Iowa’s oldest and most luxurious hotel is also extremely haunted

I remembered this hotel while visiting his family in Iowa. I also learned that said hotel is haunted! Color me intrigued, I love haunted stuff! This hotel is the oldest in the entire state of Iowa and it is also a very nice hotel. But if you spend the night there, you may or may not have strange encounters.

When my brother and I were kids, we would spend a long weekend at my grandparents’ house in Iowa. Just the two of us, no parents, damn yeah! When I was visiting my family a few weeks ago, my grandfather reminded me that on one of those trips, the four of us stayed at this beautiful hotel in Dubuque called the Hotel Julien.

History of Hotel Julien – Dubuque, IA

The Hotel Julien was originally built in 1839 as Waples House, according to the hotel website. It “was extravagantly furnished and was known far and wide for its gourmet cuisine”. Unfortunately, a fire burned down much of the building, but they took what was left and rebuilt it.

Famous People Who Stayed at the Hotel Julien

Because Hotel Julien was well known for its extravagances, many celebrities stayed there. According to hotel websitethese celebrities include Abraham Lincoln, Buffalo Bill, Cody and Mark Twain, and even Al Capone.

The rumor about Al Capone is that whenever things got a little dicey for him in Chicago, he would make the trip to Dubuque and hide out at the Julien Hotel. Some say he even made an underground garage to hide his cars so he could stay undercover.

Julien Hauntings Hotel

While my grandfather reminded me that we had stayed at this hotel, he also told me that the place was supposedly haunted. According to Only in your state, guests and staff apparently saw a person in vintage clothing floating through the upper-floor hallways. There are also people who believe that Al Capone himself haunts Hotel Julien.

Whether or not you believe in ghosts, Hotel Julien is an amazing place to visit. I’m quite tempted to go check it out again now that I know it might be haunted.