The Peace and Plenty Inn was
owned by the Chichester family, who ran it as an inn for over 200 years.
Located on a busy stagecoach route, Peace and Plenty became a prominent meeting
place, and had even had the likes of Walt Whitman and President Theodore
Roosevelt as guests. It is a 1½-story red shingle-clad building with a
clapboard gabled roof. Although there have been numerous additions since its
original construction, they were built early on. Today the house is on the
National Register of Historic Places, and upon entering it you feel as if you
have stepped back in time. Perhaps this is why Asa seems so comfortable here.
Originally, the inn consisted of
two rooms, and a bedroom in the attic crawl space. A winding, narrow boxed
staircase led to a trap door that opened into the loft. These interesting
features remain in the house today. These rooms, which obviously are the oldest
part of the house, have been said to be the most haunted areas, although Asa
has been known to roam other rooms in the house, and in the front and back
yard.
A tap room was added sometime
before 1700. A unique 17th century removable hinged
wall still exists in the house, and was originally used to temporarily enlarge
the room when town meetings were held.
Currently, the sprawling home,
with its wide plank floors and beamed ceilings, has five bedrooms, four baths,
and four fireplaces with interior chimneys, and sits on 2.3 acres in West
Hills.
Asa was born into the Chichester
family on October 18, 1788. Like his forebears, when he was old enough he
undertook to run the family business as an inn. In the mid-1800’s, however,
business began to decline at Peace and Plenty because Jericho Turnpike was
extended into Huntington. It was much easier to travel the new, direct road
into Huntington, rather than taking the old stage coach and wagon route. There
came a time when Asa had to make the decision to close the inn. This must have
been difficult for him to do, since the inn had been part of his family’s
history for so long.
Asa died on May 13, 1841, and
was buried in a family cemetery located on the original property. Once the land
was divided up, the cemetery became part of someone else’s plot around the
corner. The descendants of Asa remained in the house, using it as a private
residence, until 1915. For a short time after that it was used as a boarding
house, but was eventually turned back into a private residence.
It is unknown exactly when the
hauntings began. According to historical records, all of them mention Asa as
the primary ghost. There is some speculation that perhaps his father, Captain
Eliphalet Chichester, may also haunt the house. Eliphalet lived at the inn
during the American Revolution, and he was known to the British as “one of the
worst rebels in Huntington.” He, too, is buried in the old cemetery nearby.
Most of the stories point to Asa
as being the real ghost of the house, however. This is believed because he was
the last of the Chichester innkeepers. Some say that the guilt Asa suffered for
closing the inn makes him come back, while others think he may just miss the
old place. Some believe that perhaps he left something concealed in the walls
of the inn, and is coming back to retrieve it.
Records dating back to 1970, and
through the 80’s and 90’s, indicate that mysterious incidents have taken place
in the house. The Long Island Press wrote, “Strange things have
happened: a lamp and several candles have mysteriously disappeared without a
trace. Footsteps have been heard, and footprints have appeared leading from the
house. It is hardly likely that anyone would walk backwards to the house, and
then leave, occupying the same footprints.”
Another article from an unknown
source states, “His [Asa’s] presence in the house has been detected in several
ways. Not just the usual mysterious footsteps, queer sounds in the walls, and
swinging doors, which accompany any tale about a ghost, but there is much
stronger proof of Asa’s existence at Peace and Plenty. Odd objects such as a
lamp and several milk bottles have disappeared without a trace. At times, Asa
can almost be considered a poltergeist.”
The house has seen quite a number
of owners throughout the years. An owner I interviewed in the early 90’s claimed
that many things occurred electrically. Lights would go on and off, and the TV
and stereo would go on and off or change channels. Her dog even refused to go
up the narrow staircase to the loft bedroom. A passing blue light was once seen
on this staircase as well. I spoke to another owner back in 2003 who claimed
that Asa hadn't been there since she owned the house, and that she liked living
there very much.
So is the story of Asa just a
legend that has been passed along through history, or does his spirit live on
at the Peace and Plenty? Perhaps only the spirit of Asa could answer this most
mysterious question.
You
can read this story in its entirety in Ghosts
of Long Island; Stories of the Paranormal.
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