Phantom Profits

Phantom Profits

Phantom Profits

Built in 1924 by distinguished alumnus, successful businessman and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill trustee, John Sprunt Hill, the Carolina_Inn was intended to cater to the institution’s visitors and alumni. Its architecture blends Georgian and neoclassical characteristics.

The building’s design was influenced by the front of George Washington's Mt. Vernon home. In 1935, Hill donated the 184 room inn to the university with the stipulation that, after breaking even, profits from the Inn were to be used for maintaining and supporting the institution’s library, the books and papers called the North Carolina Collection. Some of the haunters are believed to be the ghosts of guests who decided to stay.

Dr. William Jacocks – Prankster Ghost of the Carolina Inn

He was a physician with the Rockefeller Foundation’s International Health Division, who retired to Chapel Hill and lived in Suite 252 for nearly twenty years, from 1948 until he died in 1965. He was a kind gentleman who enjoyed jokes and riddles. Many people believe his spirit, who had a sense of humor, remains in his room.