This beautiful Queen Anne style mansion was built originally for Harriet Loewenberg, wife of Bernhard Loewenberg, in 1889. Due to financial problems, the Loewenbergs traded houses with E.J. Roberts in1898, and from there on the house was called, "The Roberts Mansion." E.J. Roberts, one of the 6 children born to Whales immigrants Evan and Elizabeth Roberts, was born in 1857 in Wisconsin, according to records on an ancestry website. E.J. was a smart and modest boy who, from early on, used books to educate himself. In 1880, he gratuated from Wisconsin's Ripon College. He became an internationally known civil engineer and helped build the Northern Pacific Railway, the Great Northern, and Canadian Pacific. He also set records for track laying that still stand today. In 1940, he was given the honorary degree of Doctor of Science. After college, he met Mary F. Tracy, whom he married in 1883 in Ontario, Canada. Their first child, Edward Joseph Roberts (1884-1980), was born in Canada. All together, they had 5 boys and one girl. After moving to Spokane, E.J. met a pioneer railroad builder: D.C. Corbin. E.J. became the chief engineer of Corbin's railroads and mining projects, as well as the president of Corbin's steel plant: Union Iron Works. Mary Tracy passed away in 1938, and E.J. in 1949. Their home remained in the family till the death of Marian Roberts in 1959. Since then, it has been a rooming house, group home, apartments, and a bed and breakfast. Today, it is an Inn and Event facility owned by Mary Moltke. She has worked 23 years making it what it is now, an absolutely beautifully restored, furnished, and well taken care of Inn for all to enjoy. The descendants of the Roberts family have donated old family pictures and items that are kept on display at The Roberts Mansion. The property also includes a garage and a carriage house that was used by the gardener at one point. The rest of the house help stayed on the 3rd floor maid's quarters. Several people have reported paranormal activity at the Roberts Mansion, such as lights turning off, and foot steps and noises coming from the 2nd floor when no one is there. Sometimes, people can smell lilacs and cigar smoke in parts of the house, and some hear children running on the 2nd floor. During our investigation at the Roberts Mansion, we picked up several male, female and child voices(EVPs) on our voice recorders. Using flashlights, we were able to communicate with the spirits in the Sunset room and the Mary Tracy suite. The Mary Tracy suite was the only room where we didn't get EVPs in. I believe that even the spirits show some respect and privacy to the special couples that stay there. Based on the psychic's account and the EVPs that we obtained, we feel that E.J., Marian, and at least one of E.J. 's other children are still there. You can also find a mention about the Roberts Mansion in Chet Caskey's new book, "Spooky Spokane." As E.J. Roberts said in a Spokemans-Review article when he turned 90, "Live life fully, be moderate in everything, day was meant for work and night for sleeping." A recipe to retain your health. Staying in one of the Roberts Mansion's beautiful and comfortable rooms will certainly get you a good night's sleep.
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