A haunting time at ‘Fainting Goat Island Inn’; Inn owner prepares for favorite time of the year

When guests arrive at the Fainting Goat Island Inn, owner Marnie Streit greets them at the front sidewalk, and then at check-in makes it a point to ask, “Are you here to goat, or to ghost?”

Most guests, Marnie said, respond, “I’m here for both goat and ghost,” but then, a select number are anxious to just get their ghost on.

The Inn, located at 1311 W. River Rd. in Nichols, N.Y. is self-described as, “Where warm hospitality meets old school charm, and a few other quirks.”

Known nationally and worldwide, Fainting Goat has been voted the number one Best Haunted Hotel in 2023 and 2022 in USA Today’s Readers’ Choice Travel Awards. Since 2019, it has maintained a top three status.

Pages upon pages of entries in a guest notebook reveal that guests have heard voices, repeated humming, footsteps traversing the hallway at all hours of the night, and the constant rattling of door locks, among other noises.

Marnie shared that on one occasion a couple heard the continuous tap-tap-tapping of a vintage typewriter during the night, and accompanied by the monotonous “ding” sound at the end of every carriage turn. Interestingly, a couple across the hall in another room, and strangers to the first, heard the same old-fashioned typewriter in the middle of the night.

And not just noises, guests have also shared experiences of bedding being whisked off of them while sleeping, and guests looking in the mirror have seen eyes staring back at them that are not their own.

Although Marnie has had her own experiences at the Inn since she purchased it in 2007, she remains just a bit skeptical, yet welcomes those who are ready to take on the ghost chase.

Marnie noted that reservations are quite busy, and remarked, “Only about twelve guests have checked out early,” and most cited spooky vibes as the reason.     

In the main entrance hallway of the Inn a vast selection of “ghost tools” is on-hand in a cabinet for guests to peruse. From a spirit box to dowsing rods and more, the ready-to-loan equipment is a ghost hunter’s dream. Oftentimes, Marnie said, guests will arrive equipped with their own specialty tools.

Other stars at the Inn are the goats, of course, and a part of the unofficial welcoming committee. With names like Laverne and Shirley, and Bonnie and Clyde, the goats roam freely in a large fenced-in area where they explore, eat constantly, and cozy up to visitors. The property also features several other rescue animals that commingle. 

A predominant quirk that has startled multiple guests is the large number of vintage dolls scattered about the Inn. Some have shared being frightened by the eyes of a particular doll that sits on the step landing leading up to the second floor guest rooms. Accounts tell that the creepy eyes of the doll follow their every move.    

Marnie’s take on the dolls, though, is simply, and with a slight grin, “I love my dolls, and I really haven’t put them out for the ‘creep factor.’”

The property’s history is fascinating. Dating back to about 1830, it was owned by the Pearsall family and well known as a railroad hotel around the 1850’s, and during the Erie and Lackawanna days. Marnie noted that the Pearsall’s owned two properties directly across River Road from the Fainting Goat, and that in old photos she noticed a road crossing where passengers walked to the Inn side.  Some old history has mentioned that the hotel property in its earlier days was a brothel stop, too.

Marnie also learned that the property was once the Canopy Villa, a boarding house in the early 1900’s and run by the Finch family, although more research is needed. 

The Fainting Goat Island Inn property features the island behind it, and across the Susquehanna (identified as Hoopers Valley Island on maps). Today, Marnie shared, guests often bring kayaks to go exploring. A family of ducks swims back and forth from the island to the Fainting Goat.

The Inn is decorated with a multitude of antique furnishings, décor and furniture that reflect the property’s early Victorian period, along with many whimsical pieces. Guests who gather in the front lounge will be joined by a couple of spiny characters spreading good cheer, a.k.a. skeletons.  

As many as 14 Victrola phonographs grace the Inn, and, Marnie said, are from her father’s collection. She believes he would be happy to know that the phonographs are a topic of conversation, and are actively used. Her father and grandfather, she added, acquired a number of the pieces of period furniture.

Marnie, originally from St. Lawrence County near Canton, N.Y., was a physical education and health teacher in the Sayre School District for 22 years. She now focuses on the Fainting Goat, and lives there with her fiancé, Bill Gamble.

Marnie remarked, “I do love all of my guests,” and commented that they come from all over the U.S., and now the globe. This summer a family from Germany stayed at the Inn, and for the first time she used a translator app to communicate with another family visiting from China.

Most guests who stay at the Inn, Marnie said, enjoy day adventures, such as antiquing, hiking, kayaking, or the wineries and breweries, and she often suggests nearby Owego. 

While renovating the property several years ago, Marnie noted that it was a pleasant surprise to find original white oak floors underneath old carpeting, which now sparkle in the sunlit rooms. Guest rooms are all aptly named for breeds of goat, too, such as Alpine, Angora, Nubian, and the Fainting Room, and all feature unique offerings such as the Fainting Room’s balcony for views of the Susquehanna.

Yet, beware, because it is in the Fainting Room where guests have heard the rustlings of a young boy who supposedly hides under the bed. It is believed that a young boy died at the Inn back-in-the-day.

The Inn, overflowing with flowering perennial gardens and a collection of eccentric ornamentation, also features an outdoor riverside seating area. Her sister who passed away from breast cancer started the gardens, Marnie shared. Since then, Marnie has expanded the gardens in her memory. During the initial grief period Marnie stumbled across videos of fainting goats; since that time, owning her own has provided comfort after loss.  

As Halloween nears, Dream Seekers Paranormal is hosting an event, planned for Oct. 31, and will take pre-registered guests up to the attic at Fainting Goat, and where reports of footsteps and energy rushes have been felt.

The home has also been featured on the Travel Channel’s “Hotel Paranormal,” which is planned to air again on Nov. 17 at 2 p.m. Several other shows and publications, and ghost hunting groups, have taken interest in the Inn.

For Halloween weekend, Marnie looks forward to spending time with her family and grandchildren at the Inn.

Not long ago, one of the oldest trees in the front yard at the Inn was struck by lightning. The streak mark left behind runs the gamut of the tree, and perhaps just another sign of spooky vibes at the Fainting Goat Island Inn.

To learn more about the Inn, visit www.faintinggoatislandinn.com or call (607) 972-9849.