess when it sells, I’ll have to go back and see for myself.
Maybe when I do, I’ll see Leo and Lillie and can ask them what they think.
Sources
Franklin Hotel, Strawberry Point. Haunted Iowa, hauntedrooms.com
Rasdal, Dave. Grand Hotels. The Gazette, 1/21/2007
Archer, Meg. Most People Have No Idea This Quaint Iowa Town Has A Ghostly Secret. Onlyinyourstate.com, 3/3/2017
World’s Largest Strawberry. RoadsideAmerica.com
Alexander Blake Jr. findagrave.com
Rasdal, Dave. Ghosts legend grows in Strawberry Point. The Gazette, 10/13/2008