THE STORY
Reported Haunting
Legend holds that moving a portrait of John Augustus Sutter from its traditional place above the fireplace at the Lititz Springs Inn triggers paranormal activity, including shadow figures, footsteps and whispers in empty areas, and objects reportedly moving or flying through the kitchen.
The Lititz Springs Inn has welcomed travelers in downtown Lititz since 1764, when it opened as Zum Anker, or the Sign of the Anchor. After operating as the Lititz Springs Hotel, it was renamed The General Sutter in 1930 in honor of John Augustus Sutter, who spent his final years in Lititz and is buried nearby. The property returned to the name Lititz Springs Inn in 2020. Its best-known supernatural legend centers on a portrait of Sutter traditionally displayed above a fireplace. According to the story, an employee once removed the portrait while redecorating, after which guests and workers began reporting unexplained shadows, phantom footsteps on empty staircases, whispers in vacant corridors, and glasses, plates, or utensils apparently moving or flying without assistance. A longtime employee reportedly connected the sudden disturbances with the displaced portrait and returned it to its customary location, after which the unusual activity supposedly subsided. The tale remains an urban legend rather than proof that Sutter himself haunts the inn, but longtime employees are said to be reluctant to move the portrait.