About
Set along the shoreline of Lake Geneva, the historic Baker House stands as one of the last surviving Gilded Age lakefront mansions in the city, an era when wealthy industrialists transformed the region into what became known as the “Newport of the West.” Built in 1885 as a summer home for Emily Baker, widow of businessman and Wisconsin State Senator Robert H. Baker, the sprawling 17,000-square-foot Queen Anne mansion was originally called “Redwood Cottage,” named for its rare California redwood exterior shipped cross-country by rail.
The home was never simply a residence. After the Baker family’s time there, it shifted through a series of unusual and often unsettling chapters, serving as a sanitarium for patients with “nervous disorders,” a Prohibition-era speakeasy, and later a lakeside hotel known as the St. Moritz. Each transformation layered new stories onto the property, while much of the original craftsmanship remained intact: inlaid hardwood floors made from multiple wood species, thirteen fireplaces with ornate tilework, and hand-carved architectural details preserved across more than a century. Today, the mansion operates as a boutique hotel, restaurant, and event space, where guests can dine, stay overnight, and explore rooms filled with antique décor and lakefront views.
But beneath the restored elegance, the Baker House carries a reputation that extends beyond its architecture. Its long history has given rise to persistent claims that something of its past never left.
Reported Paranormal Activity
- Guests and staff report unexplained movement and motion-activated cameras triggering with no visible cause
- Claims of shadowy figures and apparitions seen in hallways and guest rooms
- Reports of objects shifting or being moved overnight
- Unexplained cold spots and sudden temperature changes
- Guests describe a persistent feeling of being watched or not alone, especially in upper rooms
- Stories suggest possible lingering presence tied to Emily Baker or former sanitarium patients
- Ghost of a man with a handlebar mustache
Photos
The Baker House in Lake Geneva
The Baker House in Lake Geneva
