Get to know Maggie, Wallace's most famous ghost

WALLACE — Wallace is known for its unique and historic atmosphere that is almost a throwback to an era where citizens went out of their way to get to know one another, but it also has a slightly more spooky side.

Sixth Street has always been one of the most popular streets in town — with shopping options, the train station, the melodrama and the City Limits pub — but if you stop and take a look around the 300 block of Sixth Street, you may come face to face with a ghost.

The Jameson Saloon has always been one of the most popular places in town for tourists and locals alike, it had great food, a bar and a third floor with amazing rooms for customers to stay for the night.

Each room was like stepping back into the past, but one room holds a little bit more of the past than what most customers are ready for.

There are several tales of why the ghost, called Maggie, resides in the room at the top of the stairs.

There is the story of Maggie, a beautiful woman who waited at the inn for her true love to return and marry her, but he was killed in a train accident and she remained in that room at the Jameson waiting until she eventually died of a broken heart.

There is also the story of Maggie, the girl from Wallace who went with a group of friends to Missoula to watch a football game, but was killed in a fire and her spirit returned to Wallace and the first place it felt at home; The Jameson.

And finally the tale most common among locals.

Maggie was a transient of sorts who traveled the railways between Wallace and St. Louis, making both cities her home for a couple weeks at a time.

She would stay in the inn and help the guests, assist in the kitchens, or spend time in the room that the owners had graciously designated to her so she could look out her window and watch people walk the streets of historic Wallace.

On one such trip from St. Louis, there was an accident involving the train she was traveling by and she tragically died, but her spirit fled to the one place it had always felt the safest, happiest and most welcome; The Jameson.

Wallace Prime Minister, Rick Shaffer has been around The Jameson for sometime, he knows the ins and outs of the building like the back of his hand.

A few years ago, Shaffer recalled several events that have swayed him from skeptic to believer concerning Maggie and her eternal residency in room No. 3.

“I was in the basement doing inventory one night,” Shaffer mentioned. “All of the sudden it sounded like there was a party going on upstairs. I heard voices, footprints, the works, only to discover that it was the same dark, locked up building I had left it.”

This wasn’t Shaffer’s only encounter with Ms. Maggie and her trickery, and this time she got a little more up close and personal.

“I was staying at the inn one night,” Shaffer said. “Due to my height, I couldn’t sleep in the tiny twin bed in the inn-keepers suite, so I decided to stay in the room at the end of the hall that was down the hall from Maggie’s room. I had my dog with me and after getting her settled for the night I shut the door, turned the light and the fan off, and climbed into bed. I was later awoken by the sound of my dog growling and as I sat up I realized my door was open, the fan was on, and I could hear footsteps going down the hall towards Maggie’s room. I quickly threw my robe on and scoured the whole building, but there was no trace of anyone anywhere.”

Tales like these were not uncommon for staff who worked at the inn, one employee encountered Maggie standing at the second floor bar as she delivered water to a customer on the third floor, another time Maggie took it upon herself to turn the hot water off to the showers at the inn despite the hot water tank working at full power.

Nothing about Maggie has ever been sinister, but a warning to anyone who goes to the Jameson, Maggie is always there.

Happy Halloween!