Greunke’s First Street Inn takes pride of place in the quaint waterside town of Bayfield, right on the banks of spectacular Lake Superior. This old timey neighborhood establishment offers board and lodging in the form of a welcoming restaurant dating back to the 1940s, and well-kept rooms upstairs for weary travelers to rest their heads. Walking into Greunke’s is like stepping back in time – with walls adorned in old-fashioned Coca-Cola memorabilia and a working Wurlitzer banging out hits from a bygone era.

Greunke’s Resident Ghost

The inn sits across two of Bayfield’s oldest and most historic buildings – the LaBonte House, which was built in 1863, and the Wachsmuth House, built in 1880. Over the years it’s been a temporary home for lumberjacks, fisherman, and farm laborers, welcomed countless visitors keen to experience the majesty of beautiful Lake Superior, and even offered shelter from a storm to Scandinavian royalty. And somewhere along the line, in Wisconsin’s dim and distant history, Greunke’s First Street Inn attracted the activities of its own resident ghost.

Blame Irene...

Current owner Judith has named the ghost Irene, but the haunting could be attributed to any of the rough and ready guests who’ve met their end in the region’s unforgiving backwoods and watery depths.

When the kitchen freezer doors swing open, they blame Irene. When the CD player mysteriously jumps tracks, it’s Irene. And when the inn’s heavy swing doors slam shut with nobody nearby, Irene’s usually the one at fault. Toilets flush with no-one around, and hotel guests report the heavy sounds of footsteps on the stairs late at night... Irene is always first to take the blame.

Developing A Ghostly Apparition

Curious things have shown up in photos as well. Before a bout of light renovation, Judith took pictures of the rooms’ interiors including antique pictures hanging on the walls. When the film was developed, she noticed the portrait of a baby in one of the rooms. She had never seen that portrait before, and has never seen it since.

The Blue Room

In summer 2011, a young couple spent the night in the infamous third floor room called the Blue Room – usually only rented out in the case of double bookings, or if guests request it specifically. During the night the couple was awakened by a sharp rapping sound on the door, yet when they opened the door, the hallway was empty.

Settling back into bed, the couple noticed the apparition of a man’s head and shoulders materializing in the room, before suddenly vanishing. Later, they saw strange lights dancing across the ceiling. They eventually managed to fall back to sleep, until the woman was awakened by something tickling her foot under the sheets.

This bizarre activity has also been reported independently at two other haunted locations in Bayfield, but it begs the question; why toe tickling? According to Virginia Hirsch, the original Bayfield tour founder, tickling the toes was a favorite method of the mothers of Bayfield when they wished to awaken their sleeping children each morning.

See It In Person

Learn more on our Bayfield Ghost Walk and see if you can meet Irene in the well, flesh doesn't seem like the right word, but spirit form at least!)