Saturday, April 16, 2011

The Return of the Palmer Hotel Ghost

What might have been a very slow day at Afton Station was sparked in the afternoon by . . . the return of the Palmer Hotel Ghost??? Wait! What's that image moving in one of the upstairs windows of the long-abandoned Route 66 hotel? The spectre appears to be a woman, perhaps two, in garb reminiscent of the days of Belle Starr, or perhaps Miss Kitty from "Gunsmoke". Had their ghosts perhaps come to Afton, to the Golden West style hotel that reminded them of their stomping ground of old? Oh dear, this is just spooky!Alas, there's always a logical explanation In reality, the rather astounding sight turned out to be the work of a photographer (a relative by marriage of the owner of the Palmer), who obtained permission to enter the relic in order to do a fashion shoot of prom dresses against a primitive background. She certainly picked the right place to do it! Ron M. and I were transfixed, watching the activity in the 2nd floor window of a structure that hasn't been touched for decades.


Good thing something was happening in Afton today, because we sure had a slow day at the Station. Tattoo Man was there with us in the morning, but otherwise we only saw 5 visitors, who were from Oswego KS, Traverse City MI, Perry KS, and Grove, OK.


Meanwhile, across the street the green metal roof is being put on the new building, and every forklift in town came out to watch.

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I've been "teasing" for a while about a new acquisition which we'll be getting soon at Afton Station. Today, the gentleman who is giving us the loan of his 1917 PACKARD MOTORHOME came in to the Station and told us how eager he is to bring it here as soon as the new showroom is finished. Now, I feel I can show some photos of this rare, incredible machine that will be the centerpiece of the collection. It's one of, if not THE, first motorhome of its kind.

2 comments:

Susan Yates said...

Ghosts, pretty young ghosts--how fun.

Until I saw the Packard motor home, my dream was to own a restored 1950s era Airstream. Now I think I want a Packard motor home!

Trevor Hilton said...

Cool motorhome. That will make a terrific addition to your collection.