The Curse of the Sycamore Inn continues

The Sycamore Inn has always been recognized for its excellent meals, and its history with the surrounding area as far back as the 1850's when It was first built by a local character named Uncle Billy....His real name was William Rubottom. His first Inn was called "The Mountain View Inn"....Being a good host he developed a good rapport with the local settlers, especially John and Maria Merced Rains, the owners of Cucamonga and the Rains Ranch.

In 1862, after a very serious fight in the upstairs Kitchen area John Rains was murdered....Some of more prominent locals felt that his wife Maria was some how involved, but that was never proven, and thankfully to Uncle Billy, some how he prevented a lynch Mob from hanging her....He is said to have fed them all quite well and gotten them all drunk, so that they forgot all about hanging Maria....Maria again would be mentioned in another murder, when Ramon Carrilo, her husbands Rancho manager, was shot as they rode past the Inn in 1864....To this day, both Murders remain unsolved.

So through the years many unusual events have occurred at the Inn....In the 1860's it was the great Flood that damaged the Inn, after that, a fire destroyed the top floor....After rebuilding, another Murder occurred with Maria once more a person of interest....That case was never solved....then the entire structure was destroyed by fire in 1918....It was rebuilt in 1920 by local rancher and vinter John Klusman....He built the building in the image of Inn's in his native Germany....It once more became a favorite meeting place and stop over for the night of travelers from San Bernardino and LA.

As the years passed, Such notables as Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Short, otherwise known as the Black Dahlia after her grisly death, stopped by the Inn to spend the night or eat.....Other notables claiming to have eaten at the Inn include Al Capone, and Bugsy Segel....We all know what happened to them.

As the years went by, the Sycamore Inn, which has always had a air of Mystery was used for years by local groups who performed weekend 'Murder who done its' at the Inn.

In 1969, the Great flood of that year damaged the roof and flooded the basement.....In the summer of 1969, fire started by fireworks, again almost damaged the Sycamore Inn....This time though, the fire burned away from the Inn and destroyed the grove of Sycamore trees to the East of the Inn....I know, I was witness to this event.

Then late Tuesday Night, tragedy again almost claimed another life at the Inn...According to reports, a disgruntled employee, attacked one of the current owners and stabbed him....But thankfully this time, events were different....The owner survived his attack and the perpetrator was caught.

One would hope that enough has happened at the Inn to last several lifetimes....The Magic Lamp across the street, opened in 1959, has never suffered any of the mysteries attributed to the Inn....Perhaps the curse is finally broken....Perhaps no one else will die on the steps or in one of the upper rooms, or just passing by....One can only hope.

Gary Hall, the ghostpainter