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by Maria Salvo Benson (Author)
Some Illinois travelers are so taken by their destination, they hunker down for eternity.
There's something about old hotels and locales that tourists flock to. The places are experiences unto themselves, but they also thrum, sometimes quite literally, with the lingering presence of those who previously paid them a visit. At the Mineral Springs Hotel in Alton, traces of floral perfume from a woman who took her life more than a century ago greet visitors in room 220. Spirits abound at the DeSoto House Hotel in Galena, one bearing an unsettling likeness to Abraham Lincoln. At the Congress Plaza Hotel in Chicago, children from the past still laugh after dark. From the polite spirit at the Inn at 835 Boutique Hotel in Springfield, who encourages guests to "turn the page," to the specter of the jilted chambermaid at St. Charles's Hotel Baker, author Maria Salvo Benson guides intrepid readers through hotels and getaways where previous guests never truly checked out.
Author Maria Salvo-Benson guides the intrepid through the most haunted hotels and getaways throughout the Prairie State.
Author Biography
Maria Salvo-Benson has long held a deep passion for preserving history and honoring the stories of the past. For her, it is more than documentation, it is about connection. One of her greatest joys as an author comes when a parent shares that their child, previously unaware of a local landmark's significance, developed a newfound respect and curiosity after reading one of her published and researched ghost stories. Through weaving factual history into the spectrum, she inspires readers to see the world around them with fresh eyes. With academic backgrounds in both behavioral sciences and education, Maria brings a thoughtful, interdisciplinary perspective to her writing. She has authored numerous newspaper articles, media features, and books under the names Maria Salvo, Dorothy Salvo Davis, and Maria Salvo-Benson, each paying homage to the roots of her own family and the legacy of her husband's name.
